Never played any game of this series...

[Intoker]

If I start with this game....am I screwed plotwise?

[etch]

You might not understand certain plotlines or concepts that build off hints or stories from the Sky trilogy, but you should be fine for the most part. I do encourage to play the Sky games or at least see if you enjoy this and want more to maybe check them out then if you want.

[Akira]

Crossbell (the Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure duology) are standalone stories with unique protagonists, so they're perfectly serviceable if you start with them first.

However the stories are all interlinked so you should play them in chronological order:
1. Trails in the Sky
2. Trails in the Sky SC
3. Trails in the Sky the 3rd
4. Trails from Zero
5. Trails to Azure (releasing 2023)
6. Trails in Cold Steel 1
7. Trails in Cold Steel 2
8. Trails in Cold Steel 3
9. Trails in Cold Steel 4
10. Trails into Reverie (releasing 2023)
11. Kuro no Kiseki (Not announced yet)
12. Kuro no Kiseki 2: Crimson Sin (Not announced yet)

It may seem daunting, but it's like any long-running series. If you play the Trails games in order of release, you'll mirror the same progression that Japanese fans enjoyed and you'll have an optimal experience.

[bassyey]

My friend started from Cold Steel 1 then CS2, then went back to Trails in the Sky. He loves the series more than I do, and I introduced him to this series.

The story is easy to understand, it doesn't really matter. Just don't start at part 2 of each group. Always at 1.

[MapleOmega]

You can for sure! However you will be missing some character payoffs from Trails in the Sky. That being said Crossbell is its own beast. A fine entry to start in. As many people even started their journey in Trails of Cold Steel

[Dragon]

Originally posted by Intoker:

If I start with this game....am I screwed plotwise?

Indeed you would be.

This game and its sequel both have several characters that return from the previous 3 games, and these Crossbell games also feature plot lines and character arcs that directly continue from where they had left off in the previous three games (which are called Trails in the Sky).

Likewise, the overall story of the world directly continues in the Crossbell games from where it had left off in the previous Sky games.

You'd be far better off playing the previous Sky games first before you play the Crossbell games, or else you will have no clue what the characters are talking about in many of the conversations and plot lines related to the returning characters in the Crossbell games, and also you won't understand how the plot and characters' arcs have developed over the course of the many games, and you won't have the proper frame of reference for the returning characters' back stories, etc.

[Intoker]

Originally posted by Akira:

Crossbell (the Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure duology) are standalone stories with unique protagonists, so they're perfectly serviceable if you start with them first.

However the stories are all interlinked so you should play them in chronological order:
1. Trails in the Sky
2. Trails in the Sky SC
3. Trails in the Sky the 3rd
4. Trails from Zero
5. Trails to Azure (releasing 2023)
6. Trails in Cold Steel 1
7. Trails in Cold Steel 2
8. Trails in Cold Steel 3
9. Trails in Cold Steel 4
10. Trails into Reverie (releasing 2023)
11. Kuro no Kiseki (Not announced yet)
12. Kuro no Kiseki 2: Crimson Sin (Not announced yet)

It may seem daunting, but it's like any long-running series. If you play the Trails games in order of release, you'll mirror the same progression that Japanese fans enjoyed and you'll have an optimal experience.

Thank you for arranging the list for me. I might give Trails in the Sky a try first see how it goes for me then.

[Yekkusu]

Like they said here already, it's a multi story game, every single entry happens in the same world, they just happen in different points of time. However, the time itslef is like, a year or two between each game, so it's not an absurd timeskip.

I think each game in the series is self contained.However, from Crossbell onwards, each game will start having guest characters from other games, and they will start refferencing end-game situations from previous games.

The end game of Liberl Arc was mentioned at least four times in Cold steel if I'm not mistaken. You can watch the end-game from Crossbell arc on Cold Steel arc from a distance, you read stuff and you hear stuff that happened, and the weight of these info are way heavier and more significant if you know the series from the start.

Take if from myself: I knew the Legend of Hereos for a long time because I'm an YS fan. I watched the Trails in the sky anime before I played the games, and I only played the Sky trilogy recently after finishing the Cold steel quadrology, and holy hell the sequences when they talk about the end game of liberl in cold steel gives me chills now, but they meant nothing for me the first time.


Will you lose a lot? Not that much, but Cold Steel IV decides they want to Smash Bross the entire cast and I'm surprised they didn't open a black hole in the middle of the game to throw the cast of Ys in the game too, because after a few moments it felt like a fan-service game, there's so many characters to play there. And a lot of them are from older games.

At least Crossbell is very sell self-contained. Since it's the foundations for the conflicts that will happen in Erebonia, and Erebonia itself were being teased since the sky series, you won't lose a lot. But if possible, play the Sky first?

If you have access to a PS Vita you can patch the Evolution versions and play a verion that is similar to the Crossbell system, more modernized to work like Cold Steel I, but if you can't, play the PC version. There are mods to add the japanese voice acting from the Evolutions versions to the PC version, but it's japanese.

And like Akira said, you should totally play it in order. Believe me, it's worth it.

The sky games, especially the first one, it takes a long time for things to heat up but once they do and the game ends you WILL find yourself playing the second game right away. And, before you play them, check out if you prefer the original sound track or the Evolution sound track. I prefer the evolution most of the time, but there are some beautiful music on the original too. Anyway, don't do it like me, play from the start. It is worth it. Believe me.

[Intoker]

Thank you for the detailed response, I shall keep this in mind when I try the first game. It seems I'm getting myself into a long epic adventure. :)

[Cliver]

If you want to play this game you should start with trails in the sky series indeed. Graphic and mechanic wise they are very similar anyway. Cold steel 1 changes are more drastic. I am going to wait for Ao, restart and finish every game again :p .

[Black Frost]

Originally posted by Intoker:

Thank you for the detailed response, I shall keep this in mind when I try the first game. It seems I'm getting myself into a long epic adventure. :)

Well in that case, when you get to Trails in the Sky the 3rd, make sure you do all the Memory Doors as they will show you lore that is significant to the future entries. If you need help on finding the doors and picking the right characters to open them with, then I got good news for you! I prepared a Memory Doors guide in the guide section for the 3rd, so make sure to check it out if you want to.

[Sage Pirotess]

Dont listen to the trolls. You can start at any point of an arc.

Sky 1
Zero
Cs 1
And even the new unreleased arc.

Prob with starting in sky is it is old its gameplay may turn you off. Whereas as CS1 may draw you in, then make you backtrack to other arcs.

[Jeffer'son Airship]

I think the big thing would be to not play Cold Steel past the first before playing Crossbell.

You're perfectly fine starting at Crossbell. You'll miss some references but the story of this particular duology works on its own.

I'd recommend at least going back to Sky after as Sky is great and Sky Third sets up a ton of Cold Steel and beyond plot.