Ok... sooo whats the order to best enjoy this series?

[Riftweaver]

i know a lot of people are probably sick of hearing that but i havent really seen an easy to understand list of which games to start with to enjoy the series in which order.

i remember an article a few weeks ago that listed them but i didnt think much of it at the time and cant seem to find it anywhere now.
i really hope this isnt a 'what order should i watch Fate in' situation..

[Koby]

sky 1-3, zero & azure, cold steel 1-4, reverie.

[Ceriss]

Nope, it's like Kobe stated. The order of the series is completely cut and dry. There is no deviation.

Sky FC, SC, 3rd. Then Zero, then Azure. Then Cold Steel in numbered order 1-4. Lastly Reverie with the Calvard arc games coming after that.

[Riftweaver]

thank you very much, both of you. i'll get started lol

[AshaMarie]

Wish you the best. Best jrpg series in the world and worth visiting the older games in chronological order as mentioned above. It's going to hurt the wallet, but invest slowly and you will do fine. By time you finish them, this game might be on big discount so might be worth the wait. Otherwise, go ahead grab it for the first week launch bonuses if that's your thing.

[BigEazy]

I mean it can be argued Azure can be played after 1 to get a closer proper timeline.

[Αη Ιnτellecτual Tsiραr]

I'm just gonna warn u that I think Trails in the Sky is awful and I wouldn't recommend starting with that one. People will harp on and on about the overarching story, but the game is pretty dull. I dunno, maybe if you enjoy it then you may enjoy the rest of the series but I was fooled that way too. It gets better in SC. Oh no, you gotta play all 10 games before it gets good. And here I am giving it another chance. I'd recommend playing cold steel and if that ain't your cup of tea then just move on to another JRPG series. There's many, many better options. imo obviously

[BigEazy]

Originally posted by Αη Ιnτellecτual Tsiραr:

I'm just gonna warn u that I think Trails in the Sky is awful and I wouldn't recommend starting with that one. People will harp on and on about the overarching story, but the game is pretty dull. I dunno, maybe if you enjoy it then you may enjoy the rest of the series but I was fooled that way too. It gets better in SC. Oh no, you gotta play all 10 games before it gets good. And here I am giving it another chance. I'd recommend playing cold steel and if that ain't your cup of tea then just move on to another JRPG series. There's many, many better options. imo obviously

I one hundred percent disagree. In my opinion there isn't a single bad legend of heroes games as far as I've played them. Look at my steam games I've invested a lot of time into this series. Trails in the sky were awesome.

[Ogami]

I started with the Cold Steel games and then did go back to play the others later.
But the Cold Steel ones are still my favorites, i guess because i played them first.

[jclosed]

Originally posted by Αη Ιnτellecτual Tsiραr:

I'm just gonna warn u that I think Trails in the Sky is awful and I wouldn't recommend starting with that one. People will harp on and on about the overarching story, but the game is pretty dull. I dunno, maybe if you enjoy it then you may enjoy the rest of the series but I was fooled that way too. It gets better in SC. Oh no, you gotta play all 10 games before it gets good. And here I am giving it another chance. I'd recommend playing cold steel and if that ain't your cup of tea then just move on to another JRPG series. There's many, many better options. imo obviously

While I don't disagree the Sky series has a slow start, it's just one of those things that makes these series good. That sounds a bit weird, but let me explain.

That "perceived" slowness is in fact a way to let you learn about the whole world, and sets the stage for all the games that come after it. At the start you learn to know the two main characters Estelle and Joshua and see them as child's that grow up in a world that is not as cozy and peaceful as it seems at first glance. That slowness let you see their character growth and at the same time learns you more and more about the whole world they live in and let you slowly but surely "look behind the scenes".

Personally I had the idea it was a slow burn at the start too, but after a few hours I noticed that I could not stop playing. It's not only about the main characters, but also about the side characters and even the NPC's that makes you curious about the progress of their little story's. You see - That's the big thing with these games. It lets you feel really connected with all the people you meet. Even the people that look (and sometimes are) insignificant have their own little story progress every time you meet then after some passing of time.

It's that seemly insignificant detail that kept me hooked. It's not one story you are following, but a host of story's at the same time. For people that not care about that the game can feel indeed a slow burn, but for those people that like to pay attention to their surroundings in a game it's like playing in a living and breathing world.

In short - These games (especially the Sky games) are not for people that only focus on main characters and the combat. These series are for people that dare to look beyond that and experience the richness of the world that plays a big role in getting attached to the country's an the people that live in it.

Sure - It's not for everybody. But the Sky games are not expensive, and I sure would advise people to give it at least a try before writing the games off. Personally I dived in to give it "just a try", only to get hooked after a few hours of playing (completely by surprise if I might add).

Log story short: Give those older games at least a try for a few hours, and talk with everyone, even NPC's. If you not get hooked (or at least interested) after that, these older games are not for you. Because these games are not expensive the only thing you have to loose are a few hours of your time and a few Dollars/Euro's. That's a small investment for something that very well could be the start of a great journey through the world of The Legend Of Heroes.

[Seagal]

Originally posted by Αη Ιnτellecτual Tsiραr:

I'm just gonna warn u that I think Trails in the Sky is awful and I wouldn't recommend starting with that one. People will harp on and on about the overarching story, but the game is pretty dull. I dunno, maybe if you enjoy it then you may enjoy the rest of the series but I was fooled that way too. It gets better in SC. Oh no, you gotta play all 10 games before it gets good. And here I am giving it another chance. I'd recommend playing cold steel and if that ain't your cup of tea then just move on to another JRPG series. There's many, many better options. imo obviously

Yeah, I'd generally agree with this. I never played the Sky series, despite owning them on GOG. I never played Zero or Azure either and didn't buy those at all, because I knew I would never realistically touch them and it would be a waste of money like Sky series was.

Those five (5) games are just far too old now for me to warrant spending my valuable leisure time on. Even Trails of Cold Steel 1 & 2 would be very hard for me to go back and replay, and I just don't think I'd be able to do it.

Personally, if I could do it over again with my time and money, I would have just bought 3 & 4 and that's it. I'm still going to buy Reverie at some point and enjoy my time with it just like I did with the 180 hours or so I put into ToCS4 despite not playing the five games mentioned.

Hell, if you're just looking for a game with a fun battle system, gearing up characters, playing with cute waifus in swimsuits and stuff, then I'm totally confident that you could easily just play ToCS3 or 4 and have a good time with it. I'm sure you could do the same with Reverie. Just read a little backstory if you want before hand, watch a video or something and move on, and even that's not required if you don't care about the story.

This game "wall" is kind of what's wrong with this series, and Falcom even knows that. It wasn't that long ago that the president said that all games are going to have endings now and if a game doesn't sell it's not going to get a sequel and that goes for Legend of Heroes.

A lot of the fanbase never lets that barrier go either and promptly pushes anyone away who isn't willing or able to commit to the over 500+ hours of games they need to play and buy. Maybe it's a way to intentionally keep people out of the series, or it's some weird fanboy thing where this barrier of entry is viewed as something of "superiority" they can hold over other more mainstream JRPGs... Probably some of both.

You ever hear a fanbase so proudly talk about "world-building" so much, or how many games you need to play just to get into it? Exactly. Not like this is some pinnacle of JRPG story-telling either, believe me.

There's just so many good games that come out nowadays and not enough time to play them. Imagine needing to play ten (10) Dragon Quest games before being able to play XI, or the same thing with Final Fantasy... It's just absolutely lunacy.

[Αη Ιnτellecτual Tsiραr]

I think I may agree with you Seagal. I finished Cold Steel 1 on ps3, but never finished 2. I was going to try and replay the second one but maybe I am better off just skipping ahead and seeing if the improvements to the game interest me. I always feel like I am missing something when I hear how great Trails in the Sky is. Haven't played Azure or Zero yet, but I doubt I will feel differently about those. Idk, I just would like to be able to enjoy this franchise with everyone else. Sucks that you have to end up spending like hundreds of dollars too in order to catch up with the main story if you intend to play through all the games. Reverie looks fun, but intimidating because I am expected to play through all of Cold Steel and whatever they call the crossbell games. I hope op enjoys the games at least. I didn't mean to be so negative.

[poperboy]

To the people saying they shouldn't start or even play Sky and the Crossbell arcs, the OP asked what is the best order for the SERIES and the correct answer was given in the first 2 answers.

Regardless of what you thought was boring or didn't even try (and you really should try since Sky SC and Azure are arguably the best in the series), the best order to enjoy the series and its story is Sky - Zero - Azure - Cold Steel and Reverie.

[Αη Ιnτellecτual Tsiραr]

Originally posted by poperboy:

To the people saying they shouldn't start or even play Sky and the Crossbell arcs, the OP asked what is the best order for the SERIES and the correct answer was given in the first 2 answers.

Regardless of what you thought was boring or didn't even try (and you really should try since Sky SC and Azure are arguably the best in the series), the best order to enjoy the series and its story is Sky - Zero - Azure - Cold Steel and Reverie.

I'm not super interested in performing in your fandom, but to me: I wouldn't recommend a boring, lame and dull game as a starting point because most people will quit right there and then. But clearly this is not a community that fosters discussion or free thinking. You will start with Trails in the Sky. You will enjoy it or else and you will buy Trails in the Sky SC because that's when it gets good. Whatever. Free thinkers look elsewhere I suppose.

[jclosed]

Originally posted by Αη Ιnτellecτual Tsiραr:

Originally posted by poperboy:

To the people saying they shouldn't start or even play Sky and the Crossbell arcs, the OP asked what is the best order for the SERIES and the correct answer was given in the first 2 answers.

Regardless of what you thought was boring or didn't even try (and you really should try since Sky SC and Azure are arguably the best in the series), the best order to enjoy the series and its story is Sky - Zero - Azure - Cold Steel and Reverie.

I'm not super interested in performing in your fandom, but to me: I wouldn't recommend a boring, lame and dull game as a starting point because most people will quit right there and then. But clearly this is not a community that fosters discussion or free thinking. You will start with Trails in the Sky. You will enjoy it or else and you will buy Trails in the Sky SC because that's when it gets good. Whatever. Free thinkers look elsewhere I suppose.

Umm - The question was "What is the best order to enjoy these series".

The question was NOT "Can I skip what some people think are boring parts and jump somewhere in the middle of these series" That is the answer you seem to like, but it's not the correct answer.

That you think the games are dull, lame and boring is only something that you are thinking. There are loads of people that think otherwise, and putting these people away as fanatics and oppressing people is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?

This has nothing to do with fandom, being boring or freedom of thinking. There is just one simple answer to the question in witch order the games are released and can (and some will say should) be played. That's simply the order in witch these games are released (just like chapters in a book). That has nothing to do with the games being for everybody.

That order is simply the Sky games > Crosbell dualogy > Cold Steel I - IV > Reverie.

A simple answer for a simple question.

[Αη Ιnτellecτual Tsiραr]

Originally posted by jclosed:

Originally posted by Αη Ιnτellecτual Tsiραr:

I'm not super interested in performing in your fandom, but to me: I wouldn't recommend a boring, lame and dull game as a starting point because most people will quit right there and then. But clearly this is not a community that fosters discussion or free thinking. You will start with Trails in the Sky. You will enjoy it or else and you will buy Trails in the Sky SC because that's when it gets good. Whatever. Free thinkers look elsewhere I suppose.

Umm - The question was "What is the best order to enjoy these series".

The question was NOT "Can I skip what some people think are boring parts and jump somewhere in the middle of these series" That is the answer you seem to like, but it's not the correct answer.

That you think the games are dull, lame and boring is only something that you are thinking. There are loads of people that think otherwise, and putting these people away as fanatics and oppressing people is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?

This has nothing to do with fandom, being boring or freedom of thinking. There is just one simple answer to the question in witch order the games are released and can (and some will say should) be played. That's simply the order in witch these games are released (just like chapters in a book). That has nothing to do with the games being for everybody.

That order is simply the Sky games > Crosbell dualogy > Cold Steel I - IV > Reverie.

A simple answer for a simple question.

I understand. The consensus has spoken. It is not my place to offer an opinion. Clearly the best order is not a subjective opinion. It is a fact that you must begin with trails in the sky. Just like the Earth revolves around the sun. I cannot dispute this. As you say, I shall agree. Enjoy the legend of heroes.