Worth Playing?

[SlayerG]

This game looks interesting but after doing some research it seems like there are 9 games in the series or something and it just seems like a real pain to figure out and get into.

I also know spoilers on some things that happen somewhere in the Sky games which discourages me to play it even more

What do you guys think and what is the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ order these games go in lol

[Koby]

Trails in the Sky is 3 games.

Zero/Ao is 2 games, but only available in English via fan translation.

Cold Steel is 4 games + an additional side-story (unknown if it's a full game or DLC to the 4th at this time).

More arcs planned, but it's been stated that future arcs will be two games each.

Trails in the Sky is the start of it, and technically the order would mostly be as listed. However if you feel like it's too many games or too much to play through... you can simply pick what arc you'd like to play most and start there. If you like it continue on to the others. Don't let the number of games make you decide to miss out on this excellent franchise.

[SlayerG]

Originally posted by Koby:

Trails in the Sky is 3 games.

Zero/Ao is 2 games, but only available in English via fan translation.

Cold Steel is 4 games + an additional side-story (unknown if it's a full game or DLC to the 4th at this time).

More arcs planned, but it's been stated that future arcs will be two games each.

Trails in the Sky is the start of it, and technically the order would mostly be as listed. However if you feel like it's too many games or too much to play through... you can simply pick what arc you'd like to play most and start there. If you like it continue on to the others. Don't let the number of games make you decide to miss out on this excellent franchise.

Hmmm I guess I'll see, I just don't know if I want to get into such a big series, it also doesn't help that I spoiled some stuff on acicdent while looking stuff up about the games lol

But thx for the info

[Koby]

If it helps, Cold Steel 3 & 4 aren't out in English yet. CS3 will be out this fall.

So technically there is currently only 5 games across 2 arcs "officially" in English at the moment.

[SlayerG]

Originally posted by Koby:

If it helps, Cold Steel 3 & 4 aren't out in English yet. CS3 will be out this fall.

So technically there is currently only 5 games across 2 arcs "officially" in English at the moment.

Jeez its a big series, I didn't know it had so many connected games

[myhr2]

Trails in the Sky 1 and 2 are a complete story, they solves enough plot points to be self-sufficient, and I highly recommand playing them. Whether you want to keep playing Trails games afterwards is another decision.

[SlayerG]

Originally posted by myhr2:

Trails in the Sky 1 and 2 are a complete story, they solves enough plot points to be self-sufficient, and I highly recommand playing them. Whether you want to keep playing Trails games afterwards is another decision.

What is the third Sky game then? Is it an entirely separate quest just with the same group of characters

[Mizufluffy]

In my opinion it is worth playing. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started playing this Trails in the Sky. I'm quite sure the SC wasn't even released on Steam yet and the ending of the FC really hooked me into the Trails series. I wanted to learn more about the characters and the world.

At some point, probably before I started playing Cold Steel, I had already decided I would play every Trails game that I just can. At that point it wasn't a matter of how good each game is in the series but more about finding out how deep the rabbit hole goes. I want to see the events of the Zemurian continent unfold with my own eyes. I want to learn more about the history of this fascinating world and know more about things that happened hundreds of years ago before the events in the games.

I can see how nine games (Sky 1- 3, Zero/Ao, Cold Steel 1-4) might seem a lot, and maybe even intimidating, to someone not familiar with the Trails series. However, after playing seven of them I wonder if CS 3 & 4 are really enough to answer all my questions about the lore and satisfy my curiosity.

Now back to is the game worth playing. If your original plan was to play just this game and maybe the sequel then I still think it's worth it. It concludes its own two game story and the gameplay is good: no random encounters, crafts and quartz system gives a good variety of combat skills and magic, ambushes and preemptive encounters are a thing etc.. Because of this I think Trails FC & SC can be enjoyed as is without diving into the rest of the Trails series. If you want to play it for the overall plot, story, lore, characters or anything similar then you'll miss a lot if you don't experience Sky the 3rd and its side stories, both Crossbell games and all Cold Steel games.

Both Sky FC (this game) and Cold Steel I can be used as an entry point to the Trails series although I would recommend the Sky FC over Cold Steel I for a few reasons.
1. Release order. Sky games were released before Cold Steel.
2. Appearance. Most players would feel more comfortable with moving from an older looking game to a more modern looking game rather than vice versa. For similar reasons most people (probably) wouldn't want to change their smartphones to 20 years old cell phone models.

Crossbell games (Zero/Ao) and Cold Steel I & II both kinda spoil each other a little bit so regardless of which you play first you'll get spoiled at least a little.
I know I'm contradicting myself with what I said about release order a moment ago but I would recommend Cold Steel I & II before Zero/Ao. I played them in that order but if I hadn't, I feel like Zero/Ao would have spoiled Cold Steel I & II more than Cold Steel I & II spoiled Zero/Ao. I could go into details but then I'd probably end up spoiling both of them a little.

In short, what I personally would recommend for the order is:
Trails in the Sky (FC)
Trails in the Sky SC
Trails in the Sky the 3rd
Cold Steel
Cold Steel II
Zero no Kiseki
Ao no Kiseki
...and then Cold Steel III & IV.

Originally posted by SlayerG:

What is the third Sky game then? Is it an entirely separate quest just with the same group of characters

It is basically a collection of side stories, long and short, and a lot of lore and world building, and kept together with a main story that concentrates on a character who is introduced in the Trails in the Sky SC. I don't recommend skipping the Sky the 3rd for anyone who is planning to really play the Trails series for the lore.

[Hat8]

I strongly recommend against skipping the 3rd.

[myhr2]

Originally posted by SlayerG:

What is the third Sky game then? Is it an entirely separate quest just with the same group of characters

The Third is a side-story that serves as a bridge between the Sky arc and the following games. It takes some of the plot points that were not resolved at the end of Second Chapter, use them to expand the universe, and introduce other important elements to the overarching story.

That's why I still recommand to play FC and SC first, then decide if you want to invest yourself in the following games.

If you really liked FC and SC's characters, then The Third is worth it, it's a weird mix of a sequel and prequel, quite fan-servicy, but in the sense that it expands the universe, not really that it gives fans what they want to see (no "what if X fought Z" or "discover how X character looks in a swimsuit", but rather "so, this character has parents, but we didn't show them, well, here they are", or "did you wonder why X acted a little strange during this scene? Well, this might be because the event we're going to show you".

And if then you like the universe, I'll recommand checking Trails of Cold Steel, and keep an open-mind. This is how I approached things, the series grew on me little by little, but FC and SC were, and still remain to this date, a blast.

[Dragon]

Originally posted by SlayerG:

What do you guys think and what is the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ order these games go in lol

It's real simple: the correct order is the order in which these games were made and published in Japan. That's how the story is designed to work.

So that means this game, Trails in the Sky Part 1, is the first game and correct/best starting point.

Any other order fubars lots of things and is therefore much worse than the proper/correct order.

[Ghaleon]

play this game, if you don't like it, ok... if you do, you have over a dozen other games with the same world/setting/etc to enjoy. that's how I see it.

[Hippias Minor]

Absolutely worth it, and not hard to get into, if it's your thing. Expect it to be a slowly developing work of fiction--with some pretty surprising depth if you want to explore the nooks and crannies--combined with some engaging tactical combat.

This is *the* best starting point for the series, although the rumor is that you could skip the Sky games and start with Cold Steel if you wanted (or Crossbell, if you can get your hands on it). If you do start here, it's not like you're somehow condemned to play through 8 more games...but you may just find that you want to.

[Yew Nough]

This is an instant classic in my book. Reminded me of Super Mario RPG/Too many ol'-skool JRPG's to mention. You'll know if you like it within the first 30 minutes.

[planescaped]

Steam accidentally refunded this game for me(I requested a completely different game and suddenly get a message that this was refunded wtf? XD)

Thing is, I don't know if I should re-buy it... I was really not feeling the dialog, but I was just at the beginning... And I love Lunar Silver Star Story and Eternal Blue and you can't get more trope-y and cliche than those. Maybe I'm just getting too old for new JRPG's.

[Dragon]

Originally posted by planescaped:

I was really not feeling the dialog

Much of the early game dialogue comes from Josh, and he's an extremely bland character who never says anything interesting or memorable at any point in any of the three Sky games.

But thankfully, not all the characters are as bland & generic & boring as Josh.