How Long Until the Story Picks Up?

[IndigoAK]

I've been playing the PSP version for a few hours now (four or so) and honestly, the story has yet to grip me - I'm at the part where you're asked to do the three filler missons for your father. Personally, I think it's really poor pacing to drop three filler missions in the player's lap so early in the game, but I'm a huge fan of Falcom, so I'm trying to give the game a chunkier shot than I would normally give a JRPG (for the record, I've played a LOT of JRPGs, I'm just getting older).

Does the story pick up soon - ie. does the game start revealing more of the overarching plot?

[Arvelon]

Story picks up from the end of prologue or from end of chapter 2, depends on your point of view. It's 4 to 15 hours in game.

[Karagek]

Those missions aren't really filler, it's world building. It does take a while for the story to really pick up, the prologue, while long, is still just a prologue, an introduction to the characters. Chapter 1 is still slow, as the story just barely begins. This game wasn't designed to grab you from the get-go with the usual strategies, it's slow, which many people may not like, but when the story actually picks up, things actually start happening.

[DDR]

It's generally agreed that the game starts slow, but if you're not happy with even just 3 missions then you might not be very compatible with TLoH in general. If you enjoy being in the shoes of Estelle and Joshua and getting to know more about their neighbours and Rolent, then these missions would be a great pleasure to play.

Since you said you're a Falcom fan but you're playing Trails in the Sky for the first time I assume you're used to playing Ys. The storytelling style between Ys and Trails is vastly different anyway, so you might not enjoy this sort of pacing. But believe me, Trails' main plot is much better than anything Ys has to offer!

[Berahlen]

Trails is pretty slow-paced even for a JRPG. I tell most people to try and relax into it, but if you're getting impatient after just the tutorial, it's probably not for you. The writing is beautiful -- some of the best I've ever seen in a game -- but it's not the kind you can approach wanting to go out and smash things. Unless you can relate to the characters for their own sake, you're going to be bored to tears.

[Gabby]

Look at this game more like a High Fantasy novel instead of a traditional anime game. It takes it's time slowly opening a huge world to you. The game is filled with meticulous detail, even constantly changing and evolving NPC dialogue and stories. Where you are in the game is about the same as having finished the prologue and just gotten started in the first few chapters of Robert Jordan's Eye of the World (Book 1 of 15 to the Wheel of Time). Around Chapter 2, the pace steps up, but if you're looking for the typical "hit the ground running, explain later" scenario many Japanese RPGs like to use, you're looking in the wrong place. This game takes it's time because between FC and SC, it's telling an 80-120 hour story. (That's time to play, not to grind.)

[thesteelangel92]

Like any good novel the best parts are either in the middle or near the end. Keep playing.

[Berahlen]

Let's put it this way. For the first half of the game, the horrible conspiracies you unveil are almost secondary to Estelle just wanting to find her dad. And SC is mostly about bringing a missing person home too.

That's the kind of game this is. It's about 2/3 VN. Very, very good VN, but there you go.

[IndigoAK]

It sounds like I might just have to play this in chunks.

I should clarify that I have nothing against lengthy, wordy plots. Somebody mentioned The Wheel of Time above. I've read a good deal of that series, but I will admit I don't power through a book in a couple of sittings. Or three. Or four. Sometimes it takes me a good break of a month before I can finish up.

I dunno.

Maybe I'm just a little wistful for the days when I COULD go through a 40-60 hour JRPG in a couple of days. I can't do that anymore. Don't have the time or patience, which is sad because I still love JRPGs.

So TL;DR this thread: guy getting older complains about getting older stuff. >.>

[LrdDimwit]

So FC and SC are essentially two parts of one massive game (or so I hear). It apparently got so big that Falcom was like "there's no way we can release this as one game", so they broke it at the only logical breaking point into FC and SC.

The pacing is a bit off as a result. FC in its entirety is sort of like the opening third of the complete story (since SC is much bigger than FC).

That's not to say SC doesn't tell an interesting story - it does, there's a bunch of cool stuff that happens. But it is much more lacksadaisical about it than your average game.

Myself, I put SC down twice. Once for about 2 years, then I picked it back up again, then I put it down for 7-8 months again. I actually only picked it up the third time because SC was coming soon and I wanted to know if I cared. Turns out yes, I do, and I got hooked from there on through, um, the rest of the series (in english so far, anyway).

Also, the Trails series is not like most long-running JRPG series, where the individual games are either completely unrelated, or have only loose connections. Not so in Trails. Trails has direct continuity throughout all seven games (so far). Each subseries takes place in a different spot on the continent, but everything ties together into one main plotline that is only even vaguely hinted at in SC.

[IndigoAK]

Originally posted by LrdDimwit:

Also, the Trails series is not like most long-running JRPG series, where the individual games are either completely unrelated, or have only loose connections. Not so in Trails. Trails has direct continuity throughout all seven games (so far). Each subseries takes place in a different spot on the continent, but everything ties together into one main plotline that is only even vaguely hinted at in SC.

I can only think of Final Fantasy, Tales and Dragon Quest off the top of my head that are anthology versus serial.

Suikoden, Grandia, Star Ocean, Front Mission, Xeno, SaGa, Wild ARMs, Breath of Fire, Fire Emblem. All of those also have serial plots across their entries.

[LrdDimwit]

Breath of Fire's games - at least, the first 3 (which are the only ones I played) are only loosely connected to each other. They might technically be in the same world, but you can play Breath of Fire 2 without ever touching the original with zero problems. The games are not direct sequels to one another.

But okay, yeah. Suikoden, Xeno, and Fire Emblem do in fact have serial plots. The others, I only played 1 game from (if at all), so I wouldn't know.

What I was trying to say is that these games are deeply connected to each other, more so than average.

[Hat8]

Originally posted by IndigoAK:

Does the story pick up soon - ie. does the game start revealing more of the overarching plot?

Falcom developing the main characters, story and first town & its chracters before jumping to grander stuff is a nice change from other rpgs.

[mrarky89]

The story itself is based on doing odd jobs for the bracer guild and is divided into different regions of the game's world. The story essentially focuses on Estelle and Joshua's quest to gain recommendations (like the Mage's Guild in Elder Scrolls IV) and become senior bracers. So the story, by nature, isn't all that epic. It's just a personal story of success and overcoming challenges presented to the main characters for which the game's world provides. Call it a coming-of-age, upstart, success story. That's all you are going to get from the main story, though that is all I can say, because I have yet to complete the game.

I suggest visited the various minor places in the game multiple times between story missions and you will find that the minor NPCs have there own subplots taking place, in their own mundane lives. In that I believe the game isn't about experiencing a grand, epic story, but experiencing a world where everyone has there own lives and stories to attend to.

Because of the extremely repetitive nature of the game, you'll have to take it in with a grain of salt, if you are playing for the narrative.

[Yuuki]

speaking about the series in general,i would dare to say TLOH lately is the Games of Thrones of the games^^

[Hat8]

Originally posted by Yuuki:

speaking about the series in general,i would dare to say TLOH lately is the Games of Thrones of the games^^

TiTs is well written though.