Is this a spin-off?? Or the third game and a direct follow up of the second chapter?

[Muaddib]

I'm very happy to see this here, but I'm not familair with the whole trails and tales thing. I've played the first 2 chapters and those were story-wise two of the best jrpg's I've played in a long time. Pretty sure I'm going to pull my wallet out for this one as well, but I'm still curious if this is the third chapter or that there will be a third chapter eventually, considering the problems with the translation of the first 2. I really hope Xseed will spoil us with more Trails in the sky! :)

[Seattlehockeyfan84]

Its more of a epilogue to the story and sets things up for future kiseki, like zero/ao and cold steel

[Muaddib]

Ah ok, so not the third chapter yet then. I've seen the announcement that cold steel and zero will come out for Pc as well, so I guess I won't have to worry full filling my gravings for more Trails.

[AnemoneMeer]

It is for all intents and purposes the third chapter. The problem is Joshua and Estelle's story wrapped up in the second game. This exists to wrap up everything, as opposed to continue the story. It does a wonderful job of it and its own story is solid, but it's not the same sort of beast as the other trails games.

[Renaissance Of Dreams]

Originally posted by Muaddib:

Ah ok, so not the third chapter yet then. I've seen the announcement that cold steel and zero will come out for Pc as well, so I guess I won't have to worry full filling my gravings for more Trails.

It is the third chapter in the sense that it follows directly after SC and involves all of the same characters, but not in the sense that it continues a specific storyline that began in SC. It's not a spinoff in the sense you seem to be thinking, where you can skip the game without missing any story details or lore. The 3rd is very much relevant for those purposes.

[Can We Like Not]

The 3rd is not Third Chapter (devs were very intentional with their title choice) but it does have lots of fanservice for the characters you love in FC & SC. Want to know what happened to Manoria's orphans? The Ravens? Estelle and Joshua as kids? Kloe's feelings for Joshua? Richard's prison sentence? This game's got you covered. Plus, sets up all the big stuff the Crossbell games and Cold Steel games cover.

[Ghaleon]

err. to clarify.

There is no 3rd chapter, there isn't going to be a 3rd CHAPTER... this is however the 3rd game, you are intended to play it after FC and SC (first and second chapter), and it is ideal you play it before cold steel and the crossbell duo that we don't have in english yet. So it is in fact the 3rd game, just not the third chapter.

Basically FC and SC are kinda like lord of the rings, and 3rd is like the hobbit only after instead of before, it's seperate, and yet the same... kinda. They just didn't call it 'chapter' because of that distinction, it's very much related, and very much in line with the previous games, but they didn't give it a 'chapter' in the title because those two have a conclusive ending, while 3rd kinda turns the whole series into a tentacle beast of intentional loose ends that slowly get resolved in sub series' like cold steel, and the crossbell games.

[Terra]

Originally posted by Ghaleon:

Basically FC and SC are kinda like lord of the rings, and 3rd is like the hobbit only after instead of before, it's seperate, and yet the same... kinda.

In this comparison I'd say that 3rd is the Scouring of the Shire.

Takes place after the main conflict and is excluded from the movie for some reason, but is still important both in a plot sense and in a theme sense.

[Ghaleon]

Maybe, I read the hobbit and the first lord of the rings and didn't enjoy either so I'm unaware of further content.