*SPOILERS for all Trails games* Does Olivert revert back to his old/real/true self in CS3 and/or CS4?

[Dragon]

This post contains *SPOILERS for all Trails games.*








Does Olivert revert back to his old/real/true self in CS3 and/or CS4?

It's pretty clear they fubared the character very badly by making him completely different from how he is depicted in the Sky games.

In the Sky games, he's a zany loon, possibly with multiple personalities, who can never control himself.

Whereas in the CS games, he's a perfectly sane leader who can always control himself, and who has no hint of multiple personalities, and who never does anything zany or looney, except for he occasionally makes a joke about doing something zany & looney, which is a moot point, because the first two CS games have neutered (metaphorically speaking) his character the the point that he'd never actually make good on any of his jokey claims (whereas in the Sky games, he would, and he probably wouldn't be joking when he says them, either).

So what about CS3 and CS4? Do they continue with representing Olivert as the neutered/domesticated/wrecked version of Olivert? Or do they fix him back to his Sky-games-style of representation when he was actually unique and unpredictable and weird and creepy and possibly with mental problems, etc?

[Kyle G]

Well he has to restrain himself since he alot of serious matters to attend to, such as trying to stop Osbourne from instigating more wars. Plus, Mueller is around him more in Erebonia. It's not because he is inconsitently written. It's because the setting of the story demands Olivert take a much more serious persona. You still see this part of his personality from time to time, but it's more subtle. Such as when he first introduces himself to Class 7, and he is screwing around being silly with Alfin.

But yeah, he does kinda revert back to that state in CS3. Though for a short time. He even wears his old travelling uniform.

[Dragon]

Originally posted by Sandvich of Peace:

Well he has to restrain himself since he alot of serious matters to attend to

But in Sky, one of the main themes of his character is that he can't restrain himself.

For example, if he is able to restrain himself at will and guarantee he will act perfectly reasonable whenever he should, then why was it a huge deal that me must be banned from the Queens' dinner party, out of fear his wild behaviors might otherwise cause an international scandal?

That writing, vs. the version of him that is in CS, is most definitely inconsistent writing.

Another clear example of inconsistent writing is when he tells Schera that he isn't play-acting, and his true personality really is a zany loon, and that he is that 100% sincerely.

If that were true, then he wouldn't possibly be able to spend ~99% of his life being a perfectly sane person who occasionally makes zany looney jokes which he doesn't actually mean (i.e. how the CS series [mis]represents him).

I'd be willing to buy the idea that he can temporarily act like a sane/reasonable person for brief periods of time. But I can't buy the idea that he just totally repress his true nature and abruptly - and without any consequential events that might have caused his personality completely to change - become an entirely different person for the whole rest of his life.

The Duke from Sky FC and SC is a good example of changing a character done right. His personality change makes some kind of sense, because the story at least makes attempts to give reasons for it.

Whereas with CS, they just totally drop the ball and don't even attempt to explain why Olivert is a totally different person in CS.

[Kyle G]

Originally posted by Dragon:

Originally posted by Sandvich of Peace:

Well he has to restrain himself since he alot of serious matters to attend to

But in Sky, one of the main themes of his character is that he can't restrain himself.

For example, if he is able to restrain himself at will and guarantee he will act perfectly reasonable whenever she should, then why was it a huge deal that me must be banned from the Queens' dinner party, out of fear his wild behaviors might otherwise cause an international scandal?

That is most definitely inconsistent writing.

Another clear example of inconsistent writing is when he tells Schera that he isn't play-acting, and his true personality really is a zany loon, and that he is that 100% sincerely.

If that were true, then he wouldn't possibly be able to spend ~99% of his life being a perfectly sane person who occasionally makes zany looney jokes which he doesn't actually mean (i.e. how the CS series [mis]represents him).

I'd be willing to buy the idea that he can temporarily act like a sane/reasonable person for brief periods of time. But I can't buy the idea that he just totally repress his true nature and abruptly become an entirely different person.

I think it's because he's in a different country using a different alias. He is most definitely telling the truth that it's his real personality. But even Olivier has a sense of duty where he must see his objectives through. As Prince Olivert, he knows he can't waste time. Even if he really really wants to flirt with every beautiful creature that passes him by.

[Dragon]

Originally posted by Sandvich of Peace:

he knows he can't waste time. Even if he really really wants to flirt with every beautiful creature that passes him by.

But the flirting is just one aspect of his personality that they fubar in CS. I.e. what about in the Sky game when he is shouting at Mueller in a strange voice, as if he (Olivier) has multiple personalities? Such insanity is completely absent in the CS version of the character. So if it wasn't play-acting, then the complete absence of his crazy tendencies in CS makes no sense; it's just bad writing.

[󠀡󠀡󠀡⁧⁧the.jester]

You have forgotten an important point here. None of the characters in this game are Estelle and and co. - he has to act like a mentor and a leader as he is now in a position of responsibility and thus has to act accordingly. Not to mention that it has been at least 2 years(?) since Libearl in these games, major events in some one's life changes them.

It's not like he's had a total personality transplant or anything like that though. You do still see his playful persona creep through throughout. His character in the Cold Steel games makes perfect sense.

So no, I don't agree he's been "fubar'd" or that's inconsistent writing, I think it's the evolution of his character done correctly - it's called character growth.

[Dragon]

Originally posted by the.jester:

You have forgotten an important point here. None of the characters in this game are Estelle and and co. - he has to act like a mentor and a leader as he is now in a position of responsibility and thus has to act accordingly. Not to mention that it has been at least 2 years(?) since Libearl in these games, major events in some one's life changes them.

It's not like he's had a total personality transplant or anything like that though. You do still see his playful persona creep through throughout. His character in the Cold Steel games makes perfect sense.

So no, I don't agree he's been "fubar'd" or that's inconsistent writing, I think it's the evolution of his character done correctly - it's called character growth.

There is are no events in the game that depict this alleged 'growth' though. He's not ever shown growing or changing in any way whatsoever, like say, the Duke in the Sky games is shown to change over time due to various events that happen to him, and his self-reflection upon those events.

Cold Steel presents zero, nada, zilch, nil, nothing of that kind of development for Olivert whatsoever.

Yes it's been 2 years, but so what? If something happened to change him in that time, then they still need to say so in the game, in order for the CS version of his characterization to make any sense (which it doesn't). They could easily depict any such event in a flashback scene.

I strongly disagree with your statement that he didn't have a total personality transplant. Yes, he did. In Sky, he's a total loon and loose cannon, and possibly with multiple personalities and/other mental disorders. Whereas in CS, he's a perfectly sane and rational person who always behaves properly and has no hint at all of any mental problems.

Yes, he as I said, he does make some playful jokes, but that does not equate to him being even remotely the same character as his Sky counterpart is. Because the CS version of him never actually means any of the "playful jokes" he says, and would never actually do the things that are described in those jokes; yet the Sky version of him would not be joking in the first place, and would actually do all those things he says.

As for the point he's a mentor now and "has to" act accordingly: again, that's completely inconsistent with how Sky presents him as someone who cannot control himself most of the time. "Having to" wouldn't make any difference, since the character was represented in Sky as being unable to/incapable of acting accordingly.

So how did his mental disorders or whatnot magically disappear, even though he never received any treatment whatsoever for them?

And whatever the possible answer for that it, it is not told in the game, as part of Olivert's story, so it's therefore the game still has bad writing even if someone comes up with a plausible fan-fiction explanation for these Olivert fubars.

[alj.wow]

Because he's Olivert Reise Arnor, an imperial prince in ToCS. He's not Oliver Lenheim, wandering musician this time around. Most of his interactions with Class 7 are as either School Boardmember or as Prince Olivert.. He does backslide into Oliver during quest summaries and during his big damn hero scene near the end.

Did you play Trails 2? This is the exact persona he wears during the meeting Princess Klaudia. He does the exact same persona swap during Ao's trade conference chapter.

[Stabbey]

Your premise is flawed because it is based on the false notion that the persona of Olivier Lenheim, wandering bard, was his true personality. It was not, it could not be, because there was no such person.

Certainly, Olivert no doubt enjoyed being Olivier, because of all the chains and restrictions that being royalty entails. Olivier didn't have any of that to worry about. But Olivert has some obligations and responsibilities and he also goals he wants to achieve. That means he has to act in a coherent manner sometimes, instead of a loon, otherwise people won't cooperate as willingly.

[󠀡󠀡󠀡⁧⁧the.jester]

Originally posted by Dragon:

...

You have a very weird understanding of mental health problems if you think Prince Olivert has some sort of mental health disorder.

[Oguzhan]

Yeah he kinda has to limit himself this time around so I don't mind this. They also talk about this in sky too. He is pretty talked about after returning on the arseille BUT Mueller thinks that the moment people realise how he truly is it would lead to disaster though that line is also a bit of a joke line. Like it would effect Olivert's name yeah but the line is said as to get a funny reaction from the player.

[Koby]

Originally posted by Stabbey:

Your premise is flawed because it is based on the false notion that the persona of Olivier Lenheim, wandering bard, was his true personality. It was not, it could not be, because there was no such person.

Certainly, Olivert no doubt enjoyed being Olivier, because of all the chains and restrictions that being royalty entails. Olivier didn't have any of that to worry about. But Olivert has some obligations and responsibilities and he also goals he wants to achieve. That means he has to act in a coherent manner sometimes, instead of a loon, otherwise people won't cooperate as willingly.

^This.