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The Kiseki / Trails (of the Sky/Zero/Ao/Sen/Etc) Community Thread: SPOILERTAGS OR DIE

I'm gonna import the fuck out of Sen III and struggle with a kanji dictionary by my side however long it takes.

I just hope I can keep my cool long enough for it to come out in english

I started spoiling Persona 5 within an hour of it being out in Japanese >.>;
 

Thoraxes

Member
That's all it is. The games have been very clear about Agate not having any romantic feelings towards her.
After the way their bond was formed, yeah. I don't know if people have siblings, or know what those relationships are like (or if they've had good ones), but Agate really does treat her like she's his little sister, and even dotes on her a little too. I can see Tita growing up and having a little crush on him because she thinks he's cool, but nothing serious at all.

Or maybe i'm naive, and every boy/girl (hell, even same gendered ones) relationship in everything ever always automatically means they're having sex and making out all the time no matter what. And that you can't ever love someone platonically.
 
The Dengeki leak mentions how Agate's matured emotionally since he became friends with Tita and took Leonhardt's wisdom into account. I can see him getting romantically interested in other female Bracers and friends at this age, but not Tita since she's a different kind of trouble (and the Russell family will always, repeatedly abuse him in ways they don't think about because of their isolation from Agate's way of life). Agate might be passive-aggressive about telling Tita he's not going to be her one and only, or he could present dating as an alternative (maybe one he's been doing already).

I wonder if Sara x Agate's the next viable ship, not that I'm expecting it.
 

holysan

Member
In an ideal world Rean would be already in a distance relationship with
Alisa, since she clearly is the main girl from CS
and there wouldn't be social links with romance options in the game at all.
 

Jonnax

Member
I haven't played any cold steel but the way everyone describes Rean is that he's the protag of a harem dating sim =/

Is Cold Steel one of those games?
 
The harem element's generally not prominent except in parts of CS2, but it's there and Rean's a rather disappointing (but still decent) protagonist. Cold Steel offers enough NPC dialogue, political intrigue, and world-building to sort of make up for lack of character development (or flawed writing) and outright pandering which even the Crossbell arc avoided or did uniquely. So far Sen III looks like a mix of high-tension politics and claustrophobia for the new cast and trappings from CS1, but it's been three years since CS2 and, if this game really does wrap up the Erebonia arc, then it's going to go crazy places. That tidbit about
Olivert and Agate planning a big scandal around the Hundred Days War to harm Osborne diplomatically
is one sign that shit's going down.
 

vkrili

Member
I joke about it, but nah. This ain't like Persona where the main character can just straight up have a harem. If you pursue a relationship with a character, then some of 'em will end up with feelings for Rean, and if you don't, then it's all platonic (with the exception of Alisa, which makes sense).

And good thing too, means I can go for Sara who is obviously the best fit for Rean. Dude needs someone who can pat his head instead.
 
I haven't played any cold steel but the way everyone describes Rean is that he's the protag of a harem dating sim =/

Is Cold Steel one of those games?
Not really. They do let you sort of choose who to have romantic developments with, but that's all. There's little romance stuff outside of select bonding events.
 

vkrili

Member
Everyone falls in love with Joshua at first glance too, the people of Zemuria just have a real hankering for tortured young males with dark hair.
 

Thoraxes

Member
I haven't played any cold steel but the way everyone describes Rean is that he's the protag of a harem dating sim =/

Is Cold Steel one of those games?
It's like the most sidelined content of the game ever. But it's what a general populace likes to focus on the most for some bewildering reason.

Edit: Rean definitely displays some of those attributes at times though, but a lot of it gets sidelined by the second game when they start to develop him a lot more as a character with his own set of problems rather than your insert to learn about the world and people.
Everyone falls in love with Joshua at first glance too, the people of Zemuria just have a real hankering for tortured young males with dark hair.
Them amber eyes, yo.
 

Eylos

Banned
The Powers of the Divine headpatter.

Divine headpatt 0 ep
If headpatt is sucessful makes target blush and friends with Rean or the target develop a crush.


And If Tita is a romance option for Rean in this game, my only desire until the end Will be:

"Die Rean! Die!"
 

vkrili

Member
It's mostly because the target audience for the original Sky games and the more Persona-style is decently different, I think.
 
Uh, is there something signification about September 28th that they keep releasing these games on that date? Some pun in Japanese?

Like, I get the SEPT part, but 28th?

I lied a little. CS released Sept. 26, CS 2 Sept. 25. Zero Sept 30, Ao Sept 29.

Games usually release on Thurs in Japan, and so lately Falcom always release their trails games on the last Thursday of September. Sept. 28 is the last Thursday of the month this year.

I guess it's somehow tied to how sept 30 ends the first half of the fiscal year, and they want to report some earnings for that?
 
I lied a little. CS released Sept. 26, CS 2 Sept. 25. Zero Sept 30, Ao Sept 29.

Games usually release on Thurs in Japan, and so lately Falcom always release their trails games on the last Thursday of September. Sept. 28 is the last Thursday of the month this year.

I guess it's somehow tied to how the sept 30 ends the first half of the fiscal year, and they want to report some earnings for that?

Yeah. They want the game out in time to be able to report the profits for it.
 
That's all it is. The games have been very clear about Agate not having any romantic feelings towards her.

I mean, that's basically how Rean and Elise's relationship is. It doesn't make it any less annoying when the oblivious Rean just let it fester on and on. Agate is a grown up veteran now so I hope he fares better.


Oh phew, that is much much better. The short excerpt on that Japanese site in that thread really truncates Tita's desciption.

I really don't get it. Persona gets way less criticism for it and it's an actual game mechanics in those games.

I dislike how Persona handles its romance, too, but that series never actually have romantic content front and center on the narrative so it comes off as less disappointing to me.
 

Jolkien

Member
Trails in the sky the 3rd ending
So did I understand it right, at the end when Kevin and Ries shoot Rufina he destroy the manifestation of his stigma in Phantasma but it also destroys his real Stigma ? And if so how come he is still a Dominion, talking with Ein Selnate at the end about choosing a new title. I was under the impression you need a Stigma to be one. Or did I just misread and he still has his stigma ?
 

Blue Stream

Neo Member
Trails in the sky the 3rd ending
So did I understand it right, at the end when Kevin and Ries shoot Rufina he destroy the manifestation of his stigma in Phantasma but it also destroys his real Stigma ? And if so how come he is still a Dominion, talking with Ein Selnate at the end about choosing a new title. I was under the impression you need a Stigma to be one. Or did I just misread and he still has his stigma ?
What they destroyed was just a mere copy of his stigma. So no, the destruction is no consequence to Kevin.
 
I dislike how Persona handles its romance, too, but that series never actually have romantic content front and center on the narrative so it comes off as less disappointing to me.

Idk I don't really think it's front and center here. Vs in persona which literally warns you when you try to initiate relationships while already being in them

I really just don't get the focus on them in these threads. Either being disappointed at their execution or complaining about Alisa being "canon" it just seems so asinine to me in the grand scheme of things. It's such a minor part of these games and can be completely ignored if its not your bag.
 

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
It's like the most sidelined content of the game ever. But it's what a general populace likes to focus on the most for some bewildering reason.
Just like "dating" in Persona. It's exaggerated to the point where people unfamiliar with the series associate it with that particular aspect when it's mostly tacked on to a game that's more about bonding as friends.
 
Idk I don't really think it's front and center here. Vs in persona which literally warns you when you try to initiate relationships while already being in them

Oh it's definitely not front and center here in Cold Steel, but my three most memorable moments in [Sky FC/SC]
are when Estelle and Joshua proclaim their love to each other only for Joshua to leave, when they finally reunite and become official, and the falling kiss at the end.
Three romantic moments tightly tied into the narrative that would never happen if romance was optional.
 

Squire

Banned
Idk I don't really think it's front and center here. Vs in persona which literally warns you when you try to initiate relationships while already being in them

I really just don't get the focus on them in these threads. Either being disappointed at their execution or complaining about Alisa being "canon" it just seems so asinine to me in the grand scheme of things. It's such a minor part of these games and can be completely ignored if its not your bag.

The Persona community threads used to be the same way and I used to make the same case.

I think people tend to conflate their investment in a single element of these games with the actual weight that it carries relative to the whole experience.
 
Oh it's definitely not front and center here in Cold Steel, but my three most memorable moments in [Sky FC/SC]
are when Estelle and Joshua proclaim their love to each other only for Joshua to leave, when they finally reunite and become official, and the falling kiss at the end.
Three romantic moments tightly tied into the narrative that would never happen if romance was optional.

Yeah but I don't think every game needs to be like that though. Especially within the same series.

I think it's 100% valid to prefer that type of story, but I'm not sure you're really correct in concluding that the "harem" format is preventing them from doing that again. I don't really think Falcom is interested in doing another Estelle/Joshua story in the series to begin with, because they already did it. and really well.

The Persona community threads used to be the same way and I used to make the same case.

I think people tend to conflate their investment in a single element of these games with the actual weight that it carries relative to the whole experience.

You know what I forgot the mods had to create and entire thread at launch to quarantine that bullshit so maybe I should just consider myself fortunate
 
Yeah but I don't think every game needs to be like that though. Especially within the same series.

The series might not need it, but I do.

But to be serious, I firmly belief that the ideal romantic plot is the one that's tied to narrative and character growth. I see your point that it might not be the kind of story Falcom want to tell, though.
 
The series might not need it, but I do.

But to be serious, I firmly belief that the ideal romantic plot is the one that's tied to narrative and character growth. I see your point that it might not be the kind of story Falcom want to tell, though.

Not every game needs to be a romantic plot, though. The Sky games worked because the romance was really a key part of the story, but not every story needs to have the same focus.

Cold Steel just doesn't have romance as a focus, which is fine. The bonding event stuff even isn't very romance focused, aside from the endings to a couple of them. I'd prefer that to them trying to make another Estelle/Joshua situation and falling short, personally.
 

Young Magus

Junior Member
Everyone falls in love with Joshua at first glance too, the people of Zemuria just have a real hankering for tortured young males with dark hair.

Edit: Rean definitely displays some of those attributes at times though, but a lot of it gets sidelined by the second game when they start to develop him a lot more as a character with his own set of problems rather than your insert to learn about the world and people.

Them amber eyes, yo.

Its them time-based orbments yo
 
The series might not need it, but I do.

But to be serious, I firmly belief that the ideal romantic plot is the one that's tied to narrative and character growth. I see your point that it might not be the kind of story Falcom want to tell, though.

No disagreements here. I just disagree with the idea that Cold Steel, or any game not containing such a romance plot is a failing of that game or its structure.

Estelle and Joshua are a one of a kind pair. I imagine that Falcom would sooner bring them back into the story than they would try and replicate their relationship with another couple
 

Zephyx

Member
I made a new map of western Zemuria per S.1205 (before Sen III events) -- not hand-drawn this time. It contains spoilers up to CS2, so I'll put it behind this link.

One thing I can say for certain: the map in Cold Steel II does in no way fit with the maps or information we received prior. How can Parm be in Sutherland if it's at the bottom of Lake Ebel? Or how can Heimdallr - Ordis take eight hours without having Lamare Province take up even more territory than it already does while keeping Sutherland small. So yeah, had to use my imagination a lot in this one.

Edit Updated the link considering it was giving problems.

A bit late replying but where is Lake Ebel in the map? I think it's somewhere in between Sutherland and Legram right? Hamel is somewhere in Sutherland right?
 

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
I updated this thread to include the more detailed map, and more up-to-date info regarding the state of the games in the west.
 
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