How Trails Became My Favourite JRPG Series | Radical Rant

Welcome to Radical Rants, a series of shorter videos by Pixelplay co-host CSRadical. This first episode delves into how the Trails series of JRPGs over the last 5 years of so has completely taken over the #1 spot in his mind in terms of JRPGs after Final Fantasy held a stranglehold on him since he was first introduced to Final Fantasy in the 90s.
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#trailsofcoldsteel #finalfantasy #kiseki

[@SuperSupersoda]

There's a reason why no one else tries what Trails tries: when you have 10 games of JRPG content, it's daunting for newcomers, and something being daunting for newcomers makes it a harder sell. That's why FF and other games keep every entry in the franchise separate, for the most part. However, you do the inter-connected stories extremely well (like Trails does) and the upside is that you'll grow a devout passionate cult-fan base, like Trails has. Growth will be slow, and you'll never be more popular than niche, but the connection between characters, games, creators and fans will be special. What I just described is not just the Trails formula, it was also the formula used by Silver Age Marvel Comics. This was the backbone of the house of ideas that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby built. Trails is the only IP in the modern world that took the Lee-Kirby playbook and thought to themselves "hey, why don't we try that?"

[@barongeoffrey75]

Doesn't Kingdon hearts use the same formula ?

[@matttheshadowman2790]

@@barongeoffrey75To a degree yes but they make it hard to actually follow the story by having each instalment with plot relevance be in so many different formats etc. It’d be like the Silver Age comics but with the business practices of something like the New 52

[@jesserivera2043]

I'm in the same camp as those who played through Cold Steel first and then went back: I'm blown away on how early certain things are set up. As an example, playing through Azure and then playing Sky the Third allowed me to appreciate Novartis, Osborne, and Pater Mater more. And there's something darling about going back and seeing crafts in 2d

[@pixelplaycast]

For sure! Is there a "preferred" order? Yes, but I think that there's enough proof that you can play the arcs in any order and the writing is so good that it'll still work out just fine. -Adam

[@ShouKoizumiVA]

This game is a prime example of how to do world building and how every NPC is affected by the changes, it makes every town you visit worth revisiting to get their point of view. Cold steel is my starting point and ever since then I can't wait for the subsequence kiseki game. I love the character, the music is so good that I have an entire playlist in my spofity dedicated to Falcom DJK group. At this point I am just waiting for Kuro no Kiseki to be localized and experience the landscape of Cavalrd and probably meeting some of our beloved past characters from Erabonia, Crossbell and Liberl.

[@pixelplaycast]

Yeah, it really shows when towards the end of CS4 there are so many places to visit and I am more than okay to spend over an hour walking and talking to all the NPCs to see how their story has developed as well. I will be playing Reverie shortly and hoo boy I am stoked to finally go deep into Calvard with the Kuro games once they're localized. -Adam

[@dclan9813]

I am big One Piece fan and for obvious reason I can't imagine any video game could have worldbuilding as good as One Piece. Until I finally tried Trails series (I started with Trails of Cold Steel last year and now I've played everything until Trails Into Reverie). I was amazed by the world of Zemuria and how it politically and socially complex. It doesn't end there though, I can't remember any game which make me enjoy to talk to NPC and do menial sidequests like Trails just to understand more about the NPCs. When I played Trails In The Sky SC, I remember a lovey dovey couple who marry in the middle of orbal shutdown. Then, when played Trails From Zero, I saw an asshole politician who faked his illness just to skip his work. Little did I know, Armand the forementioned lovey dovey young man from Liberl is a son of the asshole politician (Representative Gable), and now he want to meet his father to introduce his baby. Meanwhile, because of political situation in Crossbell, the politician were stripped from his position and now living as a shut in. Luckily the situation was resolved in the end and we saw ex Representative Gable (now a hospital janitor) meet his grandchild. Random overarching story like these are everything that makes Trails a masterpiece. There's also some memorable arc: -Anton love journey (GOAT) -feud between Fisherman Guild and Imperial Fishing Club (also Kenneth x Annabelle love story) -Alan x Bridget love story -Hugo & Becky business rivalry -Margarita love misadventures

[@pixelplaycast]

Absolutely adore me some Becky. Easily one of my favourite NPCs in the entire series! -Adam

[@MJ-oi6ul]

Wait, if it's like One Piece one big never ending story that will go on forever instead of end like real masterpieces do (naruto, etc) then maybe I should skip this series...

[@boltinabottle6307]

@@MJ-oi6ul It's not going to go on forever. The series is 90% complete with the latest Japanese release. We're 3 games behind in English localizations.

[@MJ-oi6ul]

@@boltinabottle6307 but it was almost done since 2019 i have been hearing then they say 2023 then 2024 so when is the real date 2030?

[@joshdrewpic]

You sold me on this. I was always a little curious about the trails series, but I have felt daunted. Hearing you say start with cold steel made me think I could jump in! And I dig the off the cuff format

[@pixelplaycast]

You'll be especially fine with the first two games, the crossovers don't really go crazy until the 3rd onward. And like I said in the video, if you don't want to have to play five more games to catch up, there's plenty of KZbin videos and such that can give you a good synopsis of the past games so you're not completely lost. -Adam

[@emberlegacy3410]

Spoiler warning ⚠️ in this video

[@darminiam]

Wished I would have read the comments first. So annoying!

[@s.m.4995]

Thanks for this comment guy

[@darks820]

My story is very similar, I used to be amazed by the Final Fantasy games cause they were the first to show me what video games could be like as a medium for telling stories, then the games started to get stale, especially the ones that came after the Square/Enix merger. I ended up filling their place with western RPGs, like the Bioware games and The Witcher. Then I heard about Falcom and Trails. I have to say, these games are really the next level for JRPGs when it comes to story, characters and especially writing and world building. Contrary to what some people say, I actually think the gameplay and combat are pretty good too.

[@pixelplaycast]

Thanks for watching. Going through final fantasy 16 I do find the combat pretty stale. Maybe we should do a topic on which games have the best combat.

[@jclosed2516]

@@pixelplaycast Hmm... Not a bad idea honestly. I would like to include the Ys series (especially Ys VIII and IX) in that comparison (and maybe the crossover between Ys and Trails - Tokyo Xanadu eX+). By the way - While I am a massive fan of JRPG's (I even like the Gust games like the Atelier and Blue Reflection games), I still like the western RPG's. At this moment I have a blast with Baldur's Gate 3, and without any doubt I going to dive into the upcoming Starfield. This year was/is good for both western RPG's and JRPG's. That's for sure...🙂

[@dragonmaster1500]

While I personally prefer Sky FC as the series starting point, I would generally agree that CS1 and Zero are perfectly good entry points into the series. The replayability factor of the games/New Game+ also means that playing CS1&2 then playing the others and replaying the CS games with new knowledge and understanding is a pretty neat idea. My only problem with Zero as a starting point is that it resolves a certain character subplot that new players might not feel as invested in. Though, again, it could be interesting to see that plot resolved in Zero, then play through the Sky games to get that context. Anyway, I should get back to playing CS2, I've still got another 3 barriers to get over- I mean games to play after until I'm finally caught up with the series.

[@pixelplaycast]

Yeah, I mean the ultimate order to me is Sky, CS 1-2, Zero/Azure, CS 3-4. But as longas folks start on a first game of an arc, it'll work to a point and KZbin/Wiki summaries can help fill plot gaps. -Adam

[@logiclunacy606]

​​@@pixelplaycast funny enough I agree zero/azure unironically spoil a few surprises in cold steel 1 & 2 which is bizarre considering they were made before.... though I suppose maybe I would have glossed over some of it if I played zero and azure 1st. Its not like I knew about the azure tree in cold steel.

[@boss.mimoto6570]

I can’t imagine plaing Zero before Sky was like for THAT character. Because me, starting from Sky FC, was bawling my eyes out

[@TaqSoto]

Id never suggest anyone skip playing any of the games if they are available. Its always better to play the game yourself because even the most detailed of story explanation videos leave things out. While I do believe playing through the series from the beginning is the best experience, Cold Steel 1 is a good starting point if you prefer playing a more modern style game. I'd say Cold steel 1 then 2, then Trails in the sky 1, 2 and 3, then Trails from zero and Trails to azure, and then come back to Cold steel 3 and 4 and then Trails into Reverie. Cold steel 3 and 4, especially 4 is like a culmination of everything that's happened throughout the series up to that point, paying off. Characters from every arc show up and if you don't know these character's stories A LOT will go over your head. This series quickly became my favorite JRPG series ever. No series takes its time to build its world like Trails does.

[@ctrujillo1994]

Surprisingly and not planned this is EXACTLY how I’ve been playing through them, only because I didn’t know the first 5 existed lol. But I’m on sky part 2 atm. And I love it.

[@TaqSoto]

@ctrujillo1994 Always great to see new people discover Trails lol. I tell everyone I can about this game cuz it really deserves recognition.

[@ctrujillo1994]

@@TaqSoto Yeah truthfully i am kinda at that point too. I really do love what i have played so far, like for me CS 1 and 2 got me sucked in enough into the world to care about going back and playing the first 5 before i continued, to be fair though i didn't know there was the first 5 till i looked at the back of the cold steel 4 case and went "who the heck are these characters" LOL

[@albertwesker3299]

Literally the way I started the series. Was looking for some anime esque game on Playstation Now and saw CS 1. Fell in love with it immediately and after beating 2 when it was ported to PS4 I checked what to play next and after I got my pc decided to finally play Sky. Fantastic games. 3 and the Renne door broke me honestly and I was so happy to get her arc conclusion in Zero. Currently I'm going through Azure and I'm busting the whole time. Excited to actually get back to the CS characters.

[@skyknight0408]

I did almost the exact thing you suggested here, two years ago. That's when I started Cold Steel and two months later I continued with Cold Steel 2 because I couldn't stand ending on a cliffhanger. After that I went back to the beginning and while I was playing the Sky games, the Crossbell arc was localised, so I had to play those games as well. I was finally able to get back to Cold Steel 3 a few weeks ago. And going back playing the old games was probably the best thing I could do, before starting CS3. Knowing all of those characters I meet and the events that are referenced, makes CS3 a lot better! I'm 2 chapters in the 8th game of a series and I don't regret a single second of the hundreds of hours I spent in the previous games. And that's coming from somebody who thinks Final Fantasy hasn't been really good after VIII, hated X and thinks it constantly declined after that. That somebody has completed 7 games and is still motivated to keep going. But I'm already in my 40's and not getting any younger, so I hope that they finish the series within my lifetime.

[@Makoto03]

Great video. I kept seeing Trials of Cold Steel pop up on psn sales and jrpgs talk about it but i never tried it. It sounds great though, so i should give it a try.

[@drude247]

I similarly fell in love with this series and it has completely hooked me. As someone that started with CS1/CS2 and then went back to the older games I do agree that you can start from any of the first games in an ark, however I did find that when I went to the older arcs from CS1/2 I had a lot of spoilers where I a vague idea of what would happen or who was evil. It was still very fun and a bit of a mindfuck when I suddenly realized oh my god this person who I thought was one of our closest ally's was arrested by our characters according to a newspaper in CS2 but I am not certain how I would have reacted without those spoilers.

[@chelsearamos3617]

So happy to still see people talking about Trails!! I’ve been a huge fan of this series for more than 5 years now, and it’s funny cause I picked up Sky FC on steam out of boredom without knowing just how big the series was 😂😂 My experience started kinda similar to yours, I started playing it and didn’t really get hooked with the first few hours, but then the characters were really charming and cute so I was like “hey why not”. Then shit started hitting the fan and before I knew it I was already a dedicated kiseki fan 🤣🤣🤣 It really is amazing just how expansive the world of zemuria is and I will never get tired of playing through this series. I’m currently still in the middle of CS3, but it’s been great as always and I can’t wait to finally reach CS4 and Reverie!

[@zerosick]

I will eventually play the trails games, my introduction to falcom is through Ys VIII, it became one of the best game I've played and now im playing tokyo xanadu ex+ and its also an amazing game, once im done with it maybe I'll finally dip my toes with the trails games.

[@pixelplaycast]

It's unfortunate, I gave Tokyo Xanadu a try and it didn't really click for me. But hey, they can't all be Trails-level legendary. -Adam

[@DemonicBandaid]

I share this sentiment as it's my favourite series. Started with Cold Steel 1 about two years ago and am caught up finishing Kuro 2 earlier this year. Renne Supremacy

[@pixelplaycast]

*cries in waiting for localization*

[@Terranigma23]

@@pixelplaycast If you have a gaming PC, then there is fan English Patch for the Steam version of Kuro 1&2. The one for Kuro 1 is really good.

[@rizuki7438]

​@@pixelplaycasti mean you can just use the fan translation for kuro, because thats what i did so yeah. Btw i find them on 4chan thread on kiseki lol

[@nickmaestro]

I was a Square Enix die hard. Those PS1 gems like Parasite Eve Valkyrie Profile Xenogears, and PS2 faves like FFX-2 and XII. FFXIII was the start of my downfall. So I looked to other JRPG, then I stumbled upon Ys 7 for the PSP. That's how I heard about this small studio Nihom Falcom, then beat every Ys title I could get my hands on. I tried another Nihom Falcom title Trails in the Sky, BORING!!! Once I got a PS Vita, Ys Celceta was my first platinum trophy. Then I read an article about Cold Steel 1, realizing it was the same studio as Ys. Played CS1, loved it. Played the sequel CS2, amazing!!! Then at the end, I'm like, "Who's Lloyd and Rixia?" Then I realized, there was an entire universe waiting to be discovered. And calling Trails in the Sky boring bit me in the rear. So while waiting another 2 years for CS3, I went backwards and played the Sky Trilogy and Crossbell Doulogy. After beating Zero No Kiseki, I completely jumped ship from Square Enix and became a Nihom Falcom loyalist. And then to be gifted by playing Azure No Kiseki, wow! I'm currently playing Trails into Reverie, but I've already beaten the JP. version. Trails series, Best JRPG Franchise.

[@pixelplaycast]

It's interesting, I discovered Ys with Napishtim and Felghana and while I liked them both, I never got very far with them, happy to say I kept my copy of Napishtim on PS2 at least, they ain't cheap to find these days. But I tried Monstrum Nox near its release and I legit did not like it, which is a shame cause I've always liked the idea of Ys, just has never stuck with me fully. -Adam

[@Terranigma23]

Trails is so good! I recommand a lot the other main IP from Falcom "Ys". Ys VIII is a perfect game to start this game series. Trails is the turn based rpg one and Ys is the action rpg. Both of this game series have mindblowing OST. Also, I think maybe you would like "Dragon Quest". PS: Kuro arc is a really fresh start (Kuro 1&2 so far), so don't expect a lot of references from any other arc. However, there is "some" cameos ;)

[@jclosed2516]

I would like to add another Falcom game to that list. Tokyo Xanadu eX+. This game is a blend between the Trails series and the Ys series. It's not the level of the Trails or Ys series, but it's very close. People that like the Falcom games loved this game. And there are even hints there will be a Tokyo Xanadu 2 coming up (although noting confirmed yet). Anyway - This game goes on offer regularly, and I can recommend picking it up. By the way - I completely agree about Ys VIII. It's a great game, that's for sure...

[@Thuxo]

Ys VIII is probably the best game Falcom has ever made barring Kuro I and Azure, although I'd say it's just about on par with those two IMO

[@WillWonkeyTertel]

I remember several years ago I bought Trails in the sky FC. I Ignored it for a time and then tried to play it through 2 times and quit after about 5 hours. I finally beat FC than right after I played through SC and the 3rd. I then took a slight break for a few months and came back to play trails into zero and then azure. Right after I played cold steel 1 & 2. I took another month break and beat 3&4. The world building is very strong and the characters have had a long lasting impression on me. I'm currently playing through reverie and it's been great.

[@edwarddejesus1649]

I just started the Trail Series last month(i started with cold Steel 1 and 2) and now i need to play the Trilogy and duology of Liberl and Crossbell Arc before going to CS 3 and CS4. I just love this game

[@mtrimm1]

I'm in my 60's, and still in love. It's like a game series where the writers won.

[@Thuxo]

Excellent video. Totally agree with all the advice in it. I was lucky enough to mostly play in order, except I played CS I and II before Crossbell--and I (at least personally) actually prefer that order as it makes CS II better (I'm sure you know what I'm referring to). I see a lot of people get into the series via Cold Steel and think a lot of people wouldn't even bother in the first place if they didn't try Cold Steel or Crossbell first. I never really thought of the angle of figuring out character stories after the fact, but honestly you're right--I think the divertissment scene in CS II made me so interested in Crossbell and the relationship between certain characters that appeared in it in a way that I probably really wouldn't have had I not played CS II first. And that also applies to other aspects of what happened in Crossbell, so I can definitely get behind that argument. It's really interesting to see how you've bounced across so many different genres and settled on Trails. It's true that I haven't been able to find anything else quite like it. The only things that sort of come close are visual novel series like Ace Attorney, but ... once again the level of worldbuilding, plot, and character development across games and arcs can't really be compared. Trails is unique. It's also my favorite video game series. I think the greatest strength of trails is how connected everything is across each game. At the same time though, although Falcom's other flagship series isn't nearly quite as connected across every game and is meant to be enjoyable no matter which game you start with--I would highly recommend you try out Ys VIII. I think Ys VIII was created when Falcom's music was at its peak (around the same time as Trails to Azure)--and it has the best writing in the Ys series to date. It somehow manages to accomplish as much in one game (at least for me) as Trails manages to do in the entire Crossbell arc. It's not quite as good as Azure, but I consider it to be a close second. Highly recommend you check it out. Also, it's so nice to see more people talk about the Trails series. It's so criminally underrated and unknown--although it's nice to see people slowly becoming more and more aware of it. I wish Falcom saw much better sales that correlated to the clear amount of passion and care they put into making these games brilliant masterpieces. Thanks for doing the community a service!

[@Saru245]

I freaking LOVE this series! It's my 3rd favorite game series so far behind Tales Of and Persona respectively. I put hundreds and I mean HUNDREDS of hours into these games, especially with replaying them 2, or 3, or maybe even 5 times each and don't regret it. Well, maybe Sky the 3rd since it's my least favorite but that's thankfully the oddity out of all 10 games I've played so far. I started with Sky FC back in 2011 on PSP and I got hooked right after Estelle jumped on an injured Joshua to stop him from talking back to her and it was a great journey since. I went from FC to SC, then CS1 and 2, then Sky the 3rd, then CS3 and 4(4 being my most favorite out of all the games), then finally after waiting forever for an official English release got to play Zero and Azure and that waiting was totally worth it though it does really suck that those games have no English Dub at all, not even in battle like in the Sky games. Finally played Reverie this past summer and now caught up on all the Trails games released in English. I'm totally ready for Trails Through Daybreak this summer! Already got the LE for Switch preordered right when it went up lol My favorite arc so far is the Cold Steel arc and I don't see any other arc topping it. Maaaybe the final one cause we all know it's gonna be just craziness all around but yeah, I love the anime feel of it and the school setting too much. I was hook on Class VII and the story after that first slap Alisa gave to Rean lol Rean is the GOAT! He's my most favorite MC and so relatable to me since I'm really hard on myself too but think the world of everyone else lol His skills and powers are SUPER cool so yeah, that helps too. I can't wait to see him again in a future arc and see how much him(and the rest of Class VII) have changed.

[@andrewhenry6061]

Funny enough I found Trails of Cold Steel 1 appears in my steam "recommended" list randomly one day and gave it a try. Like reiterated in the video, the characters, world building, and unique battle system made it my favorite RPG after that. Due to CS3 not being out yet, my order was Cold Steel 1 and 2, Sky 1-3, Cold Steel 3-4, and then the Crossbell Arc. I can say even though I went in this order, I feel like I got the most out of my experience with the series so far.

[@LowestExpectations]

I played the games in a weird order, but I also started the series in 2015-ish, which was a weird time when the future of localized games was in limbo. I started with Trails in the Sky 1, then played CS1, CS2, Sky 2, Sky 3, CS3, Zero, Azure, CS4, then Reverie. Despite going back to the older games after playing most of Cold Steel, I still enjoyed them the most out all of them, with Sky 2 and 3 being my favorites in the series by far.

[@logiclunacy606]

I've only played all of them up to cold steel 2 and sky 2 by far has my favourite last dungeon. Loewe also being one of my favourite bosses to fight.... though admittedly Azure for me had the most challenging but rewarding fights. Also Estelle is still my favourite character.

[@LowestExpectations]

@@logiclunacy606 Nice. Loewe is one of my favorite characters as well. Enjoy the ride.

[@logiclunacy606]

@@LowestExpectations Well it'll be a while, just finished Azure yesterday. The way I play games is 1 at a time, maybe with a small side game depending on the game but most importantly I'm always switching genres for variety. So even if I get around to another turn based game it might not be cold steel 3. I think the chances are I won't play that till next year since I've played like 2 Trails games a year.

[@jotobrosmusic3928]

I managed to get a friend of mine to play the first two trails games specifically because Sky 2 has a clear and rather satisfying ending. Now, it is not a full completion of the whole story, but I told them they can stop at sky 2 and be satisfied (which I firmly believe is indeed the case). They just begun sky 2 a few days ago, and are definitely going to continue (at least from what they tell me)

[@devynlich00]

I would probably advise you to suggest him watch the cutscenes of Sky 3rd especially the Star doors so that he understands the backgrounds of certain characters and it puts things into perspective

[@strwrbttlfrnt]

​@@devynlich00coming from someone who just finished it I kind of agree it feels like a great epilogue for the sky games but also feels like a side game that nothing major happens except in the doors and even I didn't do all the doors the only I miss was the final one cause im not playing through the rng mini games and just watch a KZbin video on that one. The only thing I praise it for is the combat which this game finally made me understand the quarts system but you can easily just look at the notebook in any of the games and it explains the complex system that it is.

[@genefactor007]

First, hearing your love and appreciation for this series really warmed my heart. I started with Cold Steel after stumbling across it on the PlayStation Store for an amazing price. After about an hour or so, I was hooked and returned to the PS Store for CS 2, 3, and 4, all of which was on sale at the time. Luck would have it when I got into the series, the Crossbell arc was nearing its NA release, so I had those to look forward to as well. As I played through CS, I watched many videos which spoke of the best way to tackle the series. As a console player, I didn't see there being a chance I'd ever get to play the Sky trilogy so I decided to play through an alternative route: CS1, CS2, Zero, Azure, CS3, CS4, and then Reverie. By the time I made it to Zero, I was introduced to the Brights and my desire to see how it all started hit hard. After some time I purchased a Steam Deck and the Sky trilogy was among my first purchases on that machine. I'm currently playing through Sky SC and loving every single minute. I can't wait to complete my time in Liberl because I find Crossbell to be so intriguing and this was honestly due to me starting with Cold Steel. There were so many references to Crossbell in Cold Steel that it seriously made me want to visit (as if it was a real place 😅). I've complted CS 1, 2, Zero, Sky, and Sky SC. As of right now I think Zero is my favorite.

[@controlroomguy]

Was doing so well. Sky is the only correct start point. The other 2 arcs spoil minor to major things for the other games it's insane to write that off and miss out on the amazing pay offs. I nearly started with Cold Steel but the intro made me drop the game if it was for Cold Steel I wouldn't be as big a kiseki fan as I am. There is a JP voice patch so you could have voice acting. Also Cold Steel is in no way the tone we're going for going forward Kuro is starkly different.

[@veespa_]

I will note, the Sky trilogy _does_ have Japanese voices if you mod them! It wasn’t too hard for me to do. I cannot recommend this series enough as well, it’s also my all-time favorite. I was introduced to it starting with Zero last August, and I beat Reverie right before the new year. After a little break, I’ve gone back and started the Sky trilogy. Once completed, I’m having serious problems trying to decide if I want to NG+ Zero through Reverie before getting into Daybreak, or if I want to get Daybreak day one… glad to see videos like this! 😅

[@r5LgxTbQ]

I like how by the time you get to Reverie you have several dozen characters to play as and you care about every single one of them (except Angelica)

[@pixelplaycast]

I wouldn't say I didn't care about any of them. There was just a pecking order, hahaha! -Adam

[@Trace153]

Subs clicked, it’s like my guy was reading my gaming bio break down as you spoke. Even the shout out to Suikoden.

[@pixelplaycast]

Crossing my fingers that the remasters and Eiyuden Chronicle are both great. -Adam

[@Cyrus_Bright]

There really is nothing out there like Trails, the worldbuilding and npc's are top notch and blow most other games universes straight to Aidios (or Gehenna 😅) although I disagree that you can start with Cold Steel to an extent (you get SO much more out of this series by playing in release order, its how Falcom intended it) I do understand how tall of an order that can be and if starting from Zero, Cold Steel, or Daybreak is something someone wants to do, and its possibly the only way they'll get interested in the series, then I say go for it. Just don't jump into any of the sequels or Reverie 🤣 Always love hearing people share their stories on how they became a Trails fan. I made a similar video but I'll give a cliffnotes version: I heard my friend playing a game while we were in a phone call, a character mentioned something about "flirting with their instructor" (lol Musse) and I asked him wth was he playing. He simply told me "Legend of Heroes" (no title or anything) and that was it. Flash forward about a year and I came across Sky FC on the Vita. Yes the version that called Zin "Zane" 😭 Remembering what he told me I bought the game and tried it out. Ended up getting to Nebel Valley and since theres no minimap there I got lost and stopped playing, i liked what I played but nothing grabbed me yet. Flash forward another 6 months and I decided to pick it back up from the beginning as I was in the mood for a classic jrpg. Something just clicked that time and I loved it from the moment I saw the infamous "Why is my present a boy!?" line 😂 After the ending of FC I was hooked, ended up binging the rest of the games and the rest is history. Now Falcom has me and my wallet hostage, I started getting more into the Ys series too. I feel they just can't make a bad game. Maybe that'll change whenever I get around to experiencing Ys 5 😅

[@strwrbttlfrnt]

Ive only recommend this series once to a group of people that like final fantasy and especially ffxiv. when i was explaining it they said i was overhyping it but I didnt even told them the main plot of the story just the world and the fact that the first two games are double the bible length or so with npc dialog. Later on i explained a little bit more to one of them alone and much more calmer and he is definitely intrigued and hasn't bought fc yet but i think one day he will and hopefully he will understand my hype for the series

[@pixelplaycast]

It's definitely worth the hype for anyone who's big into JRPGs. I know my co-host Chris is very much looking forward to getting around to trying out Sky once he's completed his 7-year backlog. XD -Adam

[@McCaroni_Sup]

​@@pixelplaycast I've introduced two of my friends to Trails, both started with FC and are still trying to get through the Sky arc. My little sister also replayed SC so many times since she didn't have a PC to play the 3rd lol. I don't get her obsession with replaying games.

[@jclosed2516]

One side-remark. If you play the Trails in the Sky games on the PC you can very easily add the Japanese voice actor sound files. It really makes a HUGE difference. In stead of "bleepbleepbleepbleep" you now hear the actual voices of the characters. Sure - It's Japanese, but it really makes a huge difference! You can google for these files, and there are even guides how to add them. They are available for all three Sky Games. I agree the first two Cold Steel games are a very good starting point, with one BIG note about Cold Steel II. If you plan to play the two games situated in Crossbell, then STOP playing the game any further after the first end (when the credits roll). You get the option to save the game after those credits roll. Save the game at that point and then stop playing any more. Not only have the scenes after the first credit roll massive spoilers for the Crossbell games, but also they refer to and show loads of people you have not the faintest idea who they are and what they do!!! You can pick up that very last part of Cold Steel II, and get some very pleasant surprises. You will be glad you did it that way, trust me... Personally I picked up Cold Steel I a few years ago, and was in for about a hour. I then noticed it the game forums (I bought all my Falcom games on GOG) that it was a part of a whole series. After some deliberation, I decided to put Cold Steel on hold and played the Trails in the Sky series, followed by the (around that time Geofront translated) Crossbell series, to finally pick up the Cold Steel series again. I am really happy I did it that way. If you really want to experience the story in full depth, there is no better way. I still agree Cold Steel is a great starting point, but if you really want the "full" experience and are not afraid of "old school" graphics, then there is no better starting point than Trails in the Sky (and don't forget to add the Japanese voice acting for an even better experience).

[@pixelplaycast]

That's really good insight. Hopefully other people will see this and take your advice.

[@ChristopherOz86]

Tried the two Sky games available on the PSP and it felt daunting, especially with the third game of that arc being relegated to PC only for English speaking fans. With that, I started with Cold Steel and got a good 10 or so hours into the first one before they announced the western release of the Crossbell arc coming to Switch. I recently finished Zero and currently playing through Azure (took a break throughout the year for other games but these games are incredibly easy to jump right back into even after long periods of time). I hope one day we'll get physical copies of the Sky trilogy as well as the first two Cold Steel games on Switch.

[@pixelplaycast]

I mean I finished Cold Steel entirely first, then went back and played Sky and Zero/Azure. Honestly it was a really interesting experience going back and seeing essentially origin stories for characters that piqued my interest in Cold Steel. -Adam

[@charlesvigilans1597]

Loved the video, keep it up and im sure your channel will grow!

[@Natreg44]

Well, Trails is unique on how it handles his story through the games. The only franchise that can even be close to this is Suikoden in my opinion. The 5 main entries, the tactics games, and both Suikogaidens really do what Trails is doing. However we never got a Suikoden VI and the DS and PSP spinoffs were not related to the main series...

[@pixelplaycast]

Hopefully the soon to be released Eiyuden game can have some of that magic again. Miss the ol' Suikoden days from playing through 4 and 5. -Adam

[@darbindelacruz8937]

star door 15 in sky 3 hit me so deep i cry like a baby the series become Dark on that game and forward with the situation in Croosbell too, i love the character in this franchise all of them pretty much Estelle one of the best female protagonists ever in JRPG ❤ but Renne and Tio i think are my favorite right now also i can't hear stairway to gehenma anymore and i love that song 😂 im glad you love the franchise welcome to the family we are small family but is one of the best Fandom ❤ My favorite Franchises in JRPG are Trails, Xeno and Persona

[@graysonkunst9622]

Became mine in the last couple years too

[@NathanaelRibeiro]

I started with zero when it finally came in europe, I watched summaries of the sky arc before starting and it help with the references. I played azure, cold steel 1 and 2 and just started cold steel 3. I doinga little pause because I had other games to play but I'm going back to cold steel 3 really soon

[@neverdye2047]

Started with Zero now I'm on Cold Steel

[@Aizengale]

Amazing video. I got hooked on the cold steel 1 as well. One day I randomly browsed steam sales and the game looked interesting and was on sale. The combat music was got me tbh. The other games in series dont have that adrenalin and addictive beat as tocs1. What got me as 22yo dude back then was the insane escalation last 20 hours after building up and making you care about all theese characters. English dub was second thing that got me. And I did not expect any of it. I did t even watch trailer so i was caught completly offguard to what happened haha. Awsome video as i said, enjoyed the video a lot keep it up!

[@jefferystafford9657]

I wanted to get into these games so bad but the anime tropes had my eyes rolling back into my skull

[@BeachDrAgonBumm]

Similar Story for me in finding this series... But I started on Trails in the Sky on PSP... I loved it, but the lack of the rest of the Games in the Series (until Steam) and the Cliffhanger Ending left me disappointed until I seen Cold Steel 1 and 2 on PS3 in a GameStop and picked em both up on a whim... Cold Steel 2 just came out and 1 was on sale... I didn't think much about them, but wanted something new to play... Started the 1st Cold Steel and realized that it linked up to Trails in The Sky and the Love immediately came back... This Series has easily became my #1 RPG Series and I am looking forward to playing Trails through Daybreak when It releases next year (already Preordered the Special Edition)... 😁👍🏼

[@thom_nook_]

Such a good series. I started with cold steel 1 and I think it's a perfectly fine starting point.

[@SaltpeterTaffy]

Trails of Cold Steel 1 is a decent place to start. Sky is more standalone in its narrative. The Zemuria arc as a whole only really started to form with Cold Steel 1. The only thing I would not recommend is playing the Crossbell arc before Sky, because of how much the Crossbell arc involves Estelle and Joshua.

[@PikaLink91]

For some reason the first notes in your intro makes me think of Turrican.

[@Therealfreanix]

same found trials in 2022 by July 2023 played all upto date in west realeases. all started with cold steel and then went down the rabbit hole.

[@raymondgrohosky3886]

Fan of yours now. I feel the exact same way. I am an idiot who writes instead of talking, and I have written stuff just like this.

[@pixelplaycast]

That's awesome. We're glad to have you as a subscriber.

[@pjs232]

Cold Steel 1 is definitely a fine starting point for the series, I literally bought it in some Steam sale or other on a random whim, didn't even start it for 6 months until I was bored one day and then out of nowhere literally had my life consumed for months playing through the whole lot pretty much back to back, never been so surprised by how hooked I got on a game series before.

[@brunokingz]

No it's not, Trails in the Sky is the way to go

[@pjs232]

@@brunokingz To each their own of course, but I honestly think I wouldn't have got into Trails in the Sky at all if I'd tried to play that first. The brutal truth is that it hasn't aged that well from a technical standpoint. The camera in particular is pretty bad/frustrating by modern standards and I was genuinely finding it very annoying to play + it has a very slow beginning (not the only Trails game guilty of this of course, but it doesn't help when you are already fighting other issues and that's your very first experience). The only reason I made myself persevere was because I was already "in" to the series and I did end up loving it/learned to deal with the bad camera but if I hadn't already had that faith I likely would have just dropped it and missed out. I could see a lot of players doing the same thing.

[@brownmyer]

Playing trails of sky, cold steel and zero

[@rouenfrancis]

legit this is the game that brought me as well back to the genre. Just finished Reverie a couple of days ago 😁

[@Synthpopper]

The thing about Trails is, I think half of them are the absolute peak of JRPG narratives, I think the other half (Cold Steel, especially 3 and 4) are indulgent, hyper anime-tropey, zero stakes despite world ending events because nothing meaningful ever happens to any character until right at the end, and full of fanservice of the worst kind. So on every replay I only really do Sky, Crossbell, and CS 1&2 if I'm feeling it. So I have to recommend people start with Sky, then again, maybe they'll enjoy Sky and Crossbell more after CS1 I'm aware this isn't a popular opinion, and I totally see why people enjoy Cold Steel. I also love Reverie but Rean's route really drags for me

[@maomi1852]

Trails is awesome, def my favorit JRpg series

[@ryutak777]

It's a phenomenal series which makes it easy to love

[@hemocorekid939]

Great stuff!

[@kaytastrophy]

Thanks we're glad you liked it. Adam did a great job with this video.

[@Desumundo]

My first time playing Trails Of Cold Steel 1 when I got the Lionheart's Edition on Psvita wayback 2015, then I am hook and wanting for more to get Trails Of Cold Steel 2 (where I had to wait for more than 9 months). Then when Lloyd and Rixia got introduced, I have so many questions where in I questioned myself who are they? Then I bought a hacked vita just to play Trails In The Sky FC>SC>3rd Chapter>Zero>Azure. Glady I have CS1 and CS2 on PS4 when CS3 nearly release by NISA. Thankfully I finished them all including CS4 and all of the previous series, I am now playing Trails Into Reverie (and don't have questions on the previous games). So far looking forward on Kuro No Kiseki once it will be release by NISA in the near future

[@jrpgaddict7726]

Trails is Amazing!!

[@holy9781]

He gets a sub just for being 30 and up.i love the perspective of a adult who grew up in the era of best gaming

[@pixelplaycast]

Thanks, we appreciate that. If you like that perspective we have a podcast hosted by 3 guys all in our 30s in different stages of our life. Hopefully you'll check it out

[@pixelplaycast]

Don't forget how much trash was also released in those years. I still get the shivers thinking about all the garbage PS2 JRPGs I tried out. Yes, it was because there was anime waifu bait on the cover. XD -Adam

[@holy9781]

@@pixelplaycast oh ya,the endless wave of anime games lmao.i just the ps2 era of horror and jrpgs

[@pixelplaycast]

@@holy9781 Unlimited SaGa, Forever Kingdom, Magna Carta: Tears of Blood. ...*shivers*

[@specificgravity-thedancing9700]

I want so much to love this series but I'm so stuck on chapter 2 boss in the 1st game I cant even play it anymore.

[@Random2960]

You might wanna rethink your strategy and setup before giving up on this wonderful series

[@flamehiro]

It my favorite for world building. But overall persona is still my favorite they are just way more fun.

[@ryansusanto6350]

im still firm believer try in release order, but still gives a pass to play CS 1 and CS 2 first for the hook

[@pixelplaycast]

It's clearly the best option, but it's not always the easiest option for everyone. So I advocate for those who feel the entire series is too daunting to start with Cold Steel and decide by the end of 2 if they want to go back and play the past games, or look up KZbin videos to get the plot synopsis before they delve into CS3. -Adam

[@darks820]

I just don't recommend starting with the crossbell games. It's an ok starting point, but I think Zero draws upon so much of Sky's character arcs that half of the best scenes in Zero lose a lot of impact without having played the Sky trilogy First. Having played Sky first actually made Zero my favorite Trails game.

[@pixelplaycast]

@@darks820 I would agree that Zero is the first game I'd least suggest to people, though I will also say, playing that arc in tandem with Cold Steel 2 is a very cool order. -Adam

[@funicon3689]

plz make more trails content 🙏🏿

[@blackdragoncyrus]

The writing took a huge fucking nosedive from Cold Steel onwards, just the same story beats over and over and over again, an endless avalanche of harem and anime tropes, assassinated characters, recycled jokes and character moments. It's just all gone to shit.

[@controlroomguy]

Apparently Kuro is a return to form with a much better tone and no harem

[@coyote271280]

I am just finishing Kuro, bought the asian version in steam, and applied a high seas patch for english, trust me, it's waaay better than cold steel, still no Sky, not even Zero/Azure. But way better than Cold Steel and it's Mary Sue MC, the Deus Ex Machina crap,etc etc, I found myself smiling a lot more playing Kuro, and again the MC feels like a person, not a self insert to fulfill the haremy power fantasies of a certain demographic. Also the game is not going to get an E for Everyone by the ESRB, this will get a PG-13 or a Teen rating, and not bcs of silly fan service (there is none) but for violence, drugs/alcohol, smoking, etc. The MC in Kuro is a bit older than Estelle would be at the time of the Kuro arc.

[@hxntaiguy3318]

🤔I have been interested in the trail series since I saw the latest game trailers and later with seeing videos on the series game, will play just waiting to finish other games first

[@pixelplaycast]

What are you playing right now?

[@hxntaiguy3318]

@@pixelplaycast 🤔currently I'm working my way through the sword art online series of games playing the last one in the main story and then I got sword art online vs

[@JBasilix]

I had a similar experience to you where I started CS1 with no knowledge of the greater saga. I did try playing In the Sky but I just don´t vibe with it. Not because of the graphics style but because I do not enjoy the combat in it. Funnily enough I think Cold Steel has the most enjoyable combat system in any turn based RPG I ever played and that system is an evolution of Skys. The crossbell games haven´t been out in europe at that point yet so I couldn´t play them at that point. So after beating CS1 I went deep into lore summarys and that kind of stuff for Sky and Crossbell since I was really invested in the world. And while the series has a lot of really bad flaws it is easy to accepth and forgive that if you look at the entire saga. My personal favourite is still CS3. There are a lot of small reasons for it that as a whole put it quite a bit higher than the other games. And CS4 sadly somewhat dropped the ball in my opinion. The payoff for the entire series just wasn´t my cup of tea. But even with all the minor and major problems the series has I would still rather get my hands on the next Trails game than get any AAA super cinematic Square RPG if I had to choose. Because witnessing this saga is an experience that is unlike any other

[@buttertoast1146]

Trails and nier/drakengard are neck and neck for me

[@roastpork5437]

The irony of FFXIV is that it has the best story of all FF series. It takes a long time to get going but there's a singular story across multiple expansions and it the payoff is tremendous in a 10 years long development.

[@ReijiNRen]

I also started with cold steel, got through the first two and wanted to learn more, but first had to get a computer that would run the Sky trilogy, because I had a tiny red computer with no real power back then. Now I have played the Sky trilogy, Zero, working on Azure and then I will finish off cold steel. Unfortunately for me, I haven't the money to get Trails into Reverie at the moment, while I friend of mine has already Platinumed the game. Sigh... Also I really wouldn't start with Crossbell, mostly because of that resolving plot thread from sky. Either start with Cold steel 1 and 2 or start with Sky. Those are the ideal starting points.

[@coyote271280]

Agreed, Crosbell is not a good starting point.

[@ZeNex74]

Still playing with the idea of trying zero.. started it on pc.. but havent stuck with it yet. Too much

[@salsamonkey65]

I completely agree that Cold Steel is a perfectly fine way to start. Most fans I know started with Cold Steel. If it gets them into the series, who cares where they start? I can't stand gatekeeping

[@baconatorrodriguez4651]

Wow, you're journey through FF, then falling in love out of it, western RPGs then TOCS, is pretty much mine too, weird.

[@pixelplaycast]

We don't seem to be a minority. XD -Adam

[@zipperman6045]

Trails is the only franchise where people openly ignore author intent and say well starting on game six is fine

[@goetiawasright6793]

The same author who said "You can start with Cold Steel 3", you mean?

[@zipperman6045]

@@goetiawasright6793 that was a promotional thing because it was NISAs first game they could actually make money for. Starting with cold steel 3 is a retarded idea

[@controlroomguy]

It is crazy no other franchise or series that is a continuation would you say just start halfway in guys. Start Star Wars with Empire Strikes back or Harry Potter with Half Blood Prince

[@jojonta2119]

Fr sky fc is the only starting point and anyone who says otherwise is just stupid lol

[@stevenlisten]

I’m 31

[@fredvdp5029]

You said Trails in the Sky doesn't have voice-acting outside combat, so I just want to point out that you can install the full Japanese voice acting as a mod, which enhances the experience significantly, even if you don't understand it.

[@pixelplaycast]

I did not know that, good to know! -Adam

[@coyote271280]

how do I do this? I would love to replay Sky trilogy with voices!

[@Javifaa]

I somewhat agree with the notion that one can start at any given starting point (given that one doesn't care tgst much about either story or gameplay, that's where i somewhat disagree). But… you still fucked up pointing out that summaries do exist in a video targeted towards newcomers. As far as I'm concerned, if one is not going to play the games, they should at least watch a walkthrough, no matter the series. If one isn't willing to do even that, they should fuck off and go play anything else, the series isn't for them.

[@DrinkingMidget]

FF 1-10 we all amazing. Im a mmo addic so i like ff1 and 14. FF 12 i like and dont like it. 13 was ok. FF15 i was looking forward to it but quit shortly after it came out. FF7 remake they changed the story so i dont care about it. All i wanted was the game to look better not it split into multititle games and a deferent story. I cant say nothing bad about Trials games. I love them all.

[@niles8576]

fie in cs 4 is a way better eva tank then kurt. kurt is actually shit in cs4, sure u can make it decent like every character but fie has a high base eva and by giving her sirus mq and a good sq with evade qaurts and zeus qaurts. fie is fucking busted on top of that if u make rean a s-craft spammer u can link fie and rean making rean be able to spam s-crafts almost every other turn. i love how falcom gives players all the tools to make the characters absolutely broken. i started the trails series this year with sky fc and fell in love with it in the first few minutes, i know most people might have a hard starting from sky fc but it is in my opinion the only game u should start with. u can start with cs 1 and move onto cs 2 but after that u need to play the sky trilogy and after that the crossbell games, after them u can finally move onto cs 3 and 4. u should never play cs 3 or 4 before playing every other trails game just because of how important all of the games are to understand cs 4 especially. cs 1 and 2 might be the best place to start for some because they are the worst games in the series by far but still i would always suggest starting with sky fc. my ranking for the trails games i have played would be: cs 2, cs 1, sky 3rd, sky fc, cs4, trails from zero, sky sc ,cs 3, trails to azure. the gaps are meant to show how much better the rest of the games are

[@kanecassidy9126]

why you had to go out of your way and spoil so many things? I don't think I'll ever watch any other video of yours after this

[@ryanhatfield8602]

Persona and shin megami tensei are top for me but legend of heroes is close second

[@pixelplaycast]

Cool. What makes those 2 games top for you

[@pixelplaycast]

Persona started filling the void for me after Final Fantasy started faltering, though I've honestly struggled getting into SMT outside of that series. Didn't go far in 1, haven't tried 2, then my top 3 would be 3, 4 and now P5R as my #1. I'm willing to bet that if P6 continues on with the franchise's legendary status, it may resume flip-flopping with Trails for my favourite JRPG series. -Adam

[@theultimatedragoon2231]

Regardless of the many mistakes Cold Steel's has, I really enjoy this series.

[@pixelplaycast]

Now that I've replayed it recently, hoo boy I could nitpick a lot more now. Yet I still nearly cried a bunch of times, so it still gets the pass from me! -Adam

[@theultimatedragoon2231]

@@pixelplaycast When Towa hugged Rean on CS2 HM?

[@pixelplaycast]

@@theultimatedragoon2231 I mean basically every major moment from CS4 for starters. XD

[@theultimatedragoon2231]

@@pixelplaycast I have a high criticism towards CS3 and CS4 to be honest.

[@PikaLink91]

4:40 And that's unfortunately where you and the game lose me. I am tired of almost everything in anime being about high-school students going to one or other form of school. School this and school that. My Hero Academia, a school for heroes. Soul Eater, a school for the one to become the next Grim Reaper. Black Clover, a school for wizards, and I am sure I could go on forever. I want free spirits who go on globetrotting adventures, each with their own unique character design instead of everyone rocking uniforms, making their colorful hairstyle the only thing that visually sets them apart.

[@TheHiobs]

Ff13 ist great. Combat, music atmosphere all top noch.

[@blackfistxu7953]

👍🏾👍🏾💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯

[@diogenes3300]

You didn't play DQ 11?

[@pixelplaycast]

I have. It was fine, I wouldn't call it great, wouldn't call it bad either. I found it was a little too old school and the story didn't grab me all that much. -Adam

[@diogenes3300]

@@pixelplaycast 😂 controversial opinion

[@tylerb5021]

Hard disagree. Start with sky and work your way up the games. The games isn't going anywhere you don't have to try to catch up as fast as possible. Its literally telling someone to skip part 1 and part 2 of jojo to watch part 3.

[@PikaLink91]

I am the odd one who liked FF XIII.

[@vemusicworks]

well, thanx for the spoiler alert i guess. Nice video, but for someone who just started with the series it's a shame you gave some things away in this video.

[@tenebrasm]

Type, type, type, type, type, type, type, type, type, type, type, type, type.

[@pixelplaycast]

Reply, reply, reply

[@TheRoleplayer40k]

Pity the entire cold steel part is trash

[@Vaquix000]

The characters just look so painfully generic. I was looking at a playthrough and if my memory serves me right, a girl fell into a character and she called him a pervert, and he was embarrassed like he did something wrong. Most generic anime nonsense. Having the main character a teen student is also as generic as it gets. Maybe there are interesting parts later but these things combined were just really unappealing.

[@Averi0]

Believe it or not, that stuff gets resolved pretty quickly. Also, she never called him anything- She was just frustrated.

[@controlroomguy]

Cold Steel is a outliner both Sky and Zero/Azure have much better and well fleshed out characters also this guy oversold that moment it is resolved about a quarter through the game

[@QuyenNguyenHuu-ew7bs]

You must have bad taste then.

[@keiichimorisato98]

I started with the Sky games personally. At the time if was the only one released in the US. I actually purchased the game shortly after it released entirely by accident. I was in the PSN store looking for a JRPG to play and insaw Trails in the Sky FC, so i bought it. It ended up being the perfect game for me to play at the time, as i was under a lot of stress from being homeless. So the more relaxed pace and atmosphere was exactly what i needed. I didn't need a grand save the world story, i needed a story about teo kids going on a journey to become bracers and help people along the way.

[@keiichimorisato98]

The only games to have attempted what this is doing is the .hack games and the Xeno games, Xenogears were to be 6 games, and so was Xenosaga. Before both had their plugs pulled by skittish publishers. Xenoblade manages to make each game a standalone entry for new players but still pushes a grander story forward, but it isnt quiet the same. This is only something a publisher and developer like Falcom could possibly do. Theyre just big enough to be able to pull it off, but small enough to not have too many board members butting into their creative space.