Kuro No Kiseki II Will Be The Most DIVISIVE Trails Game Yet

Kuro No Kiseki II Will Be The Most DIVISIVE Trails Game Yet
There was one more game I wanted to finish before 2023 closed out, and that was Kuro no Kiseki II: Crimson Sin.
It wasn't exactly what I was expecting though...
0:00 - Intro and Opening Thoughts
2:13 - OST
3:17 - Combat
4:45 - Marchen Garten and Mini-Games
6:55 - Cutscenes
7:44 - Characters
9:27 - Story
14:46 - Overall Thoughts
=========================================
S O C I A L M E D I A
🕊TWITTER - / the_kiseki_nut
👨‍🏫FACEBOOK - / thekisekinut
💖PATREON - www.patreon.com/TheKisekiNut?...
=========================================
P A T R E O N B E N E F I T S
✅ Name Added To Endcard (all tiers)
✅ Access To Completed Scripts (£4 and up)
✅ Participation In Polls For Video Series (£4 and up)
✅ Early Access To Videos (£4 and up)
✅ Ad-Hoc Personal Videos (Holidays etc) (£8 and up)
✅ Quarterly Giveaways (£8 and up)
✅ Personalised Christmas Card (£8 and up)
=========================================
C O N T A C T
📩 Email For Business Related Enquiry:
[e-mail]
=========================================
#rpg, #jrpg, #turnbased, #realtime, #strategygame, #hd2d, #realtime, #adventure, #pixelart, #tactical, #indiegame
=========================================
🎵 M U S I C U S E D
Kuro no Kiseki II OST (First Volume) - News of Thaw
Kuro no Kiseki II OST (Second Volume) - Believing Heart
Kuro no Kiseki II OST (Second Volume) - Monochrome Days
Sen no Kiseki III OST (First Volume) - A New Morning
Sen no Kiseki OST - Leisure Day
Sora no Kiseki FC OST - Provincial City of Rolent
Ys IX Monstrum NOX OST - Bar 'Dandelion'
Zero no Kiseki OST - Afternoon in Crossbell
Zero no Kiseki OST - Scene of a Street Corner
=========================================
⌚T I M E S T A M P S
0:00 - Intro and Opening Thoughts
2:13 - OST
3:17 - Combat
4:45 - Marchen Garten and Mini-Games
6:55 - Cutscenes
7:44 - Characters
9:27 - Story
14:46 - Overall Thoughts

[@jdrobertson42]

I’ll have to wait and see, but the grand world shaping meta plot of the Trails series has always been much less interesting to me than the character focused smaller stories. Which is why I generally prefer the first entry in every arc to its sequels. So having a sequel that ignores the meta plot in favor of a character focus seems fine to me. Basically, your bottom three sounds like my top three, so I’ll likely have a more positive take on this one once it finally releases here.

[@icarusthorn9739]

REAL. YES. Good opinion

[@TheKisekiNut]

Like I say, some people will love the game I'm sure of that. Despite my issues, it's still a great game even in my eyes.

[@connergaskell1909]

I honestly can't wait for Daybreak and it's sequel

[@danjarnutowski2331]

I'm 10 hours in and loving every moment so far. I'm enjoying it much more than the other game it was similar too.

[@motorcitydan]

love your videos my guy. i started kuro 2 earlier last year but i got hooked on WoW so I didn't get to it. I broke back free from WoW and ordered a new controller, so very excited to play soon.

[@andersmagnusson4887]

Just finished the game last night. I think you have a lot of valid points in this video and while I agree that the overarching story progression was a bit lackluster I personally enjoy the character progression and overall world building as much and they were both top notch in my opinion. The only real disappointment for me was the main villain. Usually you can connect dots throughout side content, exploring and talking to all NPCs etc etc but this one I felt came out of left field and really didn't have an impact on me in the same way I usually feel in the series. Overall I really enjoyed the experience and if anything it makes me incredibly excited for Kai no Kiseki. As you said, the foundation is there now so we can expect some huge stuff happening in the next game. Staying away from spoiler territory will be more important than ever. Phew

[@SirJyrsy]

I’m not worried, i don’t mind them doing things differently from time to time. The game looks beautiful and fun to play, that’s enough for me. Not gonna gripe about the woes of localization, i am nolifing this and the first game as soon as they are released 😅

[@TheKisekiNut]

I'm sure many will enjoy it for what it is, it's still a great game. It's just a bit... different.

[@joaotiburcio945]

Honestly Kuro no Kiseki II does have information relevant to the series as a whole..... Oathbreaker is a beast and should not be engaged in combat🤣🤣🤣BTW nice video

[@potato-kb7ld]

Recently I just played Trails in the Sky for the first time, being my first game in the series! Kind of thanks to you to be honest. Already about to start SC soon. I will be looking forward to these games though because of how much better the combat looks...

[@TheKisekiNut]

Combat is great, I love how they changed it and Crimson Sin just made it better.

[@angrymikko]

SC is one of the best games in the entire series so enjoy it if it’s your first time :)

[@potato-kb7ld]

@@angrymikko So I've just about reached the 1st chapter and it feels like it's starting slow like how FC did. Like I thought the prologue was going somewhere but it was just a set up! How many chapters in do you think it takes to pick up?

[@nicogalax]

​​​@@potato-kb7ldthe first few chapters are slow because they introduce characters from Ouroboros, chapter 3 introduces the most relevant member, I'll say chapter 5 really picks up but yeah I still enjoyed the first half. I'm in CS4 now so yea, the sequels always have some kind of time skip so they slow down at first (2 months in Sky was it?), the games always close up perfectly so don't worry :)

[@potato-kb7ld]

@@nicogalax i already beat it and fc was better tbh

[@torinmccabe]

Are you going to do a spoiler filled review of this game because I had a hard time understanding your criticisms without the examples from the actual game's plot

[@Sortyourselfout-cu7en]

Why bother, there's nothing to talk about.

[@BenkaiDebussy]

The main question I want the answer to is this - are most of the Edith NPCs still there and do you still get to follow what they're doing? And is the machine translation for NPCs in most of the game at least reasonably comprehensible? Following the NPCs was one of my favorite parts of Kuro 1 (which was surprising, since I never did this much in previous games). I think the smaller number of NPCs combined with the interface making it much easier to keep track of who you've talked to helped a lot.

[@Grafitak11037]

I know I'm writing after 2 months but if you still need to know then yes , npcs are translated manually from the beginning to the end.

[@Pod042b]

I loved this game, its definately in my top 3, the hate this game gets is weird

[@Hissey1987]

Imho Reverie had the same problem, being a nice closing chapter for the Crossbell and Cold Steel Saga but lacking the significance for the overall Trails story. I'm in the last chapter of Daybreak right now, I like the characters introduced and the gameplay, and I love to see Swin and Nadia in the sequel

[@Galax94cz]

I definitely agree with lot of things you said, personally I felt game was kinda half and half, it had some great moments, but there were also some pretty big down points, overall I still think it is pretty good game, I still rank it fairly high though mostly due to the finale which was pretty damn good, especially the actual final boss fight which I would say is one of if not the best boss fight of the series, it felt super good to play out and the actual end of that fight... What a amazing way to end it I personally am not against the more character driven story, and I don't think it really hurts the series, tho I do think that in a sense Crimson Sin felt more like what you would have in 1st game of Trails ark or in a sense, something like CS3, a 'further setup' sort of deal, we see some events and if you read between lines you actually start seeing some connecting dots to what will come in Kai, I already can see few plot points that will most likely happen when I thought the things through bit more carefully, but it is obviously way way more subtle then what you would expect if you would follow the classic Trails formula Overall I still think game is pretty fun, character stories are honestly amazing and Kuro as a whole has some of my favorite characters of the series now (Plus they actually made a Kloe/Ellie/Alisa archetype of character that I actually genuinely enjoyed, which is shocking to me still since while I don't mind the 3 at all and they have some great moments, they never were anywhere close to my favorites, Agnés tho? Loved her in both games) Can't wait to see it go to west and for people to experience it, it will be great, tho I do have to say I worry how badly the dialogue will be butchered, there always were censorship in the western releases but I think Kuro might be hit by it even more which kinda sucks since it feels like the overal theme of Kuro is far far more mature then any previous arks, and characters are way more... Expressive let's say (*Cough* Aaron and Van in bathhouse together *Cough*) Plus from what little we heard of voice acting in the trailer, I will say for first time in the series I actually prefer the OG voices, might be bias since that is what I played, but just... I dunno, from the trailer, Van is... Okay, not great, but okay Agnés works well enough Feri I don't like AT ALL from what I heard in the trailer (Which sucks cause I really like Feri) Aaron and Risette are okay, tho I think Aaron sounds more full of himself rather then brash and cocky like he is in OG which I think fits way better Quattre is okay and Judith is honestly pretty fitting Elaine tho... Oh god... I hate it... Nothing against the voice actress... But it just does not fit Elaine, the tone and how angry she sounds, cause Elaine even when she is angry is actually calm, so you know Bergard and Kincaid are fine and all, but could be better Shizuna is pretty good fit tho I think Rest you hear in the trailer are mostly okay, some I like, some not so much. I am still deciding if I like or hate voice of certain mint haired boy, can't decide, and obviously everything can change once I hear them more in actual game and they have proper conversations, that was my impression of the voices from the trailer tho, definitely far more of a mixed bag compared to previous arks where I generally prefer the english voices to japanese

[@ThenosM_]

Looked into the cast for the english localization just now. Can't believe we have a member of Smosh voicing the Van, dude. Seeing some of the members in the voice cast was a jumpscare the likes of which I haven't seen since Jack Black was announced as Bowser for the Mario movie. All the same, I think everyone currently listed is more than capable of doing a good job, so I've got high hopes for Daybreak.

[@alanwattie6093]

Skipping the video for now to avoid spoilers but I’m hoping it ends up being similar case to Sky 3rd for me where I didn’t necessarily appreciate it at first because it deviates from the formula I was familiar with but really grew on me as I played the rest of the series and saw a lot of the events it foreshadowed unfold.

[@trivolous28]

I was also afraid, but watched it and there wasn't really any spoiler I don't think.

[@TheKisekiNut]

Sky the Third was brilliant, but unlike Crimson Sin, I loved the story in that game. It gave us a meaningful look (and still, the only look) in to one of the more mysterious parts of the series. Plus, Kevin is awesome.

[@unimaginativexhandle]

This is interesting, so I wonder if this is the case like in book series where midway through the writers realized that something was missing for later down the line so had to slow the story pace of this game down to achieve the pay off later on. Curious do we know if this is going to be a trilogy or a quartet? Either way still looking forward to the calvard arc, and can't wait to play it.

[@taigaaisaka6305]

Not going to spoil anything. At the end of Kuro 1, something happens, something is revealed and you can swear the game will end right there, on a cliffhanger, like Sky 1 and CS1 and 3. But then, literally out of nowhere, something else happens, and that big reveal is solved, I sh*t you not, 5 minutes later, then the credits start to roll and everyone is happy and back to how things used to be, as if nothing had happened. It so, extremely jarring, that there's no doubt in my mind they rushed to change Kuro's 1 ending after they decided on what Kuro 2 was going to be.

[@DJNekura]

I mean the end does say continued in Kuro No Kiseki FINAL CHAPTER so certainly sounds like a Trilogy. I know in the past it was suggested otherwise so no foul

[@Eagleknight815]

Interesting. I guess I should thank you for the heads up because I would have thought the same being the second in the arc and follow the establish guidelines as the previous games. Still looking forward to it...just in a different light

[@MagicEcho]

That Chelsea mug is the real Crimson Sin, but I'll forgive it since the video was good. Big ups, bro

[@TheKisekiNut]

Being blue, shouldn't it be an 'Azure Sin'? The real sin is watching us play unfortunately.

[@volbelis3465]

Spolers obviously, dont read if you dont want them. Finished it yesterday. I enjoyed it. For ost, I had more OST stuck in my head from Kuro 1 than Crimson sin. Gameplay is my favourite in series probably. As for the story, I'm glad they gave us more info on subplots that were established in previous games, good thing they put it in this one, because by the looks of it Kai will have massive plot progression. As for the act 3, the issue you had with it (me too initially) resolves by the end of the act and during the final boss cutscene. The initial "okay, we gonna repeat again and again and again until we make it" turned into "oh, okay, it was badically villain learning what he needs to change in order to achieve his goals". I agree that many will hate it because it will be another case of "oh no it's Curse all over again". Act 3 final boss while lacking any significance to the story drops interesting lore, finale boss was much more impactful for me and that boss battle was really interesting, using both gameplay elements plus main gimmick of the game, was really fun for me. Can't wait for Kai and thank you people who made it possible to play before official release in the West.

[@EntertainMeTV]

Anyone know the PS5 release date?

[@Jason-gy2ux]

I really enjoyed it overall, got the platinum on playstation and enjoyed playing thru the PC version.

[@Trace153]

I am hype for the daybreak arch. Happy to know first one if great, and what I should expect for the second. And happy we finally are getting in spitting distance of getting in sync to releases.

[@JimC1984]

? You actually call NISA a real localization? Have you heard about how much they have butchered CS 3 and 4 with " femanism" etc. Elaine being called " beautys blade" instead of sword maiden. No please keep them a mountain of distance away, people need to play these games as the CREATOR INTENDED, Not the BS bastardization that NISA is doing

[@Trace153]

@@JimC1984 sigh…. Yes I would rather a one to one translation and when it’s all replaced by AI I will get that. Till then, it does not bother me as much as clearly it does you…

[@JimC1984]

​@@Trace153 it bothers me that the story as its supposed to be is completly bastardized, and IM SURE if yhe creators who wrote said scripts in japan had even an inkling of what these bafoons at NISA do it would bother them alot more than me

[@JimC1984]

Its the death of creativity and artform. Just like the crunchyroll deacle, if you care about the medium, you should care, these people need to GTFO

[@Trace153]

@@JimC1984 the story at the high to mid level is still the same. Even from your “extreme” examples it’s just in the weeds low level things that get the hated “woke” inserted into in it. The company hired that company to do it, you think no one reviews the script after the fact… It’s game, you need to take a breath and not get so heated many many worst things out there for all that negative energy if you feel you must release it. I am here to enjoy my hobby not to get all bent out of shape. Back in the day we would never get these games even sent over, we are not the target audience. The creators do many things that make me cringe things around fan service that I don’t enjoy, but again the story as a whole I love. If translators are butchering it be activist me getting up in arms and screaming into the void of the internet would do nothing. Move on, or only play with fan translations and return once AI replaces them your call. But take all you angry and move on to somewhere else.

[@lunar-exe433]

I just reached act 3 of the game, but my overall consents of the game is I’m enjoying it. I knew what the complaint were of the game and act 3 and jumped in with a different perspective which is filling in loose ends and advancing some sub-plots that might be harder to do later on down the line. The loops to me are experimental. I feel like it’ll show up again in the future I love its character focused parts and I appreciate the experimentation here, but I agree another crimson sin doesn’t need happen at least out of pattern. Time to enter act 3 without trepidation lol

[@JimC1984]

Well im on kuro 1 and loving. People are complaining but I go back to how horrible the entire cold steel arc was written. CS2 was a joke and CS4 was padding all the way up to the rivalries, so as long as its not thst garbage and more in line with zero and azure sign me up. Lets not forget how annoying rean was, how deaths did not matter, nd how in CS1 nothing actuslly happened until the last hour of the game. Kuro 1 so much is happening i can almost see this as a reverse entry. And at least whats developing in kuro 1 is leagues better than the horseshit they spewed in CS2

[@Milkymanny]

@@JimC1984 Damn, someone really doesn't like CS. I agree with the points that death doesnt matter. And I also can see how Rean can be annoying to someone. Buit other than that, why you even play the trails series when CS seem to be shit games for you.

[@ninototo1]

​@@MilkymannyI also hate CS and love Sky and Azure. There is a huge difference in quality

[@JimC1984]

@@Milkymanny CS feels like im watching a cheezy naruto or shoeunen arc when playing sky kuro or crossbell i feel like im playing a well written narrative. I could give dozens of examples why if youd like. Im playing CS because I appreciate trails sky zero azure and kuro. I HAVE to deal with CS to get the whole picture. They could have told it MUCH better but decided not too. AYour comments annotates basically that CS is trails which is entirely incorrect. CS is one arc, snd a very bad yet essentisl to have the full picture of the trails series going forward. And that is why kuro being a filler in 2 is fine with me, I put up with the most immature grocery bin characters in CS with no plot momentum for multiple games from them. So kuro 2 sounds great to me the characters are fleahed out and likeable

[@TheKisekiNut]

I hope your time with Act 3 is better than mine!

[@DoumanAsh]

Did they fix bugged hit boxes in non-turn based mode?

[@j.b.5422]

the final boss going from big thing to little Thing instead of the other way around like usual is definetly the biggest thing. Althought technically cold steel one had only different big thing with your little party switching out for big boy valimar and the final boss of cold steel 2 was one very big thing and back in sky 3rd we had 4 separate big things

[@TheKingofAndrosica]

Where can I find this gameplay online?

[@RetroNerdyGamer]

Cant wait for Daybreak 2 next year. It might be divisive but not as much as Cold Steel IMHO. CS has tons of issues not to mention the 4 game length (5 if you count Reverie as CS4.5/Crossbell 2.5). One issue I had was the fluff. In Sky, Crossbell Duology and now Daybreak those games do not have the issue I had with any CS game where there was an overabundance of dialogue in a lot of scenes. Also I love Van holy shit he really is different from other protags cuz all of em so far were kinda goody twoshoes but Van is in the middle, very gray. Doing what he believes in while making money amd doing whatever needs to be done. The games so far have put the Bracers on a pedestal where Crossbell had SSS to be like the bracers and Class 7 the same and the bracers are cool but man Daybreak is showing that they have their limits. I do like how they show stuff like Heiyue is needed to keep things in check. Necessary evils. Anyway im hype for Daybreak 2! Thanks for the review man

[@joaocbcneto]

From what i heard from people and the current news on Kai it kind of gives me the impression that Kuro 2 is the equivalent of the time period Trails arcs usually skip except we actually get to play it. Sky has Estelle's training in Le Locle The SSS briefly splitting in between Zero and Azure. Rean's year of missions with Altina and the northern war. If they really pulled a full game focusing around fixing loose ends and character development it could help avoid bloat that people usually point at with certain sections of CS4 or 2.

[@TheKisekiNut]

True, we might see that Crimson Sin has a certain purpose further down the line. It's all on Kai (and future games) to show us that.

[@josek998]

I think the set up feels more because of the combat if it makes sense, those new additions made it feel complete than the first one, so they made the story feel like it wasn't important overall because of the mechanics, i liked the development on some characters and more importantly Renne and even address a thought i had on other character's name on her behalf. I really liked it at the end but would understand the divise nature it would cause

[@TheOffOne11037]

Another fellow comrade who knows why Act 3 exists, you are definitely one of us 👏

[@DJNekura]

Finally finished this the other night, I think the best way to put it is that it follows a 132 route if you compare it to sky. Almost like a epilogue to the opener. Still there was soo much character stuff in there to latch onto. Including Quatre who was very limited in the first. It does come through with its bigger lore builds. Definitely a great setup to Kai... though the pressure is on now for it to deliver. Looking forward to a spoiler breakdown ;)

[@foreveraweeb3514]

I haven't played reverie yet it's in my backlog and honestly may be there until daybreak is out in the summer. I'm having fun with midnight suns and excited for like a dragon infinite wealth persona 3 reload and final fantasy 7 rebirth but I'm unsure whether to get the deluxe edition or go for the I think way too expensive collectors edition

[@pithu1961]

I'm saving this video for when I complete Kuro II, that is whenever the western release is...

[@Yusei255]

Cant wait to see the next entry after Kuro II

[@KenKen004]

I had the exact same thoughts when i finished the game, felt as if it was gonna be very decisive game for the fanbase. Overall i enjoyed it, super excited for the next entry

[@TheKisekiNut]

Yeah man, it's still a great game. I just hope Kai is going to be a meaningful follow up.

[@LightMageMike]

Thanks for the video! I'm a little trepidatious about the Calvard arc in general -- I feel like a lot of the things it's been praised for might not necessarily be to my taste or what I want from the series -- but I am still looking forward to it in its own way. You perspective just solidifies that sentiment.

[@TheKisekiNut]

It's still a great game, but maybe expectation on this one needs to be shifted a bit before you go in. I went in completely blind (no trailers, no opinions etc.).

[@oOPrettywinxOo]

I am gonna watch this video after playing the game, but...more divisive than Cold Steel 4 or Trails in the Sky the 3rd? Thats...a statement.

[@SubZer0Blaze]

For those of you who have not played kuro 1 and 2. Just play it before you read the reviews

[@dananism]

Looks like it plays like “Tales of” is that right?

[@sep4707]

they have english patch?

[@kot_on_the_road]

I will start playing tomorrow (with basically same fan translation I guess). This video soldified some of my worries I heard about in the past. I am massive trails fan, played all the games in order (Yes I started with sky first and then continued), and I am not the biggest fan of the concept this one presents. I gotta say Sky FC is among my most favorite trails games but since you mentioned this one was on bottom of your list for different reasons, I guess that is not of a big significance. Anyway wanna ask, how long is the game? Is it usual 60 hours? Thanks

[@TheKisekiNut]

I finished it in just over 50 hours, but you could easily put way more in to it.

[@marethyux3744]

I know next to nothing about crimson sin but Ive also heard its just a setup game and character driven. Considering how big in scope kai no kiseki seems to be, I'd imagine they plan to cash out on that buildup.

[@alcatrazvongola]

Agreed with this video. Kai no Kiseki is going to make or break the Calvard arc. I think Kondo mentioned in an interview that Kuro 2 was hastly made which makes me wonder how much passion they have for Calvard arc as a whole. It was even mentioned they were already planning the next arc and the protagonist along with the setting. Feels like they're rushing to have the Trails series completed at this point.

[@TheKisekiNut]

The thing is, if they're struggling with development already (as Kondo seems to suggest with Crimson Sin), how do they intend to increase their output in the near future as they mentioned in their shareholder report? Makes no sense to me.

[@joaocbcneto]

@@TheKisekiNut I'm wondering if they didn't plan to release YS X in 2022 but realized it wouldn't pan out so focus shifted to Kuro 2 for being quicker to make but still needed to be rushed.

[@buttertoast1146]

Surprised it took you this long to review it lol

[@TheKisekiNut]

Translation wasn't done till like October, and I had loads of other games I was playing during that time. I had a window around mid December to jump on to Crimson Sin.

[@43Hughes]

As someone who hasn't played any of these games would you say starting at Kuro No Kiseki is a good point and if you like them then going back later to play the old ones or would you still recommend playing Cold steel etc first?

[@Strawhat_Pirates3D2Y]

Truth is, you can't beat starting at the very beginning, with Trails in the Sky. It's the best starting point as the rest of the games that come after assume you've played the previous titles via a plethora amounts of callbacks and payoffs. However, you can start at the beginning of an arc, like Kuro 1, if you want. Then go back and play the other story arcs, if you don't mind missing out on the callbacks and payoffs that come with the interconnected storyline. If your mind is already made up. Start where you want, and just play. That is most important of all.

[@kanggalon5452]

Actually, you can start this series with this game. It's just, few dialogues or references about the older games will definitely make you confused about who or what are they talking about.

[@DarkPhoenix89]

Currently replaying this again because I OCR'd it on my first run. Using the fan translation now to see if there is anything I missed. Kuro II is a good game, has everything you would expect in a Kiseki game but the story for me was not as strong IMO. This second run may change my mind.

[@TheKisekiNut]

I'll save my second run for when the game comes West. Too many new games that I want to get stuck in to this year.

[@akowkakaoakaowkaoakoaoa]

whole game felt like a filler 😂 Best final boss experience imo, I loved when they try to fck around the game's battle mechanics

[@alumlovescake]

Well considering how people talk about sky 3rd and that later CS games... the fan reaction would be interesting. to see

[@giuseppeparry1365]

Just judging from this video, it at least sounds a much better kind of divisive than CSIV. Still looking forward to it!

[@Nel_Annette]

I didn't think anything could get more divisive than Cold Steel 4. That was probably the only game in the series (that I've played) that actively rubbed me the wrong way with the decisions it was making.

[@ninototo1]

​@@Nel_AnnetteYeah the C-word was one of the worst deus ex machinas I have ever seen, not to mention the ridiculous fake deaths. Felt like the game caters to kids or something

[@Nel_Annette]

@@ninototo1 Yes, someone who understands! At least four characters cheated death off the top of my head, so I couldn't take that seriously. Attributing all of Erebonia's tragedies to "the c-word" was lame as heck when we already knew something like Hamel was orchestrated by Weissman. And the villain. All those years of build-up just for them to go "Hey, guys, turns out I was NEVER evil. In fact, I've been actively letting you escape and gain advantages! You're only winning because of me! All the horrible things I've done over nine games? The devil is watching me! The devil made me do it! THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!" I want my time back. Cold Steel feels like such a step back compared to Liberl and Crossbell.

[@ninototo1]

@@Nel_Annette Spoilers for CS arc. Yup! I was so hyped for CS and Osborne after the teaser in Sky 3. It promised interesting politics, the class divide, and an epic confrontation between Olivier and Osborne in what basically is Imperial Germany. Sign me up! And CS1 seemed to be leading up to exactly that. Then the arc proceeded to utterly drop the ball with CS2. The writing was so horrendous, I could have done a better job. Like the whole "We gotta stay neutral" but they attack the Noble Alliance the entire game. Or how the Civil War is just a backdrop. The real story is about reuiniting Rean with his bestest terrorist friend (who, I'll have to remind you, wanted to nuke Crossbell Tower with Towa inside). Then it turns out Osborne is still alive! It was all part of his plan! Oh and Crow is still alive after we had an emotional song attributed to him. And no one is evil and nothing matters, it's all fate or..something. Remember how the Emperor told Rean he knew about literally everything in advance and chose not to do anything about it? And everyone still respects the guy! Also I predicted Celine transforming into a cat waifu girl and laughed my ass off when it happened. Olivier "dying" actually made me emotional and I swore I wouldn't forgive Falcom if it was yet another fake death..Guess what happened. I didn't touch CS4 after that. I will probably try Kuro 1 but after being really invested in Trails, I now realize that it's not what I thought it would be. To me it feels like the target demographic shifted from young adults to young teens.

[@Nel_Annette]

@@ninototo1 I'd say that's about right, yeah. I always described it as an anime series that avoided the usual anime tropes, but in CS fell right into the general anime bullshit. Gundam mechs, every girl is now a big busty waifu you can get it on with and fanservice runs rampant (generic "girls always commenting on the girl with the biggest tits' breasts" jokes), Estelle and Lloyd were just normal people who, though related to well-known people, weren't all that special themselves but worked hard to get where they were. Rean's a VERY special boy, and everyone loves him.) And everyone's so HUMBLE and NICE and FORGIVING to each other, even when they're enemies. In many situations it makes no sense. Cold Steel feels like a generic anime infected the series I love and sucked a lot of the charm out of it. The music in that arc doesn't even touch what Liberl and Crossbell had. Thank god Estelle still feels like herself whenever she shows up. I haven't played Daybreak or Crimson Sin, but at this point I'm just still going out of obligation to see the whole overarching story through. I've had Reverie since July. I played some of it in July, didn't touch it again until September, and now I still haven't touched it since then. I will have to force myself into it eventually.

[@user-pi7jq1nf4u]

Kuro 1 is definitely have worse ost than other trails games, but not to the point where there aro no songs to add. At least Rise of Grendel and What is ahead of you are pretty damn good. You could argue that the first one is too intense for a normal playlist, which I agree too, but the second can fit just anywhere.

[@adappropriateuser331]

I honestly had to digest this game afterwards for a couple days when I beat it. Even now I feel like I need to get another playthrough under my belt before my thoughts are fully gathered on it. I enjoyed the story, gameplay and all the character interactions, but I was also dissatisfied with how they just ignored some parts of the overall of this arc. It felt like an epilogue to the first game, just enhanced and elongated to a full-size game. They also had to not include of Bergard for the game, which did cause me some pain. I'm honestly still happy with how it went, as it felt very unique for a Trails game. A black sheep, for sure. And I do NOT want another Crimson Sin. It was, for all purposes, a game for character development and tying up loose ends of the first game. Here is to the long wait for Kai.

[@TheKisekiNut]

I won't be playing this again till it's Western release, too many other games to play and Crimson Sin didn't do enough to make me want to play it again any time soon.

[@adappropriateuser331]

@@TheKisekiNut I do have to agree on that. I'm in no hurry to play through it again either. Looking forward to what recommendations you'll have this year for other games to keep the wait bearable.

[@AngelGVC8620]

They're gonna do a tetralogy like Cold Steel...?

[@bucktae]

I just beat the game today I will say I prefer this game over CS1/2 and 4 because of the bosses and the character development. I will say the main villain is weak but he still better than CS2 Duke Cayenne. I will also say the main concept happens way too much. I will give it a 7.8.

[@creekandseminole]

I wonder if this will eventually come to the West.

[@creekandseminole]

Yes it is

[@oneofnone7947]

Wait what was 1

[@lucasn0tch]

With how divisive Daybreak 2 will be, I think it'll be more like "Trails into Mindbreak".

[@kanggalon5452]

One i didn't expect from this game is that the intermission arc for kuro no kiseki 2 is actually better than chapter 3. And honestly, chapter 3 of this game only made frustrated, and i agree that chapter 3 exist only for the story, i mean it doesn't have much impact for the characters

[@statesminds]

I havent played but the main thing i hear is it just doesnt hardly progress the plot forward much. But that can still be good

[@TheKisekiNut]

It could be, we might look back on this after a few more releases and realise how important it was. But, the ball is in Kai's court now.

[@erihitsuki]

Hope to see Quick Crafts in Kai

[@MicksUp]

I liked both CS4 and most of all The 3rd, so I'm not really concerned about Kuro 2 granted, I still have to play Reverie and Kuro 1

[@SirBanana1992]

between this game and Ys X: Nordics it seems Falcom has really been looking into how to make even better final boss experiences because both Crimson Sin and Nordics final bosses have jumped to my #1 spots of final bosses in their respective series and I'm hoping future titles will follow up on that trend. As for the game itself, I finished it last night and overall I feel like it's a middle of the pack for me. Namely mostly agree with how the third act played out. While I had some gasps and surprises here and there throughout the game, in the 3rd act I felt absolutely none of that. Oh, I could also say that my greatest complaint (didn't check NG+ so idk if I'm wrong) it's that marchen garten teases you by letting you know you can change the soundtrack while playing by unlocking songs from previous games, but then ONLY EVER gives you Reverie and Daybreak songs unless you purchase DLC packs. I hate this, could have still had a few bangers as DLCs but not restricting base game unlockables to only 2 games out of the franchise dangit!

[@Ratorss]

Thanks for the video! I just started act 3 and so far I like the game. There are a few negative stuff like the use of the plot device but overall a solid Trails game. 1 thing I don't agree is the music. For me the OST hit rock bottom in this game, even Kuro 1 was better. But that's just my opinon ofc. It will be interesting to see what will happen in act 3.

[@zexianchia456]

Let us know your thoughts again after completing the game

[@TheKisekiNut]

We all have different opinions. I latched way more on to Crimson Sin's OST, quite a few tracks I've taken for my own lists.

[@Ratorss]

@zexianchia456 I will definitely write it down. I will finish it today or tomorrow.

[@Ratorss]

Hy! I finished the game! So, while I think act 3 isn't my favorite I think this game is really good. It definitely is a "weird" one but I liked it nonetheless. It dosen't really bother me that it didn't really progressed the "main" story because when the series will be over I will be happy that I could enjoy as many Trails game as possible. I just like the characters so much. Also this game has the best final boss fight in the series IMO@@zexianchia456

[@Draxila225]

i must say im not the biggest fan of calvard so far, i already didnt enjoy kuro 1 as much as the sky and cold steel games (not done with crossbell yet) but the first 2 arcs of crimson sin were really fun. Sadly it suffers really from that plot divise and act 3 otherwise this would be quite high on my fav list

[@TheKisekiNut]

Intermission was the peak for me, and it nosedives come the majority of Act 3. At least it ends on a high.

[@Draxila225]

​@@TheKisekiNut yea thats true intermisson was great, the finale was really good too, it has my fav scene from the arc yet

[@asdlgvfrbadkhjaseygf]

Kuro 1 was amazing, I felt it was much much better than Cold Steel. Van was a great protagonist but still sky series is my favorite.

[@kanggalon5452]

​@@TheKisekiNutagree. Didn't expect that the intermission would take dozen of hours to finish, as it usually only needs few hours. And we finally learned the final piece of information for one of the most important character in this series.

[@kanggalon5452]

​@@asdlgvfrbadkhjaseygfagree, sky is definitely better at whole, but as for the main character alone, I prefer Van than any other trails protagonists

[@nopalhilmi]

I hope you have plan to make a spoiler discussion video about this. Regardless I'm pretty much agree with you. After the high note in "vacation arc" the act 3 feels so weird. I'm happy falcom is experimenting some new gimmick but yeah their gamble fail this time. On the other hand this game make me feel really excited with Kai no Kiseki

[@TheKisekiNut]

There won't be. Kuro had plenty of moments to discuss, Crimson Sin had very little of note that I cared about.

[@kanggalon5452]

Just finished this game few hours ago, and this game is definitely the one that made me frustrated so much compared to other games like cold steel series, trails of azure or sky, but that definitely made this game amazing, especially chapter 3

[@shayne604]

Thumbs up if you like turn based combat 👍

[@Toriksta-]

Looks like Crimson Sin's gonna be the black sheep of the series. I do have a soft spot for Black Sheeps if I'm being honest.

[@emincash6931]

Sooo... *whispers* Where did you find this english patch...!? I thought the spreadsheet was taken down...?

[@jimkirk2527]

Thank you for the Spoiler-Warning! I can't watch this video :( - man I'm so hyped for the new Trails-Games!

[@TheKisekiNut]

Spoiler warning did it's job! Making these 'early looks' at pre-localised Trails titles is always difficult, so I don't blame someone not taking the chance.

[@Nikita_Akashya]

I do not care how divisive this game will be. I had fun with every game in the series thus far. I will simply enjoy this one and live happily ever after. I just hope I can get used to the menus being assigned to specific buttons. I will just get used to it, I guess. Hopefully, I will have a good time.

[@shinnbidan7536]

Glad to hear your take on Kuro II. About the only thing I might disagree with is the OST, as I felt like it was more of mixed bag; for me, Kuro (Daybreak) I had greater highs, but Kuro II felt a bit more...consistent, I guess? Other than that, I pretty much agree with every other point you made. While it was still enjoyable, it was definitely on the lower end of my series ranking, made worse by how the writing took a dive at the start of that one chapter before eventually picking back up. Here's hoping that Kai no Kiseki will be an overall improvement.

[@mondaiji679]

I am happy this video released some time after I finishe Crimson Sin. I agree so much with this. I love it for focusing so much on the character because I think Kuro really has a bunch of the best character in the series. Act 3 however made me unironically mad. Act 1 and 2 were alright - they introduced "the thing" in the story which is a plot device I hate in most stories. I didnt like nor hated it. Intermission - FANTASTIC IMO - Act 3 starts using "the thing" not only too much but in a way where it stops making sense in every possible way. Finale brought the game back up

[@xdunderscore]

I may be in the minority when i say i play trails primarily for the combat (theres a reason ive replayed reverie 3 times while the sky and crossbell games have been benched since the first playthrough). If Kuro 2 delivers on that front its good enough for me.

[@rioichiFIN]

I agree with you that Kuro 2 was definitely a different style of entry to the franchise with big problems in the pacing but I'm a bit confused of why you see it as divisive. For me divisive is when some people think a game is one of the worst games and others think it's one of the best games (for example Sky 3rd or CS4). I feel like nobody is putting Kuro 2 as their favorite Trails game because pacing issues especially in 3rd act nor would most put it as their worst. Maybe I have different idea of divisive but I think Kuro 2 is definitely not it.

[@Sortyourselfout-cu7en]

Because it 'is' divisive. Literally look at any Falcom based forum and you'll see that Crimson Sin is loved by quite a few people, but hated by others.

[@RaifSeverence]

He says why in the video (whether you agree with his reasoning is on you) But it's that this game doesn't conclude in the way the Trails series, till now, have. Intro game followed by conclusion game. Kuro 2 feels more like a part 2 of 3 rather than a part 2 of 2. Up till now trails has always followed a 2 part structure (rather unintentionally i might add) with sky 3rd and Reverie being 1 offs (side games) Sky Fc/SC Sky 3rd Zero/Azure Sen 1/2 Sen 3/4 Reverie. Kuro feel more like it's being written as kuro 1/2/3. For the full story.

[@kjriwoutube]

Yes this feels like Kuro 1.5 a almost pointless side game for how little it moves the needle for a second game if this was Kuro 1 it would less divisive

[@jaz9684]

Spoilers too. Like you i just finished this game and i admit that i was disappointed in the story most of all. I was cringed when i got to the intermission. Time leap was an abused mess and they just shoved boss fights at you for flimsy reasons. Like "we saw you talking to the oathbreaker, so we must beat you up." Like whut?? And i didnt even get what the hell harwood wanted to do. Poison gas, nuke the island, angel of death, his plans and the way it jumped to character backstories were all over the place. Then harwood waves goodbye after ALL that?? Worse is act 3. The corrosion is another stupid plotpoint to give a reason for the established cast to hate the player characters. Like the fixers were in cahoots with A??? ARE THEY SERIOUS? if garden master was gonna invent a lie, they should AT LEAST make it believable. Finally the final chapter. I did like harwood and the twins appearing again but they just showed up for a boss fight. They had no point. And garden master come on!!! A disgruntled spirit from the war that possesed an artifact? They had tons of organizations they could have used as villains. Escariot, Marduk, Gramheart and they used a stupid spirit, the DG cult AGAIN and returned a dead character AGAIN?

[@azureknight729]

I wont be watching this video because of spoilers but i will say that ive been seeing so much divided opinions about kuro 2 in comment sections from older other videos that are trails related. Im slightly concerned about what it all means when we finally get our hands on kuro 2 over here but despite the overall reception that game has been getting, its a trails game at the end of the day which makes me automatically hyped for it. Cant wait for kuro 1 later in the year!

[@mrsheeplove7537]

Possibly the most frustrating experience I've had in the series was this whole game. I played it shortly after it came out, and I've forgotten most of the details of it except one scene, which feels like the only part that will impact the overall story which makes me hopeful as the next game seems to follow that up exactly, but I totally agree that that game needs to make an impact or this whole arc will feel like a waste, which sucks cause kuro 1 is on my list of the best in the series. Additionally both of the bad guys were major disappointments, the first I couldn't care about, and the second even made my opinion on the first game drop a bit (trying to be as spoiler free as possible here for those who care), and the main mechanic rarely gels with me, and it certainly didn't here. Following the Zero Field stuff, Northern War and this game Trails has been hard to recommend lately as my favorite franchise, even if arguably only one of those is Falcom's fault which keeps me hopeful for the future. Definitely had some good moments and the gameplay and visuals were improvements for sure, but the story is just bad in my opinion and not just in a "for a Trails game" way. Loved to hear your thoughts on it.

[@berkegunes7775]

Falcom's biggest scandal was Kato disbanding JDK. It was such a terrible situation that it caused the music quality to seriously decrease...

[@usbmindlink]

Not especially fond of a True Reverie Corridor type addition to be honest, because it makes me feel like the quartz/sepith grind is going to be as god awful as it was in Hajimari. I love these games, and Kiseki is my 2nd favorite ongoing series after Ys, but I've always felt like the progression systems are by far the weak point because of just how nasty the grind is to get characters to a power level that I want. Haven't played Kuro 1, so I dunno if there was any relief of this after Hajimari, but this doesn't inspire confidence. Not at all worried about the story/characters/etc. though. Unless for some reason Falcom decides to include DEI/CRT horseshit, I'll trust them implicitly. I don't at all mind a second setup game, because to me at least, that just means more opportunities for significant shit to hit the fan when things do go down. I'm the type though, whose only expectation of a game going in is "this will be fun." Our tastes within the series are different enough that I wouldn't worry personally anyway.

[@TheKisekiNut]

It's definitely not as arduous as Reverie, there's a lot less characters in Crimson Sin. It's just a similar style of progression.

[@susanacostadesa4445]

Will Kuro No Kiseki II be published as Trails through Daybreak: Crimson Sin in the West?

[@kerijizo]

One question for people who play the game and please no spoiler,is the woman in the reverie arc cover art is gonna appear in the game...?

[@THEBOSS-ru1sx]

Not in kuro 2 no

[@lucinae8510]

I generally like the Trails and Ys series for their character writing and worldbuilding, gameplay is just there and the OST's always stick with me. The plot isn't the deciding factor in each game, though it can have detrimental effects depending on other factors. I rank CS4 highly despite the plot being all over the place, but rank CS3 poorly for the same reason. While I could tell this game's plot was going to feel rushed or incomplete due to how quickly it was released after Kuro 1, it sounds like character writing is still the highlight of the series and hopefully I'll have a good experience despite this feeling like the least exciting game in the series.

[@Freewill415]

just finished the game (Ps4 japanese ver) it is fun, got more character and world building development, and yeah the plot is crazy and wacky but I enjoy it

[@JimC1984]

I have to disagree im on chapter 3 and the character building is excellent. So much happens in kuro 1, and comparing it to how aweful cold steel 1 and 2 are, i say kuro 1 moves thw plot more than both of those games combined. Especially all of the slice of life school nonesense from cs1. Kuro 2 actively builds on the strengths of kuro 1 slows down and tells its own indepdant story. The writing in kuro 1 AND 2 is still leagues better than the entire cold steel plot and nods me back to falcoms writing quality from sky to azure. I also believe some of its aspects so far will build into the time sept terrian but thats a theory. I really cant see it for anyrhing but a net positive after suffering the cold steel arc

[@veezhang6988]

TBH act 3 gives me the vibe "hey you guys are forcing us to push out a new game every year and this trash show is all we can do in a year, so give us more time and stop pushing us"

[@ninototo1]

Just like CS2 then lol

[@TheKisekiNut]

And yet they want to increase their output in the coming years from 2-3 releases up to 4-5. I don't know how they plan to do that.

[@mewmewpowergirl1625]

Kai no kiseki onyrix your burning flame

[@jesserivera2043]

Your concerns with the story and its contribution to the overall Trails plot is so reminiscent of phase four of the MCU. Where do you go after endgame after stakes that high? So yeah, I totally get why even the next story arc in general after Erebonia would be divisive. We spent a decade of peak storytelling and interconnectivity, so naturally this story arc will need to build on that to some extent but still be its own thing. I'll still stick through it though, because I am that intrigued

[@chrisradford4079]

I do think also tho, that while kuro 2 didn't hit as much as the other sequels for over all story, we wont see how much kuro 2 and even 1 is to the over all story till "kuro 3"

[@TheKisekiNut]

Yeah, it's all on Kai now to see if this set up was worth it.

[@chrisradford4079]

@@TheKisekiNut i think we will need to buckle our seatbelts by the way kai is looking 👀

[@GalanOfTruth]

I’m sure I’ll like this game but this definitely isn’t the first time I’ve heard mixed feelings on this game but this is the first time I’ve heard what those negatives are. The reality is that the trails series has gotten almost impossibly long for new players to get into so if it’s going to keep going each game needs to be compelling. The series really can’t afford filler games at this point and I’m not sure their reason for doing so. These aren’t short games they have more than enough opportunities to expand these characters in a regular style trails game, as they have done so many times.

[@mintcake2668]

Divisive? I certainly has not seen division of opinion in Japan and other Asian countries where it's localized. It's overwhelmingly negative.

[@igorbosso4541]

I just feel like Trails writing is getting worse, dont get me wrong i played every game from sky 1 to hajimari, and all the games are at least good, but Azure was the peak, since then nothing else got on the same level i feel. Since cold steel things got weird, i thin kthe tone changed a lot: no one can really die anymore, bad things happen but to no consequence, every bad guy needs a sad backstory to justify they acts etc. When i finished sky 3 and azure i felt connected to the chacracters, i wish i could have more time with then. By the end of Hajimari i was so done with Rean and class 7, feeling glad that i didn't have to deal with then anymore. Right now im waiting for both Like a Dragon 8 and P3 Reloaded, after im done with those games im gonna play kuro 1/2 with the translations, i hope i like then more than cold steel.

[@Starkride48]

I agree with you that the writing suffered from CS1 to Reverie, but Kuro 1 is a return to form in every sense. It's one of the best written games in the series. It's a shame that Kuro 2 turned out the way it did, though the characters at least are still fantastic.

[@berkegunes7775]

Agreed. Crossbell games was the best in series. Kuro 1 is good but not good as Sky and Crossbell games.

[@Starkride48]

Kuro 1 is every bit on the level of Sky and Crossbell imo. I agree that Azure is still the best game in the series though.

[@berkegunes7775]

I agree. I didn't find Kuro 1 as successful as them, but when we think about it, we can say that the reason for this is its arc score. Kuro 1 is actually as good as FC and Zero considering.

[@taigaaisaka6305]

@@Starkride48 What are you talking about? Kuro 1 is literally the most mixed bag entry in terms of writing. It has some amazing parts, like the end of Chapter 4 and start of Chapter 5, but also some really awful parts like Chapter 3. You have Van being a great protagonist, then characters like Judith who the whole cast never shut up about how much of a dumb wh*re she is, which is a first in the series as no other character was ever threated in such a mean spirited way. You also have so, so many plot reshashes, at points the game feels like Zero 1.5 with how similar the story bits and plot development are. It's not a bad game, but it is the only entry on which you can clearly tell two things 1) Different people wrote each Chapter. The difference in quality and writing is extremely noticeable. 2) They either ran out of ideas or they really, really wanted to rehash Zero for some reason.

[@pauloazuela8488]

I forgot your reason why you put Sky 1 as part of your bottom three. Usually I tend to look at the games as what it is , not something I expect it just helps me too see what it was trying to offer and how it contributes to the franchise , but you're right with Kuro 2 being divisive . I dunno but I feel like the next Trails game wasn't going to be an introductory part but more of a piece that bridge what happened in Kuro 1 and 2 simply because Kuro 2 didn't do that. Maybe it's intentional

[@TheKisekiNut]

It might be intentional, I guess Kai will explain all.

[@DrCasey]

Yeah, the end of the review covers the key bit - expectations. I haven't played the Kuro games yet, but it will help that I know what Crimson Sin is before playing it. That will stave off the "Why isn't anything happening yet? When does the plot speed up?" antsy feeling. As is, the idea of a sleepy game where not much happens sounds comfy. I think that Crimson Sin is designed the way it is for a reason - that reason being that the next title takes place in 1210, and is the game where everything changes and the main turning point of the entire series. Crimson Sin's purpose might be to enjoy the status quo for one last game, the final days where things are still normal.

[@TheKisekiNut]

Agreed, we might look back on Crimson Sin as one of the most important games. Alternatively, it could just be forgotten completely and seen as a black sheep. Time will tell.

[@emblemknightrg2529]

This game shouldn't be called 2 more like 1.2/5, Kai no kiseki feels more like the proper 2 at least to me.

[@fromretroville]

Can’t wait to watch this video in 2027 after Kuro 1 comes to consoles.

[@albundy1485]

What are talking about? Kuro 1 is coming next summer in the West.

[@albundy1485]

What are talking about? Kuro 1 is coming next summer in the West.

[@dustindean4618]

​@@albundy1485actually its coming this Summer not next

[@AssaHades]

i have a better version of translation, but it still far from... you know, decent.

[@004307ec]

This game shows the evolution of visual part, but the presentation of the story is trash😅(somewhere near ToCS II). There are some interesting development of old characters but the overwhelming repeating design pattern is annoying. 😂

[@NachtRien]

While I love Kuro 1 so much, Crimson Sin disappointed me. I could touch and feel the lands of Calvard in Kuro 1 and the story progression was so nice, you could feel Calvard little by little. But in Crimson Sin, the story progression was damned at a certain point as you said. For me, the biggest problem in Crimson Sin was... 'him', the guy who came out of nowhere. I was like "Who??" at that moment. He just made the stuff we went through pointless. Almost every aspect of the game was nice. except for the story, really. (Grendel Zolga was really really splendid though)

[@Natreg44]

I don't think Kuro no Kiseki was really what Falcom had planned. It was created in order to give Ys 10 a little more time to finish development. So my guess here is that Kuro was not supposed to be 3 games. They probably dumped what they had already prepared for the sequel, and added some villain and filler to tie it all. On the other hand, this has given more time for Falcom to develope the Kai no Kiseki game. So, if they have cut a few plot points that get resolved on Kuro 2, and had a little more time to work on it. Kai is probably gonna be a really good game.

[@TheKisekiNut]

There's been talks that Falcom are aiming to increase their output in the future too. If they're already struggling with their current workload, I don't know how they plan to make that happen.

[@alastor8780]

As time goes on and this game gets older and is no longer the most recent game I feel like more people will put this game lower on their individual tier list because they can just focus on new games in the series and not have to face that this is a bit of a dud.

[@jerry-sama2257]

Hmmm guess ill wait until Crimson Sin arrive at western shore, but honestly trails story got weaker from time to time, we're not even got the story quality as good as Sky arc and Crossbell arc

[@berkegunes7775]

Agreed!