This Trails Game Changed The Series Forever

With the core story of Trails in the Sky already told, what is there left for this 3rd game to say? While some find it unnecessary or even pointless, I was surprised see it possessed the most brilliant writing in the series so far. My Trails in the Sky the 3rd Review is FINALLY here.
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--------CHAPTERS---------
00:00 - Intro
03:22 - Minor Plot Synopsis
06:13 - Your Weirdness is Showing
08:01 - Speedy Combat System
12:46 - Memory Door Spoilers
19:15 - Content Warning Skip to 21:04 if Needed
21:39 - The Music is POWERFUL
23:34 - Every ending is a new beginning
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🏰 Mark 11:17 NLT
He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”
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🖼️Thumbnail Artist: @Hallsth_Eien
🎬Footage by: Myself, Story cutscenes by ‪@OniBlackMage‬
📜My Script: docs.google.com/document/d/1d...

[@KingdomAce]

What're your thoughts on the game? Was it one you skipped? Or do you feel its one people shouldn't miss out on?

[@GenmaTheSamurai]

Totally skip it yup, not a single negative repurcussion whatsoever. Wait is that Kevin over there with his Crossbo-

[@aaronhenley4741]

Considering how much backstory gets explained, some character motivations, and finding a group so evil that even the main bad guys are like: Dude, we’re evil but we aren’t THAT evil and send the two deadliest men on the planet to clean house. No you can’t skip it. Also, how Renne doesn’t end up nuttier than Harley Quinn after not only what we learn here but in upcoming games is truly a miracle.

[@sarkwalvein]

I usually feel like this is my favorite game in the whole franchise. The battle system was refined and fast, the music was probably the best in the series, and the story pieces provided by the doors were told marvelously. It was a very effective kick in the feels.

[@kawaiipotatoes7888]

You can just watch it if you want but you will missed some dialogues in the garden.

[@Demi-Joker]

​@@sarkwalvein I concur. Though then again, I'm only in Chapter 3 of Cold Steel III right now, so we'll see how CS4, Reverie, and Daybreak compare when I get to those (and how CS3 compares when I finish it). So far, I'd rank it: Sky the 3rd > Azure > Zero > CS1 > Sky SC > CS2 > Sky FC

[@chikipichi5280]

Weirdly my favorite game in the series because of how relatively small the cast is when compared to the other games. Having to only talk to 16 characters was such a fresh experience compared to walking around town talking to every single NPC since I refuse to miss any new dialogue.

[@jmporkbob]

3rd kinda started with a weird taste in my mouth as it dawned on me we'd be in the recluse cube the whole game, but man the character writing, lore, and world-building was so good it easily elevated it back to my top 2 or 3 in the series-either slightly ahead or behind SC. (It could change, depending on the day.) But yeah, the fact that they can take kind of a standard anime murder child that seems whatever, and humanize her in a very powerful way that not only makes you understand her but one of your favorite characters, that is truly special even if a difficult matter. Paradise as a word will always hit different for me now.

[@BobbyTheGamerOfJUSTICE]

I think my main issue with this game was the bigger focus on dungeon crawling but the doors make up for it imo. Not my favorite game in the series but Kevin’s story was SUPER good. Also stan Reis, my 2nd favorite trails girl

[@CC-xy8nn]

i liked it alot because it was refreshing change after sc. and the mysterious fantasy setting was so so so cool. also love the church

[@joaocbcneto]

Great setup for the next 2 arcs, a good epilogue to pretty much every character, a great main story for Kevin and Ries, Olivier s amazing door and also the traumatizing star door 15. Great game despite the different style, Reverie seems to also be an epilogue game so I'm pretty curious to play it in full.

[@KingdomAce]

Same here!! I've still got a bit to go, I'm only on CS2 now but I'm excited to see how Reverie approaches that Sky3rd style just many years later

[@scottvogel6545]

Erebonia and Crossbell games are looking for love buddy 😂 I'd like to see some breakdowns of those too from yah 😁👍

[@xneutralgodx]

I loved erebonias so much but after sky and crossbells I honestly had to put crossbell arc as best of the series.

[@DevilHunter1994]

Having played through all the localized Trails games, Sky the 3rd is personally my least favorite of the entire series so far. I understand why the game is the way it is, but I just couldn't stop myself from longing to travel around Liberl again, taking on quests and talking to NPCs. However, with a series of this quaility, "least favorite" really just means it's an 8/10 game for me, instead of a 9/10, or 10/10. I would never suggest that people skip it. Every Trails game is fantastic in their own right, and absolutely worth playing.

[@teckleedeyi]

Shame to see so little views, fantastic freaking review for sky the 3rd! It was the game that made me understand what it means to be completely sucked into this world of zemuria. The craziest thing is now that I'm done with cold steel 4 and went all the way back to sky the 3rd I'm always floored by how much of there is here that is just lying around. Amazing stuff and a must play in my books

[@sethhale235]

This is my favorite game in the series and Trails is my favorite series. This is just my favorite game period. Kevin is my favorite protagonist in Trails. Best OST. Just all around excellent.

[@willthemost]

I beat CS3 like a week ago, found your channel literally yesterday, watched all 3 of your CS vids last night, subscribed, and wake up to THIS Aidios blessing me fr

[@KingdomAce]

I thank Aidios for your kind comment 😭🙏🏾❤️ I appreciate you!!

[@NachtKaiser666]

I've subscribed to you so I don't miss your future Trails reviews. I'm typing this as I impatiently wait to be able to download Trails to Reverie (the 10th game in the series) and I really enjoy listening to people's travels through those trails. I became a diehard fan a few years back myself and the world building through this entire series is really satisfying! It takes a solid foundation like what Suikoden had and pushed it to another level entirely. And while I personally could do without the Shonen anime tropes (especially the 'haha sexual assault funny' the becomes more frequent in later games) none of it really takes away from the plot or solid gameplay. Keep up the good stuff, I'll be sure to dig into your other videos as well 😄

[@yasgamer]

I loved 3rd because Tita actually became useful. I turned Tita and Renne into physical and arts glass cannons with kevin as support. Once they were set up they could practically steamroll anything.

[@Strawhat_Pirates3D2Y]

Amazing job. Third was one of the most funnest from a gameplay perspective and enlightening from a story building perspective. Simply put, Sky Third is a must play. You have a very healthy approach when introducing the Trails series to others, and your recommendations are very welcoming. Subscribed~

[@haisekaneki4962]

Arguably one of the most important games in the series(every game is important sure, but the seeds this game has planted for the first half of the series will forever make this as a must play). It's the type of game that you appreciate more the further you progress through the series, as you can see how many set-ups this game did for the next two arcs(Crossbell and Erebonia). As for the main story, man I love what they did. The character study of Kevin and unraveling what made him be that way on the present day is astonishing to experience. This game cemented him as my second favorite MC in the series(was number 1 but Calvard's MC took the spot when I played Kuro) This is definitely the darkest game in the series through and through. What with its themes and some backstories(Kevin and a certain door of a certain girl) being some of the darkest stories a JRPG can offer. This game also has a unique music that gave birth to its amazing atmosphere that no other game in the series has captured ever since. The music just has that sense of dream-like, otherworldly effect that other Kiseki hasn't reached. Fitting as the setting of this game is essentially a dream-like world. Props to Ryo Takeshita as a lot of the songs in this game were composed by him(I miss his songs and I hope he composes again for Falcom, even if it's just one or two songs). Overall, still my third favorite game in the series(with Haji/Reverie being my second and Kuro being my top 1). Gonna watch the video now. I'm sure it's another banger 🙏.

[@Jay6x]

Playing the games on hard difficulty practically forced me to learn the mechanics of battle at early as possible, and also to grind a lot (and with some luck) just to survive the prologue boss in SC. I had to take advantage of S-Breaking fairly often, as well as buffing, debuffing, and keeping everyone healed. Going into boss battles with 200 CP for each character sometimes helped. I'm not planning to play on Nightmare or anything; I simply wanted a little bit of challenge to the seemingly simplistic gameplay that it presented, and it turns out that it has quite a bit of depth, and feels rewarding when all things align just right, and nothing feels like it's completely broken. I'm still in the middle of my Sky 3rd playthrough, and planning to move onto Trails from Zero next, and the rest of the series.

[@jamesbratten4407]

im a trails the 3rd stan, maybe the only one, it is my favorite game in the series. Im done with sky, crossbell, and am currently on cold steel 2. Kevins journey, the nostalgia, Ries, and the large cast and intense gameplay make this a MUST PLAY! Those boss fights go hard, the music is bussin, and the minigames and star doors drive me crazy. (iykyk). Mastahpiece

[@metaknightguyWII]

Sky the 3rd is probably the only story based game where the you can remove the text and let the music an character portrait tell the story. I love my video game music but the 3rd ost is an all timer. SC is the most complete game of the trilogy but the 3rd has the better music and writing in the trilogy and in gaming as a whole

[@aaronhenley4741]

21:50 holy crap. After listening to Recluse Cube, it sounds almost identical to the opening notes of the theme to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the 7 stars.

[@GenmaTheSamurai]

3rd is not my favorite Trails but dangit if it didn't leave one heck of a lasting impact on both me and the series. I'm really glad you enjoyed the game, and I did enjoy the doors overall. Some were definitely not created equal like you said, but I still think they are worth experiencing in some capacity. Really this game was definitely made with Sky superfans in mind, and I just hard disagree with the notion of skipping this one. Especially with how much this sets up like you said. Man the ending of this game also just had me sobbing so hard, it's so good. I remember back then having it hit me all at once that I was saying bye to friends in a way, and it was so good. Also I've brought up to you personally that I loved 3rd's final boss theme, and just gonna indulge myself. But I really like how the first minute has this ambience timed perfectly to the boss' intro animation, and a minute in it hard drops into the opening theme (God I love "Cry for me Cry for you.") After it plays that melody it transitions into this chaotic but organized series of keyboard notes that fire off insanely fast.Then the keyboard and the guitar harmonize (which is incredibly hard to pull off I hear) before it transitions into the victory theme for a bit. It just really captures the feeling of "This is the end of all three games, here's the final boss, you got this!" while also having intense aspects to keep the adrenaline pumping. Definitely fits a fight against a god-like being where everyone has an anime "go" moment. It's so peak man. *Ahem* I really like the song lmao. So had fun indulging myself there. Looking forward to the review of Trails From Zero, you did a really good job on this and was fun hearing you reflect after-the-fact on how much this game sets up. The Salt Pale Door was also fun to see you reflect on because when you meet Weissman you can ask him where he's from and he straight up said North Ambria which is a very nice touch. Good video my guy :)

[@KingdomAce]

Thanks homie, and yeah the song is a freakin banger. I really should have added it to the list I mentioned, because it more than deserves it. but yeah that Weissmann origin foreshadowing is freakin CRAZY man. Im so excited to see what lies ahead of me in Zemuria. Trails from Zero is gonna be a doozy, and I'm gonna do my best to have it out in a couple of weeks!

[@genefactor007]

What an amazing synopsis! Amazing video. Trails of Cold Steel was my introduction to the series so my playthrough has been all over the place. Cold Steel, Cold Steel 2, then Zero (which released in the Playstation just as I was closing out CS2). During my time with Zero I got a Steam Deck so I went back to play Sky 1 and 2. I never thought I'd get the chance to play the Liberl Arc since I'm a console gamer but the Steam Deck allowed me the chance to playout the series' start and I'm so glad I did. I will admit I didn't try Sky the 3rd. Dungeons has always been my least favorite part of any rpg and the fact that this game was basically a huge dungeon crawl wasn't for me. But I do own the game and will likely beat it. I am currently playing Azure and loving every second of it.

[@SnowyDragoon]

Personally, sky the 3rd is my favorite of the trilogy. Fc and Sc are probably better overall as a whole, but the structure of it allows it to do so many unique things and tell stories the other games won’t have easily been able to. Kevin’s arc in particular is one of my favorites in the series as a whole. As for star door 15, It could have easily felt like overly edgy outrage-bait, but it was able to make the player directly confront what happened to her without relying on needlessly graphic imagery. It makes the player think they’re not going to see anything, before pulling the rug out from beneath them and revealing it already showed them *everything*.

[@GavilanTrakand]

great video, great game. Definitely not one to be skipped. Also: great community. Love reading the comments here

[@lukedelameter7961]

I find that it’s a bit too little stretched out over a bit too long. I love the doors, and the backstory on Kevin is appreciated, but there’s not much here that other games couldn’t have done. That said, I still enjoyed my time with it, and am glad that I played it. Now on to Zero!

[@deyon100]

Underrated masterpiece

[@krazyq00]

I don't like dungeon crawlers so initially I was disappointed when I realized this is how things were going to be however somehow with the way they had the doors and the story it worked. I loved this game and was surprised how much I liked Kevin by the end of it.

[@Avataryaya]

🎉 0:48

[@gwgux]

I prefer the first two games more. I like Father Kevin, but after the first two games it was pretty jarring to be playing a Trails in the Sky game without following Estelle through it like normal. It's still a good game though. Not one that I would constantly come back to, but still good for missing lore pieces. I also agree on the music. The music is amazing!

[@TheGashizmo]

When's the next trails game breakdown.

[@BlueGrovyle]

Finished this one a couple weeks ago, and boy, does fast travel make all the difference. My fav of the Sky trilogy and second fav Trails game overall thus far, having Crossbell and CS2 onward left to play. Battles are better/more balanced, crafts are actually good, no more turboing nonstop through Liberl for repetitive and irrelevant fetch quests, and _finally_ no more being forced to use Estelle, who is probably the 2nd or 3rd worst character of the entire arc from a gameplay perspective. Thank you, 3rd and Cold Steel for being RPGs crafted around battling, whose main protagonists are _actually good at battling_ ! Makes the game more fun to pick up and play in the less eventful moments of the story.

[@wishuponamonkeyspaw2458]

I'll bat for Estelle a bit and say she's actually an excellent support. Her two non-elemental lines mean you can set her up with a surprising amount of buffs, and since ATS only effects damage you can have your arts monsters like Kloe and Olivier go on the offensive full time and leave the healing to her.

[@BlueGrovyle]

@@wishuponamonkeyspaw2458 she has 3 lines though, 2 quartz each. And being non-elemental may be _somewhat_ convenient, but combined with slicing her orbment into 3 lines, it's not even that helpful. She could be water for all I care and it wouldn't matter because I'd want heal spells on her anyway. It wasn't as glaring in the previous games since you _had_ to use her at all times, more or less, but now that 3rd finally gives you options and even made some old characters better (like Tita), it's all too obvious just how mediocre her toolkit is.

[@wishuponamonkeyspaw2458]

@@BlueGrovyle Just rechecked my saves, it's 2 lines, 3 slots each. Lets her have Zodiac (+STR&DEF), A-Crest (+ADF), Clock Up EX (+SPD), Clock Down (-SPD) and Phantom Pain (-STR) as well as Tear-All, La Tearal, Thelas, La Curia and Earth Guard simultaneously.

[@Halcon_Sierreno]

Sky the third is my favorite of the sky trilogy.

[@zgamer200]

If you played and loved FC/SC, and presumably you did because Trails in the Sky is amazing, Sky 3rd is 100% a must play. It's a beautiful final sendoff for this cast of characters and remains my favorite game in the series(tied with Azure for me). And that's not even mentioning how great Kevin and Ries are as well. Really wish I could experience it for the first time all over again.

[@KingdomAce]

I did play both! If interested, here are the videos for them! FC Video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJ_HqmqgbJerp5o SC Video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqOVfmysm5lrqac

[@zgamer200]

@@KingdomAce Already watched them before this actually. I was more speaking in generalities that if you(as in anyone who has played the series) liked FC/SC then Sky 3rd should definitely not be skipped as some seem to suggest.

[@KingdomAce]

Ahhh okay my b! And I totally agree!

[@---sc3yh]

Honestly peak Trails imo

[@duncanscannell3987]

This game is by far my favorite in the series

[@liquideeriemusic4691]

when u realize there are more stronger thank cassius