Top 10 Moments of the Legend of Heroes: Trails/Kiseki Series

[@LowestExpectations]

Alright boys and gals, since it was requested, and after thinking about it for a bit, I was able to come up with 10 moments for the *Top 10 Least Favorite Moments in the Trails Series.* Get your salt inhibitors ready. You're gonna need it, regardless of which side of the fandom you're on, just sayin' Oh and hit that sub button so you don't miss it because it's coming *very* soon. 😉

[@LowestExpectations]

AND THERE IT IS: kzbin.info/www/bejne/paCwfaVnidN8Y9U I have also made a similar favorite moment video on The Legend of Zelda here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4euq6Gil9aKepo

[@borkozdravkovic4746]

Im sad almost no one talks about Agate and Loewe fight that gets broken up by Tita. By far one of the most human and touching interactions in the whole series. 2 men with almost same fate who have taken a totally opposite paths, (one hating the world and other one hating himself) clashing with anger and hatred towards one another since both think their choice and a way to move on was the superior one. both of them seeing Tita standing between them and reminding them of how their loved ones died in a similar matter. Agate being scared to lose her like he did his sister and Loewe having no intention to kill a child that showed same determination his lover had when she died. The music, the dialogue, the begging of Loewes redemption arc, the aftermath in Titas house, everything is so perfect!

[@LowestExpectations]

You're right, that is a good moment. I think the problem is that it's bogged down by the whole first half of the game being a massive backtracking segment, retreading everything you've already seen all over again, so once we get past it, we put the entire thing behind us literally and mentally. Not to mention what happens in the second half is just _so damn good_ , it overshadows much of the first half's events. Except the orbal shutdown segment. That part sucks, just sayin' Thank for the comment 👍

[@coldkgon5836]

Kimi no tage, hoshii no youni... The tears r not stopping!!!

[@LowestExpectations]

😭

[@AJfromLA818]

I saw this video before I started the Sky trilogy and was looking forward to reminiscing all of my favorite moments from the series. So glad just after finished the Third I saw this in my feed. It was such a fitting close to an amazing part of the series. Can’t wait to move to Calvary!!!

[@LowestExpectations]

The 3rd really is the best 🤌

[@jmporkbob]

The scene in SC, when Erebonia rolls up on the border of Liberl with a bunch of steam tanks. Princess Klaudia goes out to negotiate with them. Then out pops Olivier, who you finally learn is a prince. He starts debating competently, just really twisting the dagger. In the end it turns out he had something planned with Cassius and was there to defuse the whole situation and avert an invasion. It was such a good double fakeout, and BOTH games up to this point have been masterfully setting up for it. The whole time you're like "This fucking bastard!", and then at the end you're like "I love this guy." That's definitely one of the best scenes in the whole series to me.

[@LowestExpectations]

Olivier is easily one of the best characters in the series. That was a very good moment as well, and I should have made it an honorable mention in hindsight. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@jmporkbob]

@@LowestExpectations More than just good, I'd argue that Olivier is the single most significant character in this series up to this point, in terms of impact and steering the plot. Maybe Osbro is up there next to him.

[@6zdog]

Even acknowledging the faults of Cold Steel 4, one of my favorite moments of the series is in it. Right as you get ready to start the true final boss, you essentially get an avengers moment to fight what could be considered the ultimate evil of the series up to that point. On top of that you're able to make your dream parties to fight it. Made it one of the coolest JRPG final bosses I've seen.

[@LowestExpectations]

Yeah it was a pretty good boss fight, but I kinda liked the showdown with Osborne a bit more.

[@DeadP47]

The final one put into words something I felt for 13 years since playing FC. Thank you

[@Trivadin]

God, yes. And how I burst into tears when Estelle played the harmonica in her sleep (SC)

[@FirstLast-mn4re]

When it comes to Star door 15, I respect it more than I like it. It made me feel legitimately sick the first time I experienced it. I respect both Falcom and Xseed (Xseed mainly because they didn't censor it), for going as far as it did, and treating it with the seriousness such a topic demands. But I don't ever want to re-experience that scene ever again.

[@LowestExpectations]

Understandable. It's definitely one of the Trails moments of all time.

[@Zakemaster]

Absolutely. Star Door 15 is absolutely sickening. I think it’s approached and handled as well as could be done without sugarcoating it, and it’s so important for contextualizing Renne’s character and story, but it is so heartbreaking, disturbing, and haunting that I couldn’t imagine going through it again on a replay. Without spoiling much, even the two-line allusion to it near the end of Daybreak legitimately almost brought me to tears in an instant.

[@hisholieness7037]

I have a bit of a weird moment in my top 5 being the conversation that Col. Richard had with Joshua and Estelle. Taken by itself it seems like Richard being friendly to Cassius kids as well as a lord dump on Cassius. Once you remember that Richard is orchestrating this coup and that Cassius is a threat, you realize that he only started the conversation to see if Joshua and Estelle had figured out where he was. Once he sees that they don’t know he leaves immediately and launches the coup and Joshua and Estelle have no idea that he just duped them. TL;DR The smart sneaky manipulative villain actually succeeds in manipulating our hero’s I just thought it was so cool to have a villain successfully and openly manipulate our naïve protagonist’s really easily

[@LowestExpectations]

Interesting. I don't remember that part, so maybe I'll have to look it up. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@animesoul479]

I love this series. The amount of care and detail put into the world and the characters is amazing! Renne's backstory in full completely caught me off guard. They hinted at things but man, was the truth crushing even if they skirted around directly saying a few things out loud.

[@LowestExpectations]

Oh yeah, Renne's story really got to me too. It feels weird to say that I wish other series were willing to go places like that but I kinda do because it does bring out the very real dark side of humanity in any universe. Thanks for watching!

[@seanpmannn]

So I’m going through the cold steel series all over again and currently on three. I’ve never been hooked to a series before in my life lol. It took me til reverie to finally get to the sky series and azure/zero but I’m happy I did go back and play them. I can’t wait for kuro to release!

[@LowestExpectations]

Yeah it really gets you sucked in and doesn't let go no matter how silly it gets at times lol

[@Av-8008]

NGL, a little embarrassed my first thoughts went to Anton when you started talking about romance... thought I was gonna see Anton and Sharon at number 1 LMFAO

[@LowestExpectations]

Now that would have been a hilarious bait and switch 🤣

[@NerevarineKing]

Trails in the Sky 3rd is also one of my favorites alongside Zero/Azure. Zero in particular has many moments that get my teared up.

[@Tvdiet]

KZbin WHY DID YOU NOT RECOMMEND ME THIS VIDEO A YEAR AGO? The final chapter in CS1 is still one of the greatest things I’ve ever witnessed, starts off tame but quickly ramps up everything works , the radio broadcast, Finding out C’s identity, Osbornes assassination, Vita showing her true colours, Rean awakening to Valimar and Laura’s final scene (In my game at least) It’s all perfection and made the wait for the CS2 localisation Painful

[@LowestExpectations]

It was a pretty good moment for sure!

[@cotymedeiros2153]

So I ran into cold steel 1 on PS now and I had no idea the other games existed. I loved it and it did a fantastic job of bringing me up to speed from the other games. They also had 2 on there as well. They hooked me to this series. After beating cold steel 3 and 4 it cemented this series as top 3 in my rpg favorites. You can hate on me all you want but Rean is the most well balanced protagonist they've had. Maybe besides Kevin. They are actually pretty similar in typing. Learning about the events of the past games and playing all the important characters only further reinforces my belief that rean is the best though. Estelle is 1 dimensional, Joshua her balance. Lloyd is a detective in pursuit of the truth. That's new. Rean was perfect to be the one it all came down too. Balanced, doubts himself. Uncertain in his ability, but willing to try. He's very human.

[@LowestExpectations]

That's a pretty hot take you got there haha. I don't agree with calling Estelle being one-dimensional, and there are very few major characters in this series I'd give that label. But as for Rean, I think there is truth in what you're saying. A lot of people (myself included) got hung up on the cringey high school harem garbage they decided to throw him into for the story, but if you look past that, it's exactly like you said. He's a very nuanced, well-rounded character that's easily believable and relatable, with a lot of great moments. After spending 4 and a half games with him, it's easy to form a bit of a personal connection with him, much more so than the other main protagonists. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@cotymedeiros2153]

@LowestExpectations thanks for the reply! Yeah I know my opinion is extremely controversial given the flack cold steel gets. But it was a wonderful addition to an already wonderful series. When I beat 4 I legitimately had no idea what to do with time after dedicating around 200+ hours through the cold steel saga 😅

[@LowestExpectations]

@@cotymedeiros2153 No problem. And well, you can always go back and play the older games. They are still a lot of fun and have aged very well imo. Playing them yourself is a lot better than getting caught up by some external source, as there's a ton of very in-depth and interesting lore, details and side stories that are worth experiencing first-hand.

[@cotymedeiros2153]

@@LowestExpectations I absolutely agree but I may have been spoiled by the 3d of cold steel. I see the old games and I think man if only i found those 5 or 6 years back lol

[@LowestExpectations]

You know, that's kinda like me with the older Tales of games. I got into it during the PS3 era, and have difficulty going back and playing through anything that came before it.

[@EbeeDeeby]

That #1 pick was a solid choice. I think that was the moment I was locked in, too.

[@LowestExpectations]

Heck yeah, I got completely hooked after that too.

[@fierytigergaming8112]

For me, the top moments (Not including the Sky games) Zero: When the SSS had to flee to the IBC building, because the tension was building with the ones infected by Gnosis Azure: The attack on Arc En Ciel (When Randy goes AWOL) and Trade Conference, because both instances screamed "Things are gonna get reeeeeeeal intense" - and goes more in-depth about what was happening in the Crossbell side of things, namely the death of "G" Cold Steel: Rean using Valimar for the first time in the battle against S, The Victor VS Rean battle in Legram Cold Steel II: The Assault on Ymir, Spirit Unification, The Epilogue, because everyone going their separate ways gave a sense of closure, and the "Death" of Crow Cold Steel III: Ash succumbing to the curse, Siegfried/Crow getting his memories back and the Great Twilight engulfing Rean amplifying his Ogre power to that of a demon Cold Steel IV: Crow's revival, Rean regaining control in "Fragments", Normal Ending, The Spectral Mirror, Juna rallying Class VII Reverie: Rufus comforting Lapis after her identity crisis upon coming into contact with the fakes (Showing how much more human he became after CSIV), Elise standing her ground against Rean's overprotectiveness, Everyone losing faith in the SSS at St Ursula and Wazy giving them the reality check, Erika accepting that Tita can look after herself (Especially the little roast she puts in at the end of "Agate still sucks though") and Rufus giving the simulacrum of him a reality check by bringing up the events at the Empyreal Fortress (Especially everyone's reaction to him saying that the old him might've accepted his proposal)

[@LowestExpectations]

All good choices!

[@KotaroYuzukoi]

You don't play sky?

[@fierytigergaming8112]

@@KotaroYuzukoi Never heard of the series until Cold Steel 2 introduced me to it - of which time, I had gotten rid of my PSP

[@KisekiGamer1]

Solid list here.. I would have put one of the better mind fucks in the series, namely where it's revealed that Kea set things back to "Zero" and altered reality so the SSS would succeed in their battle against Joachim on there.

[@KisekiGamer1]

I see now that you covered it but didn't spoil it.

[@LowestExpectations]

@@KisekiGamer1 Yeah it was in my honorable mentions because that moment got spoiled for me before I played it (a lot of Zero/Azure was spoiled for me unfortunately). Thanks for watching 👍

[@KisekiFan]

To this day Star door 15 is still the hardest moment for me to go through and still is, so am so glad everything went well for her after Zero. My Favorite moments: Sky FC - Any scene with Joshua cross dressing, its just so entertaining 😂 Sky SC - Lowe vs Joshua, silver will gold wings playing makes the scene so much better. Sky 3rd - Don't have any shockingly. Zero - Car chase Azure - Penguin KeA Cold Steel - Rean goes super Saiyan the 1st time Cold Steel 2 - Victor S Arseid vs Demon MacBurn Cold Steel 3 - Reunion of Class VII Cold Steel 4 - Same as you, the whole gang meeting up Reverie - Rean vs Arios Daybreak - Donning the Grendel the 1st time Daybreak 2 - TBD Kai - Hasn't even come out yet 😂 But tbh i only listed one moment but there are too many to list cause the games were just that good.

[@LowestExpectations]

Some good picks! Star Door 15 really was like staring into the abyss wasn't it?

[@siphons5737]

Kind of surprised you didn't put the reveal of the first end of Zero before KeA decide to change it, it honestly shocked me so much the first time I played Azure because at first when I played Zero I just hought it was a neat way to make you hype for the end of the game

[@LowestExpectations]

It was a great moment, but it was somewhat spoiled for me going into Azure, so I put it in honorable mentions. Thanks for watching!

[@MK-qj2dj]

"Each of the stories of people with Stigmas could be as fascinating or harrowing as Kevins" Gaius: Lol, lmao even.

[@LowestExpectations]

#PoorlyAgedThings 😔

[@MK-qj2dj]

@@LowestExpectations Eh, at least Wazy's backstory was interesting 😅 But after the way Stigmas were presented before, the thought that you could just pass them on like in Gaius' case is weird. Maybe the Stigma in this case is special? We are long overdue for an explanation. I actually hope that after Calvard, the next set of games take place in Arteria and have you be part of the Church.

[@Stefan_Ethishan]

my favorite 10 moments in kiseki series: 1. towa 2. towa 3. towa 4. towa 5. towa 6. towa 7. towa 8. towa 9. towa 10. towa

[@LowestExpectations]

@@Stefan_Ethishan based and Towapilled

[@tsumiee6169]

My fav moment would be the part where altina wakes up in tocs4 and screams no. The voice acting is so good and shows how raw the emotions were

[@LowestExpectations]

Oh yeah, that was a good moment, and right off the crazy ending of CS3.

[@fierytigergaming8112]

Especially given the fact that Altina in CSII and the start of CSIII acted like a cold mercenary (As evident from how she refers to the decision to join Class VII a "mission"), and over time considered Class VII family to her

[@Kimo-Cyrus]

My story with trails was i played CS 1-3 first after seeing someone play CS 1 and was interested but wasn't a real big fan more just curious to see what would happen. While waiting for CS 4 i found out about sky and crossbell as i didn't really know there where more games then CS, the ending of Sky fc is what turned me into a fan i was actually speechless when i saw it, CS just didn't make me feel the way. i did and hamel in SC even knowing it from CS 3 didn't prepare me for how bad hamel actually was and looking back on that scene from CS 3 with this knowledge made me feel sad when originally i didn't think much of it. Trails is great man

[@LowestExpectations]

Yeah the impact of certain events is just not the same in the CS1-onwards games as it was in the older ones. But knowing the older games story does make some of the future events more impactful too, like visiting Hamel in CS3.

[@Qubicle.]

my top kiseki moment (and like you said, not necessarily the best, just the most memorable) is the first duel cutscene between Loewe and Agate. I was like, holy fuck these harvest moon-esque character models don't have the right to rock this much! I was really mind blown.

[@LowestExpectations]

Oh yeah, that scene was good, and they really put those sprites to work. I remember thinking they looked kinda silly at first, but now I kinda miss them because the action scenes in later games are.... Not great lol.

[@vittoriopugliese3352]

I think the finale to Trails to Azure, by that I mean the whole combination of final level, final boss and ending scene, is the best finale in any video game, period.

[@amacandtheswordoflight310]

Yeah for me Sky 3 was like way better than I thought it was going to be I really enjoyed Kevin and I really felt all the guilt he had went through I understand wanting to punish yourself over things you perceive that you did wrong

[@LowestExpectations]

Yeah, it was a great story, and Kevin is definitely one of the best characters in the series.

[@GiantCrabi]

Very much agree with #1. Waiting 4 years for SC with uncertainty really make the cliffhanger much more impactful at that time 😭

[@LowestExpectations]

Oh I bet. I didn't have to wait as long (I played it in 2015) but it was still bugging me the whole time. Thanks for watching 😁

[@ReijiNRen]

I will soon get to experience Trails to Azure with the official english release, but I've played everything else up to CS4. I stopped when it started spoiling way too much. I plan to revisit pretty much the entire series after I can access all of them. That way I can play it in the intended order and fully catch every piece of lore the games have to offer. Thanks for the video.

[@LowestExpectations]

Nice, hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the comment👍

[@jesserivera2043]

One thing that I don't really hear talked about with the series is how many elements reflect real moments in history as well as allusions to mythologies and religions. Even the countries and locations are reflective of real life places. And there is something so satisfying about playing an entry and stopping for a moment to appreciate callbacks to prior events and characters. Everything in the series happens for a reason, so you can't really overlook anything you feel is lacking.

[@LowestExpectations]

I wish I could speak to the historical references but all I can really notice are vague connections and allusions to real world stuff as I'm not a history buff -and I have the worst memory in the world lol.- And yeah, that's a big part of why I have #5 as high as I did despite that game having a ton of problems, as well as #3. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@ryansusanto6350]

how to make trails fan goes to PTSD/Shellshock moment in one sentence... Star Door 15

[@LowestExpectations]

Truly one of the Trails moments of all time 😔

[@RyeAkai]

4 and a half years. That's how much those of us who played FC on PSP back then when it first released had to wait after THAT cliffhanger. 4 and half years. It was gruesome. And the game even did have a trailer of SC at the end. We knew the game existed in japanese, so it was right there, but we couldn't reach it. To think we now even have Kuro 2 confirmed for next year, and we'll likely be on par with Japan for the first time by the end of 2025 or start of 2026 when they release Kai (which at this point is kind of a given it'll happen, contrary to back when we didn't even know for sure if we'd get Sky SC because while it was announced, the PSP was kind of in its last legs, so everyone knew it was likely not the best financial decision).

[@LowestExpectations]

I played Sky 1 in 2015 and even then the wait was grueling. The idea of the west being caught up to Japan is unimaginable lol.

[@guruthosamarthruin4459]

Mine: 5) Trails in the Sky 2: Estelle and Joshua's reunion. 4) Trails of Cold Steel 1: "Let me staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" 3) Trails of Cold Steel 4: The whole final dungeon. Just the music, with the whole feel of the culmination of it all. 2) Trails of Cold Steel 4: Rean completely flipped out because of what happened to Millium. 1) Trails From Zero: "Caught you..." (I knew with absolute certainty that this would also be your #1...and it wasn't even on your list...)

[@LowestExpectations]

Those are all good choices. For your #1, that was one of the things that got spoiled before I played Zero, otherwise, I'd probably have it on the list 😔 Thanks for the comments 👍

[@guruthosamarthruin4459]

@@LowestExpectations I just remembered another one that I meant to put on there: Everyone watching as Rean finally becomes a Divine Blade, by defeating Laura's father. That hit me pretty hard when the camera pans to them.

[@LowestExpectations]

​@@guruthosamarthruin4459 I don't know if I remember that, unless you meant the part late in CS4 when he faced off against Estelle's father Cassius. If so, I loved that moment too. Especially because Cassius is best dad, just sayin'

[@guruthosamarthruin4459]

@@LowestExpectations Oh, maybe it was Cassius...It was at Michelam.

[@SchwarzKreuz]

It was Cassius at that moment, Victor only watched the duel between them, and the 3 and 2 of your moments happens in the Trails of Cold Steel III, not IV... Anyway, they are great choices.

[@julian954]

Fantastic video, instant sub. My favorites are the finale of Sky 1, the WZTC and final boss sequence from Ao, and the finale sequences of CS1 and CS3. The lattermost would probably be top 2 if CS4 hadn't committed a hate crime against its predecessor. An honorable mention to the entirety of Chapter 3 (the time travel chapter) from Kuro 2, not because it's narratively interesting but because it's a shitload of fun.

[@LowestExpectations]

Thanks! Those are all good moments! ...Although Act 3 from Kuro 2 is a bizarre choice but I won't talk about that here due to spoilers lol

[@spironan]

This was a very well thought out video, I enjoy your analysis and it's criminal how little subs you have. Subscribed and hope to hear your thoughts on reverie very very soon

[@LowestExpectations]

Thank you very much! I have already played Reverie via the English patch, but I don't have any plans to make any content about it except during my Best of 2023 video.

[@bauwks]

The Trails series has so many great moments and is such a great universe! Thanks for making this video! To me, Sky the 3rd was my least favorite due to the kinda boring dungeon-crawling but I still am so glad I played it to get all the bits of story & lore. I didn't play the Crossbell arc until after CS4 but both games were still great and not-too-spoiled for me. I think I liked Zero better than Azure; just the intro to Crossbell's underbelly and the SSS's difficult beginnings were so good and unexpected to me, not to mention the character backstories. [SPOILERS] Some other great moments for me were: * the moment at the end of Sky SC when the platform in the Liber Ark drops out from under Estelle & Joshua when trying to get back to the ship. My heart broke for a minute there. * the whole last chapter of Zero - "Crossbell's Longest Day". The game really cranked up the tension and action here. * Renne losing Pater-Mater in Azure was heartbreaking * the reveal of what actually happened to Guy, and also the final scene with Lloyd/Guy's memory

[@LowestExpectations]

Thanks for checking out the video! Seems a lot of people don't like the dungeon crawling aspect, but I do. Still, the story and lore bits are definitely the highlights of that game regardless. Those are all good moments too!

[@thesib3053]

Honestly I'm surprised Rutger's death (or "second" death I guess) wasn't put on here. Granted CS4 as a whole had some... iffy moments, but Rutger's final moments and Fie calling him "dad" always makes me cry. And unlike a lot of the deaths in Cold Steel, this isn't one that's taken back.

[@LowestExpectations]

It was a pretty good moment, but unfortunately Rutger didn't get a lot screen time, so the significance of that event was kinda downplayed in my view. Especially considering he was already dead, so his "death" was just kinda to be expected I guess. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@CaptainAmerica2k7]

Your #1 choice would have been less impactful if those two games were in one single game as the developers intended imo. The decision to split the game into first and second chapters probably forced many gamers to buy the sequels including myself. I could not wait to continue after the FC was done. Same goes for CS2 after CS1 was completed and CS4 after CS3 was completed. Exceptionally masterful story telling. I did not find CS4 lacking in story. I quite enjoyed it probably because i get to control the characters from previous arcs. I admit the huge roster was a bit overwhelming.

[@LowestExpectations]

If it was not a cliffhanger and more as you described, I still think it could be worthy as a top 10 moment. CS4 has a lot of story problems, and I go over that in my follow-up video to this.

[@Negajoe]

I'd say you did a great job in covering all of the emotional high-points of the series. All I could think to change would be including Crow's death and Osbourne reveal into Number Ten, and more additions to the honorable mentions like when Rean breaks down in tears with Towa at the end of CS2 in blaming himself for Crow's fate. Or Juna's emotional breakdown in CS3 at the top of the tower with Campanella. I'm relieved to see that I'm not the only one who thinks CS4 is the turd in the punch bowl of the Trails party. Maybe a Top 10 Worst Moments of this series may be in order >_>

[@LowestExpectations]

Thanks! There's so many interesting moments in the series that I had to really think of what order to put them in. The part with Crow, at least for me, didn't make it for similar reasons I went over in the #8 segment, but I did include the whole CS2 climax as one of my honorable mentions. Those two extras you mentioned are good ones, and in hindsight, I should have at least talked about the one with Rean and Towa (either in the HM's or as part of #10), especially considering I put it in the thumbnail lol. Yep CS4 has a lot of cool stuff in it, but it's also kind of a mess. It was probably the most annoying game to go back and play New Game+ to get 100% in compared to the others, and has some serious narrative dissonance problems (the whole Cold Steel series has this problem imo, but it's worst in CS4 by far). As for a worst moments video... That would be amusing, but I don't even know where to begin. There's so much high school anime cringe, absurd plot armor, and asspull Deus Ex Machina moments in the series to choose from lol. And it would probably get a lot of negative interaction if I made it... Hmmm, maybe I really should do it because that would be funny too. 🙃 Anyway, thanks for the comment. 👍

[@gamesarefun7983]

Too bad market manager Otto didn't have the plot armor everyone else had. CS4 did have some really cool reveals in the end with the last black record (and the implication blind reporter friend is probably not a friend), the "normal" ending which sets up stuff in a later entry, and all of McBurns reveals about the state of the world during that fight. I still really liked it for those reasons, but the series would have had way more impact if Millium and Crow stayed dead.

[@coyote271280]

@@LowestExpectations I would watch the top ten worst moments, completely sure that most would come from cold steel, and I would agree with whatever you say in it. Cold Steel is a departure to the tight knit story telling in prior entries, the non-agency MC, the harem aspects, the loose plot, well you name it. It is amazing that Cold Steel is still a good series, but way below previous entries.

[@LowestExpectations]

@@coyote271280 As much as I would like to make that, I don't even know where to begin coming up with ten of them. It would be funny though.

[@LowestExpectations]

@@coyote271280 Welp, I made it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/paCwfaVnidN8Y9U

[@blackdragoncyrus]

Ending of CS3 really takes the piss.

[@2BAMaster9]

Interesting #1. Surprised the beach scene from Sky SC wasn’t on the list.

[@LowestExpectations]

Thanks! I hope I articulated why it deserves #1 well enough because in hindsight, I thought I said too much beforehand that might have distracted from the point😅 As for the beach scene, I did touch on that positively in #1 too, so consider it a de facto honorable mention. It was a great moment.

[@gjfwang]

Estelle is still Bestelle

[@SagetheFallenlord]

I always found Kevin and Rufus to just be the best two protagonist considering how unusual of main characters they were, I liked Rufus a bit more but both are definitely the my favorites, though everyone but Lloyd was great, Lloyd is objectively the worse protagonist

[@LowestExpectations]

Yeah I like the both of them a lot too. Kevin was a breath of fresh air compared to your typical JRPG protagonist, especially back in the time it came out.

[@NaLu_85]

There are still many questions about some of the characters such as McBurn and Campanella (They didn't explain it in Cold Steel 4 about why he hasn't aged and looks the same even after many years according to Estelle) also there are currently 12 games out in Japan so far

[@LowestExpectations]

Yeah Campanella is one of the characters I want to know more about the most. Guess we'll see in the coming games, maybe. Hopefully 😶

[@ghosthand5552]

I never really played the Sky games (Mostly because i never had a way to play them in english and on vita) but I played the rest the games made me love the series and cant wait the the new game coming out next month

[@LowestExpectations]

That's a shame because I think the Sky trilogy is still the best, at least storywise. Regardless, enjoy Reverie because it's pretty great 👍

[@ttvrepweb]

Says that trails goes out of their way not to kill anyone. Not anymore if almata's bodycount that started in the prologue of daybreak.

[@LowestExpectations]

Yeah if only I had played that before making this lol

[@SagetheFallenlord]

Ya lol daybreak really had a whole murder spree from almata

[@xaviaxs]

and tbh cold steel 4 there were important characters that died like osbourne, most of people that had divine knights and probably more i forgot

[@SagetheFallenlord]

@@xaviaxs yeah I think there was a total of 4 deaths but there was definitely a issue there, with four characters "dying" before getting saved/rievied, and there was a couple characters that probably should have died and cs4 just was really bad at killing people but I think everyone forgets about the endgame deaths

[@xaviaxs]

@@SagetheFallenlord tbh even normal ending was not true ending since the normal ending version had to be the "villain" of reverie so in a way millium and crow died in another timeline xd

[@guruthosamarthruin4459]

Damnit, I facepalm every time someone says, "these are my favorite, not the best". The ones that you think are the best, are your favorite. It's the same thing. There is no such thing as a "factual" best.

[@LowestExpectations]

Believe me, I facepalmed as I felt the need to say it because you know how some people are lol...

[@igable82]

Interesting list, I actively look for spoilers so no skin off my nose to watch this video. I'm currently watch an LP of Sky 3rd so look forward to seeing the part of Renne (sp?) when it gets there. I do like when stories/events go into such subjects, not with the mentality of "Yeah I enjoy suffering, more!" but more like horrible horrible stuff can happen and to sometimes show it...feels...hard to put into words but real. Maybe I could do a better job articulating myself, oh well. Fun list to watch, thanks.

[@LowestExpectations]

Thank you! It all depends on how well it's presented imo, and the way they did it in Sky 3rd was masterful and just one of those things that really pulls you into the world.

[@top5g04t]

The craziest thing about the ending of sky FC is that from what I've heard, they were never intending to release sky as two games. However, they were given a deadline to release something, so they had to change things up to put an ending on what they had and release the game in 2 parts. I suppose pressure really does make diamonds. Loved the list, but for #5, I honestly felt kind of disappointed with this. This was hyped up to be a huge operation thought up by the greatest minds across the world, and in the end it basically amounted to "split up and intercept every army sent by the Empire with slightly fewer troops." It was nice seeing everyone again, but the interactions were fairly shallow and I see it more like the breaks at Mishelam, where it's a brief respite from the action rather than a powerful moment.

[@LowestExpectations]

It's funny how that works out, isn't it? If Sky 1 and 2 were just one game, I don't think it would have been nearly as impactful. For #5, I think in hindsight, I liked that moment a lot because I was coming off a high after playing the older games again. I had replayed Sky 1-3 and played Zero and Azure for the first time in between CS3 and CS4, so seeing everyone come together like that was just perfect timing for me. But like you said, it's not quite as powerful a moment as it sounds. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@PurpYoshii]

i stopped watching at #3 cuz i was thinking of finishing the 2nd game. would be sick if they put em on mobile

[@LowestExpectations]

You should, just sayin' Tho I think #3 is a part you've already seen, but it leads into something that happens in a future game

[@izabelawiatrowska665]

I love Azure, but Zero was for me really boring, I'm waiting for Kuro:)

[@LowestExpectations]

Yeah the first half of Zero was really boring for me too, but the story got really good later on so it was worth it.

[@bauwks]

Zero definitely started as a slow burn, developing the characters, developing the political state of Crossbell, and building up the SSS, but I definitely loved the ramp-ups at the Shwarze Auction and the last chapter.

[@arcanegale285]

I agree with a lot of these moments deserving to be here, but what I am sorely lacking here, is the ending to Azure. When it's revealed that SPOILER ALERT KeA reshaped the entire universe MULTIPLE times. She made it so the SSS got closer to Estelle, Joshua and Renne. She added Crow and Millium to Class 7 so that they could stop the Railway Guns. She made the Railway guns have a "dud bullet." There's no way that you leave that scene out of the video man...

[@LowestExpectations]

Well, I didn't entirely leave it out as it was in the honorable mentions, but that part of the game was kinda spoiled when I went into it, so it wasn't very impactful. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@PurpYoshii]

algo pls

[@rhaspados666]

I agree i played cold steel 1 and 2 first and while i enjoyed them the ending of sky fc sucked me and still sticks with me today maybe a favriote ending of a game ever right up there with the ending of final fantasy tactics

[@LowestExpectations]

Nice. I need to go back and play FF Tactics. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@LowestExpectations]

Thanks for 1000 views y'all

[@LowestExpectations]

2000 views now, awesome, thanks for watching EDIT: Now over 3K EDIT: Now 5K!? 😳

[@SanadaUsako]

Yaaaaah, I really went through most of the game thinking the Courageous peeeps were really really dead. It was kind of a let down that they weren’t (not that I WANT Olivert to be dead lol, but still). I thought the same thing about Ilya in Azure too and kinda felt the same way about that to be honest. Like it was one thing when they first did it with Crow in CS3…. But then they just continued to do it and that was kinda disappointing. I think it would have been fine if at least SOME of these deaths had stuck. They didn’t have to keep everyone dead, but we should have lost some of them. That being said I still really loved CSIV and Cold Steel as a whole. The harem stuff was less than ideal but it only really bothered me in 4 when you were forced to do romantic interactions if you want to see their bonding events, it should have been an optional add on to those events based on your dialogue choice. Up until then, it wouldn’t have been my choice but I could easily dismiss it.

[@LowestExpectations]

Yep, I don't know if you've seen it yet, but I cover the character death/plot armor issue in my Top 10 worst moments video. I also rip into the harem stuff so I'm not as forgiving about it as you are lol. It's not like I want characters to die either, but when they make death meaningless over and over again, it ruins the actual stakes and tension of the story. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@SomeRPGFan]

I have to admit I was glad Olivier came back because he is my absolute favorite character. But they shouldn't have brought everyone back .

[@Nel_Annette]

Thank. You. I fucking HAAATE Cold Steel IV for backpedaling on all those character deaths.

[@LowestExpectations]

Same. all that e m o t i o n a l d a m a g e ... wiped away in a few minutes. 😔Anyway, thanks for watching!

[@niles8576]

trails in the sky the 3rd has so many amazing things and its all ruined by the fact that its a dungeon crawler. tbh now that i have played reverie i might like it more

[@LowestExpectations]

Normally I'd agree with that but I just liked the gameplay and being able to customize everyone as much as you want. And that's my favorite thing about Reverie too. Obviously the gameplay has come a long way since then so it's crazy the amount of stuff is in there. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@niles8576]

@@LowestExpectations nah i love the combat but i hate the dungeon crawler aspect.

[@Nel_Annette]

And again, thank you. I hate the multiple choice waifus. Sky got it right with Estelle and Joshua the first time. If there's going to be a romance, make it a well-written concrete one.

[@LowestExpectations]

100% agree. I've always hated romance as a mechanic in games. It's almost never done properly, especially when put up against the better love stories like Trails in the Sky, Final Fantasy X, etc.

[@Rasbry]

from playing the games chronologically, my ranking story vise is. 1. azure 2. zero 3. sky SC 4. sky FC. 5. CS3 6. CS1 7. sky 3rd 8. CS2 9. CS4. sky 3rd is the shortest game by far. completed it in less than 50 houers. and CS4's ending... last boss is a virus, sry for the spoiler, but realy? ruined it for me. the CS series have alot of bad writing, what saves it is the story from the other games to some extent

[@LowestExpectations]

Lucky you got to experience them chronologically, the way it was meant to be played. I wish I had the same experience tbh. And I do agree that the Cold Steel series suffered from a massive downgrade in quality of writing. Calling the last boss a virus is a bit reductive imo, but I do agree that it was kind of lame, even if it does make sense within the lore. Thanks for the comment 👍