u neven p;lay cross bell arc my firth trail is cold steel one so i dont care about lyold cause i dont know him

@Synthpopper

8 ай бұрын

Leave lyold out of this, he's a top 300 ratilz character for sure

Started my trails journey (with sky) a little bit less than a year ago and finally finished up cold steel 2 last week, and I really enjoyed it. This was the best video I’ve seen on this game, and some of the best jrpg content on KZread, def subbed! also I feel you about not having anyone to talk to about this (ik this is an old video but) , I def relate, I’m the only jrpg player in my irl life 😹 thanks for making this video and I’ll def check out your other analysis vids when I’m caught up with the series

This long video was great and fun to watch! Kudos and props to you. Thanks for putting clear spoiler-warnings in your video. As someone currently playing Trails from Zero and planning to go into Azure (and therefore finished CS1 and 2 beforehand), this was really appreciated and preserved many mysteries for me.

@BLACKDISC

Жыл бұрын

thanks for watching!!

Hey, it's been two years ago since you made this video, but I still wanted to thank you for it. I started legend of heroes from CS and I want to say that I like how it shifted my perspective to all the events when I replayed older titles. What I noticed is when I went through them is that they have those small nudges and references to future events, as much as CS has to past events

@BLACKDISC

3 ай бұрын

you're welcome!

great video man. Got sad about the end of class 7 all over again by the end

About the point where Rean and and Elise were punished for stopping and taking a break with their dad being shot, I think that them being late because of stopping for exposition was great. You stop, you’re too late! Don’t be late!

I saw all four of your cold steel videos, and I love them! One thing that your videos made me think about is how Duvalie is basically what Estelle would be if she wasn't trained by Cassius. It's especially apparent when Duves explicitly alluded to not having darkness in her, which is pretty much what the society told Estelle

@BLACKDISC

Жыл бұрын

I never thought of that correlation but I totally see it now (Thanks for watching)!

I played Azure after Cold Steel 2, and was really surprised they "spoiled" cold steel and told you osborne faked his death. I thought it was something they added retroactively like juna at the police academy

@jzblue345

2 ай бұрын

They did that on purpose because the west got Cold Steel way before Azure most people started with Cold Steel.

Big Spoilers for azure, this is a response to the thing about Arios. I just finished azure and i have been thinking about Arios a lot. An interesting thing about Arios is how guilty and responsible he feels for all the bad things he has done/facilitated, this can be reflected in his azure tree domain. Arios IS A good person and I think the sss, and lloyd especially, have always thought that. In that scene where the SSS gets arrested after keas awakening, and the destruction of garellia fortress, lloyd asks arios if he is the one who killed guy and arios says yes. Lloyd does not respond to that at that point, and he only thinks about it one more time during the finale. I think lloyd knew the whole time arios was not the one who killed guy, I even think lloyd knew that arios knew the truth of who killed guy but since arios felt guilty for guys death, he felt he was responsible for it and should be the one lloyd should get revenge against. I guess i typed too much but this is important, I think the reason Arios was able to do all of these terrible acts to achieve the goal of bringing to life the azure demiourgos is because he knows that the azure demiorgus can make a reality where he never HAD to do any of those awful things. He does all of those awful things so he can have a reality where saya is alive and guy never HAD to die. Arios does also care about KeA as a human since she is shizukus best friend, but at the end of azure you can see him being a pretty bad father and HE IS AWARE THAT HE IS BEING A BAD FATHER, that he is doing things that dissapoint both shizuku and supposedly would also dissapoint saya. The reason he was able to do all of that is because of the possibility that it could all be erased. I think lloyd knows arios felt guilty for guys death, felt guilty for everything he did, and I think arios realized what the SSS was doing in beating him and saving KeA was Justice, he even says before they fight "i will forgoe your justice in order to achieve my desires" and that he is a "tainted swordsman with a tainted sword. not worthy of praise or respect". Anyways i didnt mean to ramble all i meant to say was, I think Arios knew that he had to face reality, that was he had done and participated in was wrong, and he probably always knew he would have to face reality but was deluding himself with the possibility that it could all be changed with the azure demiougus. I think lloyd knows an Arios who has had to face his guilt is trustworthy with taking care of shizuku and KeA, and this is just me but i hope i get to see how arios dealt with accepting all that he has done in cs3-reverie or at least in one of those games. Again sorry for rambling TLDR; i think post-azure arios has come to terms with what he has done and realizes all he can do is move forward, and that lloyd still knows that Arios is trustworthy with KeA (especially since mariabell says at the end of the game that KeA has lost all her abililties as Sept-Terrion of Zero)

Just finished this game, hearing you recap the prologue was like exactly what I was thinking. Looking forward to watching this I love discussion content for kiseki.

@BLACKDISC

Жыл бұрын

thanks for watching! hope you enjoy the video and the rest of the series

@meowspark9

Жыл бұрын

ok just finished the video, I went back to play zero and azure right when I got to the divertissement so that was my favorite part lol. I also missed most of the Toval and Millium bonding events. I kinda felt super fatigued in the last half of cold steel 2 like I just kept asking myself when it was gonna end. great video dude!

First of all, you will get no argument from me that Duvalie is the GOAT. 100% agree with you. Second point, there is a narrative consistency in coming back from the dead: Osbourne, Crow and Rutger Claussel (Fie adoptive father and the leader of Zephyr) all come back to life using the exact same method. It's also why the lance maiden is able to live for over 250 years; they're all awakeners and as such, their life force is tied directly to the great power and is therefore, infinite. Three other things, first, the new game+ black records quest is terrible, that shouldn't be locked behind new game+. Especially not the very first of those five black records, the first one is the most important one of all: if details the initial struggle between earth and fire, which led to the creation of the great power and the divine knights. It also explains how that Giant Knight in the Nord highlands came to be there. Another one of the records explains the back story behind the final boss in chapter 4 of CS1; how did the bones of a giant dragon wind up in the catacombs under Heilmdar? The most important part of that quest isn't Rosine and Thomas (although finding out he's #2 to Kevin Graham's #5 is really cool, as is finding out that Reis and Rosine have the same job), the most important part is just how much super-critical back-story is in those 5 black records. It's criminal to hide all that in new game+. Second, about how Vita taunts Emma, I always felt the reason for that sequence is that, at the end, after Osbourne re-appears, Vita essentially admits she fucked the entire thing up. I think the taunting is dramatic foreshadowing, have Vita ride high, before being dumped back to earth. My thinking is that she was only interested in the conflict between Ashen and Azure because she felt that two knights would be enough to allow the rivalry of the 7 to re-start. She didn't think of the Vermillion knight as a factor in all of that. She was wrong, the Ashen knight won, but nothing happened. Osbourne is the only one who knows everything that's going on, he knows more than Vita does. The reason Orobourous allows Osbourne to take over their plan with no objection is that Osbourne and the society have the same goal, so Osbourne advancing his agenda helps the Society, with no effort on their part, however, we don't find that out until later. Finally, the hollow trail. I LOVED this part because of what I do for a living: I'm a software engineer. Every time I have to solve a problem at my job, the first question I always ask myself is: "If someone assigned me the job of solving this problem, how would I do it?" I then do a google search for what my own solution would be, and I often find that someone already built the answer, and did so exactly how I would have done it myself. Being an engineer is not a job, it's a lifestyle. That's why I love the hollow trial, because I ask myself: if someone had given me this job, to build a trial to find and validate an awakener, how would I have done it? I would have done EXACTLY what the gnomes actually did. I can follow their thought process, and understand their reasoning. They created the hollow trial for the exact reason why I would create multiple versions of a given solution: to test the solutions against each other, identify their strengths and weaknesses and build a better solution that maximizes the strengths and minimizes the weaknesses. Lou Luciferious was a proto-type; Lou Erebonius was the true test of an awakener, but many, many other versions of this were definitely created, and tested, before Lou Erebonius was settled upon as the best test. Why wasn't Lou Luciferious discarded? Good engineers NEVER discard code, you never know when you might need it again someday. Times change, the world changes, what was a good test for Dreichels Reis Arnor might not be a good test for Rean and Crow 200+ years later. You keep the old code, and you adjust things as the centuries pass, as necessary and keep testing to get the best possible end result. It makes sense to me that the Gnomes would keep a backup trial that they used in an old test around and handy, and it makes sense that the this old test would get loose due to a security barrier being penetrated that no one ever thought would be penetrated. I can follow the Gnomes thought process, it's probably how i would have done things myself.

@thejonbrownshow8470

Жыл бұрын

Interesting perspective with your career perspective, especially for last paragraph

Not sure why its so divisive. Its my favorite CS game.

@BLACKDISC

Жыл бұрын

I respect that! What'd you enjoy about it in particular?

@OneManCast

Жыл бұрын

@@BLACKDISC Well, quite a few things. I tend to enjoy how each character progressed. I like being able to go and see the entirety of Erebonia in one go. I enjoy the way a game series like Trails always finds a new way to upend its current normal. With CS1, it was Osborne being shot. With CS2, it was everything from Cayenne, Vermillion to Crow being killed and the emotion behind it, to Osborne being the father to Rean. When I go and play other arcs, I tend to enjoy the cast, but like, I neither bother to know or care much about Anri or Ryu in the chapter. Yet I could always enjoy the minor cast on top of the main despite having an even larger cast. Its impressive when you are able to remember a larger cast despite it inevitably draining screen time. CS, especially 2, had far more memorable characters, a much more distinguished {World Cast} which makes the world more immersive. I'll never remember the Wendy much for Genten, but I'll remember Becky and Hugo. Vivi is just a better version of Grace. I could ramble on and on for days though. That being said, I just recently finished Zero. It has some severe issues, but overall I do like the entirely different dynamic to Thors.

@notslucis9977

9 ай бұрын

Yeah it not really that bad as this people make it to be and I binge all the trails games in a year, the only problem I got is on the epilogue were they not explain why the class 7 is ending. 🤔

had to play alot of backlog games after quitting an MMO thank you for this..about to play CS3/4. =)

@BLACKDISC

Ай бұрын

No problem! Which MMO was it?

Finally finished the video, insane production

@BLACKDISC

2 жыл бұрын

Wow, that means a lot to hear! I appreciate it!

@teckleedeyi

2 жыл бұрын

@@BLACKDISC for how small of a channel you are this videos are of very high quality, keep it up and maybe do shorter form videos with the same kind of content im sure you'll be able to reach out to even more people that way!

Small thing but with celine, I feel like there might have been questions off screen. since Rean is passed out for at least 12 hours judging from the time of day it was when he passes out vs when he wakes up. possibly longer.

amazing video! I liked Cold Steel 2 but I can see why many see it as the weakest in the series, it really has a few problems with its writing compared to previous entries. btw what's the song called that's playing at 1:18:50 I can tell it's a cover of the whereabouts of the stars but I'm not sure where to find it

@BLACKDISC

2 жыл бұрын

thanks for watching! The song is 'Hoshi no Arika Bossa Nova' :)

I love your video on CS1 and this one as well! ToCS is my first entry into this universe. So when the part comes to play as those other 2 characters I was a little annoyed by it. I realized that they must be from the other games but since I had no love for them that chapter/dungeon really felt like a slog to me. I also figured after the credits rolled there was gunna be something after, so to me that part was just kinda in the way of getting my ending. But I can imagine fans of the other games enjoying it. One a different note, I'm loving these games but the last few hours in 1 and 2 seem to drag. I wish both of them had not had the final dungeon and just been walking around talking and story. But I just beat 2 and will be playing 3 before moving onto your next video. Can't wait to hear it! :)

@BLACKDISC

Жыл бұрын

That means so much to hear! Thanks for watching!

To be honest, my only complaint about this game is how they messed up the hit chance, making the early parts a miss fest.

I feel like a better way for Rean overcoming his Ogre power is just if they delayed it ever so slightly. When Rean gets to the deck and sees Crow that is when he tries to call Valimar trying to fall back onto that power which of course fails. From then it would have been nice for it to be triggered by something either Crow, Mcburn, or Duke Cayenne says or does. From there maybe we see Rean able to control is but he isn't able to exit it until the rest of Class VII show up that grants him the emotional stability to leave Ogre mode.

I honestly liked this game more than CS1, but it has the even worse issue of bad pacing after the 'final' dungeon. We get divertisement, epilogue but I was checked out the ENTIRE TIME. It didn't help I was also playing it really late at night and thought the castle was the last dungeon then they pulled out Crossbell and the Reverie Corridor (which imo sucked and was a really lazy randomized dungeon reusing bosses from this game and CS1). This game's music was absolutely fantastic though, and there are some really great moments like arresting Albarea, and the entire castle dungeon plus the final twist with Osborne.

About the scene where they mentionned Osborne's body gone, well this game was my second game of the series after Cold Steel 1, so had no kowledge of the prevous ones... My immediate reaction was "he's alive ain't he.", this is just an annoying trope in fiction that I wish writter would stop making, in any story if there is a character that die and the body wasn't directly destroyed on screen, if there is a single that mentionned the body of this character having dissappear or not being found, then you can bet 90% of the time that either the character survive or he got resurrected.

22:10 I'm pretty sure miles was already the receptionist in cs1

Yeah the act 2 part of this game is what made me dropped the game and just went to straight summary of the game. Im used to padding but doing both the side quests and the main story just fuckin snapped me and just burned me out. I will come back to this one day, but for now ive been enjoying the fuck out of CS3, so much better paced.

Trails of Cold Steel Northern War is satisfying the two last episodes of the show is exactly what I was waiting to see that should have been in Trails of Cold Steel 2 to help us understand because Trails of Cold Steel 3 kept talking about it but we never got to see it till now.

@BLACKDISC

Жыл бұрын

I still need to finish watching it

44:20-ish i had cs 1 and 2 first as I was just looking for persona clones near the beginning of the pandemic, and I never knew this was such a big series until the random to me Lloyd chapter (I remember in my blind playthrough being like "who the hell are you people?"😅 Like I legit thought it was some odd build up for the next game maybe with this Lloyd guy lol I just recognized his voice as akechi from P5,so I just rolled with it 😂). But I thought as vita was a evil witch version of Emma , I predicted that she would of zombified Osborne and he'd be the lead up boss to the real final boss with her(with her projection at the end of cs1 and leading the charge on capturing Elise (and the princes 😅), I figured the game was priming her to be the main secret villian with crow as her bodyguard to mirror rean/Emma lol

I fucking loved this game beat it last night. Starting 3 soon.

Duelists of the roses OST in the background hahahahah

@BLACKDISC

4 ай бұрын

you hear it 🤝

The main problem with all the Cold Steel games is that you can notice the games are not complete. You notice the shortcomings and how they try to circle them. This is specially aparent on the third game. Another big problem they have are the bonding events. There are a lot of great bonding events (and a few bad ones) that are locked to a first time player. Most of the characterization is shown on those events and a lot of people won't take the time to reload a save or play the game a second time. I personally did enjoy Cold Steel 2. Didn't have a problem with the pacing, and the formula is as predictive as it is in any of the other Cold Stell game. I got used to it and just acepted it. The Lloyd and Rixia part was a surprise to me. I wasn't expecting and epilogue with the main character of the previous game. Fighting agains Rean and Altina was also a great way to end that part of the game. Regarding Emma and how little she explains about herself on the previous game. There is a certain hint you could notice if you played Moonlight/White Witch (Shiroki Majo). Specially in japanese. When she uses in CS1 his Ethereal Edge attack, she calls them "Shiroki Yaiba" (White Blades). The moment I heard that, I knew she was a witch. There is a similar situation with a character from CS3 that also has a certain link with one from Tear of Vermillion. All the Kiseki games are great. I hope we get Hajimari and Kuro soon. I also recommend to play the Gagharv trilogy as well when you finish the Cold Stell games if you have enjoyed the Kiseki series. They are like proto-kiseki games. If you can stomach the horrible translation, there is a great story there as well. Finally, if you like to talk to everyone, there are extra characters from Cold Steel series on the Zero/Ao Kai versions of the games.

@BLACKDISC

2 жыл бұрын

That fun fact on Emma being a witch was interesting, I love references like that. Thanks for sharing and watching!

Duvalie best girl? HMM well at least you should be pleased to see her a lot moving forward

Peak fiction? 😳

@bossmannn3415

11 ай бұрын

Just started 2 and I think it blows the 1st game out the water

@jzblue345

2 ай бұрын

Peak fiction my brother. I'm big into the trails games.

I think cold steel 4 is black sheep cause the game is short, the boss fight are hard on easy, and all the divine knight. But playing as cecline was cool and unexpected in the game with many other characters and the new dragon macha do bad it auto. I don't like the solider mech head and joint. I think there to little mecha games is USA.

I had no prior knowledge of these cast members when I played 2. I hated it. I hated "yet another chinese dress wearing waifu" and "Inferior Rean". Their personalities felt flat when I first played CS 1 and 2. I don't see Lloyd as anything but Lloyd anymore now that I finished the story of Zero, but I still like Rean more. Stil don't care much about Rixia though.

@joeblanquie3561

9 ай бұрын

i think it's what game you played first. I did Zero and Azure and have always liked the crossbell characters better but likely because it was my 1st exposure

i saw cold steel 3 ilet play have feeloing it a nw complex arc with lot unkow peple to me new class 7 it so confule xd iy more confuse of the mcu so i stop at coold steel 2 cause we have a perfectend with evrebody go too new life i think the epilogue will be just a senes the final doungeon is not nessesar for me

I like cs2, but Im in the camp that thinks its the worst trails game. I like how you rag on about how duke cayenne just stands there watching. THATS HOW I FEEL about EVERY Valimar scene in this game. I love trails because it makes such a believable cast, universe, motications, etc. But every time Rean is in trouble, he calls valimar and his enemies just sit there politely and wait for Valimar to arrive in 10 minutes or however long it takes in in-game time. It happened in cs1 too but only once, and it still got a pass because nobody knew what was going on, plus nobody was actually there to kill kids or anything. The actual end where everyone graduates but rean also had me confused AF. Id elaborate but texting on phone sucks. I just want to say it was really poorly executed IMO. Also, the CS2 burst mechanic is stupid op and is basically an IWIN button, should only be used to get the ap bonuses on timed fights like the zephyr one which is borderline unfair without it due to those trap things eating up turns. I also noticed Vita's complete 180 where she seems like a respectful antagonist for both games and then suddenly shes like You're trash emma, nobody wants you. Speaking of emma. She was my least fave class 7 person in cs1 because she was the only one who didnt open up. So seeinf you mention it was good. Needless to say I forgave her instantly when she did in cs2 because she seemed genuinely remorseful about it. Also, when Rean met Macchias, it hit me in the feels, very well done... scenes like that make me want to toss any of the English VA haters off a cliff (though maybe you are one of those people and played with JPN VA *looks at you sideways*). You didnt mention if you agree if this is the worst trails game or not in a conclusion.. BAWWW GIVE. Finally. It's Lee-oh-nai-das/diss (das but you dont hear "ass". And 'nai' like "bill nye the science guy"). I know this from playing Titan Quest, where right in chapter 1 is a roman general with the same name that you hear their name pronounced. Thanks for the long vid. Ill totally watch similar ones for cs 3, 4, etc. Though understand if you dont make em withthout thousands to watch it (a shame). Im getting a new non-toaster pc soon after over 10 years. So hopefully I can make vidoes on trails eventually too! Yay.

@BLACKDISC

2 жыл бұрын

Yo, thanks for watching and the feedback! I've finished writing the script for the CS3 video and I've been slowly recording the audio. No ETA yet but I'm working on it! As for my thoughts on CS2 rn: I think that CS2 is the weakest Trails game but has some of the highest high points in the series. It had great ideas but most of the issues were due to the writing direction (

@Ghalion666

2 жыл бұрын

@@BLACKDISC nice. Looking forward to it. Im patient though. I think I like cs4 more than 3 but for me the highest (long) point in the series I think is in cs3. The whole summer festival invitation / dance-debut party was the absolute best IMO. The best short highlight for me is in Zero, when a certain young girl is hiding in a closet while hearing a married couple's confession.