So I finally got back on board and beat Trails of Cold Steel 1 & 2. Since they are just one long story, I guess I felt that I had to complete them together before I go through and do the review. I did enjoy the games, that is for sure. I like the story and the overall universe the games are set in. However, that being said, you should probably consider a few things.

First off, the first game feels like it was a prototype. The systems do not really make sense. There are a few areas, but most areas are blocked off. So it feels like the devs just wanted to get this one out and finish the rest of the game later. I guess that was an okay idea, given that the first game more or less is just the set up for the real story.

To be honest, you did not really need the first game. The first game was pretty mundane. Sure it sets up and introduces all the characters, but at the same time, there is not really all that much going on. You could easily just start with the second game and not really miss anything. The first game is an excellent primer, though, in how to play the game. However, ultimately you will not miss anything that is not already flashed back to in the second game. I am pretty sure we have all watched anime where they start with an existing cast and just sort of hint back at stuff when you need a bit of context.

I say the first game is a good primer for the game because these games have a pretty severe level of difficulty. The second one was particularly bad at times. I usually keep myself reasonably well leveled and stuff, but it felt like all the boss characters were given some kind of extra stat-boost on top of their levels. This was especially pronounced in the second game. I guess that it adds a bit of a challenge, but still, the story is the reason to play this game. If you are like me and cannot force yourself to ever select easy mode, you are going to need to be patient and grind a bit. You will likely need a rematch. Though most bosses you can find some kind of pattern that you can exploit to slowly chip away at the bosses, or just do what I did. Have a caster with the strongest spell you can find. Have a breaker with an accessory that gives CP every turn. Have the caster cast as much as he or she can and have the breaker only use S-Crafts. Finding a balance between that healing will net you a lot of victories with time.

The games also allow you to pick and choose what to do in some cases. There are required quests, and there are optional quests. So if you are just going to blitz through the game, there are plenty of times when you have no mandatory quests. Granted, you are going to want to try and do all the quests that you can. From the first game to the second, you can keep clear data, and that data will grant you exclusive stuff to begin within the second game. The real challenge is finding the hidden quests. I recommend getting a guide for that. If you are a masochist, you can literally check every single person and sparkly thing on the map... in every map area and town. However, as long as you can get most of the bonus points for the required and optional quests. Getting an A rating every time will most likely be enough for you to get the top rank.

So yeah, that was my impression of these games. It is hard to say if I would recommend you invest in both of them. As I said, the first game is just kind of there to set the stage and o the introductions. The actual meat of the story and all the cool features will arrive in the second game, so that is something to consider. However, I do recommend this series. I hope that 4 comes out sometime this year. That would be so wonderful. I mean it is rare for me to do new game plus back to back on games. Usually, I just kind of let them stew a bit and try again in a couple of years.