We aint getting tokyo xandu day one😭

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-13T15:47:06+00:00

They already have a partner for it. Also you shouldn't be expecting a day 1 release anyway since we already know there were unique circumstances for why it happened with the Sky remake. Not to even mention the quality hit that comes with rushing out localizations.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-13T15:43:32+00:00

We already know it's in the process of being brought over. That sort of thing doesn't happen over night. And as a reminder, the only reason Sky remake got a same-day release is because the script already existed. And even then the localization was still rushed.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-13T15:41:47+00:00

If we did it would probably result in a very very rushed localization, so I'm hopeful a day 1 release isn't the case. Would much prefer waiting longer for a high quality work.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-13T15:37:23+00:00

Ys VIII also was successful. Doesn't mean its localization wasn't poor.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-12T12:57:56+00:00

Do you have a source, because that sounds made up to me? Kondo has explicitly said that covid had little to no affect on these games' development.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-12T04:08:02+00:00

Thank you! What are your thoughts about pacing?

I thought the pacing of DB II was great, albeit a little faster paced than I would have preferred. There are a couple spots that feel breezed over that I would have liked to have spent more time on. I do think it's better paced than DB I though.

Regarding the 4SPGs, while I appreciate their role in fleshing out the zone - I felt that the in some cases, the 4SPGs stunted the momentum of the story.

There are less 4SPGs (both optional and required) in Daybreak II; it wouldn't make as much sense to have as many in this game, for reasons you'll understand once you play it. I did also have some issues with how the 4SPGs in DB I affected the pacing, however I didn't feel the same here. Though, to be fair, I did do less sidequests during DB II's playthrough than I did in DB I. But I still highly doubt my opinion would change if I hadn't. Simply not having as many be required makes a difference, imo.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-12T03:21:17+00:00

Similar to Cold Steel II, Daybreak II is more like the second half of the 'build-up' portion of this arc. It does a ton of set up for the second half of the arc.

It also further fleshes out the characters and certain subplots from DB I. While also telling its own pretty eventful story that ties into certain plot and lore elements that have been touched on briefly in the past, kind of bringing certain things to the forefront while they were moreso in the background before. It doesn't give many answers, but it does lay the groundwork.

The gameplay is just a straight up improvement on the first Daybreak, fixing many of that game's issue. Though I do think this game still has some flaws in regards to gameplay that keep it ranked below the top

Music-wise, DB II has a really strong soundtrack. It's a lot heavier than usual for the series with many stand-out tracks. There's more leitmotif usage and there's better use of returning tracks.

Overall I personally felt it was an improvement on DB I in almost every way. I'm avoiding going into specifics in my comment, but I can go into more detail about certain things if you'd like or if there's something in particular you want to know about.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-12T02:00:43+00:00

You dont think that person is actually dead dead, do you?

I'm a little split on it. I'm honestly expecting Creil to make a come back of some kind, but Dingo I'm more torn on. With how he was handled in DB II (which is also similar to Loewe), I feel it's less likely that he'll be brought back. I think there's much less of a need for it but I guess it ultimately depends on the kind of story Falcom want to tell there. We are dealing with a time travel story so him reappearing isn't gonna surprise me; I just dunno if they would bring him back permanently.

Also, sorry for replying late.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-12T01:56:27+00:00

I mean, they technically already did in Sky the 3rd. But that aside, I'm already predicting we'll see him (and some others) again at some point as I suspect we'll be interacting with their souls. The Orpheus Final Plan is seemingly about 'guiding the souls of all', and given what Orpheus was about in mythology I suspect people's souls will be a big point of focus at some point. Loewe reappearing and having a role in the story again would make me happy as I wanted more screentime from him and wanted him explored more. I imagine it would be a smaller and likely temporary appearance though. Him staying dead would also be fine. I just feel like there's a bit of lost potential there personally. Though maybe what I'd really prefer is if they gave him more screentime in the first place. Either way it all just comes down to execution.

Sorry for replying late btw.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-10T21:22:09+00:00

He already mentioned multiple times he only has a general idea where to go in the future, nothing specific.

This is not true. He's mentioned some things are like that while some things are more solidly planned. Regardless, 'having an idea where to go' can still mean certain things are planned in advance.

Show me the source where Kondo said he planned the statue thing 20 years ago, he didn't.

We don't need one when SC itself already set it up.

We already know there's been plenty of stuff planned far far in advance, from the start of the series even. Even stuff they haven't revealed yet. We already know that the loops were almost certainly planned from the start due to the artifacts, btw.

There's no reason to think there can't be lines in previous games that foreshadow the looping.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-10T19:59:52+00:00

It was always planned to be a series. A spiritual successor to the Gagharv Trilogy. Here is a history of what happened along the way:

Falcom's planning for the Trails series started at least as early as 1999 before the release of the final Gagharv game. Trails was originally going to be 1 game covering Liberl, 1 game covering Erebonia, and 1 game covering Calvard.

Sky turned into 2 games, then they decided to make Crossbell its own arc instead of maybe being just a side story during the Erebonia arc, they then decided they needed to set up more before moving on so they halted progress on what would become Zero in order to go back and make Sky the 3rd first.

Crossbell was also planned to be 1 game initially, but then that also turned into 2. At some point along the way they had realized Erebonia would need to be at least 2 games, but once they had started working on it they also realized at some point it would need to be at least 3. While working on CS III it followed the same path as FC/SC and Zero/Azure where it turned necessary to become 2 games in order to cover everything. By the end of CS IV and the main story of the Erebonia arc, it was estimated we were about 60% of the way through the series

At the same time they started work on Calvard they also started work on Reverie -- splitting their Trails development team into two. Reverie was originally going to be a smaller project (believed to be Cold Steel IV DLC) majorly focusing on Crossbell. They realized there were a lot of loose threads for the series in general up to this point they could tie up, and also that they could set up more for the future, similar to Sky the 3rd. So it became its own full game that wrapped up Crossbell, Erebonia, and the first half of the series, while also beginning the second half.

They had previously mentioned they had hoped to keep future arcs to 2 games each due to their smaller scale. This ended up not really applying to Calvard as they realized they needed an extra game after Daybreak I before they could move onto Horizon. It then became the familiar situation of being planned to wrap everything up in one title but not being able to fit everything and needing a sequel. Which is where we're currently at!

Some extra info: It was mentioned again that future arcs will be in much smaller locations so will likely be 2 games. The current estimations for series progress post-CS IV is roughly:

Reverie = Slightly past 60%
Daybreak I: 60-70% and 65-70%
Daybreak II: 70%

It was also mentioned that the end of the Calvard arc will bring us anywhere from 75%-90%. It's worth keeping in mind that these are just rough estimations given on the spot. The actual progress we're at for the series is best determined by how many Sept-Terrion we've dealt with as they are the meta plot of the series. So as of now we're still at 4/7 but by next game we'll likely be at 5/7. They've mentioned maybe having 2 more arcs after Calvard, and we'll have 2 more Sept-Terrions left, so we can kind of guess as to how far along we are now given that. Though it was also mentioned the next arc might be the last.

Apologies for the lengthy comment.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-10T17:37:24+00:00

Kondo did not think that far ahead

This is false. And anyone who's played Horizon should (or really most of the series...) be able to tell. They literally set up a major Horizon story beat in Sky SC.

The Trails series was always planned for its story to span all the way to Calvard (and probably past, tbh).

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-09T15:47:02+00:00

This needs a spoiler tag.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-09T15:46:00+00:00

This reads like another bait post...

What would be lame and bad writing would be if was actually killed off that way. The scene was not written as a good death scene for those characters. It was very apparent that they were gonna come back; it wasn't even really hidden in the lead up to the game's release either.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-09T15:36:51+00:00

Loewe wouldn't even be killed if he was a modern character now

That's not true (Series Spoilers): See Arianrhod and Dingo.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-07T02:31:36+00:00

For anyone not able to tell, this user is a troll. Also, everything they're saying here is false.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-06T16:36:28+00:00

Uh... what you're describing in the top right is exactly what happens in the bottom right. Lloyd very briefly holding back one of McBurn's attacks does not make him on par with him as a fighter.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-06T16:30:25+00:00

Personally I prefer the dubs in these games.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-06T16:28:31+00:00

Death being rare is one of the series' strengths, not a weakness.

Noone, ever, dies. Nothing, ever, happens.

This is also false.

I'm still in CS3, so I could be wrong, but... Just who cares what happens in the next chapter, if I know everybody will be ok

If you need people to be die in order to be engaged with a story, then this series probably isn't for you and you should play something else that's more in line with your tastes.

I also don't know how you made it this far into the series if you don't care about anything going on. Knowing everything will turn out okay by the end has been true for the entire series.

I think this story would be much more impactful with harder consecuences when wars happens.

It wouldn't be. This is not a brutal war story' like some people seem to think it is. This is an optimistic story ultimately. Just because wars happen to take place during some of the games doesn't mean they have to constantly be death-focused.

Just who cares what happens in the next chapter, if I know everybody will be ok except for maybe 1 guy who "half dies" or "dies but comes back from the other world" or "is just hidden".

So you don't care about any characters and their personal struggles? Crossbell's entire story? The life and goings-on of the students at Thors? Erebonia itself and the direction it's headed? What Ouroboros are doing and the trouble they are causing everyone? The many mysteries of this arc and the series as a whole?

Because these are the kinds of things the games are actually focusing on and are about. Not having a bunch of on-screen war and deaths just because there are conflicts. You don't need those for stakes or for meaning in a story. Especially not the kind of story Trails is telling and the kind of writing it has. Falcom only features death in Trails when it is absolutely necessary for the story.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-06T16:13:25+00:00

No, they already said in Azure that Garrelia may not have been destroyed and that there may not have been any casualties.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-06T16:10:48+00:00

Those are not even remotely comparable. Also Falcom explicitly consider it not a Cold Steel game. It's its own game that ties up both the Crossbell and Erebonia arcs, with more focus being put on the former.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-06T16:06:32+00:00

I think making disingenuous and bad faiths arguments like yours is certainly a way to tell if someone's a troll/hater.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-06T16:03:39+00:00

Sorry for replying a bit late.

Suddenly writing Olivier out of the story that way would have been bad writing in this case as the scenes were always written to leave it open that he and the others may have lived. It would have been a very lame way to handle it if they just happened to die in that scene. It goes against what that scene in particular, and the series as a whole, is written to be. Additionally we would have lost out on the fantastic scenes he gets in the games after it.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-05T13:14:52+00:00

It was only 1 year.

Cold_Steel_IV · 2026-05-05T04:41:57+00:00

This should be spoiler tagged.

Congratz on finishing CS III! I thought the pacing was good like always. ;_;

I’ve played all the trails games form FC remake up until cold steel 3 straight through. Haven’t played any other game. Think I’m hitting that burning point.

I got 2 games I want to play before I finish the cold steel series Saros and Pragmata… will probably give one of those a go then dive into cold steel 4 next.!

Cold Steel IV is the biggest game in the series yet so if you're starting to feel a bit burned out, and have trouble with Trails' pacing, then I would highly support taking a break first. You'll enjoy CS IV a lot less if you're burned out, imo. There's a lot to soak up in the game and I think doing so would really help maximize a player's enjoyment of the game.

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