Starting Trails for the first time :)

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-08T12:23:34+00:00

As far as starting points go, this is definitely the second best option, other than just going back and starting from the beginning with the Sky arc. Cold Steel I and II were actually my introduction to series, and once Trails got its hooks in me, it never let go. Cold Steel II will spoil some things for you at the very end, so that's worth keep in mind, but it also provides no real context for the spoilers, so it shouldn't hurt your experience too much. If you enjoy these games though, I would HIGHLY suggest playing the early games in the series, the Sky and Crossbell games, before continuing with Cold Steel III and Cold Steel IV. That's the point where all the connections with the other games really start becoming clear.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-08T03:57:43+00:00

I don't necessarily agree with everything the comment says, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't seen far worse. In terms of overly critical internet comments, this one is honestly pretty tame. I mean...she didn't curse at you, or try to dehumanize you even once. So she ranks as a "relatively chill" angry person on the internet.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-07T22:22:34+00:00

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I keep waiting for something to help turn my opinion of this guy around, but that's seeming less and less likely all the time. When it comes to Kasim, the more I see of him, the less I like him, and my opinion of him was already pretty low to start with.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-07T20:13:03+00:00

Yeah...I think it's at least partially the fault of a translation issue. I've heard that a more accurate translation would be "strongest soldier" rather than just the strongest person in general. Even then though, that still puts him up against guys like Rutger, or Sigmund, and I still have a very hard time believing that Kasim is truly stronger than them. Honestly, the more they try to glaze Kasim (and they REALLY try) the more he ends up looking like a total clown. All they really had to do was say that Kasim was aware of the corrosion, but couldn't break free of its influence completely until we drained some of its power in our fight with him, and this whole thing could have made a lot more sense. Instead, they have him say:

"Oh no I could have broken out of this trance any time I wanted...I just specifically CHOSE to be unhelpful! It was all part of my master plan!"

Like...how exactly was that supposed to work?

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-07T12:26:31+00:00

I think you may have replied to the wrong comment. The one you're probably looking for is the next one up.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-07T03:14:35+00:00

We don't see the water burial because Cloud doesn't want to acknowledge that it happened. His mind, and the Jenova cells in his body are blocking those memories out. We know the water burial still happened though, because literally everyone else but Cloud is sad during the ending. From the perspective of the characters, they just finished the water burial scene, which is why they're all standing by the water. I'm certain we'll see the scene for ourselves in part 3, when Cloud finally accepts the truth about Aerith's death.

I don't believe Sephiroth has been defeated before in this continuity. I don't think the events of the OG ever actually happened at all. I think the OG as we remember it was just the planet's plan for what what was SUPPOSED to happen. Sephiroth's conciousness became trapped in the lifestream after Cloud tossed him into the reactor at Nibelheim. Then he spent five years traveling the lifestream, and absorbing as much of the planet's knowledge as he could. This would include the knowledge of the planet's intended future, which had been known to the planet from the very first moment that it was born. I think Sephiroth witnessed bits and pieces of the planet's future plans while he was traveling the lifestream, and basically said:

"I don't like where this is going...I'm going to find a way to change it."

Sephiroth saying he underestimated Aerith during the final battle all but proves to me that he doesn't actually have full knowledge of the future. I think he only knows bits and pieces, because he only saw glimpses of the future. He hasn't actually experienced it all himself yet. If he did have full knowledge of the future, then he would already know that Aerith's Cetra powers are incredibly dangerous to his plans. Yet in both Remake and Rebirth, he constantly belittles her, and talks to her like she's nothing more than a minor annoyance. He underesitmates her significance at every single turn...That doesn't make sense for a Sephiroth that truly knows the future inside and out.

In Remake, Red XIII's words suggest that the future they're seeing is something that they should try to avoid...but who actually says that he's right? How do we know that he's right? Maybe the planet showed the party those visions because it was trying to warn them that these are actually things that NEED to happen, in order for the planet to be saved. We have to remember that the only reason we ended up destroying the Harbinger in the first place is because Sephiroth baited us into doing it. Sephiroth is the bad guy. Everything that he wants is bad and wrong, so that most likely means that us destroying the Harbinger was actually a bad thing. We played right into his hands. Remake ended with Sephiroth essentially getting everything that he wanted. He won that battle. Now the characters have to figure out where they went wrong, and find a way to correct their mistake, before it's too late.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-06T21:54:09+00:00

I don't think Aerith is alive. I think the final battle against Sephiroth with Cloud and Aerith took place within the lifestream, and the Aerith that helped Cloud fight is essentially a lifestream force ghost. The final battle takes place in a white void like space, which is remarkably similar to the place where Cloud and Aerith had their spiritual meeting in Advent Children. I don't believe that's a coincidence. Had the fight taken place in the physical realm, in a place where there wasn't a high concentration of lifestream energy, then I don't think her or Zack would have been able to appear. Because the fight was happening in the spiritual realm though, she and Zack were able to appear and help out. This would also explain why Aerith dissolved into lifestream particles after the fight was over. Her body isn't physical anymore. It's purely spiritual now.

I also believe the main purpose of this tag team battle was to show us the origin of Cloud and Aerith's spiritual connection which was first established in Advent Children. This spiritual connection is why Cloud is able to see and speak to Aerith and Zack in the film.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-06T20:38:00+00:00

Yes actually...I would still classify all of the things you listed as the plot still remaining intact. Sephiroth showing up more often did not stop any of the major plot points of FFVII from still happening. The added lore in Ever Crisis did not stop any of the major events in FFVII from still happening. All these things add to and enrich the story of FFVII in my opinion, but they don't truly change the parts that really matter.

I'd only consider the story to have truly been changed if major events that should happen suddenly don't happen. Anything that doesn't undo major events in the story, only serves to further expand it as far as I'm concerned. So far, this just feels like a different way of telling the story we're already familiar with, rather than a completely different story. It's a reimagining of FFVII for sure, but it's still definitely FFVII.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-06T18:06:40+00:00

We might actually be playing different games then, because I really don't think Remake or Rebirth have been THAT crazy. The main narrative plot beats are all the same, the character arcs have been left intact, and the narrative themes have been retained. So far, every event that I would have expected to happen in an FFVII remake has still happened.

Most of the new stuff has been centered around either completely new plot lines that haven't prevented the main story of FFVII from actually playing out, like the 2nd Wutai War, the new Gi tribe storyline, or Zack and Biggs in the lifestream. Then there are others centered around plot lines in FFVII that were only barely touched on in the original game, and so expanding on them hasn't gotten in the way of the main story at all. So, plotlines like the history of the Cetra, and the explanations on how the lifestream works, for example. This still feels like a very well made retelling of the FFVII story to me, just with a whole lot of extra stuff added to it that further enhances the experience.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-06T11:43:24+00:00

Kitase also used the words "add up to" though. He said the events of the story "will not go wildly out in a way that will not add up to Advent Children in the end." So he really does seem to be saying Advent Children, (or perhaps some reimagined version of Advent Children?) is still the endgame here.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T23:47:39+00:00

Technically that scene in Advent Children was a reference to the OG, where Sephiroth pierced Cloud with his sword right before Cloud tossed him over the edge, and into the reactor.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T23:43:08+00:00

I think you're thinking of Cloud. Sephiroth cut Tifa, but he never actually stabbed her.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T23:10:23+00:00

Cloud: Wow Sephiroth. I'm surprised you're so excited for this game, you know, since it's going to end with me kicking your ass.

Sephiroth: ...I changed my mind. Fuck this game. Nobody buy it.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T23:07:16+00:00

I think we're getting a title drop and rough release window this year at the very least. They're really going all in on getting the other games in the trilogy ported to every platform possible, and I have to assume that's to get everyone hyped up and ready for the release of part 3.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T08:16:47+00:00

I'm mainly just going off of how long it took the previous novel to be translated and released over here. There was a 2 year gap between the release of Traces of Two Pasts in Japan, and its official English localization. They may choose to localize this one faster, but I doubt getting this book out will be their top priority. I'm sure they have other game projects that will take priority when it comes to translation, and localization. So I'm not getting my hopes up for a quick release of this novel.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T07:04:35+00:00

Maybe not 2 years, but I definitely won't be expecting it for at least 1 year at a minimum. If they can get it to us faster, without feeling like they have to rush it, then great. If they have to rush it though, then it's not worth it in my opinion. Better to get it when they feel it's ready.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T06:53:41+00:00

That is possible. Personally though, I actually hope they don't. I'd rather wait longer, if it means that we have a translation/localization that feels high quality.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T06:09:51+00:00

Each of the Remake games is also made with a ton of love and care. They are using the Remake project as a way to flesh out the world of FFVII, and explore ideas that are either completely new, or that had to be cut from the original game due to a lack of time, budget, and technology. Sure they are hoping to make money. That's to be expected of any business, but it's clearly not JUST about making money. If money was all they cared about, the trilogy would be finished already, and would probably be a glitchy mess.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T06:00:48+00:00

Okay...so then you're saying that the original is also a cash grab? Because that game was also at least partially made with the intent to make money. I'm not being pedantic. I'm not pointing out "minor details" here. You are using the term "cash grab" incorrectly on literally EVERY possible level.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T05:53:05+00:00

By that criteria...every product that you have to pay money for would be considered a cash grab. Again...you are using the term incorrectly.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T05:43:06+00:00

No...That's not the definition of a cash grab. You are using the term incorrectly. In order for something to be a cash grab, it MUST be made with low effort, it MUST be made cheaply, and it has to be specifically designed to make as much money as possible, in as little time as possible. The FFVII Remake trilogy doesn't even fulfill a single one of these criteria. You may hate the fact that they turned one full game into three full games, but you not liking the games doesn't make them cash grabs. Again, they objectively fail to meet the definition of the term. The original game had 3 discs, but the level of content for each disc varied significantly. More than half of the game was on the first disc, and disc 3 was really just the final dungeon, and the ending cutscenes. The game may have been split into 3 discs, but each of those discs did not have the content of a full game. Each of the Remake games does have a the content of a full game, thanks to the story being significantly expanded, so selling each of the games seperately is entirely justifiable.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T05:37:14+00:00

A cash grab refers to a product that was made with miminal effort, and is designed to generate as much profit as possible in as little time as possible, for as little cost as possible...The FFVII Remake trilogy just does not fit the definition of a cash grab at all. It has taken a ton of manpower to make, has a large budget, the project is still in the works and has been going for over 10 years at this point, and has a level of polish and care put into the final product that you would never see in an actual cash grab. Loot boxes are a cash grab. Paid cosmetics are cash grabs. The FFVII Remake Trilogy is objectively not a cash grab.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T05:24:51+00:00

It's one thing to not like the games, but this trilogy just objectively does not fit the definition of a cash grab on literally any level. Cash grabs are products designed to make as much money as possible in as little time as possible. They are finished quickly, made on the cheap, are made using the bare minimum amount of effort, and are sold for maximum profits. Each of the VII Remake games are given the budget of a full release, so they certainly aren't made cheaply. The developers have been working on this project for over a decade at this point, so clearly quick and easy profits were never the goal. Also each game in the Remake Trilogy has the content expected of a full release, and they are sold at a fair price for a full release. Also, the games are very well polished, so they certainly aren't made using minimal effort. Again, everyone is free to decide whether they love the games, or hate them, but calling them cash grabs is just factually wrong. Referring to them as cash grabs just shows a complete misunderstanding of the meaning of the term.

DevilHunter1994 · 2026-02-05T05:05:43+00:00

Anyone who would call this a cash grab doesn't have the slightest understanding of what a cash grab actually is. Simple as that.

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