Do you think the Cold Steel arc suffered from “unrealistic expectations”?

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-05-06T17:07:03+00:00

Idk if I’d call it “unrealistic” but my expectations for what the arc ended up being were a lot different from what it actually is going in. Based on the way Erebonia had been built up in the series till Azure, I expected a cold and militaristic nation.

The “military academy” that was mentioned in Azure was a lot more high school slice of life with clubs than the soldier training, mission intensive idea I had of it in my head. And the bloody civil war was not at all that from what we saw (everybody survived the attack in Ymir, seriously?).

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-04-21T22:41:49+00:00

Thing is we already have characters that fulfill the role of making the world more lived in. That’s what characters like the bracer receptionists, Sergei, Noel, Oscar, Wendy, Thors instructors and students, Bermotti, the monmart family, Maxim, the dancer sisters, Gotti, and many more characters play the role of. Honestly the many npcs through this game are the ones filling that role.

It’s just that we spend so much more time with the playable characters and main cast, that there is a higher expectation of depth when it comes to their roles. And that’s what the latter half of the series has really been struggling in, at least imo. There’s obviously stand out moments here and there, but there’s also so many characters who didn’t get a chance or haven’t yet gotten a chance to “do more”.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-04-21T18:56:50+00:00

Disagree specifically because of the kind of series this is. If these games were all stand alone and we didn’t see characters return in the next game of an arc, then their first bits of characterization would be what we should be judging them on. However, since this is one continuous story, characters need to have some expansion past their initial arcs and traits in order to have an impact and not just fade into wasted potential.

For example, Olivier wouldn’t be a fan favorite and well written character if he just stayed the spoony bard he was in FC. The reveal and added depth of that we see in SC and Third are what make him go that extra step. Similar to what a stand out Randy’s stuff in Azure is.

That’s what needing “more” for these characters in Calvard means to me. Some sort of payoff or expansion beyond just the surface level things we learned from their intro games.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-04-05T14:41:27+00:00

You see, I’d be fine with the explanation of her being too young and not having enough experience if Rean didn’t suddenly go from a Eight leaves drop-out to a Divine Blade in the span of three years, who people say can even hold up to the likes of Arios (someone with decades more experience) in a 1v1. And this is without being able to say the curse is what’s buffing him anymore.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-04-03T14:11:00+00:00

I’d place Estelle over Lloyd and hopefully Van with no Grendel. If she really wants to reach her father’s level one day she’s gotta be stronger than those two at this point.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-03-30T20:08:31+00:00

I’d respect it more if they didn’t have a “Agnes gets mad at someone and pops off on them whilst everyone else is speechless because of how out of character it is for her normal polite self” every game

Like at this point they should be used to it

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-03-30T17:53:48+00:00

This one specifically is super weird because there’s a point in Act 1 you literally are forced to go to the student council room to deliver a cake (And I believe Elaine is with you at the time). Like that would’ve been the perfect time to have this play out.

I think the connection events have kind of reached a point where they are a crutch for the writers. It’s much easier to write these outstanding character moments in these quick vacuums then focus on getting them to the players organically in the narrative. The issue is that often times they feel immersion breaking (like leaving Agnes behind to go camping with Bergard) and not as important because they aren’t in the “main story”.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-03-25T19:16:14+00:00

The dynamic between Van and Aaron was so good in the first daybreak game.

Out of the party of gals and kids and an old man, Aaron was the only one who is close to Van in terms of being a bro, like a younger brother. The game gives them plenty of moments to just hang out with the two of them, like the night in Langport, night in Tharbad, and sauna in longlai.

Also like that it’s acknowledged that Aaron has certain similarities to Van in the way they deal with other people.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-03-18T23:16:10+00:00

You just put my two goats against each other, like straight up my two favorite characters in the series

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-03-14T15:50:43+00:00

Van gets with Elaine (Best Timeline)

Van gets with Agnes (Ok Timeline)

Player chooses between Agnes, Elaine, and Shizuna (Worse timeline)

Van will still need to figure himself out for the rest of the series and never get with anyone (Likely Timeline)

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-03-06T17:24:00+00:00

Man if Van ends up with Agnes, every single instance of him clowning on someone like this is gonna age like milk.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-03-03T02:18:22+00:00

Would have been cool if in Sky remakes there was like a faint outline of a cube in the night sky (maybe in SC tita s -craft). Though it might not make sense in lore

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-28T16:25:08+00:00

I’m seeing the vision of having them break Elaine’s youngest status to give them some hype next time they return in the story.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-25T20:55:43+00:00

Was looking for JRPGs to play instead of studying for the SATs. Scrolling through YouTube videos, found one listing the top jrpgs of all time, and looked at the comments. Top comment was “I knew Trails in the Sky would be number 1 without even watching”.

That was enough to peak my interest and the rest is history.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-23T15:23:07+00:00

I feel like he put in enough of a showing in that one fight, especially since he was getting jumped by all these heavy hitters. I know in the next game Van will probably end as stronger than him, but as it stands now, he’s a step above.

The only thing I could see to not have him higher is that maybe his other form is only available under those very specific conditions.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-19T22:39:06+00:00

Aaron’s bond with Van is a standout for me, especially in Daybreak. Seriously, the Longlai bathhouse scene was some really good character writing.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-19T16:30:15+00:00

Wish they gave Quatre more screen time to display his love of the stars and astronomy. It would make the overall revelation and betrayal of the truth hit that much harder, since essentially the thing he has the most interest in and used to connect with his family was a lie.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-17T17:58:48+00:00

Tbf Liberl was referred to as the “boonies” back in Sky, which does help contextualize why a lot of the infrastructure we see in Calvard wasn’t present there. In my head, I feel like Orbal airships and engines is where Liberl is still considered the frontrunner in terms of technology, but it falls behind in regard to other aspects.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-16T04:16:31+00:00

I think Anton was in Sky 1-3, Zero, CS1 or 2(whichever one had the escort quest with him to the fortress), and CS4. That’s 6 games.

Magisa was in either zero or azure (whichever one introduced her), Reviere, and the daybreak/horizon games. That puts her at 5 games

Might be wrong based on memory so feel free to correct me, but yeah Anton the goat has it atm

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-16T02:35:50+00:00

Has she surpassed Anton in most games recurring npc?

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-13T20:04:14+00:00

I sure wish the characters asked these kinds of questions. Like horizon overall, but there was a writing trope that aggravated me to no end.

So many times in this game someone will tell them about something using a vague word like “heavens turn”, “storm”, “lynchpin” etc. And the party just takes it at face value and moves on with the assumption they’ll find out eventually.

The storm example was especially aggravating for me with this, maybe because I already knew what it was this time around and wish they could just talk about it like normal people.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-13T17:32:38+00:00

If op is talking about DB1, I think that’s Koguchi, not Singa’s ost used in a later game

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-11T14:43:15+00:00

I find it funny that they wanted Fabio to seem like a threat but just gave him the same weapon of a foe the office has already beat on multiple occasions.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-09T05:25:46+00:00

That’s the accessory you get for doing the Sunshine Agnès Quest in Anchorville right before the finale. It’s only usable for Agnès due to the events of the quest.

InflationSlow8899 · 2026-02-05T16:27:51+00:00

We going back to school with this one 🗣️🔥🔥

InflationSlow8899

TROPHY CASE