Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
This game gave me a lot of grief. I was very conflicted. At first, I thought it was a 9 as I was doing all the side-quests and stuff, because the gameplay was solid. I understand that statement goes against my 7/10 comment in the mini review. But then it started to really bother me that the game wasn’t going anywhere, even once I started mainlining it. Up until a certain point, my 9/10 turned into a 7/10, so had I stopped playing it like I was considering doing, I would have landed on a 7/10.
Don’t get me wrong: there’s SOME intrigue in the slow, worldbuilding bits. I wondered about Joshua, where Cassius Bright went, etc. But it was taking way too long to answer ANYTHING, and it was sending me on meaningless errands, just padding the game. When it felt like it was going to do something, it didn’t.
And then on top of that, one problem the game maintained throughout is that it suffers from the same thing many modern JRPGs suffer from: the characters never shut up. It just adds meaningless dialogue for the sake of it. This is most noticeable when conversations end. Here’s a conversation I made up to illustrate my point, so while it's not an exact quote, the sentiment is exact:
Person: You two need to go here and do this thing.
Joshua: So we have to go there and do this thing? Okay, I got it.
Estelle: I see what you’re saying.
Person: Yes. Now go there and do this thing.
Joshua: Got it!
Estelle: Right on!
Joshua: We’ll go!
Estelle: Yeah!
And yes, I know this seems small, but it compounds, and it’s not the only issue with the dialogue. I hate this shit. So when you add that to a story with SERIOUS pacing issues, it’s a recipe for disaster.
So I googled “does Trails in the Sky Chapter 1 pick up?” and someone was at almost the exact same spot as me, asking this question, and the answer was yes, around where I was. Now, I think it took a bit longer to pick up, but thankfully it did pick up. It became a much better game at a certain point, but it’s still fairly late in the game. The political intrigue ramped up, Joshua’s backstory is heartbreaking, Estelle gets heartbroken, and the game left me craving the sequel.
I don’t usually forgive this kind of stuff because I don’t like having my time wasted. Which is weird because the game doesn’t really waste your time in other ways. Like I said in the mini review, there’s always stuff (to cook, or items to raise your stats, etc) being given to you. Fast travel is easy. I have a pretty good computer but the game is silky smooth. They have a mode where you can speed up the game, so you run faster and the real-time combat becomes A LOT faster (if you don’t turn it on, it can be annoying). You always know where you’re going.
The combat is cool. I like that there’s a mixture of real-time stuff and then turn-based (this is for bosses but you can turn it on whenever, and it can give you an advantage if you time it right).
I know I’ve been bitching about the game a lot in this review, but I’m willing to give it an 85 because the gameplay loop is really satisfying and it does pick up plot-wise. If it hadn’t stuck the landing I would have been really upset. And I mean, even through the flaws, I still felt the drive to continue on, so that has to count for something. Maybe in time I drop it to an 80 once the high has worn off, but the ending left me with such a good taste in my mouth I didn't feel right at 80.
I’ve never played any of the other games, but I predict that the 2nd Chapter is going to SLAP. Fully expecting a 90 or 95. I will see, I guess.
Don’t get me wrong: there’s SOME intrigue in the slow, worldbuilding bits. I wondered about Joshua, where Cassius Bright went, etc. But it was taking way too long to answer ANYTHING, and it was sending me on meaningless errands, just padding the game. When it felt like it was going to do something, it didn’t.
And then on top of that, one problem the game maintained throughout is that it suffers from the same thing many modern JRPGs suffer from: the characters never shut up. It just adds meaningless dialogue for the sake of it. This is most noticeable when conversations end. Here’s a conversation I made up to illustrate my point, so while it's not an exact quote, the sentiment is exact:
Person: You two need to go here and do this thing.
Joshua: So we have to go there and do this thing? Okay, I got it.
Estelle: I see what you’re saying.
Person: Yes. Now go there and do this thing.
Joshua: Got it!
Estelle: Right on!
Joshua: We’ll go!
Estelle: Yeah!
And yes, I know this seems small, but it compounds, and it’s not the only issue with the dialogue. I hate this shit. So when you add that to a story with SERIOUS pacing issues, it’s a recipe for disaster.
So I googled “does Trails in the Sky Chapter 1 pick up?” and someone was at almost the exact same spot as me, asking this question, and the answer was yes, around where I was. Now, I think it took a bit longer to pick up, but thankfully it did pick up. It became a much better game at a certain point, but it’s still fairly late in the game. The political intrigue ramped up, Joshua’s backstory is heartbreaking, Estelle gets heartbroken, and the game left me craving the sequel.
I don’t usually forgive this kind of stuff because I don’t like having my time wasted. Which is weird because the game doesn’t really waste your time in other ways. Like I said in the mini review, there’s always stuff (to cook, or items to raise your stats, etc) being given to you. Fast travel is easy. I have a pretty good computer but the game is silky smooth. They have a mode where you can speed up the game, so you run faster and the real-time combat becomes A LOT faster (if you don’t turn it on, it can be annoying). You always know where you’re going.
The combat is cool. I like that there’s a mixture of real-time stuff and then turn-based (this is for bosses but you can turn it on whenever, and it can give you an advantage if you time it right).
I know I’ve been bitching about the game a lot in this review, but I’m willing to give it an 85 because the gameplay loop is really satisfying and it does pick up plot-wise. If it hadn’t stuck the landing I would have been really upset. And I mean, even through the flaws, I still felt the drive to continue on, so that has to count for something. Maybe in time I drop it to an 80 once the high has worn off, but the ending left me with such a good taste in my mouth I didn't feel right at 80.
I’ve never played any of the other games, but I predict that the 2nd Chapter is going to SLAP. Fully expecting a 90 or 95. I will see, I guess.
Mini Review: Up until a certain point, while it’s SLOWLY building its world, it’s a 7/10. Some intrigue, but it takes way too long to get going. But throughout all that, the combat is cool, the progression system is solid and it’s nice that it’s always giving you stuff. After a rocky beginning, I ended up really liking Estelle and Joshua, so I powered through the slow beginning. And I’m glad I did, because when it picks up, it really picks up, and it ends so well that I cannot wait to play the 2nd chapter.
Watch the Trailer