Game Notes [The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II - Kai]

How could I have overlooked the existence of Nihon Falcom until now...?

Trails of Cold Steel II was so amazing that it makes me think that.
The sense of fulfillment after clearing it is incredible.

Ah, man, this feeling of sinking deeper and deeper into the Trails series swamp

is irresistible!!!

I'll get right into my impressions. It will be long, proportional to my enthusiasm.

About the story

In the previous game, Cold Steel I, I fully enjoyed the academy life, and Trista became a city I loved through interactions with students and townspeople.

At the end of Cold Steel I, Trista was occupied by the Noble Alliance,and I felt like, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"but II is the best because it's an exhilarating story of taking back Trista.

The academy students get caught up in the Reformist vs. Noble Alliance conflict.
Even though Class VII was scattered, the flow of them gradually regrouping under Rean was also heart-wrenching.

It wasn't like they all joined up smoothly; I wondered if there would be a pattern where at least one person had problems and didn't return, and as expected, there was.
Jusis, a noble of the Four Great Houses. Of course, he had no choice but to side with the Noble Alliance.
However, he joined Class VII to find his own answer.
Jusis is a good guy.

You guys are already best friends.
So, for this game's bonding ending, Jusis, I choose you!!

Along the way, Jusis's father did something terrible to Celdic.
Since it was the place where we had our very first special practical study, I felt sad and angry that it ended up like this... The manager also passed away, it's just too much.

Jusis feels responsible for what his father did.
It really shows what a good guy Jusis is.
The members of Class VII are so kind to such a Jusis. A kindness bomb exploded.
This class only has good people in it!

I was deeply moved when we finally liberated Trista while rampaging with Valimar, who comes flying when called.

We're back... Gundam UC pops into my head, reminding me of Banagher returning to Industrial 7. Well, putting that aside.

Just like the members of Class VII, I, the player, was deeply moved and truly felt like we had "come home."

It's irresistible. We took back our important place with our own hands.
A refreshing sense of exhilaration.
But the civil war still continues.

Along with the civil war, the showdown with him is unavoidable.

Crow, I will definitely bring you back!!!

Just like Rean, I was desperate.
Crow left at the end of I, and I wondered if his appearance as a member of Class VII was just a facade, but no, he must have been his true self.
I believed that, and it turned out to be true—

Although we are in a hostile relationship due to our positions, we don't hate each other.
The skill to beautifully depict this delicate relationship. Falcom, you're good.

I was happy that Crow was still the same Crow he showed us during academy life.
He wasn't deceiving us; he was just acting for what he had to do.
Moreover, he was able to accept that "what he had to do" was his own stubbornness.

He even seemed somewhat happy when Rean tried to bring him back, saying, "Try it if you can!"
There was no"I want you to save me from being obsessed with personal grudges"kind of gloomy feeling visible. I really liked this and it hit the spot.

It comes across that Crow also loves Rean.
The fact that it doesn't turn into a development like "I have to fight someone I love, this is my path" is, as I keep saying, what hits the spot.
I'll definitely win and bring Crow back, come back Crow!!

I won with that feeling at MAX.

Then it happened, the explosive heart-wrenching development!!!

The joint battle of Rean's Valimar & Crow's Ordine!!!

It's irresistible, it's the best.
The final boss is defeated.

With this, Crow is coming back, hooray!!

...or so I was rejoicing.

No way

Crow, he was struck.
He was struck in the same chest as Chancellor Osborne, who was assassinated, a fatal wound.

No, no, no, Towa-kaicho, Angelica, and George are waiting, and I promised to bring him back, so this must be the ending where Crow returns to Class VII!

It wasn't.

I was so shocked that I didn't take a single screenshot.
I was crying so much during the scene where he says his final words to the members of Class VII that I had zero room for screenshots.
I'm so shocked that I don't even feel like downloading the video and taking screenshots later.

Why, Crow!!!!!

I thought we could go home together, and I had decided I would definitely bring you back!
This, this ending is just too much.

While I was devastated, Chancellor Osborne, who was supposed to have been assassinated, appeared.
I knew he was alive from the story in Trails to Azure, but thinking about Crow, it was so frustrating...

Instead, Rean spilled everything out.
And then,

"I am your father"
No way, Star Wars---!!!!

He's too much of a cool middle-aged guy----!!!!

Wait a second!!
My emotions can't keep up!!

Crow!! Dad!! Cool middle-aged guy!!!!

I said I can't keep up!!

--Wait, the staff roll is here again!!!

I'm beaten down and knocked out.

It's so painful, Crow----!

The lyrics of the staff roll that keep drifting in just double the sadness, and as I was sobbing, it started.

Side Story: The Occupation of Crossbell

Oh man, I told you I can't keep up!!
Getting to see Lloyd again and being able to battle with Rixia in her current game design is way too much of a treat!!

Plus, the dungeon is long! It's fun!!

I'm so happy to see the process of Crossbell being occupied by the Empire and to learn the current status of the Special Support Section members.
The Trails series is definitely a series you should play thoroughly from the beginning.
The enjoyment multiplies many times over.

I was exploring the Geofront and initializing the central data so the Empire wouldn't get it, when this person appeared.

Wow, I don't even know what's going on anymore.
I'm in a state of confusion.

And Rean is so scary when he's an enemy!!
He even calls Valimar at the end, so it's basically checkmate.

But he let me go. Thank goodness.

I felt down thinking Rean had become a dog of the Empire, and then the epilogue continued.

It seems military cooperation wasn't his true intention, and it was an unavoidable action to protect the Empire.

So, back to academy life, and in III, it'll be a story about everyone becoming second-years.
Or so I thought, but my expectations were betrayed again.

Class VII members, disbanding.

It seems everyone except Rean has things they need to do and will be leaving the military academy.
How could this be...

It seems like a conclusion they each reached after struggling, so there's no stopping them.
Jusis even tried to wrap up his work early to stay at the academy.
But that was an impossible request, and the burden on Jusis would be too great, so Rean scolded him. As expected of a best friend.

I don't want them to split up----!

The only one throwing a tantrum is me, the player.
The members of Class VII are more mature.

With that, while I was spending the last free day, a final dungeon called the "Reverie Corridor" appeared in the old school building.

...I suddenly realized that it hadn't ended for a long time since the staff roll played, and I started to laugh.

But I'm just happy. One last activity with the members of Class VII.
And this Reverie Corridor lets you do something incredible by equipping accessories.

What a stylish thing to do, Nihon Falcom!!!

It's Crow, I can battle with Crow----!

Back in I, I was closest with Crow.
Crow is my best friend.
In the despair of losing my best friend, I never thought the day would come when I could meet him again...
Thinking of Rean's feelings makes me cry uncontrollably.

With that, I defeated the four mid-boss phantasmal beasts and also took down the final boss, Loa Luciferia.

But, but you know...

I'm gonna cry, I'm definitely gonna cry!!!
It's time to say goodbye to everyone, isn't it!!!

Seriously, how many times has Cold Steel II made me cry?

The members of Class VII were trying to look forward and walk their own paths, but it seems saying goodbye to everyone was painful after all.
That's right, of course it is.
Captain Claire's line, "You've been holding it in all this time, haven't you," pierced my middle-aged heart, as I could feel the poignancy of the Class VII members.

And this scene

—Oh no, I'm going to cry again.

I love all the members of Class VII so much, I can't stand it.

It was so much fun!

I predicted that in III, Rean would be a second-year student and the story would unfold with the new Class VII members.
I was wrong again.

Rean-kun became an instructor. I was surprised, but man, I was excited.
Seeing familiar faces from the very beginning was mouth-watering.
I love Trails of Cold Steel so much—!!!!

Fishing, Books & Mini-games

I didn't really get into fishing in Zero & Azure, but I did my best in Cold Steel I & II.
At first, the difficulty was so insane that I couldn't keep up with the button mashing and kept letting the fish get away, which made my thumb hurt. But it turns out, it was because of the High-Speed Mode.
Once I turned off High-Speed Mode, I could fish smoothly.
The button-mashing skills I honed during the Crossbell drinking mini-game were completely wasted.

The fishing-related sub-quests were also fun.

In addition, the books were interesting!
The Carnelia library version in I and Red Moon Rose were so good that I wondered, 'Is it okay for these to be just in-game books?!' and I was desperate to collect them in II as well.
Gambler Jack was also interesting, wasn't it?
'Jack can't beat the King'
Whew! So cool!
It would have been dangerous if I had played this during my adolescence. I would have gone straight into chuunibyou territory.

And now, the mini-games.

A snowboarding mini-game appeared in Ymir, and I was like,
'Should I show off the snowboarding skills I honed in FF7?'
But, um, sorry... it was completely different.

The same goes for the motorcycle race with Angelica-senpai, but, um, how should I put it...

It's not fun!!

This is the one thing I can't overlook.
Mini-games have to be fun!!

But then again, I'm so biased that I'm fine with Falcom being that way.
I don't demand quality from mini-games. Everything else is fun, so that's enough.

Character & Trivia Collection

There were so many great points this time too.
First, these two, whom I talked about in Cold Steel I as well.

These two are precious—.
I've been shipping them on my own, but even in the final group illustration, Gaius is looking at Emma, so I think that's what it means.
Right, Falcom?

[Other Trivia]

[My Favorite Characters]

Summary

I'm really looking forward to seeing the story beyond Azure unfold in Cold Steel III.

I'm so hooked on the Trails series that I've grown attached to everyone from the main characters to the sub-characters and even the NPCs.

The fact that the battles are fun is also the best.
The music is also good, and among them, 'Awakening Will' is so cool and I love it.

I'm going to dive deep into the world of Cold Steel III from here on out!!