I would preface this review by *highly* recommending people try the Trails in the Sky series. It's a prequel set in the same universe and will deeply enhance the characters, locations and themes of this game. That being said, Trails of Cold Steel (ToCS) is a JRPG unlike others. Our story is set approx. 1 year after the events in Trails in the Sky, now following a group of military acadamy students in the country of Erebonia. Unlike the setting in the first game, class and society are part of the themes to show the divide and unease between commoners and nobles. The protagonist and party are part of Class VII, a new group combined of both lower class and noble students. Together, you're tasked with studying, training and learning the greater world, with its underlying conflicts. Everything in the story will be more than it seems. Thanks to a fantastic localisation, every nook and cranny is worth seeking out. Hidden quests and genuinely great dialogue will fill your time as you seek to discover the world. I personally enjoyed the voice acting of the main cast a great deal with only a couple of NPC's standing out as a bit over-the-top. Combat is an evolution of the Trails turn-based system. Your party of 4 will have the option of attacks, Arts (Magic), Crafts (Personal skills), or moving around the field and forming 'links' to boost your other members. This can be enhanced by developing character relationships out of combat (think Persona). It flows into a natural feeling sense of group combat and story as every aspect of the game evolves together. Some themes will feel a tad trope-y, but ultimately, this is building towards a 4-game epic and setting the stage for a large amount of 3rd act plot twist and drama. The payoff is immense. Some small critisicms: Not all story ends will be tied up by this game. It's a 40+ hour 'beginning'. The graphics are dated back from when this was portable. Falcom/XSEED have truly outdone themselves. ToCS is worth every second!
I've always appreciated Falcom PC ports - there are so many options added to help older or portable games feel welcome in the PC space. Similar to the Trails series, you get a bevvy of options when launching the game. I'm running a 1080p/60fps @ max settings, with no issues compared to how this handled on the Vita. There is the option to run at 120fps also. My playtime had started on the Vita version, so I can say that Ys Celceta is fast-paced, full of good music, tough and worth your time. Perhaps compared to grander RPGs, the story isn't as much of a focus. Thanks to the top notch localisation (thanks XSEED!), the characters and NPCs still show a lot of life making it worthwhile to talk to everyone and check everything. The gameplay is most comparable to Ys VII on the PSP (and GoG), but not like the style of the older games. Overall, I reckon your time will be well spent with Ys Celceta - Not many devs put care into PC ports but this is handled perfectly here. A great game and a great port!
