dschult3
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
The true heir to the Monado.
Posts: 2,804
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Post by dschult3 on Jul 2, 2024 0:35:59 GMT
I finished Y's IX yesterday, after focusing on it for the last few weeks. I have mixed feelings on it, and I may write up a review on it after letting it sit for a while.
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Post by Imperial Khador on Jul 3, 2024 15:59:05 GMT
I finished Y's IX yesterday, after focusing on it for the last few weeks. I have mixed feelings on it, and I may write up a review on it after letting it sit for a while. I really enjoyed Ys IX, so I'm interested to hear your thoughts ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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Post by Imperial Khador on Jul 3, 2024 16:18:27 GMT
Trails Through Daybreak Demo (for PS4 on PS5).
First of all, I just want to point out that this is a particularly meaty demo. On the Switch, it encompass the entire prologue, and saves can be imported into the main game. On the PS4, the demo covers both the prologue and chapter 1, so could take a good 6-8 hours. The PS4 demo save can also be imported into the PS4 or PS5 full game.
As the beginning of a new arc in a new region, Daybreak is an excellent hopping-on point for newcomers to the series. The final Trails of Cold Steel game, as well as Trails into Reverie included Avengers-like gatherings of characters spanning the entire series, Daybreak's cast is kept relatively tight. I did spot a few familiar faces, some of which hadn't been seen since Trails in the Sky 3rd Chapter, but they don't appear to be player characters, or a main focus.
We have a two-year gap since the ending of Trails Into Reverie, and the story is set in the Calvard Republic, which has been talked about quite far back in the series, but we've never actually visited. So it gives things a nice break for folks who'd like to hop on here before deciding if they'd like to explore the older games.
---- I won't go into detail about too many of the mechanics changes, but Daybreak introduces a real-time combat mode, in addition to the turn-based mode that's worked for the series before. It isn't as in depth as say, Falcom's Ys series, as you only have a regular attack, a dodge move, and a charge attack. You can toggle between characters, as some enemies are weaker to physical attacks or magic. It isn't intended as a way to completely replace the turn-based system, but gives you a way to quickly plow through weaker enemies, or gain an advantage in the first round of turn-based combat when you switch over.
One nice addition to the turn-based mode is the ability to walk around freely in a character's movement radius before locking in an attack. In Trails previously, the characters would move up to whichever enemy you selected until they were close enough for their attack to work. If you wanted to move them manually, say to avoid an enemy's spell, that was the character's entire turn (though they'd come up again quickly in the turn order). This feels like an excellent improvement.
I'm really enjoying the dual protagonists of Van Arkride and Agnes Claudel, so far. Van's a "Spriggan", a sort of detective/troubleshooter that's intended to be a bit more shady than some of the organizations that player characters have worked for in the past (The Bracer Guild, the Crossbell PD, or Thors' Class VII).
Honestly, even though they are some high school-aged characters, I am _very_ glad that they seem to have gotten out of using the school as a primary setting after so much of that in Trails of Cold Steel 1-4. I'm okay if they never go back to that
The presentation of the game is still going to look lower-budget compared to something like the Persona 3 Remake, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, or Final Fantasy VII Rebirth....but this is still the best the Trails series has looked so far. Character designs are translated well, and the models are very expressive.
The English-localized voice acting may be the high point of the series so far in my opinion, and the music is up to Falcom's usual high standards.
If you're a JRPG fan, even if you've never played a Trails game before, I'd highly recommend grabbing the demo and giving it a shot.
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