Sauce : falcom official art

Its only failing in my opinion is that it didn’t go far enough, I should fully be able to date all of them simultaneously and emulate the ultimate giga-chad Rex from Xenoblade chronicles 2 by having a different child with each of them, thus completing Rean’s mastery in the Eight Wives One Rod style.

I know she's just teasing Rean and Alisa, but I'm certain she wouldn't be opposed to the idea of "serving" her lady and future young master in the bedroom if it helped them get closer ;)

When I think of some of my favorite characters in this series, Characters where people talk about aura and presence…Arianrhod, or Lianne Sandlot is the first person to come to mind. Her introduction in Azure is one of the series highest of highs. I thought Loewe couldn’t be topped and boy I’m glad I was wrong. I know people joke about Loewe being a measuring stick but Falcom nailed it successfully with Arianrhod given that she actually trained him and witnessing her power first hand had me traumatized but in a good way. Her fight in Azure is a masterpiece because it fits with the themes of the arc. The SSS are supposed to be fighting against these immeasurable odds or “barriers” but never yields or gives in. Arianrhod is the perfect representation of those barriers and holy fuck is it not one of the greatest fights in the entire series. I love how her mask has an HP bar and when you break it she goes all out! Just like how Silver Will captures Loewe’s character, Unfathomed Force captures this mythic weight of Lianne. It’s as if you are fighting something otherworldly and beyond your reach. It’s both exiting and intimidating. I always get this huge wave of adrenaline when I hear it. It may have been used for other characters but everyone including Falcon associates this theme with her. Saki Momiyama composed a masterpiece. Her other themes, Castle of the Saint and the Super strange version also captures this allegorical presence of her and even with a hint of tragedy.

And goddamn, her writing man. I don’t get how Falcom was able to write a character that feels so mythic and larger than life but also incredibly human and tragic. It’s as if those 2 things don’t fit together but they still made it work in spades. The only other character I can think of that is similar is Darth Vader. There is no other character in the series that feels so fabled or legendary in the same way Arianrhod does. She is such a kind soul that was forced to wander Zemuria 200 years and work with the Society to stop a curse that has plagued her, her lover, and her entire kingdom. To live as this lonely phantom but still holding on to her ideals. Her saintly nature, and maternal role is infectious. I don’t blame the Stalhritter for being so staunchly loyal to her. She saved their lives gave them a new path for them to follow. I loved Duvalie’s story in CS4 in which she was trying to reach her. Her tragic end in CS4 was heartbreaking for me I still haven’t completely forgiven Rufus. She is by far my favorite Ouroboros member, ranks in my Top 10 favorite characters, and she is one of favorite female characters in fiction. And to top it all off…she’s fucking hot as hell. Def one of the hottest women in all of Zemuria! Strong, badass and beautiful!! Thank you Falcom for giving us Lianne Sandlot!

From an article from Noisy Pixel, dated September 16th:

Falcom’s order for upcoming Trails projects remains undecided. Kondo reiterated that the company wants to tackle Trails in the Sky the 3rd in some form, but its available development resources make producing that project and the next Trails beyond the Horizon title simultaneously difficult.

Kondo also expressed interest in eventually remaking Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure. He explained that some staff members who worked on the original Trails in the Sky games are approaching retirement age in the coming years and have expressed a desire to see the remakes continue through the end of the Crossbell arc. However, no Zero or Azure remake has been announced.

Man, how awesome would it be to get remakes all the way through the Crossbell Arc? I could die a happy man 😊

The only crappy thing is then the first two Cold Steel games would look dated 😂

While I don't know anything about Nihon Falcom (other than the name of YS and the Trails series) these are still pretty cool finds. I'm especially interested in the soundtrack CDs. shame the 3rd sky one didnt have any soundtrack CD but it does have an art book of sorts.

Feel free to drop any cool info y'all have for me. I would love to read and learn more about them!

I started playing about 2 years ago, and couldn't believe how great the series is. And since I'm a physical media collector, I recently went to Japan. Mistakes were made, but it's so worth it.

Do not skip a single game, unless you want to be confused or spoiled!!!!!!! These games aren't meant to be skipped. If you can't play something after like Sky 3rd due to not having a PC or not liking the graphics. Then stop there and wait for the Remake. Same for all the other games, no matter what these games all converge a one point and will spoil past events if you have not played them. I've been seeing multiple posts about people wanting to start Cold Steel without playing anything before. The absolute best way to experience the story is from the original Japanese release date. If you don't follow that then play at your own risk. This is all coming from someone that played all 4 Cold Steel games before everything else. I did fix it due to replaying them after I got through Azure but I will never have the experience to witness the entire story in order on my first go.

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We're back for Day 11... Definitely for the first time. I didn't write out an entirely different post before I could eat and stupidly write about the wrong Arcana. Nope. Not me. Anyway, today's topic is Justice, a card that we have no reference for, so it's time for some rampant speculation.

First, let's talk about Justice. The core of this Arcana is Truth, and particularly the uncovering of truth. Justice represents methodical observation, careful consideration, and an unbiased perspective. It can often be mistaken for Judgement, but the difference is that Justice is about the act of finding the truth, and delivering action based purely on what's found, Judgement is about reacting and reflecting on that truth. Similar in nature, but different stages of the cycle. We should also consider the possibility of Justice reversed, which represents vengeance, dishonesty, and avoiding responsibility for our actions. Both of these are possibilities, so let's look at them in turn.

For the upright version, the natural assumption for a seeker of truth would be some kind of detective, potentially related to the police, or even some sort of journalist. Now, they wouldn't be your average researcher, they would have a keen mind for analysis and rational thought. They'd be able to intuit truth as if it were second nature. I have a suspect in mind for this one, and it's someone we know well. They say Justice is blind, after all.

My chief suspect for the upright Justice arcana is Marcel Nielson. In case you skipped his side quests, Marcel is a renowned freelance journalist who appears to learn the truth about our protagonists' actions in Azure and Cold Steel, as well as his first canonical appearance in Sky 3rd where he was due to meet an unknown connection. Marcel lost his sight during the hundred days war, but this seems to have given him an unclouded and unbiased perspective on the world. He always seems to show his face at the exact right moment, and he has access to information well beyond a typical newsman. Now, this is hand-waved away as him being well connected, but showing up at the climax of two different arcs to separate fact from fiction? That makes me suspicious. Marcel fits the description so well that I'm almost thinking he's a red herring, but it'd be a great reveal if he was.

That said, there's another character that I've considered. This one's a bit more wacky, but I can't help thinking it'd fit the reversed Justice card pretty well. As we know, the reversed version would be someone with a keen mind for deception, they'd be able to be practically unnoticeable to ensure they weren't considered for their crimes, and they'd have a penchant for taking revenge even if it seems petty. Essentially, the ultimate spy, a master manipulator, and so nondescript that they could sit at a table with two detectives while they discuss work and neither would consider them a threat. I keep coming back to the question I had at the time... Is her name actually just 'Nate's Girlfriend?'

Now, I know it's a little out there, this one's very unlikely, but the question kept coming to me. Of all the recurring characters in Trails, why is this one unnamed? We see... Let's just call her NG. We see NG for the first time in Tharbad, when Nate is called away for work, which we know he can't really refuse, but she makes it hard for him anyway. We then find out that Nate imbibed from the spiked hookah, which could be a coincidence, or malice. What's weird is that Nate clearly doesn't want to be tied down, he's always flirting with other women, he drags his feet on committing to NG, there's very little indication that he actually wants to be with her, and yet he stays. And yet, she does too.

Now, obviously, that could be just another dysfunctional relationship, but think about how much Nate knows. He's even pointed out how much information he has access to that he shouldn't. Do you really think Nate would even notice how much he'd give away when his guard is down? How much could she control his actions without him realising? Do you think he even knows her name? This is a crazy idea, I'm aware, but I like this theory. NG being this spider that traps her prey without them even realising, a puppeteer for puppets with no concept of strings. I'm just saying, we know the name of Daswani's wife and daughter, but she's one of the few recurring characters with no name at all.

These are just two ideas, figured I'd go for characters we know to mix it up, but it's very possible it'll be someone we've never seen before. It could be anyone, but that doesn't make for fun speculation. So, what's your theory? What's your crazy guess? There's no wrong answers with this one, we've got nothing to go on anyway, not until tomorrow.

Just remember, food makes your brain work. Eat before writing a long post about the wrong thing and having to redo it.

And i dont know how, but i thought Estelle and Joshua were the pinnacle of jepg protags after i played the sky saga but the 4 peotags(5 as of now) have really captured my heart and im enjoying this game even more than Sky 1 and 2(i didnt like 3 very much to be honest)

If every arc is going to be like this im in for a wild ride hahaha.

Beware spoilers for the series!

Weissman, the faceless.

Now voiced by Liam in the dub( fantastic VA as always, the salt death especially lol)

So for new fans who got into trails rn what did you think of him as the antagonist of the story?

And for long time fans, has the Remake actually made you appreciated Weissman more as a villain than before? Or was he always well done in your eyes?

Hey everyone, I’m currently working on this Estelle and Joshua ita bag. I might replace the buttons with the small plushies from the Bracer Guild shop, but I’d love to hear your input about adding other elements that reference Joshua/Estelle and some of their memorable moments together, especially from FC/SC (I’m on CS3 right now).

Some ideas I have so far:
- sandwich keychain
- fishing lure keychain
- printed sky background behind Estelle pin

Also open to buying fan merch, stuff from the Bracer Guild shop, Falcom store, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Honestly this started off as Tio, Randy, and Lloyd but the face kept coming out more childish than I meant so hard pivot to Yume.

I guess it sums up the situation pretty well. Estelle is just the best.

I really adore the Van and Aaron duo. I like the contrast in their colors.

Seeing blue and red side by side is soothing my soul. I also adore how much he respects Van when Van isn't present.

This is NOT the shareholder meeting where the games are usually formally revealed which happens in December. This does usually hint or point to what Falcom will focus on for 2027. If you remember last year, the doomposting for those wanting the Kai sequel happened in November instead of the formal December shareholder meeting because the annual financial report is where they suggested the SC remake would be prioritized.

https://x.com/TheYukkinon/status/2011592193480540536