Trails of Cold Steel II: Prologue
The legend continues
Written by A.J. Maciejewski for Play Journals on
The first Trails of Cold Steel took The Legend of Heroes series to a higher level with its incredible cast of characters, epic plot, and awesome JRPG gameplay. Now, part two is out so let's see what Rean and gang have been up to.
Earlier this year, I reviewed the original Trails of Cold Steel. It's one of the best JRPGs in recent memory with an equally great story filled with colourful characters. As I played through it, I wrote a series of Play Journals to chronicle my experience and now that I started playing Trails of Cold Steel II, I'll continue that tradition. Keep in mind, if you haven't played it yet then there will be spoilers so please refrain from reading any further... unless you don't mind finding out what unfolds.
For a handy summary of the previous adventure's events, be sure to read the following:
- Trails of Cold Steel: The Journey's off to a Classy Start
- Trails of Cold Steel: Class Is in Session
- Trails of Cold Steel: School's in for Summer
- Trails of Cold Steel: Studying Abroad
- Trails of Cold Steel: The School Year Comes to a Close
Trails of Cold Steel II begins one month after the mind-blowing finale of the first tale. Rean awakens on a mountaintop next to Valimar (the large mech that he used to battle Crow) and Celine (Emma's cat). Celine informs Rean that he has a connection with Valimar and refers to him as its Awakener. Of course, Rean doesn't really care because he just wants to see his friends so he runs down the mountain only to face a giant boss known as a Magic Knight. He didn't stand a chance against it, but luckily Princess Alfin, his sister Elise, and Toval arrived to give him a hand. It's good to have such reliable friends, especially after waking up from a month-long coma.
The next morning, Rean finds himself in his hometown of Ymir. Upon speaking with Celine and a few locals, he decides to take a dip in the hot springs. Soon after, Elise joined him which was rather awkward. They couldn't enjoy their dip for long because the Magic Knight arrived near the town. Upon defeating it alongside Elise and Toval, it transformed so Rean had no choice but to pilot Valimar to defeat the Magic Knight once and for all. Meanwhile, back in Ymir, Rean's dad fought off some soldiers and Elise and Princess Alfin were kidnapped by a mysterious girl. I must admit, this prologue was much more eventful than the one in the first game.
Some aspects of Trails of Cold Steel II's plot so far are very intriguing. It's revealed that Emma is a witch (even though that's obvious) and Celine is her familiar. Not only that, Vita Clotilde (the famous opera singer) is a witch, too. However, she doesn't seem as nice as Emma. Also, Rean's ability to transform and his connection with Valimar seem like important aspects. You definitely don't want to mess with him! Speaking of which, I'm glad that the battle system is the same yet I'm hoping there are more mech battles this time around.
I'm very happy that Trails of Cold Steel II is out and I can't wait to work through the rest of its story. That being said, I sure hope this one doesn't end in a cliff-hanger like the first one did because I don't know if I can wait for the third installment. Who knows when that'll come out?! Anyway, stay tuned for more coverage and my full review whenever I manage to get through the entire tale.
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