I've started playing through it, but I've got other games currently that I'm focusing on (currently Trails in the Sky FC, then Persona 3 Reload: The Answer, and then Metaphor ReFantazio).
Gestrid
joined 1 year ago
Sadly, it's not available on PC, but it is available on Nintendo Switch (US eShop page linked above) and PlayStation 4 (and PlayStation 5 through backwards compatibility).
It's a sci-fi game made by the creators of some games you might've heard of in passing (namely Dragon's Crown, Odin Sphere, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, etc.), Vanillaware. I can't go into any details about the game itself because of spoilers, but I will say it is quite simply the best and most uniquely told story I have ever seen in a game. It's a game you have to experience for yourself. You should go into it as blind as possible, too.
I will say the English dub of the game is also surprisingly good, considering it was recorded almost entirely in COVID lockdown. The Atlus West sound engineers (Atlus published the game in the west) must've worked some incredible magic to get it to sound as good as it does.
"What directly benefits the user?"
"Heated seats."
"Okay, start charging a subscription fee for that."
I know it's not what you meant, but it's what I immediately thought of.
They didn't show full episodes from the show. Rather, it was clips from the show organized around specific characters, themes, or moments from the show. Sometimes (not often, but sometimes), they would use voice lines from the show as well.
For example, (Avatar: The Last Airbender spoilers)
spoiler
they had clips and music about Iroh. It included, of course, Leaves From the Vine with audio and clips of Iroh singing it. I cried through that whole segment. I don't think there was a dry eye in that theater.
For the encore they made an entire song out of
.spoiler
the Secret Tunnel song
Just a guess, but it's probably just because the person would end up throwing a tantrum. "YOU CAN'T ARREST ME! I'M BEING ARRESTED! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG! WHERE'S YOUR PROOF!" (Or something like that.) As anyone around them tries to ignore the guy shouting at the top of his lungs and trying to do his best not to get handcuffed.
Twitter has World Bank ads?
Tickets to Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert and the merch I bought at it. I spent something like $200 in total, but it was WORTH. EVERY. PENNY.
I mean, just schedule the appointment, put it on your work schedule, and ask that doctor (or whatever you call them) for a note for work. That's what I do.
On the flip side, this is what makes Windows generally very good at backwards compatibility. They do update the codebase for stuff, but still generally very backwards compatible with software and games designed to run on previous versions of Windows.
Fun Fact: Backwards compatibility is the reason you can't name a file or folder CON.
To be fair, who wouldn't?
Yeah, I'm just a big JRPG fan.
As for the Trails series, I've been told that the best place to start is (understandably) the beginning. Play in release order. The first three games are in 2.5D (as opposed to 3D), but they actually hold up really well.
Most people (myself included) will recommend that you use a spoiler-free guide to avoid missing hidden quests and collectibles (such as a book series you'll collect in its entirety over the course of the first game). I'm using this spoiler-free guide for my playthrough of the first game.
It's also recommended that you go around talking to every NPC in the town you're in every now and then. Dialogue updates as the main quest advances and, at times, if you've had an interaction with an NPC in (for example) a side quest and that NPC later pops up in the main quest, the NPC will remember that interaction from the side quest. Some NPCs also pop up in later games with their stories continuing (or so I've been told).
Almost every single Trails game is also available DRM-free with achievements on GOG. The only one missing is the latest game (which has a "coming soon" page). The series goes on sale on GOG pretty frequently, too.
Also, examine every chest twice: once to open it and once to see the "empty chest" dialogue. The English localizers noticed that, in the Japanese version of the game, instead of having the empty chests call a single line of dialogue multiple times, each chest had its own line to call. (It was the same thing copied and pasted every single time.) So they had some fun with it and made nearly every empty chest have unique dialogue.
Also, just today, during the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st, a remake of the first game in full 3D with the modern Trails aesthetic, was announced for a 2025 release worldwide. Though I don't know how faithful it'll be to the original game or to its localization. So you could wait for that if you want or just play the original trilogy immediately. But, again, the originals still hold up really well.