Board 8 > So I beat Trails SC last night. What is the 3rd really about? * Major Spoilers

(+) Yeah! (+)

Estelle/Joshua's story seems to be over. A lot of the main characters' arcs have concluded in a satisfying way. Zane's being the standout best. The regions of Liberl have had more than enough exposure by now and of course the myths and legends surrounding it have all been exposed as well.

The only way the 3rd's story would interest me is if it highlights Campanella and the Grandmaster's schemes and not simply filler epilogue material. I can see Kevin is a huge part of the 3rd and that may or may not be a good thing.

Overall SC was a grander and more conclusive experience than the first but there were times I wished the pacing was more balanced just like the first game. I really wished it wasn't exploring the same areas of the first game for the vast majority.

The writing and characters were outstanding as always and is by far the game's two best aspects. For its gameplay despite minor additions is still super bare-bones.

So if anyone can sell me on Trails the 3rd. I might play it sooner than later.
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I'd say the 3rd is mostly filler, but it's really damn good filler. There's a central Kevin-focused plot which doesn't have all that much to do with the story from FC/SC, but is still almost as strong as that as a standalone. There's also a bunch of side stories that you can view throughout which flesh the other Trails characters out more either by giving them more backstory or showing us what they've been up to since the end of SC. Ironically despite being side-stories these are actually a lot more important in the context of the greater Trails narrative, since they provide more context for the world as a whole and help set the stage for future Trails games.

So basically, no it's not required and doesn't fundamentally change anything about the series, but I still highly recommend it anyways. It still has every bit of the writing quality and the charm from the first two games. Also the soundtrack is so good.

Axl_Rose_85 posted...

The only way the 3rd's story would interest me is if it highlights Campanella and the Grandmaster's schemes and not simply filler epilogue material.

If you want this answered: (The 3rd spoilers) It's not a main focus or anything, but one of the side stories I mentioned does address this.

Axl_Rose_85 posted...

Overall SC was a grander and more conclusive experience than the first but there were times I wished the pacing was more balanced just like the first game. I really wished it wasn't exploring the same areas of the first game for the vast majority.

Wow. I am really glad to see someone other than me express this opinion. This was definitely how I felt though and it's where most of the few issues I have with SC come up. (the others being that Ouroboros as a collective was not always that compelling, which is probably Weissman's fault mostly) Generally though I tell people that I think TitS FC has the best pacing in the series and they look at me like I've sprouted a third arm or something.
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Also just to clarify this isn't just like a "yeah the 3rd was pretty good also" thing. If I were to make a list of top-tier moments in the series I honestly think The 3rd might have more entries present then either of the other two TitS games. Part of that is more due to the structure of the game and the fact that we have all these side-stories with their own climaxes and such, but the fact still remains that I think there's a lot of really good content in here. I don't think it quite has anything that for me tops Estelle and Joshua at the end of chapter 6 of SC, but I'll be damned if it doesn't come close.
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