Game:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (2004)

Category:

Vlog

Duration: 3:43:48

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Originally recorded: May 27, 2022
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There were several things working against me on this stream. This was the first time I ever devoted a Friday to Back the Log Off, I was running on far less sleep than I was used to due to a prior engagement -- the same one that forced me to move up the previous session to Wednesday. Worse yet, those schedule conflicts even forced me to start recording after what I'd generally consider my usual deadline. And as an extra kick in the teeth, the earliest parts of this play session clued me into the fact that I clearly stopped short last time: I could've easily crammed in some more playtime into my 15th recording without having to worry about hitting some "point of no return". And as the hours ticked away and the game's conclusion was in sight, it began to feel like I was rushing toward the ending for this one, desperate to make finishing the game in 16 sessions a reality.

Still, having said all of that, I don't regret anything about how this turned out. I finally beat the first game in the Trails in the Sky trilogy, after essentially half a decade of putting it off. Better still, I'd call the experimental first pass as "Back the Log Off!" as a series concept a complete success. I wonder if that will extend to my other ideas, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I want to at least get through the first slate of BtLO games before I start really developing some of my other ideas.

Despite having an idea of where things were going to go for the ending -- the fact "FC" ends on a cliffhanger which will be resolved in SC was one of the first things I learned about the series -- there were still quite a few emotional gut punches hidden in there that caught me off-guard. I kind of don't even want to spoil them in this text diary, despite the fact that the original game itself is almost two decades old. Granted, that fact makes me feel sad in a different way. Huh, wait, so the game originally released in Japan back in 2004... and Estelle and Joshua are both 16. But I was *also* 16 in 2004... do I actually resonate with the characters more because we're technically the same age? I'd better stop thinking about that right now, if only because I don't like where that rabbit hole might be leading me. Besides, it served its purpose: that was more than enough filler to distract from the fact that I'm avoiding discussing some major spoilers for the first game.

I wonder if they'll let us play as Cassius in one of the other Sky games. That might lead to the same issue they had with Dogi in Ys SEVEN though: they would probably have to scale back his in-universe power level for the sake of the gameplay mechanics. And where's the fun in that? Besides, I think they may have essentially written him out of the next game anyway. A shame, but it would be pretty cool. Maybe if Falcom decides to make that sequel to Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki, they might put him in as an unlockable character... if they can even remember that far back.

But, as excited as I am to check out the conclusion to this story, I'm afraid I'm going to have to put it off for a little while. I definitely intend to return to the Trails series later this year. In fact, I'm hoping to finish the entire Sky trilogy by year's end -- even if such a proclamation feels like a doomed prospect already. Hopefully, I'll be able to return to the land of Liberl sooner rather than later, but before I do, there's a ghost from my own past I need to exorcise first. One that's been lingering for over a decade at this point...

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