Ah Sh*t, Here We Go Again

I've been told this could be considered either a good or bad indicator of mental health, but I recently restarted the Trails of Cold Steel series. I know, I know, that's asking for trouble with its steep time commitment, but god… there's still something incredible about these games. Which is saying something when Cold Steel is arguably the worst ​arc of the four.

Rather than go through New Game Plus off the PS4 editions, I bought the first two games again purely to run them through Steam Deck. In my defence, they were 50% off, and the portability is especially helpful when you're looking at around 60 hours playtime each. You could also argue I should play more games from this year before our GOTY discussions take place. To which I say, way ahead of you.

I've not got particularly far right now, nearing the end of Chapter 1. That prologue scene still utterly rips, throwing you straight into the action while Atrocious Raid kicks into high gear. Given how long it's been since I reviewed this arc's last entry, Reverie, reintroducing myself to Class VII and Thors Military Academy has been nostalgic. Which doesn't mean everything here is good, Rean and Alisa's introduction is outright painful to witness, and I'm quickly remembering how dated this looks visually. But there's more than enough charm and character to its world that I can see myself committing all over again.

Which is interesting in its timing, given when I first started. Playing Ys 8 with a friend got interrupted because of COVID-19, so I started Cold Steel afterwards in 2020. We all have our pandemic horror stories, I won't detail mine, but it was a very messy situation. My insurance job was increasingly miserable, and I was trying to make a fresh start. Alongside finding a new home, I took the full-time leap into games media. My first major gig convinced me to take the leap, Black Friday/Cyber Monday commerce that paid handsomely for 11 days. It was an incredible risk that paid off, and definitely not one I'd take so confidently today.

Now, I'm coming back to Trails of Cold Steel five years later, right as I'm hanging up the media gloves and moving onto my next role. I'm even joining the same team my old commerce partner went to, talk about a small world. Still, it's funny to reflect on these things and who can say how things will be in 2030.

Editors Note: For Henry, this could be a cry for help or a comfort thing, there's really no way of knowing. Don't worry about it. - Jason