Now that I've finally worked my way through Act 1 of this epic JRPG, it's time for another play journal. Here, you'll find my impressions so far as well as some story information so be warned: there will be spoilers.
Reunited and it feels so good
The first part of act 1 has Rean go on a quest to find his classmates. He first finds Machias, Elliot, and Fie around the Celdic area by solving an odd map riddle. It's great to see these characters again, especially Fie who eagerly tackled Rean to the ground. Later, upon arriving at Nord Highlands and borrowing some horses, we met up with Gaius. Soon after that, we rescued Alisa and Millium from a creature known as cryptid. It's awesome that Alisa is back in the party. I look forward to seeing plenty of awkward exchanges between her and Rean. Anyway, we met Sharon who helped us out in a fight but I'll talk more about that later. After that, we traveled to Legram and found Laura and Emma fighting a monster in Lohengrin Castle. Our party just got a lot prettier. Finally, we journeyed to Bareahard where we met a reluctant Jusis but we eventually convinced him to join us again. Well, that's the whole gang! So, let's look at the story in a little more depth...
Act 1 in 3 epic parts
Near the beginning of Act 1, we realise that things aren't quite right on the continent. The Noble Alliance seems to be making situations tense as they seek out the members of Class VII. At one point, after a grueling battle, Lieutenant General Craig and Captain Claire arrived just in time to assist us. Later at Nord Highlands, we infiltrated the watchtower that has been taken over by the Noble Alliance. On the roof, Phantom Thief Bleublanc and Altina (the mysterious girl who kidnapped Alfin and Elise in the Prologue) attacked us then Sharon arrived to help us out. Not only that, she also offered to cook for us. What a lovely individual. Right after reuniting with Jusis at Bareahard, two Ouroboros members (McBurn and Duvalie the Swift) attacked and defeated us. However, Instructor Sara swooped in to save the day! That's been happening a lot lately... Anyway, after everyone was finally together, we questioned how we should handle the war. Back at Ymir, it was revealed that Alisa and Rean met each other as children. I knew they were destined to be together!
Take a breather - it's time for an intermission
After an intense confrontation with Vita Clotilde, Rufus, and Crow, we found out that Duke Cayenne wants Rean to board his ship. Surprisingly, Rean accepted his request. On board the Pantagruel, Crow and Rean chowed down on some fish burgers and talked about their pasts. Rean also spoke with McBurn who helped him understand his special power. Finally, Rean discovered Princess Alfin on the ship and decided to escape although his sister Elise's whereabouts are still unknown. Before escaping, Rean battled Crow then all of his classmates showed up to help fend off more oncoming attackers. I'm looking forward to what happens in Act 2...
Spicing up the gameplay
As I progress through The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II, I'm finding many of its gameplay elements to be much more satisfying than the first game. I've been enjoying such things as levelling up slots, but there are even more impressive aspects at play. One of the coolest things is how big your party is. Sure, you only get to have four active members at any given time but there are a handful of guest characters that seem to permanently join your party. Being able to play as Instructor Sara, Toval, and Sharon is just awesome. As I expressed in my first play journal, I want more mech battles and I'm happy that they delivered throughout so far. A cool part of them is when you have another party member provide assistance here and there through various abilities. Speaking of which, the Overdrive system where two characters can attack in quick succession is great. I'm happy they improved so many things in this sequel.
A couple of nifty mini-games
I just wanted to mention how much I enjoyed the snowboarding and short motorcycle racing mini-games. Snowboarding is especially fun and somewhat challenging. It obviously reminded me of the mini-game in Final Fantasy VII, but that's a good thing. I wonder if there will be any more of them later on in the adventure...
Well, I'm about halfway through my journey with Rean and gang. Stay tuned for more as I work my way further into this fantastic tale. Keep in mind; I'll put a full review together once I'm done the whole thing.