Trails of Cold Steel IV is finally out, and it’s a brilliant, breathtaking game. We’ll have a review up on DDNet once we can figure out how to write it without delving into spoilers, but the point is you should absolutely play it (though not unless you’ve played the first three first).
It’s also one of the rare games that are massive in scope (60+ hours, easily), but easily justifies that length, and that’s because it’s not just a JRPG. Trails of Cold Steel borrows heavily from the historical novel epic literary genre, and in doing so, it ends up being long as a consequence rather by design. It’s a rare game that does that. Usually, the length is manufactured.
In this video, I look at how the game borrows from the historical novel epic for its fantasy, and how it is so successful at it.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
In addition here are the two links I reference in the video:
– Matt S.
Editor-in-Chief
Find me on Twitter: @mattsainsb