Последние обзоры Azurium

8/10
+ Provides closure to the story of original Class VII after the cliffhanger ending of CS1
+ This game likely has the most consistently good OST in the entire series thus far (thank you Takahiro Unisuga)
+ Combat system and character builds feel more in-depth and fun to play around compared to CS1
- Certain parts of this game feel like filler, especially on a replay knowing what happens in CS3 and CS4
- Ending felt drawn out compared to other games due to the epilogue chapter

7.5/10
+ Trista and Thors OST are peak vibes
+ The arts system feels less restrictive compared to the games before this. Fire and Earth casters feel more viable now with the new quartz system.
+ Actual mini-game for fishing
- While this is another setup game like Sky FC and Zero, I feel that the pacing in this one is worse than Zero but better than FC. A lot of the story is already quite predictable based on knowledge from Azure, and this game already has an overlap in time coverage as late Zero and early to middle Azure.
- Going right from Azure to CS1 is emotional whiplash. With the stakes for the characters (and Crossbell as a whole) being what they were, going back to the more casual SoL in this one feels a bit jarring.
- Bonding points feel restrictive and prevent you from seeing all events for every character until NG+
- The 3D assets in this game (also CS2) are rather poor, especially for the characters and how they appear in dialogue boxes. It unfortunately doesn't get better until CS3.

8.5/10
+ Resolves many of the open questions remaining from Trails from Zero, and sets things up well for the Cold Steel arc
+ Much better pacing than Zero
+ Tons of world building for West Zemuria, and explores a lot more of the intricacies of the socioeconomic and political systems of the setting compared to previous entries.
+ Greater variety of OST; Unfathomed Force is one of the highest peaks of this soundtrack
+ More developed combat mechanics; the new Master Quartz system introduced with this entry adds a bit more complexity to character building
- Quite a bit of important character background and lore is hidden behind final bonding events for some characters, and like before, you can only see one per playthrough without reloading saves
- Ending is a hit or miss for a lot of people, especially with the reveal of the mastermind
- Second phase of the final boss is probably the worst in the series in terms of game design; Vanish is a horrible mechanic IMO

7.5/10
+ SSS feels more like a tight-knit group compared to the Liberl cast; lots of supporting characters in the cast besides the main playable characters.
+ First half of the story feels slowly paced but eases the player into the meat of the story around Chapter 3.
+ Good OST as usual with Get Over the Barrier!, Inevitable Struggle, A Light Illuminating the Depth, etc.; Crossing the Iron Bridge is an underrated field theme.
- Setup game for the Crossbell arc, so the pacing can be a bit slow (still better than Sky FC though at least).
- This is the first game in the series with an actual bonding system; you can only view one character's final bonding event unless reloading saves or watching the other characters' events online which can be annoying.
- Graphics are pretty much the same as the Sky series, so it can feel pretty dated.

9/10
+ This is a smaller scale and personal story focusing on Kevin (introduced in Sky SC) as a new protagonist
+ Minimal filler due to its premise; for better or worse, there also aren't too many NPCs to go around talking to which reduces the game script and length by quite a bit
+ A ton of world building and foreshadowing for later arcs gets explored throughout the mini-episodes / "doors" in this game
+ Has one of the best soundtracks in the entire series; "Cry for me, cry for you" is my favorite opening in the entire series
- Some of the doors in this game can feel excessively lengthy; Kloe's Moon Door felt like it dragged on for much longer than I would have liked.
- Gameplay and graphics are both pretty much the same as Sky FC and SC for better or worse

8.5/10
+ Builds on the cliffhanger ending of Sky FC to bring the overall Liberl arc to an actual conclusion
+ Huge tonal shift going from FC to SC that I was really not expecting as a newcomer to the series; both the scale of the events in the story as well as the overall stakes and emotions invested into its conflicts are much rawer
+ First game in the series with Takahiro Unisuga, who is responsible for many of the series' most memorable tracks, as a composer
+ "Looking Up at the Sky" blew me away when I first played this game due to its stark contrast with many of the more happy-go-lucky songs in the previous game
+ Leitmotif goes hard in the final dungeon
- Same gameplay and graphics as the previous game which may feel dated, but at least there's a high-speed mode to help with the slow combat

7/10
+This should be approached as a lighthearted adventure and prequel to Sky SC, where the bulk of the Liberl arc's main story actually takes place
+ "Factory City of Zeiss" and "Hollow Light of the Sealed Land" are my two favorite OSTs in this entry, with the former probably being my favorite town theme in the series
+ Strongly recommend using high-speed mode in combat, as the animations feel really slow otherwise
+ Charming character portraits, which I wish they had kept in Cold Steel I and II due to the mediocre 3D assets in those games
- Slowest game in the series in terms of story pacing until the final chapter
- Heavy slice-of-life story elements with Estelle and Joshua travelling around Liberl; some people may like this, but it may feel like not enough is actually happening to others
- I felt that the soundtrack in this game falls on the weaker end of the series, besides a few tracks such as the two that I mentioned above
- Weak gameplay and dated graphics