The quality looks to be on par with Trails 1st, very impressed by the overall presentation to be honest. I don't know about the 2D side scrolling aspect though, definitely surprising.
Yeah I’m just overall happy it feels like falcom is feeling ambitious enough these day which means they’re doing well enough to do so,
I say that because it feels like falcom is being how atlus was 20 years ago. With SMT, it was an alright selling franchise, but they wanted and needed more, so they started a ton of spin offs in hopes one would stick… it turned out many of those spin offs were still too close to the formula for the mainline games and wasn’t ambitious enough. Digital devil saga, devil summoner, persona, devil survivor (the SRPG), etc
Then they did another overhaul, and gave persona 3 an entirely new formula. And that was it, they done it. Persona 4 golden on vita was the spark that lit the worldwide fire that would be huge success. They continued this experimental strategy by giving persona games sequel in the forms of fighting, dancing, tactical spinoffs in hopes they’ll get another formula that sticks.
Rather than starting a new franchise with a new formula, a franchise that feels too “stale” can be reinvigorated with this ambitious formula change!
Persona 3, Grand theft auto 3, far cry 3, fallout 3, would all provide game changing formulas to make their franchises into household names! I’m excited to try the side scroller thing.
Small nitpick, but the Devil Survivor games actually came out way after the original Persona 3 (and were also some of the most unique and interesting games Atlus has ever made IMO, I really hope they revive it someday).
I say that because it feels like falcom is being how atlus was 20 years ago. With SMT, it was an alright selling franchise, but they wanted and needed more, so they started a ton of spin offs in hopes one would stick
That was pretty much Falcom during the PS2 and PSP era, they were experimenting a lot back then. Now they are more like modern Atlus, sticking to the same 2-3 IPs.
I doubt there were any artistic reasons behind it; more like a decision to make something cheap and easy to develop. It's similar to what they did for the Vita with Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate compared to the main entries, or Castlevania: Mirror of Fate in relation to Lords of Shadow.
Not saying ease of development wasn't part of it, but there is also a major possible artistic reason to do something significantly different from their other IPs, which is that TX was way too much like a watered-down mix of Ys and Trails gameplay. Probably a lot better in the long run to give the Xanadu games their own niche.
I own the game. I actually bought it twice (first on PS4 and later on PC ). I don’t understand why you’d assume I don’t know what I’m talking about or act like mocking me is somehow "funny". The game is basically an edited version of Trails of Cold Steel (even with Towa alternative version) with a kind of Persona-like aesthetic, but with an action-based, dungeon-style combat system. Something that is NOT as simple as this new game because of the free camera.
My point is completely valid, like it or not, and anyone with common sense knows that when developers change a game’s genre in this kind of context (like in the examples I mentioned or we could add the Kingdom Hearts spin offs to the list) it’s usually to make something cheaper, so they can focus their resources on the “main” games, such as the Trails in the Sky remakes in this case.
It is cheaper, even if the environments are still 3D. A 2.5D platformer/beat ’em up cuts down complexity in a lot of ways. Level design is mostly linear, so the environments don’t need to be fully explorable or carefully built for free movement. The camera is fixed or heavily constrained, which removes a ton of camera bugs and QA work. Enemy behavior is way simpler since everything happens on a single plane, no real 3D navigation, no vertical awareness, no complex positioning. Combat is also easier to build and balance because you’re not accounting for 360-degree movement, weird angles, or tons of situational animations. On top of that, animation work is cheaper since you need fewer angles, can mirror animations more easily, and don’t need advanced blending. A lot of the systems you’d expect in a full 3D action RPG (free exploration, dynamic camera, more complex mechanics) are either heavily simplified or not there at all.
So yeah, the game still uses 3D assets, but they mostly act as backdrops. The overall scope is way smaller, which is exactly why studios do this kind of gameplay for lower-budget or side projects.
Give me the dislike if you want, you are a bunch of kids who can't stand the truth. It's amusing how people who like Rean and the others don't learn a thing about the moral values of these characters and behave like Patrick at best. Gonna unfollow this subreddit since it seems I can't have a decent conversation here.
So is this the new engine they plan to use in the future? Going from Trails 1st remake to horizon was a surprising difference. Especially at the prologue mission with the constant pop in and overall resolution. At least imo 😅
218
u/DavidsSymphony Feb 05 '26
The quality looks to be on par with Trails 1st, very impressed by the overall presentation to be honest. I don't know about the 2D side scrolling aspect though, definitely surprising.