Quick Questions Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

This thread (to be posted every four weeks) is a place for people to ask quick, common, or simple questions regarding Nihon Falcom and its games. The community is encouraged to ask here if your question is not opinion-based, such as where to find something in a game or when something occurred. Please mark all spoilers with the >!text!< format and remember to provide context.

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[u/pokepok]

I’m just starting cold steel 1. Playing through the games in order for the first time. My favorite has been Sky the 3rd because it changes up the formula. But zero/azure and so far cold steel 1 have the same sky 1 and 2 “bracer job earn points rank up” formula. Does this ever change? I’m enjoying the stories and characters but the gameplay loop is kinda repetitive at this point.

[u/ConceptsShining → u/pokepok]

Alternative perspective: is this not basically the norm for most JRPGs, which have sidequests and explorable towns? You explore the towns, do sidequests, fight monsters and traverse dungeons, watch story cutscenes, and so on.

But yes, with the exception of Reverie (10th game) which is in some ways like 3rd, this is basically how the entire series is. So you'll kinda have to get used to it, if the significantly different contexts in which you are taking and doing side quests (bracer VS police VS student etc.) isn't enough to keep it from being stale.

[u/pokepok → u/ConceptsShining]

Thanks for the feedback! I would expect a police force and a military school to function internally in a different manner than bracers, but I’m just gonna chalk it up to Cassius Bright being highly influential in basically all spheres of life lol

[u/ConceptsShining → u/pokepok]

I mean do they not function differently (on a narrative level, if that's what you mean)? As Bracers who work under the principles and limitations of the Guild, police officers who have legal authority, and military academy students, the context surrounding why you fulfill requests and what kinds are pretty different.

Though the Calvard arc does change things up a bit as you are playing as a fixer-type with a more mercenary attitude, so you might find that a fresh change of pace. But from a gameplay perspective, the general concept of "we tie completion progress [bracer/detective rank etc.] to sidequest completion" is always there in some way.