However, it also makes significant developments for the series in far more deep-rooted and sometimes understated ways, such as the narrative intrigue surrounding the Five Demon Lords, Epstein’s prediction and the Oct-Genesis, Marduk Company, the motivations of Roy Gramheart, and so much more. This first entry alone pushes the series forward in some ways that are immediately apparent, such as its revamped combat system, a gorgeous new in-house engine, a tonal shift which is noticeable right from the game’s opening hours, etc. Both the narrative and mechanical developments of Kuro have tremendous potential in how they can push the Kiseki Series to even greater heights. If anything, these detractions only serve to emphasize that Kuro does a hell of a lot right in so many other ways… Not to mention, its shortcomings make the possibility of further improvement and iteration in its upcoming sequel, Crimson Sin, an even more exciting prospect. Well surprise, surprise, it’s actually my favorite starting entry to any Kiseki Saga so far. With this many shortcomings, it might sound like the Calvard Saga has gotten off to a relatively rough and/or slow start. Not to mention, Almata more than serves their purpose lore-wise and was a necessity, given some of the newly introduced plot elements that are set in motion with Kuro.Not to mention they had essential ties to various key forces, including the aforementioned D∴G cult, Heiyue, Garden, and most notably the game’s main protagonist, Van Arkride. But for the record, this is the “weakness” of Kuro I take the least issue with personally, as both Trails from Zero (D∴G cult) and Trails of Cold Steel 1 (Imperial Liberation Front) also both had different main antagonists. That said, there’s really no arguing that the antagonist of this first game is Almata, not Ouroboros. So, surely the Society didn’t send the Fourth Anguis to Calvard for no good reason, and the specifics of this third phase are still unknown. Keep in mind, their inaction is directly following the Grandmaster of Ouroboros announcing the start of the Eternal Recurrence Plan, the final phase of the Orpheus Final Plan, at the end of Hajimari no Kiseki. However, they do eventually contribute towards the collaborative efforts to thwart Almata once they’d begun to pose a legitimate threat to the Societies’ long-term plans. The only three active members of the Society who even show up in Kuro are oftentimes content with sitting back and watching the game’s events unfold from the sidelines. From not just Cold Steel (which is, overall, my favorite arc), but also the entire Kiseki series up to this point.Īs mentioned earlier, the Kiseki Series’ longtime antagonistic force, Ouroboros, has almost no direct relevance to the central conflict of Kuro no Kiseki. But even as someone who personally views the entire series as shockingly consistent in terms of overall quality-though the different games/arcs all have their own unqiue avenues in how they arrive at that quality-Kuro no Kiseki is an incredibly refreshing change of pace in many ways. I’ll get more into specifics later on, but suffice to say, the new-look writing staff makes an admirable effort at steering the direction of the Kiseki Series back towards its roots, and does so in a way that I think many Cold Steel detractors will be very appreciative of. But, perhaps more importantly for many, Kuro is also Falcom’s first major opportunity to acknowledge and address the complaints voiced by long-time fans with the shifting direction of the Kiseki Series- a shift which began in Crossbell and fully took shape during the Erebonia Saga. It marks the first game in the long-anticipated Calvard Saga, as well as the first game in the second half of the overall Kiseki Series as a whole. Despite being the 11th entry in the massive overarching narrative of the almost two-decade spanning Kiseki Series, Kuro no Kiseki is an absolute breath of fresh air.
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