I really enjoy Final Fantasy XVI. I think it's fun. But as I was playing Kuro for the first time and experiencing how it handles action based gameplay combined with turn based combat I fell in love and immediately wished Square's cash cow would liberally steal from Kiseki because this is the sort of gameplay I want out of a more action-focused role playing game.

I don't think Kuro has the deepest narrative in the Kiseki universe, but I love the cast of characters and seeing the state of the world after the Erebonian saga. It's so weird seeing this world enter such a modern-feeling age. A must-play, as usual.

Peak Fiction, this game is so incredibly good.
Van is such a fantastic protagonist, and he has definitely become one of my favorite protagonists. But not only Van, the whole Kuro Cast is great, in my opinion. I also really loved Risette and Agnès. Especially Risette is great, I absolutely love her.
This was also, in my opinion, certainly the best start to a new Arc from any Kiseki/Trails game, I don't think it could've been much better as a start to a new arc.
In addition to that, I also really liked the new battle system. I at least think the action/turn-based hybrid system was really fun.
Besides the great story, the game also looks beautiful. It's certainly the best-looking Kiseki game, and I enjoyed just looking at all the areas in the game.
The only major criticism I have with this game is probably that the music placement isn't perfect in some cases. I love the whole soundtrack, though I think in some cases the music didn't fit perfectly in the moments it played. But all things considered, that didn't bother me that much.
But overall, this game has become my favorite Kiseki/Trails game and one of my favorite games in general. With the Sky trilogy, Zero, Azure, Hajimari no Kiseki and now Kuro no Kiseki, the Kiseki/Trails series has definitely become one of my favorite series, and I'm already looking forward to playing Kuro II next.

This was such a needed pallet cleanse. new whole setting that starts the second half of the series with such a banger with the best arc starting game by a mile
it hits all the right notes and really makes me have hope for the future of the series. this is how arcs should start

this game is beautiful, it looks real good with the new engine and the combat is super fun it CLEARS everything that was in former games. the move to make it a mix of action/turn based hybrid was an unexpected but wholly welcomed change and it makes it 10x more fun

I ADORE the new cast all hits no misses in just one game a lot of them have become up there with some of my favorite characters in the whole series.
i really can't wait to see what they develop into with this new arc
Thank you Van Arkride

my only complaints would be
1. the music direction, not the music itself i think the music is generally great but god the placements of some songs just ruins a lot of the scenes that would've been fantastic with better choices
2. some unneeded padding here and there

This one sure did take me a while.

After being continually flabbergasted by the writing and systems of the cold steel games, It was nice to play a kiseki entry for once that didn't make me feel like my brain cells were being numbed to death yet despite I still do think kuro suffers a little bit from how bloated this franchise quickly became.

Frankly I don't think kiseki's writing has been that good even during the zero/azure days but there were stand out moments and charming worldbuilding and engaging storylines, Kuro does return to that era a little bit by having a much more darker storyline with characters that actually stay dead instead of magically being saved off screen to show up later, Its not perfect if anything these games really need a glossary button during dialogue because there are way too many characters and factions to remember all at once and the writers attempts to make van the connective piece of the next saga can only mean this is going to get much worse very quickly.

Speaking of the writing the pacing in kuro sure is something game has about 7 chapters including intermission and boy are they long the general formatting is the same as previous titles but you'll be doing it multiple times a chapter and it got old very fast, In general I would prefer them to tone down the amount of side quests as there's very little thought required for these quests as they mark every single little thing for you.

But enough about the superficial how is the new orbment system and mechanics? well its interesting enough I suppose, It seems like they took some criticism from how downright stupid the orbment system in later cold steel entries got and for the most part they have tried to bring it back up to snuff with pre-CS era orbments but I still think its kind of dumb overall they did bring back elemental requirements for skills (but not arts) which is appreciated as that kind of system was very fun and intuitive, Which made me groan at how little thought the newer systems needed despite this though a lot of the old meta's are here best spellcaster setup is pretty much just boosting your given element and slapping on arc feathers for extra damage and delay and with the addition of arts drivers that have replaced art orbments I find the system has kind of lost the plot. While i wasn't the biggest fan of art orbments in the later CS games if they were gonna bring back elemental points I have to wonder why didn't they just use the sky to azure system instead as you could still keep the shard skills but you would have a system that's much more engaging, Instead of a system I found i was actively ignoring well into the endgame as the skills loose their lustre pretty quickly once you figure out what's worthwhile and what's useless (spoiler alert its 90% of the non drive attack skills).

I will say though this has given me hope for the next few entries but I'm still going to hold my breath as I picked up on many telltale signs that things could get screwed up very quickly...But with all that said Kuro's a nice game highly recommend seeking it out early on steam instead of waiting for the NISA translation.

Kuro no Kiseki 1 is absolutely stunning and plays like butter. I am by no means an expert on turn-based JRPGs, but I've played a few, and oh my God, this has the best gameplay of them all for me. Trails gameplay has always amazed me and been my favourite, but this sets a whole new bar. They revamped the combat system and now allow you to move across the map with just your joystick rather than it being a separate move like before, making the gameplay and strategising even more interesting, especially in regards to AoE arts. But also, before you even get into your encounter with an enemy, you can engage in action combat to either have an advantage when you get into combat, or to go through groups of enemies and level faster if you feel the need to. Trails games aren't grindy in general, but if you choose to grind, it'll not feel like one at all in this game.

The technical impressiveness goes beyond combat gameplay. Persona 3 Reload, a JRPG by a successful company released 3 years after this game, still does the thing where if you enter a building on the street, you get teleported into like a separate level, and also the encounter system where you get teleported from the dungeon into a separate stage and then get back out once you're done. Not in Kuro. You enter buildings like it's nothing, and go in and out of encounters in the exact same room you were in, like it's no big deal. Which means that if you get into one in a narrow hallway, you will have less space to evade AoE attacks. It's amazing.

The music is very inconsistent in this one. Some of the stuff is downright amazing (as expected of a Trails game), like the boss themes or the jazzy city music, but otherwise you get letdowns like one of the normal battle themes that I found uninspired by Trails standards. And the OP is really fire and gorgeous.

Van is an amazing protagonist. Likable, a grown 24-year-old and in a unique line of work that sets him apart from other Trails and many JRPG protagonists, his "solutions" agency that deals not in black or white, but in gray, makes for some interesting stories and quests. His journey is really cool too, but that's impossible to discuss without spoilers, so I won't.

Unfortunately, despite initially seeming like the automatic best Trails, it has some issues I can't look past. The biggest problem is the pacing in the middle of the game, mostly in the penultimate chapter and the first half of the final chapter. There is so much repetition and padding, even by Trails standards. I was shocked after this wasn't a problem in Reverie and early Kuro 1. I think I finally started to feel Trails burnout because of this. Additionally, the cast is compelling, but sometimes the chemistry feels forced. Lastly, I won't hold it against the game for this, but it feels a little... too complete for its own good, unlike other first parts of Trails duologies. I played a bit of the beginning of Kuro 2 and it honestly feels like an unnecessary follow-up. Outside of those issues I can see why this is "a return to form" as a new arc for many, though I did like Cold Steel myself.

Ultimately, a seriously good game, this series continues to amaze.

The new saga of the Zemurian continent begins, this time in Calvard, and it's one of the best games in the series to date, without a doubt. In summary, our protagonist this time is a mercenary/jack-of-all-trades who, due to various factors, ends up helping a girl recover something important to her.

In terms of gameplay, this game implemented a real-time combat system that was very interesting and gave a fresh feel to the game, making it more dynamic. Being able to move during turn-based battles, similar to what happens in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, for example, was a great addition to the game. With graphics that are undoubtedly more beautiful than the previous ones, in terms of graphics, UI, gameplay, absolutely everything, it's the best game Falcom has ever made by far, only falling behind in my opinion to the most recent Ys games.

In terms of story, this game follows the classic Falcom style, full of characters with their own stories and objectives that you get to know better throughout your journey. Unlike previous games in the Zemurian saga, where the first game tends to be more introductory as it presents the world and the characters, in this one, the story is already incredibly interesting. I can't wait for them to translate Kuro 2!

A great palette cleanser that hearkens back to the more standard Trails from Zero rather than the massive saga that was Cold Steel IV or the episodic reflection of Trails into Reverie.

As is typical for a first game of an arc in this series, there are sweeping system changes, mostly to combat and how arts work. Combat-wise, the field combat is an amazing new addition and is a great base for future games. S-Crafts now also require S-Boost, a team-wide resource similar to Bravery Points in the last game, that mostly serves to curtail the S-Craft spam that dominated every fight that allowed preparation. The Arts system has even more complexity than previous games, but buyable plug-ins and drivers allow you to get the spells you want easily. Overall, arts are not as powerful as Zero or Azure, but are a little more interesting than Cold Steel.

Story and characters-wise, the game starts off a little bit slow as it eases you into Calvard, but picks up pace around chapter 2 or 3. The smaller cast and mostly self-contained story overall is what makes playing this game so much more relaxing than Cold Steel's marathon 5-game plot and massive cast of 50+ playable characters. Crawling around the city doing sidequests felt like Crossbell, and the slow introduction of new party members like in Sky helped you build a bond with every character, unlike Cold Steel, which gave nearly your entire core party for the first 2 games at the very start, and had to work to endear them to you as they fought for screen time.

I know I talked a lot about Cold Steel in this review but that shit seriously traumatized me and this game is much better. Overall, the missing star mostly represents a slower start and mediocre final dungeon (swear to god in the final chapter you have to destroy like 30 shields). But this is the best game since Azure.

Amazing start to the Calvard Arc. I hadn't loved any of the set up games for trails since Trails from Zero, mainly to their formulaic nature among other problems. While Kuro still retains that formulaic aspect, it manages to keep the game fresh while telling a mostly self contained arc for the protagonist (with many many loose ends that I'm sure will be explored in future games) and great new additions and changes to the trails formula.
The new turn based combat is probably the best in the series, though it still suffers from being too easy sometimes, and the field battles are an amazing addition that I never got tired of. By CS4 and Reverie the field advantage attacks had become a bit more complex so it was the logical next step, and I hope they keep expanding it.
The story is one of the game's strongest aspects. I was suspicious of the shift in morality they were advertising for this game and, while they still maintained the known trails tone through most of it, the different perspective the protagonist has truly is felt in the story and the choices you have to make. The alignment system is good for what it does and I thought it was well implemented as well.
This game made me very excited for the future of the series and I hope they keep dropping games of this quality.

Incredible start for a new arc in the series, and a true comeback after the uneven quality of the Erebonia arc.

What I liked:

+ Van Arkride is a fantastic MC, the main cast is great!
He has an edge to him while maintaining a sense of playfulness and compassion towards the people who surround him. Really hard to not cheer for Van as the story goes on.
The main cast is full of personality and chemistry with each other, and they complement Van perfectly as a team.

+ Calvard as a setting.
Calvard gives the writers an opportunity to touch on many interesting themes that have direct relation with real world issues. I think they did a good job on making the setting feel unique compared to other parts of the Zemurian continent, with some great political tension in the backdrop as always. Gotta praise the quality of the NPCs too!

+ The story is emotionally poignant and extremely rewarding for series veterans

Not gonna expand on this at all - just know I really loved the story overall and how it concluded.

+ Actually threatening villains
Given the focus on a more "mature" story, the stakes of the plot got increased as well, which resulted in a cast of villain that actually mean business - it was honestly refreshing to see actual palpable repercussions happening.
The main villain here is easily on the top tier of best villains in the franchise. It's impossible to get to the end of this game without hating his guts, which is all I've been asking from a villain in this series for a long time.

+ The alignment system is a fun gimmick
There isn't really any groundbreaking decisions that massively affect the direction of the main story, but the alignment choices provides another layer of role playing that makes the playthroughs feel more distinct than in past Trails games, even if just a little.

+ The combat system feels fresh!
I love the traditional Trails battle system, but it was about time to change things up. Kuro introduces a new flow to the battle system, with the field attacks being more involved than before. I liked how the shard skill system worked - it made building characters even more interesting.

+ The music is good (somewhat)
There's a good amount of excellent tracks in this game. Nothing on the same level as some of the past installments in the series, but I still put it as a overall W for the game.

What I didn't like:

- Chapter 3 as a whole
Not gonna expand on this as well, but it's an unfortunate stumble in a game that's overall very well written.

- Some old problems still persist to an extent
Some parts of the game feel padded/bloated in a way that didn't really feel necessary.

- Combat system has some rough edges
Not a big deal, but I really don't like how they chose to represent the turn timeline here in comparison to the older battle system - doesn't feel as intuitive visually. The lack of S-craft cut-ins is unfortunate as well, I miss them!

- The music feels uneven in some places
Boss Themes have never been worse in the series, except a few ones. There's also no effort in building a "motif" for the game, so the soundtrack ends up feeling like a collection of music that doesn't really speak with each other.

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Overall, I can't recommend this game enough if you like this series, or if you're a newcomer who wants to jump in (even tho some of the references will confuse you). Can't wait to play Kuro 2 someday!

Interactions in this game usually go like this:

Voice from off screen: “Hey Van, you called?” (Camera pans to reveal Blorpko Shitface, VA: John Voiceactor, returning from Trails Up Your Butt. You haven’t seen him in over 500 hours of gameplay.)

Van: Ah, Blorpko the Cum Drinker, good to see you.

Agnés: (Wait, the cum drinker? I’ve seen him in magazines before, didn’t he help out in the Bay of Poms incident?)

Blorpko: This is paying you back for helping me during Trails of Cold Steel 4, which I was notably absent from.