I didn't expect much coming to this game knowing it's just a bridge to a new arc, but I was soo wrong. For a closing arc, this game has one of the best character development I've seen. The characters as well, though some played a more passive role for the sake of putting the new ones on the spotlight, they were all still great, especially the new additions. With daydreams, one of the best features of this game, old characters are given the stage to show how much they've grown, with my favourite being Ash, watching his daydream really makes me realize how much have actually changed since the past games. Having gone from a "troublemaker" to being a more soft and reliable person for those around him. Other characters that has a romance sub-plot like Olivier and Scherazard are also given a really wholesome, romantic moment through daydream and not just put aside.

The story itself is fantastic, not the best in the world, but still quite peak, mostly by how the 3 routes works together. C's Route is very well written and the most well written one in the game, it's where the character development shines the brightest, making me change my perspective of "C" a full 180 after playing through it. The new character added also really shows actual substance and development, not just a soulless filler given form. Rean's route was really cool, it has a lot of peak moments especially when it intersects with C's, it plays quite like an action movie. Lloyd's route was the weakest for me, but still good nonetheless, it has its peak moments as well, just not as deep as C's route or as consistent as Rean's.

This game, though supposed to be the shortest compared to the Cold Steel series, took me the longest to complete. With the addition of the Reverie corridor and those that comes along with it. Everything is made bigger and better. They went full throttle on peak moments and payoffs.

Hands down, the best game in the series for me. Trails through Daybreak soon.