It's definitely flawed, I can definitely see where the complaints come from, but honestly, it's been a blast for me, and a major step up from CS1 and CS2. Definitely one of the better first parts of Trails arcs, not just graphically and with gameplay, but in terms of raw enjoyment and pacing. I might be in the minority with some of these, though.

A lot of first parts in Trails arcs are about exploration and character interaction, and I think the mentor/student dynamic in a school setting really helps with that. The more militaristic and sci-fi-ish setting really works for me. The field trips have some of the most fun episodic Trails content for me, and some of the cast being from Crossbell really brings an interesting dynamic to a cast that is for the most part from Erebonia. I also really like Rean in this one.

That ending really hit for me, as well. No idea how people waited an entire year for CS4 to come out like this. I immediately opened up CS4 and played the prologue, which blew me away, as well. The hundreds of hours invested into the series are definitely paying off. I will have high expectations for it and Reverie now. Let's hope that I end up being one of the people for whom CS4 really works, since I see extreme opinions on it more than anyone calling it mediocre or just okay.