|OT| The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero / 英雄伝説 零の軌跡 | Geofront's Localisation Patch | Gotten Over The Barrier! | v1.1.1 Out Now

Kvik

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Introduction

Welcome, detectives! Highly regarded as one of the most important arcs of Kiseki series, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is finally available in English for the first time. "But what about the leaked translation patch?", you said. Well, the localisation quality of the first 5 Kiseki games released by XSEED was extremely high, and Kiseki series deserves better than an unfinished, unedited and barely legible English translation which wasn't even supposed to see the light of day. As far as we're concerned, Geofront's localisation is the TRUE patch, worked tirelessly by a talented group of people for more than 6 years.

In this thread, I hope both Kiseki enthusiasts and newcomers will be able to have an interesting discussion about Kiseki and all its facets. Secondly, I know most people will want to ask if Geofront will work on the second half of Crossbell duology, or when will Cold Steel IV is coming to the west. While I can't stop people from discussing these things, please consider that Trails from Zero by all accounts is a great game in its own right, and not just another hurdle to overcome before playing Cold Steel III and IV. There is still plenty of topics to discuss regarding Trails from Zero or even Kiseki series as a whole. Let's enjoy the journey together!



The Features


While the list below is not an exhaustive list of all the features implemented by Geofront, I hope it will still give us a rough idea of how extensive the project is.

A. Localisation

  • Dual language support without system locale emulator.
  • A fully-edited English script, inline with XSEED's localisation style of Trails games.
  • English script is checked against Trails in the Database for editing consistency.
  • Certain terminologies are adapted to follow NISA's localisation choices in Trails of Cold Steel III.
  • In-game lore consistency is checked against Kiseki Wiki as the primary reference.

B. Bugfixes
  • The game no longer has extreme slowdowns from a common graphical effect during Aerial, other arts, map fadeouts, and numerous other instances.
  • The game no longer inexplicably flickers every so often.
  • The game no longer runs poorly if you play without a controller attached.
  • Text no longer shakes when scrolling in.
  • Character art for portraits, menu art, and any other place is no longer of a muted colouration compared to the PSP and Vita versions (and all three versions of the sequel).
  • Numerous other small fixes.

C. Graphics
  • Arbitrary resolution support.
  • Up to 144 fps framerate target.
  • Anisotropic Filtering (16x).
  • Multi-sample Anti Aliasing (up to 8x).
  • Borderless Window/Exclusive fullscreen mode.
  • High-definition variable-width fonts support.
  • Extended draw distance.

D. Quality of life improvements
  • Improved mouse input support.
  • Fully redrawn detective notebook graphics.
  • Edited in-game sign graphics.
  • Alphabetised Crossbell City Library material.
  • Context-sensitive custom cursor support.
  • The game autosaves when entering a new map.
  • Improved save/load menu.
    • A modernised interface which is similar to Trails in the Sky and Cold Steel PC ports.
    • 1000 save slots (not including autosaves).
    • Viewing and saving of savegame metadata independent of the system locale.
    • Viewing and loading of PSP or Joyoland port savegames.
  • Turbo mode up to 8x speed.
  • Input binding and remapping for KB&M and gamepads.
  • XInput controller API support.
  • Fully-rebindable button prompt icons for Xbox, DualShock 4, or Switch Pro controllers.
  • Native support for Zero No Kiseki Evolution voice assets (voice mod)

E. New Features
  • Message log history.
  • Custom soundtrack builder.
  • Treasure chest messages.

Buying and Patching


Geofront's patch is targeted for the Japanese PC version of Zero no Kiseki. The Joyoland PC port of Zero no Kiseki is not supported. The physical version is available from Falcom Online Shop and Amazon Japan. The digital version is available from DLSite.

At the time of this writing (13/03/2020), the physical version of Zero no Kiseki is currently sold out, although one might be able to obtain it through third-party resellers on Amazon, Yahoo Auction or eBay.

To download the patch, visit:


Direct Link: Trails from Zero Translation Patch (Ashburn, VA) - The Geofront


And follow the installation instructions here:



Changelog for v1.1.0 can be read here:



Zero No Kiseki Evolution Voice Patch

Geofront provides native compatibility with Zero No Kiseki Evolution voice files. Players will be able to hear voiced dialogues taken from the Zero No Kiseki Evolution version. The installation will detect the voice files from the game package when placed in the game directory. Follow these instructions to prepare the voice asset files.



Zero no Kiseki Evolution OST Patch

In order to utilise the custom soundtrack capability, we will need to extract the soundtrack asset files from the Evolution game archive. Follow the exact same instructions provided above, up to "Decrypting the files" section. For the following section, we need to extract data.psarc and data1.psarc. Both of these files can be found in the same directory as data2.psarc file needed for the voice files. Follow the same direction as outlined in the "Extracting data2.psarc"

Execute the psarc-tool.exe command line tool to extract the two psarc files. Example:

psarc-tool.exe -x app\PCSG00042_decrypted\data.psarc
psarc-tool.exe -x app\PCSG00042_decrypted\data1.psarc

Once these two archives are extracted, examine the current directory for data and data1 folders. Inside these directories, there should be a data\bgm folder in each one. Create a new directory with the name bgm_evo_at9 and copy the contents of these bgm folders into it. There should be 4 files with .at9 extension in data\data\bgm folder, and 74 files with .at9 extension in data1\data\bgm folder. You should end up with a grand total of 78 files with .at9 extension inside your bgm_evo_at9 folder.

Next, we need to re-encode these .at9 files to ogg vorbis format (.ogg). For this step, we need two command-line tools: VGAudioCli and FFMpeg. You can grab the executables from the following URLs.

Click on VGAudioCli.exe to download the executable.


Click on the "Download Build" button to download the archive.


Once you've downloaded and unpacked the archives, you should have two executables called VGAudioCli.exe and ffmpeg.exe in your current directory.

Next, convert the .at9 files with VGAudioCli.exe to .wav format.

VGAudioCli.exe -b -i bgm_evo_at9 -o bgm_evo_wav --out-format wav

The command above will batch-encode the .at9 files into .wav format and output the resulting files into bgm_evo_wav folder. You should have exactly 78 .wav files.

Finally, convert the .wav files with ffmpeg.exe to .ogg format. But first, create a new directory called bgm_evo in your current directory. Then execute the following command:


The command above will batch-encode the .wav files into .ogg format and output the resulting files into bgm_evo folder. You should have exactly 78 .ogg files. The total size of the bgm_evo folder should be around 85MB or more.

Finally, copy this bgm_evo folder into the data folder of your Trails from Zero installation. Once you're in-game, simply switch the OST from Original to Evolution by changing the "Soundtrack select" option.




Order of Play





For new players, I highly recommend playing through the entirety of Liberl arc (Trails in the Sky FC, SC and 3rd) before jumping to Crossbell arc (Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure) and ultimately, the Erebonia Arc (Cold Steel I to IV).


Screenshots


These screenshots were taken from the first release (v1.0.1) of the patch. 2560x1440 resolution, Anistropic filtering and 8x MSAA enabled.














I found a bug! Literally unplayable! What do?


Squashing bugs sometimes aren't as easy as it sounds, so providing as much concise information as possible will help them replicate the issue, and hopefully fix it. And to do so, Geofront has set up an issue tracker on their website. You can also check other cases reported by other users.




Special Thanks

Nihon Falcom — for making great games for almost 40 years.
Geofront — for their dedication over the years towards completing this project.
Pasokon Deacon — for input on compiling this OT.
Pedro — for pointers on adding the Zero no Kiseki Evolution OST into the game.
The Dalk Fukters
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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lazerfox the banner looks good, though. I might use it in the Steam client for a little bit of variety!

Since the physical copies are sold out and the digital version is now #1 of all time at DLSite, chances are Geofront's server will be hammered when the patch goes live!
 
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skLaFarebear

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Definitely the next big Falcom game I plan on digging deep into after I wrap up Ys 8. Excited to see the new TL, but I'd be lying if I didn't say all the bug fixes/improvements are making me more excited than the edit itself. Turbo mode with 1440p at 144fps with 16x MSAA is makin me feel some type of way.
 
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I still need to figure out how to buy it, since everytime i use google translate the buy button from dlsite just vanishes.
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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So roughly 7 am AEST (Sunday). All the more reason to wake up early, then. :dana_smile:
 
Ring of Judgement
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Kvik

Kvik

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Recommended reading while we wait for the patch to drop.

The short comic known as Ring of Judgment was released successively over a series of months in the manga magazine known as Dengeki Maoh. The final chapter of Ring of Judgment was even released in an issue that came out mere days before the actual release of the game.


Thanks to Mivey
 
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sanhora

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Doesn't seem like it's happening today.




edit: or maybe it is
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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The game is good, guys. Reading the dialogue is a joy. High framerate and MSAA are implemented beautifully. Mouse support is excellent, we can play with only one hand -- just like Trails in the Sky. :dana_excited:
 

skLaFarebear

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The launcher doesn't seem to like my install from DL Site as when i point it right to the executable it throws me an error that it can't find it. Version that a friend provided me has some pretty big bugs including

  • 16x MSAA completely missing from the options
  • game defaults to whatever default settings it had on each new boot up, including graphics settings
  • 144fps completely slows the game itself to a crawl, audio, etc. is fine, only the game assets


Looks like i'll be waiting for a better version to pop up or for them to fix up the launcher, since i hear it has a fair amount of bugs. Also looks like the website's down so I can't really check.
 

tetel

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The launcher doesn't seem to like my install from DL Site as when i point it right to the executable it throws me an error that it can't find it.
Were you trying to install it on the old English version? Had the same issue, had to do it on a clean Japanese version.
 

skLaFarebear

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Were you trying to install it on the old English version? Had the same issue, had to do it on a clean Japanese version.
Nope clean one, though when i switched to using the rar file to unpack/install from DL Site I finally got it to work. I still don't see MSAA 16x and 144 fps still slows it to a crawl, but it did fix my default settings bug. I can live with 8x MSAA and 60 FPS so it ain't the end of the world lol.
 
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QFNS

Plays too many card games
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All this Zero hype has me wondering how much I should consider trying to get Ao to work, lol.

Excited to try the Zero release tonight when I get home.
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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If anyone is having issues with the Zero installer. the recommended way to install is to keep the DLSite archive intact, and copy it to the same directory as the installation files (\Geofront_ZeroLauncher_1.0\Application Files).

Once the game is installed, there is no need to install locale emulator or to run config.exe to configure the game. The graphics options and the rest can be configured in-game.

If you have an old installation of Zero, you can copy the savegames into the new installation and the game should be able to read it.

I'll think of some more tips and tricks later.
 
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tetel

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Well, I've played over 8 hours today and usually I'm tired after 2-3 hours sessions. It's way too good.

My only wish is Falcom coming back to those graphics instead of full 3D, the game looks great at times.
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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My only wish is Falcom coming back to those graphics instead of full 3D, the game looks great at times.
One thing I love the most about pre-Cold Steel Kiseki is the emoting in character portraits. The transition to full 3D in Cold Steel I and the subsequent games have somehow made it lost its charm.
 
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Line

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Finally :awwblob:
I also had issues with the installer, but hey, small price to pay.

As far as visuals go... I think the old Trails might be one of the nicest looking franchise around. You can see the obvious evolution in 3D environments, but the sprites are just lovely. Cold Steel aged a lot faster that's for sure.
Though I do regret the 3D portraits that you get on screen for almost the entire game(s). They're hideous... and it's the same face with barely different haircuts. Why? it's not like you don't get the good 2D ones in combat anyway! Resize that shit and you're good to go.
 
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We're now back up to 40 or so issues on our private tracker--and quite a few of them are tricky ones. The fanbase is basically testing the hell out of what's already taken years to fix up and polish, to say the least. I hope we can get 1.0.2 out in a timely manner.

My only wish is Falcom coming back to those graphics instead of full 3D, the game looks great at times.
I really wish we could do a neural network AI-driven texture upscale pack for the game, as it's got very inconsistent assets (mixed resolutions, dirty textures, etc.). At least the edited graphics are fairly high-quality.
 

Knurek

OG old coot
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I really wish we could do a neural network AI-driven texture upscale pack for the game, as it's got very inconsistent assets (mixed resolutions, dirty textures, etc.). At least the edited graphics are fairly high-quality.
Any particular reason you couldn't?
I thought Falcom file formats were pretty much thoroughly REd.
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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I've updated the OP with some information on how to extract the Evolution OST asset files, re-encode and adding it into the game.
 

Knurek

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I've updated the OP with some information on how to extract the Evolution OST asset files, re-encode and adding it into the game.
It's really weird that you have to reencode them to OGG, when the patch can play voice over AT9 files just fine...
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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It's really weird that you have to reencode them to OGG, when the patch can play voice over AT9 files just fine...
Yeah, true. Also, I find the volume of the .ogg files is quieter when played in-game, but normal when played in a media player. Maybe it's related to how the patch handles the decoding. The Original OST sound much louder.
 

「Echo」

鈴鹿御前。
Nov 1, 2018
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Mt. Whatever
Advice for someone whose American payment options are continuously declined? (For whatever reason, my local bank denies all foreign charges without prior auth/explanation.)

No Paypal sucks, that's usually how I get around this. :thinking-face:
My JP CC is longtime expired. :p
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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Advice for someone whose American payment options are continuously declined?
If you buy a gift certificate for WebMoney or BitCash, you can use that to buy DLSite points which in turn can be used to buy stuff on DLSite. Now, I never actually done this before, so I just did a quick Google search about how you can get WebMoney/BitCash gift certificate.



I'm not sure if offgamers is a legit seller like GMG is a legit key seller and not greymarket seller like G2A, so you might have to do a little research.

You can then redeem the code here: 新規登録 - 新規登録

 
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「Echo」

鈴鹿御前。
Nov 1, 2018
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Mt. Whatever
If you buy a gift certificate for WebMoney or BitCash, you can use that to buy DLSite points which in turn can be used to buy stuff on DLSite. Now, I never actually done this before, so I just did a quick Google search about how you can get WebMoney/BitCash gift certificate.



I'm not sure if offgamers is a legit seller like GMG is a legit key seller and not greymarket seller like G2A, so you might have to do a little research.

You can then redeem the code here: 新規登録 - 新規登録

I will look into this after work, nerves and tiredness level permitting. Thank you for this.
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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There's a site-wide 15% off voucher code on DLSite today. Perfect for those who are still looking to buy Zero.

 

Line

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Dec 21, 2018
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As much as I like the game, I can only hate the absurd amount of missables in the series.
It's so, so bad.
And it's one of the few franchises where it still exists, even for Falcom.
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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As much as I like the game, I can only hate the absurd amount of missables in the series.
It's so, so bad.
And it's one of the few franchises where it still exists, even for Falcom.
To help with the missables, there's a spoiler-free guide if you're not averse to playing with one.

 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
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Really looking forward to playing this (once I find the time).
Great thread!

As much as I like the game, I can only hate the absurd amount of missables in the series.
It's so, so bad.
And it's one of the few franchises where it still exists, even for Falcom.
I fully agree with this though. I feel like it got a bit better in CS3 -- at least I think that one is possible to play without a walkthrough and not miss a quest if you are decently (but not obsessively) thorough. Or maybe I just think that because when working on it I'm rather obsessive in my playthrough anyway :p

But the entire concept of easily missable stuff in these games just isn't something that I think adds much to the design, and it's very distracting for some people (like me :p).
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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The missable problem is exacerbated by the fact that Crossbell City has a very high NPC count when compared with Sky SC. Some of us may thrive on talking to NPCs after every story beats, but I can definitely understand if others see it as a chore. IIRC, Cold Steel III improves on this front by changing the "Talk" icon for the NPC when their dialogue lines are spent. This is a very welcome change.
 

Knurek

OG old coot
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The missable problem is exacerbated by the fact that Crossbell City has a very high NPC count when compared with Sky SC. Some of us may thrive on talking to NPCs after every story beats, but I can definitely understand if others see it as a chore. IIRC, Cold Steel III improves on this front by changing the "Talk" icon for the NPC when their dialogue lines are spent. This is a very welcome change.
Does Crossbell have that CS1/2 QoL feature, which will give you a choice to back down if you inadvertently go to the plot progression trigger?
 

Line

meh
Dec 21, 2018
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I like talking to NPCs... but not all the time. A lot of stuff opens up in a pretty random manner too... and it's not like rewards are irrelevant in Trails, missing on a quartz for dozens of hours (or forever!) is preeety bad.
And there's no coming back in Zero. Well, you it gives you enough hints, but still.

It's not a big deal, and there are guides indeed. But while I could see some things being a bit obtuse, some requirements are just bonkers... at least it should be doable in a thorough play-through.
At least you can clean up in NG+ while doing the extra content.
It's a minor complaint, but it is annoying.

I do like Zero a lot though, I enjoy the slightly more open nature of the game; TitS 3 was interesting, but a bit claustrophobic.
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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Does Crossbell have that CS1/2 QoL feature, which will give you a choice to back down if you inadvertently go to the plot progression trigger?
You mean, like that notification when you're just about to enter the old school building at the end of a free day? Nothing like that. Although since the game now autosaves when entering a new area, you can use it as a crutch if you're missing a quest.
It's not a big deal, and there are guides indeed. But while I could see some things being a bit obtuse, some requirements are just bonkers... at least it should be doable in a thorough play-through.
If you're referring to bonding points/events, I have to agree. I'm not a fan of limited bonding points in Cold Steel I & II either.
 
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Kvik

Kvik

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While most people are busy with either DOOM Eternal or Animal Crossing, I've spent the entire weekend putting the game through its paces. Because of the blessed turbo feature, the in-game clock says ~30 hours, while in real-time it's probably closer to 15 hours. I'm not even close to completing Chapter 1. As always, NPC sweep after every story event kept me busy. I know I've said it before, but reading NPC dialogue in this game is a joy in itself. Geofront Team could've taken an easy way out (the sheer number of NPCs in this game is not to be underestimated) and kept a literal translation of those lines, but on the contrary, every single NPC I've encountered so far has personality. It's something that I'm afraid will go unappreciated for most people, but on a personal level, this is one of the things I look forward the most in a Trails game.

The smaller main cast is something that I really appreciate. The group dynamic meshed really well, and Lloyd is a great protagonist from the get-go. The group is also not above making fun of Lloyd because of his altruistic tendencies. Randy fancies himself a ladies' man and he never let duties get in a way of being true to himself, and Elie never missed a chance to dress him down at every opportunity. Tio is a mysterious one, but I enjoyed her curt personality a lot. Early in Chapter 1, there's a good bit of dialogue involving trust between her and the rest of the SSS crew. There's also another good exchange between Lloyd and Randy in one of the sidequests where Randy called Lloyd out for being patronising towards Elie and Tio. Fans of the exchange between Machias and Laura in the early game of Cold Steel I will appreciate it.

The port quality is really good. I can imagine the amount of reverse-engineering involved isn't trivial. While the older Trails in the Sky series also features arbitrary resolution support and unlocked framerate, Zero match these two features almost like-for-like. The difference being that some animations are still locked to 30fps, which I think is a fair tradeoff since Geofront didn't have direct access to the source code, and exploration is pretty much locked to 144fps (or the chosen framerate) the entire time. The sometimes uneven texture quality is also something that didn't bother me, considering the game's original target platform was PSP. The game also managed to play nice with ReShade. Boosting the colour contrast with a mix of Clarity and Vibrance filter helped in masking some of the low-resolution textures.

I've probably taken more than 500 screenshots of the game so far and I'll write more of my experiences as I go along, but I would say it's probably one of the best fan localisation projects I've had the pleasure of playing.
 

Line

meh
Dec 21, 2018
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And I'm in chapter 3!
It's still good, it's quite an impressive translation.
Buuut... I'm liking Lloyd less and less, with everyone's throwing themselves at him for no reason, it's just Rean 1.0 and that's a huge factor putting me off Cold Steel until now.

Estelle really was a fluke, huh?
Maybe they should do more female main characters, at least they can't make harems for them because that would be so yucky to all the otakus....
 
Dec 5, 2018
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I'm still in chapter 1 (the in game clock is a bit over 20 hours, gameplay time tracker clocks at 12 hours which seems about right).