Trials of Cold Steel is sooooooooooooo good! I feel bad for EU peasants having to wait an extra month. I've played Cold Steel and Trials in the Sky to about the same point (~25 hours in) and so far I'm enjoying Cold Steel much more.
The way EXP. was handle bothered the living hell out of me in TitS, literally getting TWO exp. for a random encounter when it takes nearly 250 for the next level made random battle feel pointless. Now not only do random battles give you more experience points so you feel like you're actually making progress but you can actually influence how much exp. you get. You can get multipliers depending on how you did in the battle such as getting double/triple kills, not getting hit, doing link attacks, etc.
The music is also fucking fantastic! Not only is the normal battle theme great but the Practical Exam and Powerful Enemy/Boss themes make me rock hard everytime they play.
The school setting doesn't bother me one bit like some people especially considering that so far only about 1/3 of the game is at the academy. The other 2/3's is out on the field doing normal RPG stuff. Plus I heard that around halfway through the game really opens up so that's exciting.
Lastly the characters are getting more and more intriguing the further into the game I'm getting. Also I'm starting to get the feeling that a harem is in my future so don't worry waifu warriors! Don't worry though, it's not even close to SAO levels of harem. *not a story spoiler btw
