#32

Change YoY: =   My Rating: 9.2

The second of many The Legend of Heroes games on my list, Trails of Cold Steel III was akin to a second start for the series, as it not only made the series' debut on a new console generation, but also introduced a new set of main characters that took the center stage for much of the game. In general, the four Trails of Cold Steel games feel like two distinct pairs, the first two centering around the same core group of characters and storyline, while the latter two take place after some time has passed and, as mentioned, feature many entirely new characters in addition to the already familiar cast. This soft reset is both a blessing and a curse. It definitely gives the game a feeling of freshness, but on the other hand in some ways it also feels like you're restarting a lot of stuff from scratch.

 Once the story gets going and the new characters have been introduced and made familiar, then the game hits its stride again. Not that the beginning is bad or anything, the game just takes a moment to essentially collect itself and put everything in place for what's about to happen. Effectively, we're setting up new pieces on the board for the final game in the series after quite a few of the major storylines were already wrapped up in the second game. None of this makes the game bad by any means, quite the opposite, just means that it takes a little while to get going, and when it does the result is one of my all-time favourite games. It may be the weakest of the four Cold Steel games, but as this ranking probably tells you, that doesn't make it any less great overall. The gameplay, characters, story, and music are still all fantastic, and the weaker elements are essentially a necessity of setting up the events to follow in later games.

#32: Oh, so it is Splatoon 3. In your list even before tasting the DLC?

#30: That's the case in the most recent Fire Emblem, am I right? Fire Emblem Engage.

30) Hades

Come on guys, you really want to leave three games in my next batch unguessed:

#35: Persona Q as guessed by The_Liquid_Laser.

#34:
Storm, Drizzle, Clearance, repeat.
Beavers, Humans, Lizards, Harpies.
All trying to get the favor of the Scorched Queen in the Smoldering City.
You as one of the viceroys are in charge of expeditions to settle the land before the blightstorm is destroying it again.
In a kind you are fighting in this indie game against the storm instead of a personified foe.

#33: Hogwarts Legacy as guessed by Machina.
Pig verruca heritage.
Broom, vroom, vroom.
Go to school while also uncovering old secret knowledge.
An early release this year.

#32: A Short Hike as guessed by UnderwaterFunktown.

#31: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn as guessed by S.Peelman.
Start the game by playing with members of the dawn brigade.
This is the only Wii-entry of this vast series of turn-based tactics games.
The series got much more successful with their entries on 3DS and Switch, even though it is around since the Famicom.
Although in this series of games the entries are usually more loosely coupled, this entry is the direct sequel of the predecessor on the Gamecube.

#30: Deus Ex: Human Revolution as guessed by haxxiy.

#29: Octopath Traveler as guessed by Darashiva.

#28: Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV as guessed by Machina.
This is the fourteenth entry in this pretty old series of turn-based tactical strategy games, that is named after and set in a medieval novel from China.

Never played it so I didn’t get it from the first hint but with those ‘practical’ hints added I’d say; Fire Emblem Radient Dawn.

33 - Hogwarts Legacy?

28 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV?

Yeah, I thought probably not too many who played the game, as the series gained popularity afterwards.

Yes to both. I really thought with the second hint people would get Hogwarts, but it seems not.

A pity nobody gets #34. Not because it stays unguessed, I am OK with a few games not getting guessed, but it means the game isn't very well known, which indeed is a pity.

Alright, next batch of games. With these were already getting to the halfway point.

#30: Even though your character and your immediate team members are new characters, this game also features many familiar faces from the tv-series this game is based on.
#29: This game features a rather original solution to prevent you from going out of bounds as you'll just get blown away halfway across the map if you try.
#28: Gone in 60 minutes.
#27: Though this is technically made by another company, it was branded by its publisher as part of a well-known, wider series where each game's name has a certain prefix.
#26: Try to keep your units away from the 'inquisitors', they're relentless and basically always win.

30. Bioshock
Dystopias weren't done to death yet when this game came out, but even after the dozens I've experienced since then Rapture will always stand out as one of my favorites. There is something very compelling in seeing how the ambition and arrogance that it took to build to the city also led directly to its downfall. All of the atmosphere, the beautiful Art Deco covered in debris and blood, the well-off people who thought themselves above morality descending into animalistic chaos, supports and enhances the themes of the core story. The gameplay is solid, very fun and I think the complaints about the shooting mechanics are overblown, but it really is the powerful story and unique world of this game that really made me love it.

Next batch coming in hot

30) Ludger Will Kresnik

29) Starts the way the last game teased, but definitely not in the way people expected

28) Just like this game released slighly over a decade after its predecassor, it's sequel also came out slightly over a decade after this one

27) Starts with falling

26) Who doesn't love annograms?