Review of Li's Trajectory 2: The future is bright, but the path is winding

First of all, let me tell you at the beginning of the article that "Li's Trajectory 2" is a good game.

Although just like Falcom's other works, due to the overall technological level of the company falling behind the times and the existence of some inherited old problems, for the sake of the effectiveness of the article, some exaggerated expressions and the use of derogatory words to analyze shortcomings may be used in the following text. Please watch this article from an entertainment perspective to avoid causing discomfort.

is all a fan, don't come knocking on my door to check the water meter

Overall, from the performance of this work, it can be seen that the development of the Trajectory series still has a long way to go.

Entered the JRPG front line through cutscenes?

Let's first talk about the most commendable aspect of this work - the cutscenes. Most players who have watched the OP series of this game should have noticed that Falcom is working hard to create a cutscenes animation this time. Do you still remember the stand up Empire Wars in Flash Trail 3?

Do you still remember the "Spin, Snowy Moon Flower" from "Trajectory of Creation"?

Although the performance effects have been evolving all the way, it was not until "Li's Trajectory 2" that the evolution was truly completed. It really took Falcom too long to go from the cutscenes of the two headed puppet show in the era of "Space Trajectory" to the level that some big companies had already reached back then.

, even before the update patch of "Li's Trajectory", there were funny "Oh, oh, oh, oh" scenes

In addition to OP, you can see an exciting fight in the middle and early stages of the game, and the climax in the later stages naturally requires funding. The specific details are yet to be confirmed by players themselves.

can refer to OP

Emotional entanglements add fun to the plot

Many friends who have played the previous installment should know that there is a somewhat triangular relationship between Fan En, Yani Aisi, and Aileen in "The Trajectory of Li", which adds a lot of adjustments to the lengthy plot. This is just like the game "Space Trajectory" back then, the relationship between Joshua, Estelle, and Corus is also a part of the fun of the game.

For example, the game has a side storyline of mixing cocktails, and players can choose to collect materials with the characters they want to drink together. The map is very large and there are many types of materials available, but unfortunately, the materials used by Yani Aisi are exactly the same as those used by Erin, which is very intriguing

Same material, different taste

In addition to this short episode, the game also occasionally intersperses various small details that depict the emotional entanglement of the three people throughout, with a serious background and many relaxed descriptions interspersed.

Of course, apart from the protagonist and his two sisters, the emotional scenes of other characters have also been fully portrayed in this work, effectively leveraging the advantages of a group drama.

Strong narrative ability, also learning from others

Perhaps as the development team, including script writing, becomes younger, Falcom begins to learn some elements that have been used in other works. Just like the "opening lightning strike" presented to the players in the preface of this game, this is actually a technique already used in other works, and due to the mature and rigorous division of that system, the script setting of this game has also become more perfect.

Although the theme is left over by others, it perfectly fits the important setting and plot of "Li's Trail". Moreover, due to the special nature of this setting, the game's storyline is more exciting, especially in the preface, where the tense rhythm and unexpected setting have received unanimous praise from Japanese players who were the first to play this game.

Li's Trajectory 2, Reviewing the Old and Learning the New

Combat system, learning Flash Track

Flash Trail 3 made significant improvements to the combat system that year and gained widespread recognition from players. The most remarkable among them is the "Gao Yang" system, which has the ability to instantly kill the entire game after the boss battles the opponent's explosive seed. When the boss is in that state, their abilities will greatly improve. In the next action, they will also release S combat skills (must kill skills), but at the same time, they are more susceptible to dizziness damage, making it an excellent output opportunity. Risk and benefits coexist, adding some excitement to the originally dull turn based battles.

Just like in "Flash Track", the boss in "Li's Trajectory 2" will also "explode" (similar to our character's S-Boost), but this time Falcom is very "fair". Players could have used S-Break to grab the enemy's action sequence, and the boss can also

Just as you were about to give the boss a final blow, it launched an S-Break

So even if it's just Normal difficulty, if the boss suddenly launches an S-Break while our team is still alive, an S-battle skill can instantly kill the entire game, making the battle full of uncertainty.

In addition, this work also incorporates a system that strengthens the collaboration between the two major roles of "staggered energy storage" and "EX chain". The former can be launched by instantly avoiding enemy attacks during wilderness battles, quickly replacing the operating character and using regenerative attacks. The latter can be launched by using regular attacks and combat techniques against dizzy enemies in command battles. When the attacking character is in S-Boost or S.C.L.M. connected state, they will use combat techniques together with another character against dizzy enemies, which is equivalent to an enhanced version of the system "Rush" added at the beginning of Flash Trajectory 2.

Fairy Tale Garden, Learning "Creating Traits"

Due to the introduction of the power point matching system from the eras of Space, Zero, and Blue, as well as the increasing number of operable characters in Li's Trail 2, the demand for circuits and U materials (such as enhanced weapons, advanced trading accessories, and circuit essentials) has become extremely high. However, it is a drop in the bucket to quickly display these things in the plot, which can easily make players feel bored.

So one of the biggest advantages of "Trajectory of Creation" - the permanent dungeon was brought out again. In addition to rare plot restrictions, players can enter the fairy tale garden at any time in "Li's Trail 2". In addition to clearing thousands of crystals dropped during map battles, they can also obtain hundreds of crystals through "unboxing". As the process progresses, the more times a certain layer is cleared, the efficiency will continue to improve. This not only saves time for brushing, but also helps to adjust the main storyline animation for a long time, killing two birds with one stone.

minutes, get a pile of crystal stones in hand

also has the function of responding to 100CP in seconds

Skills matching remains interesting

Since the restoration of attribute point combinations from the era of "Space Path" and the combination of "Flash Path" directly embedding magic into the power guide, creating passive skills, the combat system has been very interesting. While maintaining the original fun, this game has also adjusted the balance of "spirit chip skills", making tactics more like.

For example, the spirit chip skill on the "Defense" line becomes more useful, allowing players to leave 1 HP when facing a flash attack with an attached abnormal state.

For example, this game reduces the number of points required to recover EP (magic slot) based on damage, making it easier for players to match both the ability to recover EP and the skill to add damage, Arc Fencer, when playing magic characters, enhancing strategy.

There is also the awkward S.C.L.M. system that was newly added from "The Trajectory of Li". If the "S.C.L.M. UP" skill is not equipped, it will be difficult to avoid the awkward situation of four characters gathering together to stand and output. This is also greatly alleviated in this game by significantly reducing the "S.C.L.M. UP" point requirement (6 hours in 12 water → 8 hours in 4 water). Basically, except for characters with only three hole positions in the EX line, others can be matched in the early stages.

requires fewer points

Comparison between large and small circles... Does this skill have a significant impact on tactics

The road is indeed winding

I want to learn the advantages of other games, but I haven't adapted to local conditions

Like its predecessor, "Li's Trail 2" also has many reference materials related to previous works, which can be viewed in the "Archive" menu. After each chapter in the early stages, Falcom also patiently interspersed important information in the options for players to refer to. The only problem is that these materials are not mandatory to watch. If players who have not played the Trajectory series choose to directly advance the plot, they may be confused. What is XXXXX? Which Easter egg did X and X appear in before?

It can only be said that Falcom wants to learn the advantages of modern games, provide players with some concise information, and help them understand the plot. Unfortunately, this "humanized" design is not entirely applicable to the "Trajectory" series, after all, a story that has not been told for decades and players who have not played along the way lack too much information. What should players who are eager to push the main storyline progress miss out on these "extra" plots?

Perhaps the correct approach would be to force everyone to watch these interspersed plots, and then add a prompt that "players who have played X Trail can choose to skip". Of course, this only represents my personal opinion.

Success also opens lightning strike, defeat also opens lightning strike

One of the biggest selling points in terms of the plot of this game is the system that brings players the "opening lightning strike", which adds a lot of excitement to the plot. But obviously, it also has a huge flaw. If the land is accidentally used too frequently, it can become the culprit that disrupts the game rhythm.

The most embarrassing thing is that due to this setting, the rhythm of this game becomes slow and cannot significantly advance the entire story of "Trajectory". It is more like a game like "Trajectory of Creation" that completes some unfinished stories, which some players jokingly refer to as "Trajectory of Creation 1.5" or "Trajectory of Li" large DLC.

To put it simply,

"The Trajectory of Li" finally solved the problem of plot water to a certain extent, but "The Trajectory of Li 2" followed the same path in the later stages.

LGC system reduced to decoration

To be honest, when the LGC system (Law, Gray, Chaos, distinguishing good and evil values) was just released in "The Trajectory of Li", bold players had hoped that the trajectory would increase the plot divergence and create a masterpiece with a good and evil ending, which ultimately disappointed them.

Unfortunately, in "Li's Trajectory 2", the presence of this system became even lower. In the previous installment, the value of good and evil was still a necessary condition for the organization to compete with players in the plot. In this installment, apart from obtaining in-game achievement rewards and Fan En's core circuit, there is almost no difference from ordinary options.

The meaning of small games is not significant

The previous installment "Li's Trail" removed the traditional series of various small games and received mixed reviews. From a positive perspective, at least the game pace has improved.

The good news is that, perhaps in response to the opposition's expectations, the mini game has returned in "Le Trajectory 2". But the bad news is that the small game is done very mediocrely. First of all, when it comes to playing cards, balance is basically non-existent. As long as you understand the rules, the player who receives the magic attribute card is the ultimate winner.

When is unlucky, he doesn't even get a point

Next is playing basketball. Obviously, Falcom is not willing to put in effort to create an action oriented bullfighting game, but the BGM specifically designed for this game is quite popular

There is also fishing, which is similar to the gameplay of the Flash Trail series. And without particularly high returns, repeatedly fishing just to achieve full A-size achievements can be very boring. Unless it's a reward for size A, the value of a fish is roughly only 50 meters

At the end... let alone the system of "Eye of Judgment", everyone should be familiar with it. The system of "Li's Trail 2" is even more rudimentary than that.

Perhaps only the "King of Aramis Riddles" will make players who have played "The Third Path of the Sky" slightly excited.

epilogue

The desire to do better and change in "Li's Trajectory 2" can be seen from constantly borrowing from oneself and other works in the game. Unfortunately, the plot control still suffered some setbacks in the latter half of the game. Due to the fact that the areas where the rhythm is disrupted happen to be the climax of the game, it is easier for players to have a negative impression of the plot.

However, the evolution of games cannot be ignored. For example, the "Interleaved Power" and "EX Chain" systems that make command battles smoother, the "Quick Magic" that makes wilderness battles easier, and the "Fairy Tale Garden" that improves brushing efficiency.

For example, the PS5 version of this game has improved graphics and loading. I tried driving the PS4 version of "Li's Trail" and felt the pressure on the graphics and loading time.

Looking at the details, the game has also been optimized with S-Break, which allows players to snatch AT rewards from the next enemy who is about to take action, as well as the high-speed mode added from Flash Trajectory 1: Change. These elements greatly enhance playability.

In addition, if players resist the rhythmic disruption of the later stages and play until the end, you will see (in my opinion) the most skillful ending of the entire series.

Although the sales of the "Trajectory" series have been declining year by year in the Japanese physical market, Falcom has gradually shown a attitude of change and sincerity since "Flash Trajectory 3", and has received positive reviews in "Trajectory of Creation" and "Trajectory of Li". The setbacks in "Li's Trajectory 2" may just be a small interlude on the way forward for this series. If we maintain a positive attitude and continue to make new works, perhaps the next one can still bring surprises to players.