CS1 is growing on me. The game formula works pretty well, since all the towns and locales are really interesting with the constantly changing dialogue. Heimdall in particular was a treat, and the plot behind it was pretty interesting. Always great to see the main cast interact with the movers and shakers, and I'm digging the enemy faction. They're designed like Ouroburos from SC but have seem to act and have motivations like the villains from FC, which is the best of both worlds. I hated how SC's ouroburos members didn't really seem human and were completely unrelatable mustache twirling batman villains.
Nord sucks though, almost made me stop playing. Hope they crater the damn place so I don't have to go back.
50 hours into CS1 and attrition has settled in and I'm finally starting to like the cast. I think alot of my initial problems with the CS1 cast was how petty and stereotypical they all were. Now though, I think the writers were deliberate to some extent. Most of the characters in Trails in the Sky were very goal oriented, Estelle is basically living her dream, most of the party members had already established goals and roles to play in the world and the story felt like it was about the party trying to help and positively impact the world.
On the other hand the game goes out of its way to emphasis how alot of the CS1 characters don't know what they want to do with their life, hell I don't think a single character in class 7 has a real concrete goal beyond Laura's "get stronger". There's alot more focus on how the world changes the characters. For once I kind of like how low power-level your team is, it fits with the idea of trying to find a place to belong.
Rean is still boring as hell, and you could probably just replace Gaius with a blow up doll with the word "wind" written across the forehead. I'm not even sure what his role in battle is, everything he can do all the other physical members can do better.