Is trails in the sky Third necessary?

Hi! I recently finished the first two games in the Sky trilogy, and was wondering if the third is worth playing. I've already played CS1 and 2 earlier (soon as they were released on PC in English I believe?) But I returned to the Sky games some time back so I can eventually finish all the games prior to starting CS3 when it releases on the 23rd for PC. I did like FC and SC, but I heard that the third game in the series is more filler-ish? I was wondering how true that is and how much it will affect my understanding/appreciation going forward, especially with the Crossbell games.

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Is trails in the sky 3rd necessary?
Can you skip trails in the sky the 3rd?
How many hours is trails in the sky 3rd?
Do I need to play trails in the sky before zero?

Beyond that, I did hear that the game has a lot of side-stories or side-quests, and that those ae the bulk of the story in the game. How true is that? Sadly, I am really short on time, and I don't really enjoy the gameplay aspects all that much (especially in the older games it seems), rather the story parts, so I usually skip side-quests if I feel they are not really that relevant. Apparently, that can't be done in The Third? Also, how much would be the optimal time to finish the game were I to play and take on these side-quests? Are they rather gameplay-filled or just lots of cutscenes mashed together (the latter would probably be fine, but the former will probably be a bit of a drag).

I understand this is probably really weird, and apologies if this was asked before, I just couldn't find a direct answer.Thanks in advance!

Is trails in the sky 3rd necessary?

If you plan on buying them, this game could serve as a nice lead-in, if not a strictly necessary one. Overall I would say unless you absolutely hated the combat and dungeons in the first two Sky games, 3rd is just as much a great RPG as them, and easily worth playing.

Can you skip trails in the sky the 3rd?

Yes, you can skip the third and Crossbell if you want to have no idea what's going on.

How many hours is trails in the sky 3rd?

When focusing on the main objectives, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd is about 33½ Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 62 Hours to obtain 100% completion.

Do I need to play trails in the sky before zero?

If you have never played a Trails game, I really, really encourage you to first play the Trails in the Sky trilogy (only available on Steam currently). You could start here and not be too confused, but you will be spoiled for one of the best payoffs in the entire series.