Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Offline)
The release of Crossbell Saga in English is long overdue for fans of the Roads series. And with the grand debut of The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero last September, the anticipation for Trails to Azure has us salivating. And finally, the gap that was missing in the series has been filled and the conclusion of the Crossbell arc has come to us. We’ve said before that Zero argues it’s one of the best entries in the series, and Azure takes that statement and follows suit.
Set a few months after Trails from Zero ended, Trails to Azure once again follows the Special Support Section (SSS) as they aid the citizens of Crossbell, who are enjoying a period of temporary peace. But as political unrest looms on the horizon and multiple nefarious organizations begin to make their way into the state, the SSS, led by Lloyd Bannings, also has vested interests wrapped in the tangled web of fate of Crossbell. First, the truth behind the murder of Lloyd’s older brother, Guy, and second, the significance of a girl the SSS rescued from Zero, KeA.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Offline)
This little summary doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what Trails to Azure has to offer. The game comes out of the gate swinging from the first minute to the last hour. There is hardly a moment of respite. Crossbell becomes a hive of drama for the entire 60 hour run.
We in reality I can’t say more about the plot than that, but it’s safe to say it’s excellent, and possibly the best in the series. If there’s one area where the story falters, however, it’s with endgame villains and their associated reveals – some hit better than others, but one reveal in particular left us wanting a bit more.
Fortunately, everything else in the story is fascinating. The overall pacing is among the best in the series, as Azure is just firing on all cylinders for much of the playtime. Each chapter is filled with dramatic moments, and while the final chapter is perhaps 40% of the game, it never went over the welcome length and really emphasizes everything the series is great for. Where Zero familiarized and attached us to Crossbell and the SSS, Azure tests our love and loyalty to status and characters in the best possible way, and the resulting emotional benefits are staggering.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Offline)
More than sucks, it’s a game that rewards long-time fans of the series. We still believe that Zero and Azure can be played without having experienced the rest of the series, but with organizations from the Cielo the trilogy kicks off this time around, and even more characters from previous games appear, you’ll get plenty if you’ve even played the Sky games, if only they were on Switch! It doesn’t require the narrative familiarity required by Cold Steel III and IV, but the delights get even sweeter if you arrive with the prescience.
However, we can talk about the new additions to the SSS. Noel Seeker, a member of the Crossbell Guardian Force, and Wazy Hemisphere, a downtown gang leader, make a fantastic pair of additions joining Lloyd, Elie, Tio, and Randy, and they fit together perfectly. Noel’s dedicated, edgy demeanor and Wazy’s aloof, upbeat personality fit the dynamic perfectly, making an already adorable cast all the more wonderful.
It is also impossible not to fall under the spell of the adorable KeA, a young woman at the center of a great mystery. She’s the beating heart of Azure and brings a lot of emotional and personal play to the story. Don’t worry though, the existing members of SSS aren’t forgotten: Randy in particular has an outstanding character arc with moments that kept us on the edge of our seats.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Offline)
Outside of the story, Trails to Azure is more or less the same. You help the citizens by completing missions and you will eventually have to take on an important story segment or mission. Crossbell status opens much faster this time around, and you get a car around the middle of chapter one, allowing for fast travel much earlier in this game. Most of the locations are the same, with a few new areas dotted around throughout history. It’s a fan-friendly sequel in every way and as familiar and reassuring as you’d expect: even repetitive side quests return, though as always you’re rewarded with more wonderful writing, more history and sometimes even more. a few tears and a laugh.
This familiarity carries over into combat too, although you have a larger party in Azure than in Crossbell: six characters versus four for most of the runtime, with a handful of guest characters joining temporarily. . However, almost everything is identical to Zero, and as characters start around level 45-50, you already have access to a wide range of arts from the start, with more and upgraded versions to unlock as you go. measurement of your progress. higher level.
The Orbment system, which allows characters to use magic, has received an update from Zero that will be familiar to Cold Steel fans. ENGIMA battle orbs can now carry a Master Quartz, a quartz you equip in the center of the orb that can level up and boost character stats or give them special buffs. One, for example, gives a character a physical defense buff for the first three turns of battle, but this increases as quartz increases. Because these Master Quartzes also have elemental properties, it’s also much easier to get higher level spells earlier, which makes customization a bit easier this time around.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Connected)
If you get Master Quartz to level 5, your character learns an extremely powerful Master Art, which is a huge spell that can deal a lot of damage or provide awesome buffs, which are incredibly important for late game challenges. There are some very difficult boss fights in Azure that seem deliberately unbeatable but aren’t absolutely impossible. With Azure’s vast array of orbs and customization, it’s hugely satisfying to throw the combat system wide open and overcome those challenges. The high we got from defeating certain bosses in particular is unmatched.
The other new addition to combat is the Burst Gauge. During key story moments and the entirety of the final chapter, a blue gauge appears in the upper right corner of the screen, filling up with every attack you make and every hit you take. Once it’s full, you have a limited time to “pass” the gauge, allowing you to take six consecutive turns, cast spells instantly, recover CP faster, and also instantly remove spells. negative status effects. We really like how this is implemented and adds another novelty to your combat arsenal, especially in those harder challenges again. With proper execution, it might even be a bit broken, but it does take a bit of time to rebuild the gauge in a boss fight, meaning you can’t constantly abuse it.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Connected)
All of NIS America and Geofront’s efforts return with the same high quality of Zero, from message recording to high-speed modes and other excellent localizations. It’s more of the same delicious stuff, but with loads of juicy stories and overlapping character moments. “More of the same” is often a negative, but it absolutely is where it was exactly what we needed, and iTrails to Azure almost always responds. There’s more great music from the jdk Falcom Sound Team (the final boss music is arguably one of the best of the entire genre) and the same welcoming visuals as before, and it all comes together to create a jam-packed JRPG treat. .