For those who have been following The Legend of Heroes games since XSEED picked up The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, Trails to Azure is something to celebrate. While the reliable flow of recent releases is appreciated, it wasn’t always taken for granted. The Crossbell duo are a long-missing piece, only rectified after Trails from Zero released worldwide in 2022, 12 years after its original debut on PSP. Trails to Azure is a long-awaited puzzle piece that provides the context fans have been craving and, as expected, is a solid conclusion and beloved RPG.
In other words, for people who have all this background. It’s not for people who haven’t played Trails from Zero or, ideally, haven’t followed the events of Crossbell, Liberl, and Erebonian Empire. Play the first game or one of the other titles and come back in 120-360 hours.
Trails to Azure it even starts with a story segment that helps tie it back to the first game and wrap this “case” up a bit more cleanly. Lloyd Bannings and Noel Seeker work with Alex Dudley and Arios MacLaine to stop Ernest Reis and Hartmann, who are apparently on the hunt for remnants of the D∴G Cult’s power. So right now you’re looking at the Special Support Section (SSS) Leader, the SSS soon to be a member of the Crossbell Guardian Force, but still current, a Crossbell Police Inspector and an A rank member of Bracer’s Guild , all working. together. Not to mention that Gralsritter Dominion Kevin Graham shows up at the end, introducing a number of different factions that come into play.
Once this is tied in, Lloyd explains to Noel that due to Revache’s downfall, the mob who basically helped keep order despite it being a criminal enterprise, and the possible political instability that could arise from the rise of the new mayor. independence and the forthcoming West Zemurian Trade Conference. The SSS is growing stronger by adding Noel and the mysterious Wazy Hemisphere to their ranks, as well as getting existing members like Elie to make more connections with potential allies. It also means, of course, meeting all the above groups and the Septian Church, not to mention people from other countries.
Right from the start, you establish that Trails to Azure This is not a game for you if you haven’t been following. It brings in person after person who was critical in the first part of this duology, hoping you’ll be up to date. It will also refer to characters from the streaks in the sky series, organizations present in all the latest the legend of heroes series, and even drops Ries’ appearance with little introduction. It’s 100% a game that requires context. Which means it’s cool and you feel like a connected part of a dynamic world if you’re on top of it all! It is based on the well-built base of Nihon Falcom. Not to mention that if you meet people, they always feel true to themselves and their character.
at least play trails from scratch it is mandatory. This is because a character introduced there, KeA, is a central figure throughout. Trails to Azurethe plot of It is very well managed, and I very much enjoyed playing a the legend of heroes branch that can conclude its plots relatively succinctly in two games that follow the four-part game Traces of cold steel.
Ok, well, that’s 500 words trying to explain exactly how many turntable plot points appear in Trails to Azure no major spoilers. It’s a lot! Luckily, the actual gameplay isn’t that overwhelming. As trails from scratch and the streaks in the sky previous series, Trails to Azure It is a turn-based role-playing game. You have a cast of characters who can use arts through quartz equipped on each person’s Enigma II Tactical Orbs, as well as special crafting abilities tied to each person. Characters can use team attack combos with certain allies. There are also S-Crafts, essentially cork breakers, which can be used at any time once the correct gauge is filled. Additionally, although it is a fairly simple turn-based combat system, the position of each unit is also important in determining the range of attacks and the effects of the attack zone. Additionally, there are casting moments for the arts to consider. So in reality, everything is much more strategic and thoughtful than most turn-based games.
This reflection extends to the SSS missions themselves. You will still receive optional and “urgent” support requests. The former can and will disappear if you don’t reach them when they appear. Consequences usually mean the loss of some reward or even an interesting sequence of events. Urgent requests advance the story and are always labeled as such. So there is this distinction that gives people a lot of freedom in choosing what to do and what, which I appreciated.
It is also great that, as in other the legend of heroes recently released, Trails to Azure it also offers those happier elements and events. Binding returns, allowing you to connect with certain allies. You can customize your orbal car and get items for allies’ rooms. There are amusement parks and a beach to visit, although these seem more event-oriented than something like the real Pom. pom! To party! puzzle mini-game and a chance to fish once again.
Not to mention how it preserves continuity. In some multi-game games, transferring save data may mean additional items or costumes. Trails to Azure recognize things you experienced and did in the previous game, as well as linking events. In my case, I was lucky enough to grab the Switch version of trails from scratch, meaning I noticed differences in Lloyd and Elie’s relationship because I maxed out their relationship earlier. This is a fantastic “reward”. You paid attention to this streak and spent the required 50 hours to beat trails from scratch and log in, so Nihon Falcom rewards us for that.
Trails to Azure it also looks very good on Switch. Yes, I noticed that some textures didn’t look as good in certain dungeon areas or during certain crafting sequences. But overall the characters and environments look great considering how old the game was. of certain monsters to people in your party. But overall it looks and sounds good.
But even if it didn’t look exceptional or was more outdated than it seems, it will eventually become Trails to Azure it feels like a special occasion treated with the honor it deserves. It’s a JRPG that I didn’t expect to see released into the world 10 years ago, and now it’s here. It’s a pleasure to play. As long as you’ve followed the series for the past decade, chances are you’ll love it too.
The Legend of Heroes: Paths to Azure It’s coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC on March 14, 2023 in North America, March 17, 2023 in Europe, and March 24, 2023 in Australia.