The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero

 PC
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 36
  3. Negative: 5 out of 36
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  1. GameforGamers
    Oct 8, 2022
    10
    one of the best experiences I've played this year so far, beautiful visual with the catchy art style and the writing is just fantastic
  2. Adalwulf
    Oct 12, 2022
    10
    Excellent port of an excellent game! Didn't expect any less from famous Durante. If you like story-rich games, extensive world-building and classic jrpg-gameplay, this is a must-buy.
  3. Acro23
    Oct 18, 2022
    10
    The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is one of the best JRPG experiences I've had this year. It is filled to the brim with charming characters, any intriguing story, incredible OSTs, fun gameplay and a beautifully realized world.

    As a Kiseki fan, and someone who has been waiting for this game with bated breath for a while now, this was everything I wanted and then some. A truly great    The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is one of the best JRPG experiences I've had this year. It is filled to the brim with charming characters, any intriguing story, incredible OSTs, fun gameplay and a beautifully realized world.

    As a Kiseki fan, and someone who has been waiting for this game with bated breath for a while now, this was everything I wanted and then some. A truly great game, no scratch that, a truly great SERIES to get into if you're a fan of JRPGs.    … Expand
  4. Jt0429
    Sep 29, 2022
    9
    Good-
    Stellar writing and characterization with excellent English localization. Visual improvements go beyond a simple remaster and look gorgeously clean. Top-notch soundtrack. Tons of stuff to do and a meaty story. Combat is easy to get into but offers plenty of depth, especially with Support Crafts and Combo Crafts. Quality of life features like Message Log, High-Speed Mode, and so on    Good-
    Stellar writing and characterization with excellent English localization. Visual improvements go beyond a simple remaster and look gorgeously clean. Top-notch soundtrack. Tons of stuff to do and a meaty story. Combat is easy to get into but offers plenty of depth, especially with Support Crafts and Combo Crafts. Quality of life features like Message Log, High-Speed Mode, and so on work great.

    Bad-
    It takes some time to get rolling, and some exchanges could be trimmed. Backtracking between locations before fast travel is unlocked can be tedious. A few graphical glitches and oddly translated lines are present.

    Thoughts-
    Objectively, some things prevent Trails from Zero from being perfect, and it may not be to every RPG fan’s taste. But as a fan of Falcom and the series, this is pretty much it. A compelling story with great characters, backed by superb localization; a stunning port with great quality-of-life features and visuals; compelling combat with extensive depth; and much more. It’s a hallmark of the series and well worth the wait.    … Expand
  5. Sholva
    Oct 25, 2022
    10
    One of the best Trails games finally gets the treatment it deserves, with this spectacular PC version.

    If you’re a fan of the Sky trilogy, continuing directly with Trails from Zero just feels right, and completely explaining why would involve heavy spoilers, so I won’t but…know that when you hear people say “this game is best enjoyed after the Sky series”, they’re not wrong. That    One of the best Trails games finally gets the treatment it deserves, with this spectacular PC version.

    If you’re a fan of the Sky trilogy, continuing directly with Trails from Zero just feels right, and completely explaining why would involve heavy spoilers, so I won’t but…know that when you hear people say “this game is best enjoyed after the Sky series”, they’re not wrong.

    That said, if you do not care about strong references and plots from the Sky series and want to jump straight into the Crossbell saga (maybe to then continue on to the Cold Steel games), that’s okay too, as a JRPG, Zero is a great game, very complete with a really amazing story that keeps getting more and more intense and interesting with each chapter.

    When it comes to performance, this game is pretty easy to run on a wide array of PC setups. Visually speaking, the work done on the textures it’s amazing, compared to the original PC release and other earlier iterations for other consoles.
    The game looks pretty clean and runs very smoothly at 120 FPS, on my R5 3600 and RTX 3060 Ti, of course, plenty of power for such game, including max MSAA and all.
    This game does not require a strong computer, so if you prefer to play at locked 60 FPS, a relatively mid-range PC like mine will run at a very low power consumption and very chill, and that’s fine, no need to waste energy, but 120/144 FPS feels quite smoother over 60, if you have a high refresh screen, even when browsing in game menus, so I would recommend that if you can.

    Gameplay wise, this game follows a similar structure to the Sky series, which is one of the reasons why it feels like the natural saga to jump in afterwards, but if you have already played Cold Steel I and II, the battle menu is also similar there, so your muscle memory will be there at least.

    One of the greatest features you may love from the Sky or Cold Steel sagas is here too, like the great interactions with NPCs: everyone has something to tell, their stories evolve along our four main characters as well, so doing the rounds talking to everyone we’ve met…it’s quite rewarding. You may even see certain little cameos if you played Cold Steel III, but I won’t spoil that, it’s up to you to find them.

    Soundtrack in Falcom games is amazing and Trails from Zero here…is no exception, it has some of the most memorable tracks in the whole franchise, so take your time and enjoy them.
    The track name feature is very useful to go and find that one song you keep remembering in your head.

    Finally, if you thought that Zero was a great game, you’re in for the journey of your life when Trails to Azure arrives: that game is absolutely incredible, it is all what Zero is, and then more, more and more, and it keeps going on with amazing stuff. Be hyped, because Azure is top JRPG moments, from beginning to end.

    If you discovered this franchise through the more modern Cold Steel games (like I did with CS I back in the day when it came out), you’ll be happy to notice and see how the Crossbell saga shaped and influenced a lot of the stuff we can see in the Erebonia saga, for sure.

    Thanks to Nihon Falcom, NISA, Durante and PH3 and Geofront for their hard work in this game and support to the community.
    Being a Trails fan has never felt this good, and it’s not gonna stop getting better, looking at the release calendar for next year.    … Expand
  6. eefeef
    Sep 3, 2023
    8
    Despite the boredom and childishness of the Crossbell part, the performance of the remaining two main characters and the final content are amazing.
  7. JayMalcolm
    Nov 9, 2022
    8
    The PC version of this classic game was delayed beyond reason, but here it is! It plays best with a controller. You will be listening to a lot of Japanese conversation and reading the English edition, which is not an exact translation but an idiomatic one that is fairly sophisticated, as is the plotting. But there's a LOT of talk in this game. The drawings are comic-book style and theThe PC version of this classic game was delayed beyond reason, but here it is! It plays best with a controller. You will be listening to a lot of Japanese conversation and reading the English edition, which is not an exact translation but an idiomatic one that is fairly sophisticated, as is the plotting. But there's a LOT of talk in this game. The drawings are comic-book style and the animations simplistic in the extreme. Of fighting there is plenty; I got an award for killing 20,000 enemies in 100 hours. The battles are slow and technical, with a myriad of details to be mastered as enemies keep shifting their vulnerabilities and strengths while difficulty increases. The dungeons are often maze-like to the point that a guide is needed to succeed. I found the game easy to master on the standard difficulty. It has a NewGame+ feature for those who can endure repetition. My biggest issue was the lack of opportunities to save and exit: some fights last a half-hour and that can be followed by another half-hour of scene after scene before saving becomes possible. At the end, there are literally hours of play with no chance to save your work. So this is very much a mixed bag but I'm glad overall I had a chance to experience it.… Expand
  8. Turius
    Jan 1, 2023
    10
    A hilarious buddy-cop JRPG that manages to tell a phenomenal story. It's world building and character development are at the top of the genre.

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best PC Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. ZTGD
    Oct 5, 2022
    90
    Trails from Zero is a wonderful introduction to Crosbell and the charming members of the SSS, expertly ported to PC with all the bells and whistles one would expect from a modern release. It’s a great sign of things to come for the sequel and an easy recommendation to all RPG fans.
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  2. PC Invasion
    Oct 4, 2022
    100
    Trails From Zero is a wonderful game that offers the very best story telling and world building that gaming has to offer. Its presentation and dialogue heavy gameplay won't be for everyone, but if you love a good story and are looking to get immersed in a brilliant world, look no further.
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  3. Gamer Escape
    Sep 28, 2022
    100
    Just like the rest of the franchise, Trails from Zero won’t be for everyone. While it starts up faster than other entries in the series, it’s still a slow burn compared to most other games. There’s also just such a ridiculous amount of dialog, so reading-averse gamers aren’t going to find much to enjoy here. But for JRPG fans, especially those like myself who fell in love with the Sky games, Trails from Zero is an absolute must play. Seriously, just flat out: go play it.
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