The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

1. minneyar

   Jul 30, 2014

   10

   If you're looking for an oldschool, turn-based JRPG with a strong story, great writing, and wonderful music, you will love Trails in the Sky.If you're looking for an oldschool, turn-based JRPG with a strong story, great writing, and wonderful music, you will love Trails in the Sky.
   
   The game was first release for the PC in Japan in 2004; it later received a port to the PSP in 2006 that added some extra features, and the PSP version was released in North American in 2011. This is a release of the original PC version, but XSEED has added all of the new features in the PSP version back into it, so this is the definitive version of the game in North America.
   
   The story is set in the kingdom of Liberl and follows the adventures of Estelle and Joshua, two novice adventurers who want to become Bracers; essentially mercenaries who also serve as police and protect the people of the kingdom. The story starts off slowly and takes its time to establish the setting and develop characters, but over time it picks up the pace and they become involved in intricate political plots involving mysterious assassins and powerful ancient artifacts. The game ends with a shocking twist that will leave you pining for the sequel, which is scheduled to be out in English at the end of 2014. Don't let the existence of a sequel stop you from getting the game now, though; it's an entirely self-contained story in its own right. The Trails games are famous for the size of their scripts; the word count dwarfs any of their story-heavy contemporaries such as the "Final Fantasy" or "Tales of..." games. Almost every NPC in the game has their own unique dialog that changes after almost everything you do.
   
   While the story is the star of the show, the game shines in other areas, too. The combat system is a turn-based system that borrows a lot from JRPGs that were typical of the era, but it adds in a tactical, grid-based positioning system, and each character's abilities are fairly diverse and customizeable. The game also has multiple difficulty settings, and if a particular fight is too hard for you, there's a handy option to retry fights that also temporarily lowers the difficulty level. The game's soundtrack is also great; it's exactly what you'd expect from the same developer who created the critically acclaimed Ys series.
   
   Really the only complaint I could make is that the graphics are a bit dated by modern standards, but hey, it's a ten-year-old Japanese PC game. They still do their job as intended, and you're going to enjoy the game enough that you won't care.… Expand

   • 25 of 27 users found this helpful
2. Nican

   Oct 17, 2014

   10

   If you like JRPG's, you will not want to miss this title.
   
   The graphics on this game are a little dated, since the original game was releaseIf you like JRPG's, you will not want to miss this title.
   
   The graphics on this game are a little dated, since the original game was release a while ago.
   The grid based combat and the arts and equipment systems are simple, but enjoyable.
   
   What truly makes this game a little gem are the storyline and the characters.
   
   The storyline is both entertaining and humorous. It is also very detailed, even the side quests are incorporated in the story.
   The characters are fun and endearing.
   This game is worlds away from games like Final Fantasy XIII which combine awesome graphics with cheesy and shallow characters and a soporific story.
   Here is to hoping we see more games like this in the future.… Expand

   • 4 of 5 users found this helpful
4. Nabae

   Aug 5, 2014

   10

   The JRPG series known and loved for its meticulous and extensive world-building lives up to its expectations. Estelle in particular isThe JRPG series known and loved for its meticulous and extensive world-building lives up to its expectations. Estelle in particular is arguably one of the best female MCs to ever come from a video game. With the back-porting all of the PSP exclusive features, clearer text boxes, empty treasure chests with personality, among other things, XSEED really went above and beyond what was required for this localization to offer the best experience possible.… Expand

   • 9 of 10 users found this helpful
5. Neatqt

   Feb 28, 2020

   9

   Cast: 9/10
   Story: 10/10
   Fun: 8/10
   Gameplay: 8/10
   
   MUST PLAY
   ---------------------- 45 Hours Played

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. jelikey

   Aug 24, 2018

   9

   he JRPG series known and loved for its meticulous and extensive world-building lives up to its expectations. Estelle in particular is arguablyhe JRPG series known and loved for its meticulous and extensive world-building lives up to its expectations. Estelle in particular is arguably one of the best female MCs to ever come from a video game. With the back-porting all of the PSP exclusive features, clearer text boxes, empty treasure chests with personality, among other things, XSEED really went above and beyond what was… Expand

   • 1 of 2 users found this helpful
7. AdoMobA

   Mar 19, 2023

   8

   Pros
   - a fantastic start to the Trails series
   - great cast of characters with deep writing - mysteries on top of mysteries that promisePros
   - a fantastic start to the Trails series
   - great cast of characters with deep writing
   - mysteries on top of mysteries that promise intrigue for the rest of the series
   - one of the best cliffhangers in gaming
   - surprisingly deep character min maxing system
   
   Cons
   - the Prologue is the most boring this series ever gets
   - after that, the game is still a sloooooooooooooooow burn that ends fantastically but I am not surprised with people dropping it
   
   As the first game in the long running Trails series, Trails in the Sky does a fantastic job of laying the foundation for what would become one of the most complex stories ever told. It is here where the initial tracks are laid for some of the best moments in the Trails series.
   
   The biggest issue for this game and for the entire greater series, is the prologue and the overall slow burn nature of this game. While most of the series is slow burn after slow burn, there is no other game in the series that is as slow as this game. It is like trying to convince someone to get into a show that gets good after the first 24 episode season.
   
   Now what that slow burn leads to is one of the best cliffhangers in gaming, and let me tell you, the moment you finish this game, you are going to curse yourself that you have not pre-downloaded the Second Chapter. It is genuinely that good.
   
   When it comes to gameplay, the game is turn based with turn order displayed in a corner of the screen. This allows you to use abilities to afflict enemies with delay effects, pushing their turns back and yours forward. It allows for fun amounts of strategy, as the turn order also displays turn bonuses, like getting Automatic Criticals and not using MP when you use spells.
   
   This results in a fun combat puzzle where you are trying to push enemies around in the turn order in order for you to get all the bonuses while they suffer the negatives. It is a lot of fun.
   
   The customization for characters when it comes to their loadout is also great. The so-called orbments allow you to slot various quartz that give you passive bonuses and active spells. Slotting different quartz alongside each other then unlocks even more abilities through synthesis of those two in the same orbment device. You can spend hours figuring out different quartz combos to best suit your playstyle.
   
   Trails in the Sky is a slow yet fantastic start to the greater Trails series. If you ever feel like you want to embark on a fun journey that will have you entertained for hours, Trails is the series for you.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. AnimeConnoisseu

   Jun 27, 2023

   0

   Incredibly boring combat, awful writing, and a weird romance between siblings.

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful

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