“The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure” is a role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom that was originally released on the PlaySation Portable in 2011. With this new release, we see this title ported for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC offering an updated experience for both new and returning players. “Trails to Azure” is part of the Trails series, which is a larger part of The Legend of Heroes series. Before doing this review, I had zero idea how large of a series this indeed was, given that there are over a dozen titles dating all the way back to 2004. This game serves as a sequel to “Trails from Zero,” which came out just before back in 2010, forming the second and final part of the “Crossbell arc.”
The story of “Trails to Azure” is set a few months after the events of “Trails from Zero.” Having never played any other game in the series it was difficult to put the pieces together of what was going on, but I suppose I can do my best to supply a general idea of the plot. The Special Support Section (SSS) is joined by two new recruits, Army sergeant major Noel Seeker and former gang leader Wazy Hemisphere (Yes that’s a real name). Unscrupulous figures seek to use the powers of KeA, the SSS’s young ward, for their own ends. These figures are led by the mayor, Dieter Crois, who declares Crossbell’s independence and seeks to ensure it through the powers of KeA, and her daughter Mariabell, who seeks to use KeA to rewrite history. The SSS have to brave civil unrest and occult intrusions to foil their plans. Both Dieter and Mariabell Crois are defeated, the former is arrested and the latter joins Ouroboros and KeA relinquishes her powers. However, all of these events lead to Crossbell’s annexation by the Erebonian Empire. Still with me? Because there’s more, “Trails to Azure” follows the story of aspiring hero Lloyd Bannings. With the safety of his home and the foundations of his team on the line, Lloyd and his allies must gear themselves for the threats that loom ahead. The Erebonian Empire and the Republic of Calvard are both putting pressure on Crossbell, and with the rise of multiple organizations with ulterior motives, tensions are growing. Little do they know that Crossbell will soon become the stage for a climactic conflict that will determine its future. Now if this doesn’t sound like your standard JRPG plotline I don’t know what will.
Believe it or not, while the plot can get a bit convoluted, the character dynamics are all very strong and even forced me to grasp my mind of everything happening. Like many in the genre like it, the battle system in “Trails to Azure” is turn-based, giving players a turn order to plan their next moves. On normal difficulty, the combat is never overly challenging while still remaining engaging and fun. As long as players fight every enemy in their path, the game will feel balanced enough and easy enough to proceed along with the story.
The game’s graphics have been upscaled, but some textures are still blurry, which can be most noticeable when you look at the backdrops of some of the set pieces which can look like low resolution picture files. Additionally, the game lacks some quality-of-life enhancements that most modern ports should come with, such as an autosave feature, which I can imagine will be inconvenient for some players.
In the end, This Legend of Heroes title really got me hooked on this franchise and I’m excited to check out some other ones, perhaps its predecessor “Trails from Zero.” The game’s engaging battle system and intriguing storyline make it a must-play for fans of the genre, while this port for the PlayStation 4 is fairly bare bones, it’s at the very least on modern systems to make it an accessible entry point for newcomers, such as myself.
8/10
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Related: Nick Navarro Reviews
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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