A Sky Full of Stars
The Legend of Heroes Trails series is a lengthy series with any entry of the game going into hundreds of hours so it is a huge investment to ask of anyone. With real life getting in the way it is easy to fall behind with 13 games in the mainline series, that’s 1300 hours which translates into 54 days give or take. Nihon Falcom have decided to come full circle back to the start and give fans and newcomers the game where it all began; all 3D HD glory. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is the first game in the Trails series which saw a release on PSP originally; I have found it difficult to recommend where a starting point for newcomers but finally I can now recommend Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter with it being likely that the second and third chapter releasing as high definition remakes at some point also.
Being the first game in the series it will feel somewhat nostalgic to fans of the series but also new and fresh to anyone new, the story is relatively simple before it goes into the more cumbersome storylines that later games usually start off with, there is no recap here and is the perfect starting point to get into the series. The story follows two young adopted siblings who set off on a journey after becoming bracers. Bracers are somewhat well known the series at this point and basically are mercenaries that help people in need.
I am not familiar with the original release of the game so I can’t compare it to the remake but I will say the remake definitely feels like the trails games that have come after. Joshua and Estelle both have distinct personalities, Joshua is the more serious sibling while Estelle is more carefree and just about any situation that makes her feel uncomfortable gives her the blank white eyes trope associated with anime, what I have noticed is this is used a lot in the game, something which wasn’t as much in the later games, however this may be a product of its past. You can tell Joshua cares for his younger sister and the bond only becomes more predominant later on, the world building and story of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter starts of slow but does unravel into something special later on.
Graphically the game is vibrant and beautiful to look at and is on par with the Daybreak games released most recently, there is more of a visual flair and the cel-shaded characters themselves are really well done, the world is gorgeous to look at and there is certainly a lot more to it, you are no longer limited to smashing pots as grass bushes and plants will reveal extra items or buff to CP a major resource know in the trails games for unleashing skills and the most powerful attacks, being a bracer means you will do all the bracer stuff you can expect from completing missions from the bracer guild which will in turn increase your rank for better rewards and uncovering more lore titbits of the world. The Trails series is well known for worldbuilding that make the world feel more alive, this is because these NPC’s have more than just a sentence to say in most cases at least until you’ve spoken to them a few times, rather than simply just letting us know it’s cold or they are late for work, they let us know more such as what their evening plans are and even Joshua and Estelle have a response in most cases even if something isn’t important or relevant to the story.
Gameplay is similar the most recent Daybreak although not as in depth as Daybreak but it is similar in almost every aspect, you are able to see enemies on the map and you can attack enemies in real time using both light and heavy blows to stun enemies. Weaker enemies can be taken out relatively quicker while more powerful foes will take longer, you can negate this by switching to tactical combat which feel like the more traditional trails like combat where you are able to unleash Crafts and Arts. One thing that is missing that the Daybreak series allowed is the ability to use Arts during tactical mode so you are more likely to be switching to tactical mode more often as trying to take down an overly powerful foe will take much longer and you are likely to be stunned into tactical mode anyway. S-Break and Link attacks still exist so you are able to unleash each characters most powerful moves as well as link characters basic attacks together.
When you are not fighting you will be spending time buying new items, learning new recipes for cooking and spending more time with the Quartz system which is what determines a characters ability to use Arts in battle, Quarts are inserted into a characters Orbment and can increase a characters stats such as HP/Attack and also allow them to use corresponding spells, for example HP increase orbs are associated with Water along with the healing spells, in order to create these requires Sepith, a currency earned through the adventure by defeating foes and found in the world.
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter has everything fans new and old can expect as a great JRPG, being a slow burn of a game with some lengthy cutscene the fast forward feature makes a welcome return especially for those grinds during battles also, I would have preferred an easier way to turn this feature on and off but it works at least. Overall Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a great game with a real sense of adventure, the most important aspect especially for a first game in the series, the Falcom-esque music is always a pleasure to hear and the real fun is in the story wondering the games conclusion and wondering how the game will piece together for the next part, although we are not certain on the second and third part receiving the same treatment there is certainly some evidence to suggest otherwise, either way the game is worth it if you are new or returning and are in it for the long run.
A PlayStation 5 Review was provided by GungHo. This article is featured on OpenCritic
