The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

I know that when you see the visuals you gonna think "this game looks slow, boring, generic" but believe me is not even closed. This game is just perfect! the best start with this long story with a great writing, great characters and a deep world to explore with a lot of lore to discover

This game is a gem. Trails is incredibly similar to Suikoden series, which is my all-time favourite. I'm quite sure developers drew insipation from that older series. But in some aspects Trails is even better. And the game doesn't have any weak spots. Graphics look great even after a decade, mechanics are interesting to play with, UI is super easy for the eye and mouse, story is like reading a good manga. I didn't think I'd stumble upon smth like this in 2020.

TL;DR - buy now if you like anime with excellent character and plot development; you need to play the second title to get any reasonable closure The Trails series is among my favorite RPGs, but it's definitely not for everyone. Here're the highs and the lows: 1. Translation - by far the best English translation I have ever seen! 2. Lore - the continent depicted is remarkably internally consistent with many cross-references and very detailed, e.g game NPCs' dialogues update with world and personal events and react differently if you helped them 3. Character development - superb, with likable though somewhat cliche characters 4. Plot - it takes a while for the story to get going. I wasn't hooked until after the Prologue and Chapter1, but then couldn't stop playing and became a huge fan! The story may seem generic but has an excellent mix of development, comedy, emotional moments and plot twists 5. Music - fits the various scenes very well and I listen to it outside the game, too. Music leans orchestral 6. Quests - often have very entertaining side stories that complement character development. Some are missable though, and include some tedious wild goose chases 7. Combat mechanics - fun but nothing spectacular 8. Not open world - storyline is linear, so you can't just go wherever, though it works well for driving the story along 9. Graphics - a little dated but charming - see if the screenshots appeal to you 10. Grindy - not bad for a JRPG but still a little grindy at times Overall, I found Trails to be an incredibly enjoyable experience despite some of weaker points. The best way I can describe it is that Trails is like playing instead of watching a good anime. If you liked older animes like Naruto that aren't too dark or fan service-oriented, you'll probably enjoy playing Trails. One final important note: game ends with a huge cliffhanger, so you need to get SC to get any reasonable closure. The 3rd is not necessary though, as it is a different arc of the story.

The rating system on GoG is very simplistic, and the review system even more so. (curse you 2k char limit! Not even 10 tweets worth of space!) I'll try to keep this concise. Trails in the Sky is not a game for everyone. It is not a "traditional" masterpiece, and isn't a story told like most other JRPGs. You won't have the fantastical locales, mind-blowing plot point twisting into another. The world of Trails in the Sky is, for the most part incredibly grounded. Let's start with the flaws just to get them out of the way: -The character model graphics SUCK they look downright potato-ish. It'll be a bit jarring for a while but you'll eventually tolerate it. 3D environments look better which makes it weird. -The combat system isn't anything special Its okay. Serviceable, fun at times and customizable enough but nothing to write home about. Certainly nothing to be wowed by. -timed sidequests You *need* to do every sidequest the second you see them or you run a high risk of them expiring after a point in the story has been passed, which sucks Now unto what makes me give this game 5 stars. The worldbuilding and character and NPC dialogue and progression is *fantastic*. Its not perfect, but it certainly aspires to me. There are a few minor nitpicks that I had (Joshua being a bit of an oblivious, OP harem protag was one) but for the most part, it takes the time to craft a world with NPCs that you'll actually, if not care about, at least keep them in mind when you help them and their region out. You realize you're part of a world, you're not some OP hero able to do whatever you want. That said, you aren't powerless either. Its about the world, not just you. This game reminds me of a slower-paced, but very human version of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Explorers of Sky (or darkness w/e). If you've played that game, you'll know how glowing of a recommendation that is. I don't feel I can give this a full review without playing the sequel though. Bear that in mind. (char limit)

Trails in the Sky is definitely one of the best RPGs ever made! I'll start off with the cons: - The graphics are obsolete. - None of the character models have a nose or mouth, so that can be very distracting & requires a large suspension of disbelief. - Trails' magic system prevents you from being able to give your characters whatever spells you want, and instead arbitrarily locks you down into using a specific set of spells, some of which you don't want. - Most characters use foul language often, so the game is not wholesome like its predecessors such as Final Fantasy for the NES and Final Fantasy II and III for the SNES. - Trails has very little voice-acting, so you have to read text for every conversation. - The music is mostly mediocre. Now onto the pros: - UTTERLY AMAZING Characterization: Trails is easily within the top 5 games I've ever played in terms of presenting deep, life-like characters. You get to know all of the characters' emotions, goals, aspirations, psychological motivations, eccentric quirks, hobbies, interests, strengths, weaknesses, etc. As a result of all that, Trails brilliantly & convincingly creates the strong illusion that actual real people live inside the game world, rather than fictional characters who are just pixels on a screen within a computer program. In other words, this is immersion at its finest! The characterization in Trails absolutely owns that in 99%+ of other RPGs, including everything Bethesda has ever made. Even more impressive, Trails' characterization also puts DOS 1 and DOS 2 to shame! - Story: Trails' story, too, is incredibly epic, and deeply immerses you in all aspects of the world, from helping villagers with everyday tasks, to discovering and slyly maneuvering within political scandals at all levels of government, including local, national, and international. In conclusion, Trails is one of the best games ever made, and on par with Witcher 3 in terms of story & characterization.