The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

I tried playing this game several times and quit because it seemed like a boring grind at first. It is a slow burn for sure. But I tried once more and this time it clicked for me. You really need to finish the prologue chapter before things begin to come together. This is an epic story with great characters, mystery, and world. So much happens. You'll constantly be surprised who the bad guys really are. Enemies will become friends. The game is pretty massive and is way deeper plot wise then it may seem at first. It's a bit like Naruto in that way (if you are familiar with the anime). Here are a few suggestions for getting the most from the game. First search out what you need to add the Japanese voice acting. It makes a big difference having the voices even if you need the subtitles to understand it. Next find the BGM folder in the game and replace the ogg files of songs you don't like for ones you do. Most of the music in this game is great but I personally dislike the battle music which you'll hear a lot. You may want to replace that with music you prefer instead. And finally I suggest following a guide because there are tons of missable things in this game and it will make your experience smoother without spoiling anything. I almost missed out on this series and am so glad I kept giving it a chance because once you get hooked, this will be probably be your #1 or #2 JRPG series of all time. For reference I really like the early Final Fantasy games, Grandia, Skies of Arcadia, etc. but this probably tops them all.

The title sounds obvious but what I mean is that Trails of the Sky FC is a game that is *only* for a JRPG fan and nobody else. There's no hook, there's no intricate battle system, there isn't fancy graphics, and the soundtrack isn't amazing. You'll either like or dislike Trails specifically for what you're looking for. A well written, slow, good JRPG. If you want anything else, save your money. If you're not a JRPG fan, or you're looking to dabble, usually you want a hook of some sort to grab onto. That could be a great early story twist or a battle system. Even graphics in the case of FF7 but Trails has none of that. Eventually a compelling story will develop but by that point you'll have had to invest atleast two to three hours to get there. Trails is set up in a way that you're supposed to talk to NPC's to absorb the world, take a look around and not rush through...but that's also one of its major faults. NPC's go through their own storylines such as a rich merchant trying to make a business deal; every "blip" of the main story will advance that NPC's personal story and you'll be able to read if they succeed or fail or whatever happens to them. There's many such stories but they have absolutely no bearing on your character or the main plot. They are in effect meaningless to the overall game structure. But that's what Trails is going for, to show you that the world exists beyond your characters through these NPC's. You have to seek things out. It also means the game is very slow if you're going to do that. And it means a lot of reading. A lot. If you don't like reading a lot of dialogue this is not the game for you. And if you don't like backtracking this is not the game for you. I've enjoyed my time with it but it's largely just because I wanted to play a JRPG. If I wasn't in the mood for a JRPG (and this was one of the few that work well on PC) I wouldn't be playing it. It also needs to always be known this ends in a cliffhanger. Be aware of that.

I played the Cold Steel series first and hoped that the first Sky series would be just as good. And yes. It went over my expectations. Great dialogue and gameplay. World-building is so good - even NPCs have a story behind them. Truly a gem to be played.

The story and characters are well-written, and while the plot can be sometimes a little bit predictable, it still eventually delivers. The dialogs between characters is also good and comedic sometimes, and has quite the natural feeling to it, especially at the points which it sometimes "strays" beyond the subject of the dialog (such as short discussions about trivial matters, which are not essentially related to the plot). The combat system is simple enough, while the combat itself has a nice depth to it, although I found myself mainly sticking to a specific technique to defeat enemies. Finally, there is quite the amount of areas to explore, even though some of them are pretty useless (has nothing to interact with). The distinctive cons (in my opinion) that I can indicate, are: * Enemies which are defeated in combat, only to resurrect and cause more trouble - sometimes in a different form. This doesn't happen too often, but it does - and although a common thing in JRPGs, I personally consider it a rather cheap plot device. * Extensive exploration is (again, IMO) not rewarded good enough. Sure, you wondered around an area or location, looking through every crack and ally, but you'll mostly find nothing. That's a shame - I think that a player should be rewarded for exploring esoteric locations, especially those who're not essential to the plot. The developers made it - but the player may never experience it and why should he? He'll gain nothing from this. * Areas without maps. Yeah, some of the dungeons have maps or direction indicators – while some don’t, which makes you to lose your bearing quite often, and sometimes when you’re in a dungeon, save, quit and return to the game only a few days after – you’ll most probably forget where you were and where you were heading… * The game is rather short, and the characters could have used a little more perks and upgrades... All in all, this is a good and solid buy - personally, can't wait to play the sequel :)

Trails is a JRPG game with a fairly simplistic combat system. The graphics are dated, but coherent. The spritework is great. The music is decent. The depth of the world and the plot is top-notch. I never thought I would have a game replace the Suikoden series as my favorite RPG series, especially on the worldbuilding front. I was so wrong. The best part of this game is that, even though it is fantastic, it lays the groundwork for its even better sequel and the continuation of the series. It's like finding out that the best cake you've ever tasted is just the chef getting warmed up, and there's more to come.