The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd

This game plays more like a bonus dungeon to the first two installments of the Trails in the Sky series. Effectively, it consists of a series of dungeons that must be completed in order, and doesn't come anywhere close to the first two games in terms of story. That being said, it is still a good game, and if you enjoyed the previous two games and don't approach the game with too many story-expectations, you are also going to enjoy this part. All of your favorite characters are making a comeback, and the game also introduces three new playable characters. With a total ledger of 16 characters, this is one of the games with the most playable characters outside the Suikoden series, and there are parts in the game where you'll be using all of your characters split around a number of parties, so there's no "bench warm" dilemma. Quickly summed up again: If you played the first two games, then you'll also want to play this one. Don't expect too much from the story, and you might even be pleasantly surprised.

If you liked the first two games you are probably not going to like the third. It is a straight dungeon crawler without story but rather small extra lore bits about the world it is taking place in. I jumped straight to Trails of Cold steel. The crossbell series would have been in between the two but an english version is not due until fall 2022.

And he WILL BE BACK !

Having never played the [i]Trails[/i] series before, I decided to take a risk and drop $10 on the first in the series. Here I am, six months later, having just finished the third game. In all, I have a good 120 hours play time just on this series. It is fun, with a story that -- like most JRPGs -- keeps growing over time, hinting at an epic scope but never quite revealing its entirety. Now, more specifically about the third game: [i]The 3rd[/i] is a delightful romp through purgatory and Hell. Your main character is, unlike in the first two games, Father Kevin Graham, a member of the priesthood with a secret only hinted at in the second chapter. Uniting friends and foes alike, you tear your way through demons to uncover the secret of this world in which you find yourself trapped. If you've played the first two games, you will know what to expect in play style: turn-based strategy with a mixture of physical attacks, arts (magic), and crafts, as well as items. Everyone's S-crafts are expanded upon, and new orbments are included to expand the characters' range of abilities. In the exploration, there are also a number of entirely skippable doors that allow you to play minigames or get insight into lives of the characters. As mentioned in another review, this is not quite a sequel, but rather a lengthy epilogue to the [i]Trails in the Sky[/i] series and a farewell to the Liberl crew. It gives them a sense of closure, and sets up a number of plot points that are expanded upon in the [i]Cold Steel[/i] series and in some yet-to-be-translated games that I really hope end up on GOG in the near future. In short -- if you loved the first two games, buy this. If you haven't played them: play them first, then buy this.