The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is a spinoff of the Trails/Kiseki series of games, and it was released originally for the Playstation Portable in Japan in 2012. Unlike the other games in the series, Nayuta isn't open world and doesn't have turn-based mechanics. In fact, other than some vague mentions, you wouldn't be able to tell this was a Trails game. Gameplay-wise, it feels much more like other titles, namely a couple of smaller ones Falcom had been experimenting with since 2001, with the release of Zwei!!, then 2004's Gurumin and 2008's Zwei II. The world is divided into a main hub, where you get stores, NPCs and sidequests, and a series of stages that play like a 3D platformer with combat and puzzles. Each of these stages can be replayed in the seasons you unlock, and they all have challenges for you to engage in (they're not mandatory, but they do give you the means to get more abilities and equipment via the hub's trainer). The bosses are fun to fight; they're easier than the Ys games ones, but they feel unique and can provide a challenge on harder difficulties. Graphically, PH3 worked their magic and the game looks great, but it's still based on a PSP version, so that's just how it is. Personally, I really like this graphical style, but YMMV. Story-wise, don't expect something too involved, it's a light-hearted tale about friendship, kind of your standard JRPG fare. The characters are extremely well written, though, and I did experience a fair amount of touching scenes. So, should you buy this game? I think so, yes. If you're a fan of Falcom's Kiseki/Trails series because of the turn-based combat, then maybe skip it, since you won't really be missing out, but to everyone else, I'd say get it. Unlike other NISA releases, the price is extremely fair for what you're getting, even without a discount, and you'll be playing what is essentially the culmination of Falcom's experimentation with their smaller spinoff games, brought to perfection here.

The Legend of Nayuta is a game with a lot of love put into it. The character's voices, the story, the art. Everything about this game screams love and dedication. [Gameplay] The gameplay loop is solid, and has you choosing from differently hub worlds and selecting stages to enter. In each stage you're tasked not only with completion, but collecting a serious of items scattered throughout the stage you're in. The game rewards you for finding items in each stage, in the form of upgrades to your characters abilities, and even gear for your character to wear. The games difficulty starts out rather easy, but picks up as it goes on, especially in the later chapters. I played the game on hard, and while the game isn't super difficulty by any means, It was a decent challenge toward the end. The game from start to finish took me 25h 20m [Story] The game follows the story of Nayuta, a 15 year old boy who goes from a mere scholar, to a hero over the course of his adventure. Each character in the game is full of life, with their own personalities, likes, dislikes, and relation to Nayuta. As you progress, their dialogue changes, and they always have something to say if you make it a point to check up on them after major events. The voice acting (both English and Japanese) is beautiful, and I was never disappointed with any performance. It really made it easy to get immersed into the beautiful world. [Art] The games art (while nothing too special) is extremely vibrant, and especially looked great in 1440p Character models are low poly, but have enough detail in them for you to tell what they represent, and are extremely stylized. [Conclusion] The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is a game with a lot of love and dedication put into it. If you're looking for an immersive story, with lovely characters, and fun gameplay, I would say the game is worth the full price.