As one story ends another begins. This is what brings us to Crossbell. A city state sandwiched between two political superpowers seemingly hanging on by a thread to stay afloat of outside influences. However not everything is what it seems on the surface. Crossbell is corrupt and is very limited on what it can do to fix its own issues. And only the SSS can change Crossbell's wrongdoings from within.

I love the SSS man. Every member is so fun to see and their interactions are priceless. The squad is so diverse in personality and yet they mesh so well. Even their battle styles are different. Seeing the SSS slowly get the recognition they deserve is such a payoff. They aren't just a copy of the bracer guild and made their own identity.

I find the setting of Crossbell to be very engaging especially since the state is small enough to where you are able to get to know every character including the npcs and really connect with the characters when shit hits the fan. It also isn't small to the point where you get tired of the same locations. This can also be implied due to how well this game uses its map. Like it just makes sense that you have to go all over Crossbell to retrieve an overdue book or partake in a fishing contest at the sandbar.

As always Trails and of course Falcom delivers on its soundtrack. Like every time this track played I was on the edge of my seat because I knew I had to lock in. Another great soundtrack that the music is all it takes to change your mood in an instant.

Can't talk about Zero without a certain character's journey that has spanned over 3 games now. Definetly one of the best character journeys I have seen in a video game. Every time they are on screen I always get emotional. There is just something about how its handled that it's truly special.

From what this game concludes off of, I really wonder how Azure will start off because Zero had a pretty conclusive ending but definetly has questions that needs to be answered. Just like us as the player, the SSS still doesn't know all of the answers on the why of how Crossbell functions but if we just get over the barrier only then we can seek the truth and justice be served.

"But what we need right now is the experience of overcoming these kinds of obstacles. Think about it, clear the small barriers one by one… If we do that, then someday, we’ll have the power to get over the taller barriers, too. "

Primeiramente: eu fico muito feliz de ter jogado Trails from Zero. A saga Trails provavelmente é a minha série de JRPGs favorita em questão de jogabilidade, não tem nenhum outro jogo do gênero que consegue ter um feeling tão bom de pegar e só sair batalhando contra todo bicho que você vê pela frente; pelo menos não que eu tenha jogado nos meus 17 anos de vida aqui no planeta Terra. A única série de JRPG que eu realmente adoro pegar pra sair matando todo mundo pela frente em algum nível parecido é SMT, mas ainda sim eu acho que Trails se sobressai nesse quesito.

Dito isso, apesar de ter gostado do meu tempo com o Zero, talvez eu tenha ido com as expectativas altas demais em questão de história. Eu fui já ciente que esse daqui não ia ser uma puta experiência foda igual o SC ou o 3rd, mas eu ainda fiquei meio decepcionado porque apesar de ter gostado de Crosbell e os personagens, eu não me senti tão ligado a eles quanto eu me senti depois de ter terminado o FC, que é o jogo de introdução pros Sky. De forma alguma eu acho a história desse jogo ruim, ela flui muito bem e talvez tenha até um sentimento de consequência entre capítulos maior que o FC, porque querendo ou não sempre você tá indo em direção a uma história que explode no final, que apesar de ser bem filler, constrói todo o caminho pro jogo brilhar mais pro final (mesmo que pra mim não tenha brilhando tanto) e também, acredito eu, pavimentar a estrada pro Azure. Num grande esquema das coisas, estruturalmente ele funciona melhor que o FC, só que eu não me sinto tão conectado ao universo e todo o ecossistema das coisas igual eu me senti com Liberl.

Muito dos elogios que eu posso fazer ao Zero eu também posso fazer à trilogia Sky, porque eu sinto que muito do que me faz gostar desse jogo é porque ele toma muito das coisas já estabelecidas nos três primeiros jogos. Talvez seja uma crítica meio idiota, porque ele é um jogo introdutório de uma saga que faz parte de uma franquia, então faz sentido eu elogiar ele pela base dele, só que sei lá, eu tava esperando um pouquinho mais, porque o final do FC pra mim é uma das melhores coisas da série inteira até agora... só que não tem muito disso nesse jogo. Ele é um puta jogo consistente, de fato, só que eu sinto que é apenas isso. A consistência dele não tem pontos tão altos assim. Tirando a KeA. Só ela vale o jogo inteiro e qualquer cena que tem ela é o auge da escrita do jogo inteiro, puta merda que personagem interessante.

Uma coisa que eu quero destacar, é que apesar de não gostar muito quando uma história não se contém nela mesma e serve apenas pra criar uma sensação de maior magnitude, eu gosto de como a Falcom trata o ecossistema da história. Os personagens que voltam não são só um fanservice idiota pra agradar quem jogou os antigos; toda a história da Renne é muito foda e eu genuinamente me emocionei na cena de reencontro dela com a Estelle e o Joshua, e eu tô muito curioso pra ver como que o Lechter vai ser desenvolvido em Erebonia. Não acho que esse sentimento de engrandecimento é igual, sei lá, um Utawarerumono (beleza que essa é uma comparação MUITO injusta, mas tudo bem), mas eu fico extremamente curioso pra ver o resto da série e ver se algum destrona o SC dos meus jogos favoritos. Spoiler pra mim mesmo: nenhum vai.

*Played Trails from Zero twice back in 2023 (first on PS4 then on Switch). Now making a review of it since it's still fresh in my mind and I just finished the Liberl arc not long ago in 2024.

Trails From Zero (or Zero for simple sakes) is a solid game through and the second Trails game I ever played.

As the start of a new arc known as the Crossbell arc, Zero had the job to establish a new cast of characters as well as develop the city-state of Crossbell as a setting. From the two playthroughs I did, I can confidently say it did it's job well as I loved the settings of Crossbell in general and the new cast of characters from the Special Support Section (SSS). The main cast of characters were fun to watch as the game greatly builds on their dynamic with each other over the course of the game. It doesn't help that the amazing jp voices from the Evo version elevated them into some of my favorite characters (ex. Randy and Tio). Crossbell, while small in comparison to Liberl, is still a rich setting filled with some of the best named NPCS in the series. Due to the settings contained in one city with a few small towns, bases, and a hospital, the stories of the named NPCs develop through out the whole game and it makes me care for them more than Liberl NPCs due to the smaller setting.

The story is pretty good for what it is, even if its pretty small in context to the larger narrative of the series. However, I do like the fact the story is really self - contained with a start and an end that doesn't force the direct sequel baiting that most other Trails kind of fall into.

As for gameplay, it still follow the quartz system from the Sky games, though there are minor modifications such as changing some specific spells into a different element or adding new spells all together. The battles are still the same from the Sky games, though you are mostly sticking with the four SSS members for most the game. You do get the usual extra characters, though they are only temporary.

Finally, music is simply excellent whichs make walking through Crossbell a joy and battles pretty hype.

As for the negatives, the game starts off slow though thankfully not as slow as Sky FC. There is unfortunately no English voice acting though I could understand the fact that trying to record it would delayed the game and thus delayed future Trails games that need to be localized. Finally, the PC and Switch ports invalidate the PS4 version due to the simple fact that there are no chat logs to check.

Other than those nitpicks, Trails from Zero is just a pretty great game in general and a solid start of the Crossbell game. And shouts out for the Geofront Team for making this happen! 4.5/5.

it escalated very quickly near the end that i was aghast. i feel like they could've escalated the plot earlier bcs the first half were kinda peaceful and lighthearted and then it turned into this nationwide horror. but i guess that's why they made it into duology.

all in all, crossbell arc is my second fav after liberl arc (this is after i completed cold steel i-iv).

too bad this game came out globally after cold steel. bcs by completing cold steel i-ii prior to playing this one, i was spoiled too much. im usually fine being spoiled but this level of spoiler is just.. unfortunate.

Trails really never misses on their finales.

Really loved the graphical improvements from the original trilogy. Love the new cast of main characters, I think they mesh together well, and I also love many of the supporting characters like Wazy and Lechter (king!).

The mafia plotline was also very interesting and went really deep. The game did have a slow start, as most trails games do, but it was comforting seeing all these characters form bonds with one another and take on challenges together. There were a lot of moving parts that kept things interesting, too.

My only real gripe with the game is not so much the pacing or slow start but how each chapter (except the final) seems like its building up to something, and the last dungeon/mission of each chapter was indeed great, but then following chapter it kind of felt like some of the tension subsided. I wouldve kind of preferred to have the stakes continually raise and to keep the more interesting aspects of the game carry through from chapter to chapter instead of each one being a kind of new buildup.

Overall though, very fun and I love how this ties into and is more of a continuation of the original trilogy.
Can't wait to see where Azure takes this.

Holy shit, trails finally hooked me. This game is easily the best one in the series so far imo with its incredibly entertaining cast and tight pacing. Very emotional at points too with Renne's arc and Lloyd's desire to protect KeA being the highlights. I really loved Lloyd and Randy's dynamic a lot too. Really hyped for azure now.

The weak link of the game sadly are its villains which aren't that great with the main villain in particular being laughable at points.

It took a long ass while but trails has finally clicked for me, and it took the barrier man Lloyd Bannings to do it.

The Crossbell duology might be the strongest part of the entire Trails series so far - the characters are interesting, and have personalities beyond anime tropes, and the Sky-style combat is improved even farther. As was true in the Sky series, Zero starts out focusing on realism / political conflict, before introducing some more mystical elements towards the end (setting up Azure). Like most of the games in this series, there are some frustrations where a lot is missable if you don't know where and when to look for it and/or use a guide, but whether or not you try and see all the content, the game is fantastic to play.