I have already played the first three games in the trails of series; therefore, I am very invested in its world and gameplay. I am glad that this game didn’t disappoint me, because it delivered a very concise story and even tied some questions left in trails in the sky the 3rd. My only complaint would be that the keyboard controls in this game aren’t as intuitive, compared to the ones done by xseed. Which is a shame because it was the best experience, I have had with a JRPG in PC, and in some things better than the normal use with controllers.

Its weird to change characters after three games, but all of them are memorable and I believe it was a good decision to not rotate as many people, because it was becoming tiresome in the third game. Is weird that the end of this game didn’t leave any plot twists with their characters as in previous installments and I could have seen it as an end to the franchise with just some unsolved plots that could have been left to the player interpretation/imagination.

Even though most of the gameplay was similar, there were some changes to the Arts system that refresh completely the idea of how to play, such as deleting the cure ailments or most of the cure in groups that were exploited before. Though, I feel the game easier than any other of the previous ones. Which is not bad, because it still had challenge which require actual thought into boss battles. Though, most of the normal encounters could be cheesed by attacking to their back and the doing an “All out attack” which in most cases killed all the enemies or left them with little health left.

I can see a trend in this game to make the game easier and more story focused, which does not feel bad. I would have chosen a harder mode if there was a way to skip boss cutscenes. Another aspect was that it became tiresome some of the npc dialogs because each time I made some story progress I would read each person new interaction. Perhaps to not be burned by this I will let half a year pass at least before I play another one in the series.

In general, it was a well-done game, but it didn’t amaze me to the point of becoming the best game in the series. I would not 100% complete it, but that is a given with almost any RPG for me.

As a fan of the Trails in the Sky games I was excited to jump into this. Playing with a new cast was a bit weird at first but in typical Trails fashion you get some amazing character/world building. While Crossbell is smaller than Liberal(the region from the Sky games) the main city was bustling with life and I loved running around it.

The story had you follow an up and coming side police force tasked in helping the city. As the game goes on you learn more about the seedy underbelly and more. I liked it but it definitely was not as crazy as the first two Sky games. Everything else like the combat and mechanics are all the same as past titles so it was easy to get into.

Overall I really liked the game but I still thought the previous titles were better. Of course playing this and it's sequel add more to the lore of the world which I like so I'm just plugging away at the titles. You could start here as there are some nods to the past you can easily look online for what they mean.

Yet another Trails journey complete - and a great one at that.

This is a great JRPG with a fun combat system and even better story, overall. Compared to the the Sky arc, I enjoyed this a lot more. The pacing of the story is way better and I loved having a mostly fixed party of 4 the whole game - their relationship was very fun to follow.

I played on easy because even though I enjoy the combat system, having started the series on Cold Steel, the old school combat can some times get too long and frankly annoying as I've learned from Sky SC which I dropped because of it. If you're like me and want to play the older games to get the story but aren't a fan of the outdated gameplay aspects, I really recommend playing on Easy like I did - the combat was still fun but faster to get through annoying parts.

I have some pet peeves and issues with the story, but overall it was very interesting to follow and I never felt uninterested, which is the most important thing.

Great JRPG, I recommend it.

Hello based department? I'd like to order a claim.....

Anyways the Crossbell arc makes a damn good first impression with Zero. I was worried since I adored the Sky cast and was sad to leave them, but while it took a bit the SSS did eventually win me over. I will say the prologue and first chapter are kind of nothing burgers, in both character and narrative. The game starts to pick up in chapter 2 and goes full steam chapter 3 onward.

I love the SSS's group dynamic, I think the bracer squad takes them in terms of individual characters, but as a group unit I for sure like the SSS more. I love the found family thing they have going on and their personalities bounce off one another really well. Their status as underdogs in society makes them easy to root for, and there general wanting to do good attitude makes you want to see them succeed. The city of Crossbell is one of the more well fleshed out locations I've seen in any video game. Everything in and around this city exists for a reason, every person has a reason to be there and be prideful, it's constantly evolving as the story goes on and the SSS find out more about it.

On the gameplay end Zero adds a few new things, the first being able to attack enemies from the overworld. It's neat it's nice getting a full turn before the enemy can act, and I like that I don't have to worry as much about positioning anymore. Team bursting is alright it can be helpful or agitating sometimes though it's not nearly as annoying 3rd's statuses. I know Combo crafts started here but they're such a non factor in this game compared to Azure since only Lloyd can use them, I'd rather just talk about them in the Azure review. Assists are pretty sick but I found myself only really using a select few since others were nearly useless. This was also the start of bonding events, uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh, actually they're fine here. There's only 3 routes so they're all pretty doable and it's not like crucial character development is locked behind them haha... (foreshadowing).

Overall like Sky FC before it, Zero has a bit of a slow start but I'd say getting through that is totally worth it.

Hey you! Yes you! Don't be put off by the negative reviews that insult this masterpiece! Just ''GET OVER THE BARRIER!''

As someone who has played thousands of games, I can say that it was one of the best games I have played in my life. 10/10

I finished the game with the translation before it came to Steam. So, you don't worry about my the game play time.

Last one: ''IN MEMORY OF SCOTT TIJERINA (KillScottKill)''

Thanks for everything dude. Your dream is become real. We have already ''get over the barrier'' by you. You are true hero! RIP...

My first experience with The Legend of Heroes series and damn, what a game.

If you're looking for a fresh JRPG with some of the best writing, this is what you want. Literally every NPC has thought-out dialogue that changes throughout the game, making the world that much believable. No more ignoring every person because they blabber on about nonsense. I made an effort to talk to everyone to make sure I didn't miss a thing.

I also think this has some of the best character development in JRPGs when it comes to the party. Learning about small details of the crew and seeing them bloom and grow in a playthrough made seeing their individual growths and journeys that much more impactful. I'm also finding it hard to pick a favorite character as I've grown to love them all.

As for the story, obviously can't say much, but starting as a lil rag-tag group of people helping around the small town to evolving into the final moments in the game is batshit crazy.

Anyways, go play this. It's far worth the sixty hours-ish. I promise 😘

Two games of build up... absolutely incredible

The rest of the game was great too. The SSS are a fun bunch. The gameplay was nicer too. I did almost all the side quests which I normally never do so goes to show how much I enjoyed it.

Overall: PEAK.

While it felt like a shorter adventure, it actually was a very good +40hrs rpg.

It took a while to get used to the new cast, but everyone was very likeable and seeing the final resolution to Renne arc was nice to see.

The gameplay wasn't a revolution but it was still very good (if a bit simpler now), but otherwise it is still a good game and good first half to this new arc.

Earnest and empowering, in short. Trails from Zero is an incredibly powerful game that feels like a battle shonen in video game form, mixed with the long term storytelling, ambitious world building, and the mind bogglingly deep lore of Kiseki that results in a video game that combines the best of both and works perfectly, primarily because of how every element from the two spectrums I mentioned are glued together seamlessly through Lloyd bannings. On the surface, Lloyd seems like a perfectly normal main character with a clear cut moral code, but what makes Lloyd so compelling are the small neat bits of characterization that hint at a deeper, darker side to him that he grapples with without even realising it. It kind of fits with Crossbell’s setting too, because in a way, much like Lloyd, Crossbell looks like a perfectly stable peaceful state, but is actually run by the absolute worst, corrupt politicians. In the same way, Lloyd puts on an unbreakable facade and tries to be an invincible hero with an unflinchingly optimistic attitude, but on the inside, he’s the same kid that lost his brother, hasn’t moved on, and is stuck chasing after his shadow even after he died.


This is something that I absolutely adore when it comes to world building, where it feels like the city is a breathing, living character who’s tied to the main characters leading it, and that applies to Crossbell where it’s all about exploring your own truth and finding meaning to it on your own terms, because in Lloyd’s journey of uncovering his truth, he began uncovering Crossbell’s identity as well, and that acted as a genius backdrop for Crossbell’s theme of truth. Going back to Lloyd for a bit, as I mentioned, the parts of him that make him stand out to me are the small bits of characterization that people who call him boring often times miss, the small bits that show how caught up he is in his own brother’s shadow, how they seep into his mundane day to day life events, and how self damaging that can be.


When it comes to trauma, we often times unintentionally bottle it up for our self preservation since they’re unexpected, yet in spite of that, they seep into our mundane day to day life no matter how much we sugarcoat it and spreads its disease into our social interaction, which is my favorite form of portrayal of trauma and is why I adore Lloyd so much. He tries to put on Guy’s persona of an unstoppable hero that everyone can rely on even when it comes at his own expense, yet the person he forgets to save is himself, and it’s never explicitly told that this is what he struggles with until the near end of Zero because up until that point, Lloyd’s struggles are portrayed through his behaviour and it’s up to the player to infer what he goes through in comparison to the cast. In this sense, we’re put into Lloyd’s comrades’ shoes, have our intelligence tested by trying to infer what he himself goes through despite his seemingly normal demeanour, and that’s what makes the eventual exploration of Lloyd’s issues and his admittance to his insecurities hit so hard, because we as the player already could infer what he goes through yet ignores and are simply waiting for him to recognize that part of him. It’s an incredibly effective yet unique way of telling a main character’s arc through perspective, and that goes well with Crossbell’s themes about perception and truth, because even if Lloyd seems normal when we first perceive him, he is the exact opposite of that and that plays well into what Crossbell is trying to tell about the concept of truth.


Time and time again, from start to finish, Lloyd’s insecurities are shown through his actions even from the get go, where he was prepared to throw his life away to save the SSS from the geofront monster before Arios came in to save the day, and that’s not just because of the goodness of his heart but because that’s what his image of Guy would do in a situation like this. In this sense, you can say that when Guy died, Lloyd’s sense of self split into two, the part of him that admires Guy and the part of him that feels worthless in comparison to him and chases a far fetched shadow of his, forever stuck in an endless whirlpool of insecurities and living on auto-pilot mode. To illustrate further, whenever Lloyd accomplishes something, or is praised for having a good trait, he always denies that praise and credits it to Guy, which might seem like its Lloyd being humble, but in reality, it’s much more complicated and sadder. The reason for this is that Lloyd doesn’t take credit for those accomplishments or traits of his because he views them as Guy’s, or rather, the traits/accomplishments of his image of Guy that he only inhabits because of his desire to be like Guy. As such, when he does a good deed, or embodies a good trait, it’s to chase after that image of Guy first and foremost, and since those traits and actions are motivated by his desire to catch up to Guy, not just his own good will, it feels wrong to take credit for that because it doesn’t truly feel like his. He disassociates from those good deeds because they were coloured by his unhealthy admiration towards Guy and while motivated by his good will, that good will is only a secondary reason. It’s why in chapter 2 after Lloyd gives Ellie a corny friendship speech and Ellie asks him how he can be so optimistic, Lloyd doesn’t take credit for that and instead thanks Guy for it. While that’s definitely because Lloyd loves Guy, it’s also because he doesn’t believe in himself to be great enough to be that capable and strong on his own. Lloyd’s arc is all about finding balance between his image of Guy and who Guy really was, it’s about repairing his sense of self after it was shattered by how much he revered Guy and attached his individuality to him, and that’s makes Lloyd such a sympathetic main character to me, because in his attempt to find meaning in Guy’s death, he forgot to find meaning in his self, and that’s what enabled him to connect with the SSS members on such a spiritual level. At their core, Randy, Lloyd, Tio, and Ellie, are all incredibly lonely individuals with no place to call home, and that’s what enabled Lloyd to guide them and be their leader.


All of what I said about Lloyd up until now has been purely analytical, but on a personal note, there are small bits and pieces of dialogue that Lloyd said that truly connected with me, the biggest of them being when he told Randy that as strange as it is, he can finally accept that he can be his own man, reach his ultimate potential, and be satisfied, as opposed to a few months ago. This sentiment rung true to me personally, because I have an older brother that I admire and feel the need to chase after as well, yet despite being told countless times that I just need to keep being me, it all felt like hollow garbage to me that meant nothing, until lately after years of practising self love and self care, where I’ve come to identify and appreciate my own worth beyond my brother’s. It made me feel seen, because with Lloyd, the truth of his being and his surroundings and their meaning started and ended with him. This sentiment is reflected in the concept I mentioned above with Crossbell being like a living, breathing character on its own, where by overcoming his own barriers and finding his truth, Lloyd was able to understand the ins and outs of what Crossbell’s conflicts pertain, break the status quo, and change Crossbell for the better, like the hero he had hoped to become after initially running away from the city he treasured. In the end, it was all about perspective.


Truth be told, I didn’t really plan on writing such a long form piece on Crossbell mainly cause I wanted to do that once I was done with Azure, but I couldn’t really stop myself once I started expressing my passion for this game and what it made me feel. I guess that’s what happens when you let your own words flow and come together to form a pattern of thoughts instead of limiting yourself, and maybe that’s what Trails has become to me. Something that allows me to be ‘’free’’, and that’s why I’ve come to adore it and adore talking about it so much. In a word, though, Lloyd’s earnest nature is what made Crossbell’s cast (and me) love him, and through that love, he was able to find meaning to himself and have several white women wanting to fuck him.