Initially, I tried to play Trails into Reverie (or Hajimari no Kiseki) in 2021 on the Japanese version with the fan translation, but I just couldn't do it, so I dropped the game halfway through, waiting for the English release, and this did not disappoint at all. This game truly is the 'everybody is here' of Trails (well, except most of the Liberl crew). This game is like The 3rd to the Crossbell and Cold Steel arcs, wrapping up the loose ends, and essentially going through the events in the slideshow at the end of Cold Steel 4. There's a lot of heavy plot and this game is actually peak gaming.

The story is split into three routes: Lloyd Route, Rean Route, and C Route. I'll give a section to each route but for right now I will state my thoughts on the overarching story. The main antagonist once again not really being a living being, and instead an AI that can predict the future and alter the course of history was something I was not expecting. Having one of the new characters represent this antagonist, Lapis, was great, and they did the best they possibly could with her through the C route and the entire finale section, but I hope they get to expand on her more in later games because she's really interesting (y'know, for being a Rosenburg Doll and all). Rufus fully embracing his 'villain' is amazing, and he honestly grew a lot on me. Obviously, I still hate him for the scum he was in CS3 and CS4, but I'm interested to see where they take his character from here on. The fact that Rufus is apparently 'dead' to everyone that wasn't involved in the operation is kind of crazy, and of course we got a cheesy Lloyd speech to boot, but you gotta love the cheesy Lloyd speeches. I will admit, having Ishmelga (well Ishmelga Rean) again in the game kinda annoyed me because I thought we got rid of it for good, but I didn't mind as much considering it ended Rean's character arc nicely. And the fact they denied Ishmelga's warning for the world 'ending' in three years was kinda dope, putting humanity into humanities own hands. With all that said, I just wanna talk about the routes very briefly.

Lloyd Route. I won't mince words, this is the worst route in the game. It isn't bad, I actually quite enjoyed it, but it literally is the entire plot of Azure's finale. Going around Crossbell after the group has been separated due to 'Rufus' taking over Crossbell right before their independence is signed seems EERILY similar. I don't think I hate this route as much as others because I was just so excited to have the Crossbell cast interact with each other again and go on their various escapades to somehow snatch Crossbell back.

I just love Rean, and his route. The fact we get to go back to Ymir and Nord Highlands was great. Dealing with Calvardian agents, and the Arios simulacra fight is kind of peak. Coupled with a goofy Mischneider boss fight in Mishelam, and I just liked seeing the group do their thing. Rescuing the imperial couple on their honeymoon is something I enjoyed, but one slight dash I will hold against Rean's route is the fact that it introduces so much. The disappearance of Olivier and Scherazard on their honeymoon, Traitors in Imperial Army supporting the EDFs reoccupation of Crossbell, Simulacras, and then the end of the route is Rean meeting Ishmelga Rean and then merging with the Lloyd and C routes. It's a lot to take in, but despite that, I loved the hell out of it.

C's route is great. You get to play as four new characters (technically three, but Rufus is also a new one in my books). Accompanied by Duvalie, Renne, and Arios, and this route has A LOT of diversity and fun. The dynamics between Renne, Nadia, and Lapis are impeccable and the duel between Rufus and Duvalie is so silly I love it so much. Arguably the weakest character in the route is probably Arios, so its alright. Having read 3 & 9 prior to Reverie, I liked how Swin and Nadia had to rehash their past and fight Emperor, not once, but TWICE (and not even being the real one because he was already dead). Lapis having an identity crisis, but being saved by Rufus (through a tracker) was kind of hilarious to watch and just made me love the duo a lot. I loved the constant switching between C and Rean's Routes in Heimdallr as they were at eachothers throats, it was so jam-packed having to constantly fight the party we were just using with the other.

I've said a lot about the characters in the route sections because this story is especially character driven, but Nadia, Rufus, and Lapis are highlights. That Nadia section in Heimdallr was especially unsettling when she was talking about torturing the guy whilst stabbing knives into her stuffed bear. Rufus having to atone for his sins by staying alive is probably the best punishment he could've gotten, and being off-the-record gives him the chance to explore the world with the people that care about him the most (I love how the Imperial Picknicking Front act like a little family, it's really endearing). I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THOSE FINAL THREE DAYDREAMS (and the Ouroboros one with the Calvardian President). Who is Elaine? Why is Renne a girlboss? There's really someone that can cut Rean's tachi, a Divine Blades at that, in half? I have so many questions and they've honestly made me super super excited for Daybreak.

Speaking of Daydreams, I enjoyed them a lot. Getting to experience a little slice of life in the middle of the story was a nice change of pace, and the way they reminded me of the Doors from the 3rd was great because I loved the doors. My favourite daydreams were definitely the Cedric, Towa, Emma, and the Calvardian daydreams.

Besides the regular battle system, which was just beyond busted, most of the gameplay in Reverie is centered around the Reverie Corridor, akin to the Recluse Cube in The 3rd, except that's story on top of the Reverie Corridor. Randomly generated dungeons aside (I hate them), I loved getting to use my favourite characters in more combat (Wazy was so fun to nuke everything with using his S-Craft and arts). The various events in the corridor were fun (a little bit tedious though). Can't talk about Reverie Corridor without mentioning the gacha, it honestly isn't that bad. Getting some busted quartz and accessories was fun (coming from a gacha gamer), as well as the various Corridor characters and daydreams. I liked seeing the characters interact with people they wouldn't normally in the Corridor, like how we finally got to see the two dominions of the previous two arcs, Wazy and Gaius, finally interact. Talking about the final boss in the game, Demiourgos. It was extremely surprising that the final boss was actually a Sept-Terrion (and the Sept-Terrion of Mirage at that). I don't have anything to say about that boss fight because I just built a bunch of nukes so it wasn't that big of a problem. One boss that I definitely did have a problem with was the magic knight in Rean's route. Having to beat that thing on Nightmare difficulty with limited resources, right after a boss fight that had an extremely strict turn limit was screwed up, but I somehow managed to scrape by.

I will keep saying it, Trails has peak music. Reverie is not exception. Slight Suspicion, Mischneider Theme, Beyond the Reverie, Stand Up Again and Again, and many more are absolute bangers and made it onto my playlist.

Overall, I loved Reverie and it has gotten me so pumped for Daybreak releasing in just a few days. This series continues to be peak and I cannot wait to start a new arc in a new part of Zemuria!