This review contains spoilers
four big catastrophes with zero casualties out of five
if crossbell is peak trails, azure itself is a smaller additional peak that's jutting out of that peak, reaching slightly higher, but it's also covered in a bit of bird shit that conspicuously spells out the words "sexual harassment is so funny, guys".
so it definitely has its pros and cons, perhaps more clearly defined ones than most of the other games in the series, in my opinion. first, the pros.
the gameplay is by far at its best, here. the addition of wazy and noel means the main playable cast offers just the right amount of variety to mess around with without being too little or too much, and the master quartz system opens up a lot of fun character build possibilities, making progression feel really addictive. i played on hard and it felt just perfect, many of the bosses were stiff challenges that frequently forced me to rethink my party composition, but trash mobs, at least if i got a double advantage (which is very easy to get, thankfully), went down nice and easy and never felt like a huge drag.
the narrative is much more exciting than zero's and for the most part it's a fun enough time. that's not really why i play trails, though, and thankfully azure is absolutely chock full of fun little optional conversations, entertaining npcs and interesting and varied side quests. this is where azure really shines for me, why i had such a great time with this game. the party banter is much more varied and natural than zero's--randy definitely still has his "OH MAN I WANNA HIT ON THIS CHICK" moments but for the most part it really felt like the writers had gotten sick of the repeated tropes in zero and started to write, like, actual dialogue and jokes between actual characters--and wazy injecting a bit of sorely needed edge and humor single-handedly saves and elevates many scenes and quests. wazy in general is a highlight and a real breath of fresh air in a series whose main playable casts are almost always very rigidly confined "good guys", not just smart and thoughtful, but kind and polite and mature and nice beyond belief.
on the flipside, this is where the fan service shit really starts. the way the game treats the elie/shirley scene is insane, and the literal beach episode just plain sucks. we also get even more female characters with huge boobs and revealing outfits, but at least with these older games, they aren't nearly as in your face as they might be, which is a small mercy. one that's immediately out the window with cold steel's move to full 3d, though...
i also found the finale to be really dull, to my surprise. i remember enjoying it quite a bit on my first playthrough some years ago, but on a replay, knowing all the twists and reveals, it really is just a linear slog from one corny ass shounen anime conversation to the next. everything gets wrapped up real neat, villains get their heartfelt moments and sympathy, nobody dies or is even seriously injured, any potentially challenging or interesting questions (like is kea unconsciously affecting others around her and what does that mean for her and people around her, or kea in general, really) get completely swept under the rug immediately and so on. just shitloads of jrpg fluff. trails' main narratives are very often completely at odds with the series' aim to create an expansive and believable world for me, and it's at it's most obvious during azure's finale. i just can't take these stories seriously.
the localization felt, for the most part, definitely improved here. gone were the clunky, robotic lines that were frequent in zero. i did not actually expect this, so it was a really positive surprise. that said, it did feel like azure had more of what i've seen people call anime-isms, and i think a more naturalistic and less word-for-word approach to the localization would have really benefited the game. it's also chock full of weird jrpg fluff about justice and delusions and whatever the fuck, but i'm guessing that's how it is in the original script, too.
moving on, with some trepidation, to a.. sort of replay of cold steel, and then reverie and beyond. my expectations are low, but it's going to be interesting to see if playing them after crossbell, as god intended, makes them a better time.
if crossbell is peak trails, azure itself is a smaller additional peak that's jutting out of that peak, reaching slightly higher, but it's also covered in a bit of bird shit that conspicuously spells out the words "sexual harassment is so funny, guys".
so it definitely has its pros and cons, perhaps more clearly defined ones than most of the other games in the series, in my opinion. first, the pros.
the gameplay is by far at its best, here. the addition of wazy and noel means the main playable cast offers just the right amount of variety to mess around with without being too little or too much, and the master quartz system opens up a lot of fun character build possibilities, making progression feel really addictive. i played on hard and it felt just perfect, many of the bosses were stiff challenges that frequently forced me to rethink my party composition, but trash mobs, at least if i got a double advantage (which is very easy to get, thankfully), went down nice and easy and never felt like a huge drag.
the narrative is much more exciting than zero's and for the most part it's a fun enough time. that's not really why i play trails, though, and thankfully azure is absolutely chock full of fun little optional conversations, entertaining npcs and interesting and varied side quests. this is where azure really shines for me, why i had such a great time with this game. the party banter is much more varied and natural than zero's--randy definitely still has his "OH MAN I WANNA HIT ON THIS CHICK" moments but for the most part it really felt like the writers had gotten sick of the repeated tropes in zero and started to write, like, actual dialogue and jokes between actual characters--and wazy injecting a bit of sorely needed edge and humor single-handedly saves and elevates many scenes and quests. wazy in general is a highlight and a real breath of fresh air in a series whose main playable casts are almost always very rigidly confined "good guys", not just smart and thoughtful, but kind and polite and mature and nice beyond belief.
on the flipside, this is where the fan service shit really starts. the way the game treats the elie/shirley scene is insane, and the literal beach episode just plain sucks. we also get even more female characters with huge boobs and revealing outfits, but at least with these older games, they aren't nearly as in your face as they might be, which is a small mercy. one that's immediately out the window with cold steel's move to full 3d, though...
i also found the finale to be really dull, to my surprise. i remember enjoying it quite a bit on my first playthrough some years ago, but on a replay, knowing all the twists and reveals, it really is just a linear slog from one corny ass shounen anime conversation to the next. everything gets wrapped up real neat, villains get their heartfelt moments and sympathy, nobody dies or is even seriously injured, any potentially challenging or interesting questions (like is kea unconsciously affecting others around her and what does that mean for her and people around her, or kea in general, really) get completely swept under the rug immediately and so on. just shitloads of jrpg fluff. trails' main narratives are very often completely at odds with the series' aim to create an expansive and believable world for me, and it's at it's most obvious during azure's finale. i just can't take these stories seriously.
the localization felt, for the most part, definitely improved here. gone were the clunky, robotic lines that were frequent in zero. i did not actually expect this, so it was a really positive surprise. that said, it did feel like azure had more of what i've seen people call anime-isms, and i think a more naturalistic and less word-for-word approach to the localization would have really benefited the game. it's also chock full of weird jrpg fluff about justice and delusions and whatever the fuck, but i'm guessing that's how it is in the original script, too.
moving on, with some trepidation, to a.. sort of replay of cold steel, and then reverie and beyond. my expectations are low, but it's going to be interesting to see if playing them after crossbell, as god intended, makes them a better time.