Getting into the series has never been easy. Falcom’s massive lineup of overarching stories within each of the mainline titles can feel a little bit intimidating when there’s no one-stop shop to gather all the titles on one specific platform. So having to recommend this to some of my friends can feel a little bit too much of a hurdle when most wouldn’t cough up getting older hardware on top of the titles to complete the entire experience. However, as with the most game’s in the series, most would have their own setting and plot anyway and with just a bit of the casual mentions and character appearances among a few other things that could potentially be bombed on your playthrough.
An excellent narrative that brings the essence of going from zero to hero
As such, Trails from Zero brings in a more self-contained story within the walls of Crossbell. The hometown of our very own friendship and justice-spouting hero, Lloyd Bannings. This young rookie detective who just got recruited to the newly created Special Support Section (SSS) of the Crossbell Police Department is teamed up with a similarly young and fresh cast of cadets like Elie MacDowell, Tio Plato and Randy Orlando. However, all is not well within the department when Crossbell PD’s reputation is at an all-time low in the public’s eye. But this is where the SSS comes in… their goal is to solve cases from simple affairs that help the citizens, whether it’s finding lost items to delivering stuff in certain areas or actually fighting odd monsters that would help boost the police department’s rep.
But despite the simple goal of improving their stand in the public, all is not fun and games when deep beneath the dark alleys of Crossbell, there’s a much deeper rabbit hole that gets unravelled right beneath their feet when they stumble upon what first appears as just a simple fight among gangs. And this is where Lloyd Bannings as the main protagonist really shines. His goody two-shoe attitude brings in the best of what a nosy detective could do as the team investigates the underbelly of the case that led the two rival gangs into what would’ve been an all-out war just for a third party to profit from their losses and this elevates the story into something more than just an errand of rep-building.
And with most titles from the franchise, the Crossbell Arc manages to keep it in line with its similarly hard-hitting narrative thanks to its excellent writing that really elevates the game as a whole and because there’s only a handful of characters unlike a certain game that has such a massive cast of students, Trails from Zero does feel more contained and manageable to make the setting more intimate with less of the overly stretched dialogue just to get the other cast some screen time. This in turn makes each of the cast get their time to shine and show their very own personalities that is backed by its great voice acting.
Finely tuned gameplay elements that brings out one of the most satisfying turn-based combat
It’s no secret that when it comes to the series, the main star itself is the narrative, you buy into its world-building and grandiose adventures. Although the gameplay and turn-based RPG mechanics is still a huge banger despite its sprites looking like clay dolls that just needed more time in the oven, but we are talking about a much older game unlike Trails of Cold Steel which took the fully three-dimensional perspective with its more lifelike avatars that roam its world. And at least it feels nostalgic for us older gamers…
Gameplay is like I mentioned, turn-based with most of the fight following the traditional commands like normal attacks, and special moves like Crafts that consumes the CP gauge while Arts is something that feels more akin to magical attacks that would cost EP much like it is to a mana gauge in certain games. However, what really brings this franchise to new heights is its customizability in the form of its orbment and quartz system. Each character is able to be optimized to certain feats like learning new abilities when you equip quartz that offer them while also being able to increase their stats through the same way in cases that you would rather have them be a powerhouse in the frontline. Its level of freedom is a breath of fresh air when other RPGs can be just a tad bit straightforward with just boosting your powers through a levelling system and some gear.
Its visuals despite being an older game still don’t disappoint though. Crossbell and its outskirts don’t offer the 3D environment or jaw-dropping setting that most modern games would have but what it does have is a crisp and detailed world with a dynamic camera angle that delivers a better impression to emphasize depth and elevation as you run through a set of stairs and what not. The state of Crossbell also feels like a living and breathing world thanks to its many shops and amenities scattered throughout the city. The only real negative here is the character sprites look awkward as most of the detail gets smooshed into chibi-sized sprites and thus loses its scale when most characters would just look fat with very little difference in builds to one another.
In conclusion, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero delivers a fantastic experience backed by the many features that separate it from its peers. The great story and its cast are one of the finest the series has to offer despite it being plagued by pacing issues which is a common trend in the franchise. Its gameplay and mechanics are still one of my favourites for its customizability while keeping it challenging enough to give it some oomph. And if you ask me if all the years we’ve waited for localization were worth it then I definitely would say yes to that!
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, Amazon Luna
Developers: Nihon Falcom, PH3 GmbH
Publishers: Nihon Falcom, Nippon Ichi Software, Clouded Leopard Entertainment, Joyland, NIS America
Grab your copy here https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-games/The-Legend-of-Heroes-Trails-from-Zero-2260879.html
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