The Legend of Heroes has quietly become one of my favorite JRPG IPs. Like many Nintendo fans, I hadn’t played a single game in the series until Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III came to his Switch in 2020 (20 there are). Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is one of the best Switch releases.
Originally released for PSP in 2011, Trails to Azure is the direct sequel to Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero, updated for Switch in 2022. This is because the Steel Games are all set within the same timeline. It’s a huge universe of politics, friendships, heroes and betrayals that’s very hard to track.Trails to Azure includes a lot of background information (both from menu screens and various bookshelves scattered throughout the game) to get the most up-to-date information.
So I’m not going to bog down this review with backstory. I don’t feel like writing another university thesis. Be sure to play Trails from Zero before starting Trails to Azure. Also, the story’s plot points don’t stray too far from his typical JRPG tropes. A great misfortune is coming. It’s up to a ragtag crew of startups (and countless friends…and sometimes foes) to save the day.
This is handled primarily in two environments. First, there are many huge towns to explore.
These areas are where you meet most of the characters in the game and get their stories. At its core is Crossbell, the home of the Special Support Section (SSS), which you lead. Here we accept numerous requests to advance the story or level up to get good stuff. is very important to track. If you go too far, you will not be able to complete the mission and you will lose your reward.
The problem with this is that some tasks require extensive town exploration.While you can quickly travel to the specific wards you want, each ward has a mix of shops, offices, and residences to check out. These often contain bonus items and hidden quests that you may miss, so completionists spend a lot of time revisiting locations and rechecking shelves , to make sure the new one is not visible. Thankfully, there are many walkthroughs available to guide you.
It also slows down your adventure as you have to play mini-games and gambling. I prefer games not included in my game, and I don’t really like it when the available items are basically locked behind those games.
Maybe it’s my Methodist, or maybe it’s just that I’m tired of roulette and card games, but I’d rather have an adventure than sit in a casino.
Let’s go on an adventure. Your party’s first trip to a new town is always on foot, and those linear but long journeys involve fighting monsters, acquiring a number of items needed to level up, and completing the assigned few. It gives you a lot of chances to complete tasks (monster control). is always an urgent need). Enemies will appear on the screen and you can choose to engage or avoid them. Attacking from behind gives a small bonus when entering combat.
The turn-based combat system itself is complex, but it can be boiled down to the usual elements. Turns are assigned based on speed, and each character can choose to move, attack, use items, or use art.
Arts are great for targeting an enemy’s weak points, but they usually can’t be cast immediately, giving the enemy a chance to get hit in front of you. , learning to optimize your party with a variety of acquired and upgraded items is the key to victory. You can balance your characters so that they have some coverage regardless of what they face, or they can be weighted down with certain types of art (fire, earth, wind, etc.). prop up. I tend to keep my balance in general combat, and I was only able to accurately manage my character and skills after being handed my ass in a boss fight. No, but the game allows you to manage your party on an ongoing basis.
Thankfully, Trails to Azure offers plenty of special combat abilities to help you get through the tougher battles. Obtaining, optimizing, and equipping Quartz Materials gives you access to a variety of abilities, buffs, and enemy debuffs. There are always new weapons and armor to find or buy. Saving to unleash powerful S-Craft attacks makes things a little easier, as does his Combo Crafts between certain characters. Timing these attacks in large battles can be tricky, but it’s a rewarding system. provides a nice change of pace for.
Speaking of town-to-town, Trails to Azure has something you’ve never seen in a video game before. The treasure chest is a comedian. If you click it again after getting the item, it will tell you a joke.
However, the best part of The Legend of Heroes: Soukyuu no Kiseki is the story. Specifically, the characters that drive the story. Sometimes it’s a complicated story that you can’t read, but that’s why there’s a surprising depth to the many people you meet. Many people have similar goals but never see eye to eye. It’s been interesting to see their relationship develop, for better or worse. I don’t think anyone would play this game without a tie.
I also really like how the game looks and sounds. The updated graphics are still a bit dated, but in a comfortable way. They’re quirky, but detailed, and perfect for switching to handheld mode. The music fits the visuals perfectly and is surprisingly diverse. The tone changes based on the mood of your current location.
All of this comes together to deliver an experience that rivals any JRPG developed a decade later. Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure may look cute and simple, but you can’t go wrong. This is a very complicated and very challenging game that will take up a lot of your game time.
be sure to start from scratch before heading To Azure.
