This is my second playthrough of Trails in the Sky, finished in March of 2015. Now I'm finally writing about it in late 2016, publishing it in 2017. Yikes.
Background
Legend of Heroes used to be one of those series I always heard about, but never had a decent opportunity to play. My Falcom exposure was almost zero during my gaming formative years (basically the 90s), only playing Wanderers from Ys in my early emulation days (I didn't like it) and hearing some Falcom Sound Team music when I was on OCRemix all the time in the early 2000s. In the mid-2000s, a lot of niche RPG websites that I followed (...mostly RPGFan and RPGamer) sung the praises of Trails in the Sky ("Sora no Kiseki" in Japanese) all the time, and the Sora no Kiseki trilogy was mentioned quite often as a hidden gem that might never get official localization to the West. Well, that localization happened in 2011 on the PSP.
But before I played Sora no Kiseki (which is interesting in that "Kiseki" means trail or pathway, but is a homophone for "miracle") I tried to give other games in the Legend of Heroes series a shot. I own two of the PSP games in the Gagharv trilogy (Tear of Vermillion and Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch), buying them out of curiosity and because I wanted to play most of the RPGs available on the PSP. Those two games aren't very good. The RPG mechanics are rote and the characters and story didn't grab me at all. Sure, the translation seemed bad, and maybe there really is an RPG with good writing under those layers of weak localization, but my first impression of the Legend of Heroes series wasn't worth a large time investment.
...then Trails in the Sky landed in 2011 (seven years after its original Japanese PC release!) to general acclaim from most games writing outlets and rabid excitement within RPG circles. I bought it a month or two after it landed; I was genuinely interested, but not totally sure what to expect since I didn't like the other two Legend of Heroes games I tried. I finished it in a few weeks. Really enjoyed it. Then about three-and-a-half years later, with the sequel on the horizon (FINALLY!) I decided to replay it. This review is for that New Game Plus replay of Trails in the Sky, played using a guide for a max BP run.
Story and Characters
Trails in the Sky is the story of the Bright family: father Cassius, daughter Estelle, and son Joshua. Cassius Bright is a retired army officer who now works as a Bracer, a sort of do-good mercenary that can be hired for any task. Estelle is a spunky tomboy who can fight with a staff quite well, and Joshua is her cool, collected adopted brother who fights with dual daggers; Joshua is a war orphan (proably?) that adopted by Cassius 10+ years before the story of Trails in the Sky. Estelle and Joshua are Trails in the Sky's main characters, who travel across the kingdom of Liberl as junior Bracers attempting to become full-fledged members of the Bracer guild.
Trails in the Sky (which I'm calling Trails from now on for brevity) is, at its core, a coming-of-age story of Estelle and Joshua. The story would crumble if these two weren't as likeable as they are, and the rest of the Trails cast is pretty strong as well, including the warrior Bracers Scherazard, Agate, and Zane, the philandering nobleman Olivier, the talented magic-using student Kloe, and the savant mechanic Tita. This cast is colorful and likeable, with lots and LOTS of dialog to develop all eight, with each of them having well-defined personalities and motivations. I really liked the cast of Trails.
The plot, while slow-moving, is another net positive. Your party moves through the five major regions of Liberl, with the first chapter starting in the Brights' hometown of Rolent and the final chapter taking place in the capital city of Grancel. The cities are are separated by walls and military checkpoints, as a war with the neighboring Erebonian Empire recently ended and security is still tight. The team uncovers new unusual crimes and conspiracies at each location, culminating in stopping a secret organization from seizing control of the entire nation. The story develops slowly, with lots of Falcom plot-flagging dragging the pace a bit, but I really liked this cast of characters and greatly appreciated the political nature of the larger story and the personal nature of Estelle and Joshua's relationship. I really loved all of it.
The one disappointing part of Trails in the Sky's story? It ends on a cliffhanger. After multiple surprise twists in the final chapter and epilogue, there is a shocking moment that left me DEMANDING answers. Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter (which came out last year) immediately addresses the cliffhanger and eventually pays off on all of the first Trails's plot setup. I'm partway through 2nd Chapter at the time of writing this.
Playing the Game
Trails in the Sky plays like many similar turn-based RPGs of yore, in particular reminding me of Lunar. Like Lunar 1 and 2, Trails
Visuals and Audio
Now, keep in mind this is a port of a 2004 PC/PSP game, but the Trails in the Sky uses sprites that would have looked great on a PS1 and disappointing on a PS2. There is plenty of color and some pretty good detail, but that doesn't excuse the game's sprites looking pretty sharp for a SNES, but with some smallness that isn't the most impressive. In battle, the spell and attack animations look great, but still are just superimposed cutscene effects that would've looked bad on a PS2. These visuals are serviceable, but not excellent.
Most of Trails in the Sky isn't voiced, but there is full voice work in battle scenes. Again, not unlike a PS1 game, characters have entrance and victory quips in addition to calling out the names of most special attacks as each one executes. Yes, Japanese RPGs are basically wuxia stories. No, I don't have a problem with that. The voice work, when it's there, is pretty good; nothing so annoying or awful that it's a deal-breaker.
The music in Trails in the Sky is really solid. It's a mix of orchestra and chamber sounds, with relatively little of the screaming guitar that you hear in a lot of Falcom Sound Team's Ys soundtracks. The main battle track is synth winds, piano, and keyboard, with jazzy undertones that remind me of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 of all things. I won't say Trails in the Sky has a transcendent soundtrack, but it's at times quite interesting and overall a net positive.
The Final Word
Trails in the Sky is a very traditional Japanese RPG, with turn-based combat, lots of dialog, a ragtag group overcoming ridiculous odds, and a story about the coming of age of some plucky teenagers. If you disdain or dislike those elements of JRPGs, you aren't going to like Trails very much. But if that stuff doesn't sound so bad, and you love a good RPG story, then Trails is an absolute delight and one of the best PSP games. I can't wait to play Trails in the Sky Second Chapter! Planning to do that next week.
Games Beaten: 2015 Edition
1. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies
2. Ys: The Ark of Napishtim
3. Fire Emblem: Awakening
4. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
5. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (NG+)
6. Persona 4 Golden
7. Ys: Memories of Celceta
8. Her Story
9. Final Fantasy X HD Remaster
10. Persona 4 Golden (Platinum)
11. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
12. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls
13. Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward
14. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
15. Mega Man V
16. Far Cry 3
17. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
18. Kirby Triple Deluxe
19. Undertale
20. Gone Home
21. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
22. The Last Story
Targets: 8/15
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I bought Trails in the Sky SC shortly after it came out, but I didn't really dive into it until last January. I managed to finish with 9 target games in 2015, which is pretty good, but still not *as* good as I was hoping. This year I've finished a whopping 5 games on my target list, which sure as hell isn't promising. Blame Super Sentai.
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