The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero Reviews
Trails From Zero might be late to the scene but even now, Nihon Falcom's JRPG remains one of the best Trails games yet.
Though Trails' usual splendor of combat options here should come as no surprise, what's striking with this year's remastering is how well this once portable-only entry has translated across to more modern-day portable screens alike.
In a series renowned for its stellar writing, twisting plots, and wonderful characters, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is a stand-out RPG. Narrowing the focus of its story to one state, and honing in on a smaller cast of characters, makes for a fantastic and engrossing adventure that is about both intimate relationships and huge, secretive scandals. The fact that this is just one half of a duology means that, while the story wraps up nicely here, we have tons of questions that we're itching to get answers to in Trails to Azure. If you haven't played Trails, it's time to overcome that barrier, because there's no better place to zero in on this fantastic series than in Crossbell.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is a sensational JRPG from top to bottom, and one that fans can't afford to miss.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
Trails from Zero may have been outdated in some aspects, such as the technical plot or some design decisions, but it is still a small RPG gem to discover, thanks to its superb story and dialogues, which marry with a very interesting world. If you overcome its slow start and repetitive tasks, you will enjoy a great adventure.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero puts together a politically engaging story, fun gameplay, and likable heroes into one epic RPG.
A porting with some nice improvements to keep up with the times, but still dedicated to a nostalgic audience of classic JRPGs.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Trails From Zero is an exceptional JRPG that feels like it’s cut from the same cloth as the golden era of the genre when games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VII were released. Its deep and complex narrative has a strong sense of mystery and isn’t afraid to dive into tough topics, all of which make the setting of Crossbell feel that much more realistic. An integral part of this experience is the translation work from the fan group The Geofront, and it’s easy to see how the success story of Trails From Zero could serve as a blueprint for bringing even more forgotten JRPGs to the West.
Trails from Zero is a wonderful introduction to Crosbell and the charming members of the SSS, expertly ported to PC with all the bells and whistles one would expect from a modern release. It’s a great sign of things to come for the sequel and an easy recommendation to all RPG fans.
The missing piece in the Legend of Heroes franchise finally makes its way west. Trials of Zero is a great addition to the franchise featuring a great cast of characters and a fantastic strategic combat system. It's just unfortunate that the PS4 version of the game didn't get the same upgrades that it did on other platforms.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is a great entry in the series that builds upon legacy gaming mechanics and combat systems.
The only real issue with Trails From Zero is one that most other games in the series have, too - sometimes, exposition dumps can feel a bit tedious and some scenes overstay their welcome. Even with a story and characters as great as these, some parts just feel longer than they should be. Regardless, The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero is fantastic and continues Trails' trend of setting the bar incredibly high for character-driven narratives. It's also a wonderful feeling to finally have the Crossbell arc localized, but it was worth the wait.
All in all, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is a unique experience. If you love worldbuilding, modernizing fantasy worlds, and urban fantasy, you should check it out. If you’re allergic to long cutscenes and extraneous infodumps, you should avoid it. Love it or hate it, Trails from Zero clearly knows what it is and what it’s doing. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go buy all of Trails of Cold Steel so I can find out what happens in Zemuria next.
Trails from Zero has been well worth the wait. This is a classic Falcom RPG - an engrossing, crime-fighting adventure through one of the property's greatest settings. The experience as a whole does get bogged down in tedious side content and some poorly aged design, but fantastic characters and fascinating story beats hold everything together. Based on our time with Zero, we can't wait for Trails to Azure in 2023.
Twelve years after it first released, Trails From Zero finally makes it to western shores. Admittedly, the visual inconsistencies between the PS4 version and the graphically superior Switch and PC versions is a bit of a bummer. Despite being more than a decade old, however, Trails From Zero has aged quite well and remains one of the best JRPGs out there. Gamers who especially like classic JRPGs should definitely pick it up.
Trails from Zero is kind of a miracle in its own right, the fact that we got a Western release after so many years, and that Trails from Azure is right around the corner, still feels surreal. But, for all its strengths, this is still a game from more than a decade ago, that was originally designed for the PSP. If you can get past that, then Trails from Zero won’t disappoint, and whether you are a series veteran or a newcomer, it provides a wonderful world in which you can truly lose yourself for hours at a stretch.
Trails From Zero is a wonderful game that offers the very best story telling and world building that gaming has to offer. Its presentation and dialogue heavy gameplay won't be for everyone, but if you love a good story and are looking to get immersed in a brilliant world, look no further.
Western fans of The Legend of Heroes can finally officially experience this amazing lynchpin entry of the series and how the Special Support Section came together!
The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero takes us back to the formation of the SSS, an organization Switch gamers will know from the Trails of Cold Steel games. It also takes us back to a relatively simpler system that's perfectly sized for JRPG adventuring on the go.