The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure Reviews
Another gorgeous and generally rock-solid JRPG experience, though not terribly different from its predecessor
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is nothing short of an epic RPG story. It's not as good an onboarding point for the greater series as its predecessor Trails From Zero was, but that cost just means bigger ambition with the narrative beats and world explored. It's worth noting it's not as polished as it should be, showing its age with the lower visual fidelity and framerate dips. However, the priority with NIS America is clearly just getting the game out there. Frankly, what a game it is. Crossbell is as magical as ever and it was a heartfelt joy to experience the second and closing story for the SSS team. You're not getting many experiences as special as this one. I love and will miss you, Crossbell.
A JRPG that is everything with the sum of its predecessor installments. A story of action and mystery accompanied by a turn-based combat of the most classic and more than a cliché of the average fantasy anime. The result in a game with which it is difficult not to get attached if you have already played and enjoyed Trails from Zero.a saga.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
With improved pacing, more quest variety, and engaging combat, even the title’s issues with an over-long finale, aging graphics and beautiful, albeit overused, music can’t pull down an otherwise excellent adventure.
I couldn’t have asked for much more from Trails to Azure. It fixes almost every issue I had with Trails From Zero and improves itself in nearly every way. The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure stands comfortably alongside some of the greatest RPGs I’ve ever played and is an early Game of the Year contender. Fans of the genre definitely shouldn’t miss it.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure maintains the high quality of the series and presents a satisfying (but temporary) ending to the Crossbell arc, offering significant upgrades on PC and Switch compared to the original PSP version. The expectation now is to see how the tenth game in the series, Trails into Reverie, will make the most of the elements of this story and the Erebonia arc to offer a more conclusive resolution [to the current story] and kickstart the next adventures in the Zemuria continent.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Years after its debut on PlayStation Portable, The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure gets a new home as comfortable as its original one. Not even the similarities to the previous title or the inevitable weight of age are enough to weaken a work that was inexplicably limited to Japan longer than it should. Fortunately, this is a victory — now, we wait for the rest of the Trails saga on Switch.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is an incredibly strong RPG with phenomenal pacing, characters, and combat, but it also relies so much on the player’s connection to the previous game. I can’t in good conscience say anyone should play Trails to Azure without first playing Trails From Zero, but that’s exactly what makes the experience so special. The duology of Zero and Azure revels in sequential storytelling, building a convincing world filled to the brim with personality and political intrigue.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure continues the story of its predecessor while also polishing the gameplay. From its familiar gameplay to its retro style visuals, it has everything one could ask for in a JRPG.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure takes everything positive from its predecessor and raises the stakes significantly. It takes beloved characters, fleshes them out further and pays off every single thread it dangles throughout the two titles. It is so ambitious with its plot and delivers it effortlessly. Combat is fun, engaging and highly customisable. The Crossbell Arc deserves to be mentioned alongside the titans of the genre. If you are a JRPG fan and you’ve got the time to play them, these titles should be mandatory.
For those that have finished Trails from Zero and are looking to continue with its overarching story, Trails to Azure is a must-play. For those just coming into the series, I’d recommend playing the previous one first before embarking into this one since you’d miss a lot of the passing references to previous events and character development. And of course, Trails from Zero is a fantastic game in its own right, you should damn well play it.
Trails to Azure is another great Nihon Falcon title that adds a lot to the world of the Legend of Heroes Series. The two new additions to the SSS team are a perfect fit. Meanwhile, those who played previous entries will appreciate having a lot of their questions answered. Finally, just like Zero, Azure received a lot of great enhancements from its PSP version that make the game perfectly fine for today’s consoles.
Review in French | Read full review
If you've kept up with the events in Crossbell, Erebonia, and Liberl over the last decade, then you'll find Trails to Azure will be a joy to play.
The Legend of Heroes – Trails to Azure is a fantastic and bold sequel that easily surpasses its predecessor while hammering down on character development.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is a sequel of higher highs and lower lows. I don’t think it’s as consistently enjoyable as its predecessor, but the game’s incredible emotional and gameplay highs bring it to something that I feel is on roughly even footing with Zero. I compared it to a roller coaster earlier, and I feel that’s an apt summation for the entire game. It’s bumpy and not all of it’s going to be enjoyable, but the thrills experienced make it absolutely worthwhile.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is a beautiful turn-based RPG that encapsulates what makes Falcom's Trails series so great. The Special Support Section proves to be one of the most memorable casts of characters in gaming today. Addicting gameplay, an enormous offering of content, and a host of new features make this one of the best entries in the whole series.