I’ve been a fan of the Legend of Heroes franchise for a long time now. I’ve played the entirety of the Trails in the Sky subseries, as well as the Trails of Cold Steel subseries. So, when I saw that the “Crossbell Arc” was being brought to the West finally, I was very excited. Trails from Zero is something of a step backward in complexity from the Trails of Cold Steel subseries, but it is no less engaging.

Technically speaking, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero takes place after the Trails in the Sky subseries, and before the Trails of Cold Steel subseries. It is set in the nation of Crossbell, which is somewhat neutral in conflicts that go on in the region. If you’ve played the Trails of Cold Steel games you’ll recognize Lloyd Bannings, Elie McDowell, Tio Plato, and Randy Orlando, as they all take part in the events of those games.

Trails from Zero is a remastered version of the 2010 Japanese release, that follows Lloyd, Tio, Elie, and Randy as they begin working for the Crossbell Police Department’s Special Support Section. What starts as a bid to promote good PR for the police force, becomes something much deeper and more involved. By solving cases to help the people of Crossbell, Lloyd and his allies uncover a sinister plot that could threaten the peace Crossbell has so delicately maintained.

If you have played any of the other Legend of Heroes titles, then you’ll likely know what you are in for. Trails from Zero is an RPG that allows you to explore Crossbell, solving cases and fighting various enemies. Typical franchise mainstays such as the Orbment system, cooking, fishing, and combat mechanics return in this entry. However, this game is simpler than the Trails of Cold Steel franchise, as the link mechanics presented in the Cold Steel series were not implemented yet.

Combat plays out in a turn-based arena. Different turns can offer different modifiers, and your characters can utilize regular attacks, arts, and craft abilities. If you hit an enemy with a pre-emptive strike on the field, you’ll even be able to utilize the Team Rush mechanic to do massive damage. The combat is pretty par for the course for Trails games.

There are varying difficulty levels too in case you feel the urge to spice things up or tone them down a little. If you’ve played a Trails game before, every part of it that you love will likely still be there. I’m not a huge fan of the art style for this one, but since they were remastering a 2010 release instead of going for a full remake, it is understandable.

The voice acting and attention to detail in terms of lore both put you right in the world just like any other game in the franchise. It is interesting to see the origins of the Special Support Section since thus far we had only seen glimpses of how other people reacted to Lloyd and the others. I’m interested to play through Trails of Cold Steel again once Trails of Azure (the next game) releases in 2023, since that should conclude the story of Lloyd and his crew, and I can see how things progress for them in Erebonia.

Other than a bit of an issue with the art style, and the controls being a little odd in places, Trails from Zero is a fantastic experience. If you’re looking for an RPG to sink your teeth into, you won’t go wrong with this one. This is a great experience to hold us over too since more Trails content is coming next year.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero was provided by NIS America for this review.

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero

$39.99

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Great Story
• Engaging Combat
• Multiple Difficulty Options
• Lots of Content
• Great Voice Acting

Cons

• Visuals are a Little Weird