Nihon Falcom’s flagship The Legend of Heroes franchise never fails to hit all the right marks for me. After reviewing The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero last year, I was excited to see that NIS America would be bringing Trails to Azure to Switch in 2023. Trails to Azure closes out the “Crossbell Arc” of the overarching Legend of Heroes narrative while setting things up for events that take place in the Trails of Cold Steel series.

Trails to Azure is a direct sequel to Trails from Zero. You’ll be back in the role of Crossbell’s Special Support Section as they try to stop machinations that could lead to the downfall of Crossbell itself. The Special Support Section will also encounter characters you may recognize from other games, as well as new threats and unlikely allies.

Like previous Trails games (and Trails From Zero), Trails to Azure is an RPG with turn-based combat. You can utilize Crafts, S-Crafts, Arts, and other abilities. A new element to combat from the previous game is the new Burst mechanic. You might know the Burst mechanic from the Trails of Cold Steel games, which were technically developed after Trails to Azure. This beginner iteration of the mechanic allows you to enter burst mode during climactic points in the story.

Burst mode allows your party to act simultaneously as long as the burst gauge is filled, allowing you to chain multiple turns together. Additionally, chronologically speaking Trails to Azure is the first game to feature Master Quartz, quartz that levels up with your characters. These are common in later games, but seeing the mechanic’s first utilization is interesting.

Where Trails to Azure (and all Trails games) really shines is its story and quests. As the Special Support Section, you’ll not only be doing a variety of dungeon crawling and dungeon exploration, but you’ll also be investigating things in Crossbell. These cases could range from mundane tasks like finding a lost cat, all the way to more strange and esoteric ideas such as solving the case of a haunting in town.

There are even hidden cases that you may not find unless you’re speaking to all the NPCs and exploring every area you can. As you complete cases or do things during the story that fit the role of a skilled detective, you’ll gain “Detective Points”. These will raise your detective rank over time, which can give you various rewards.

Each of the cases usually connects to the story in one way or another. One of the strongest parts of the Legend of Heroes franchise is the world-building and story. This might not be noticeable if Trails of Azure is your first Trails game, but for regular players, you’ll really be able to tell. The world of Zemuria (and the country of Crossbell) feels like a real place, with factions, important people, and living, breathing communities.

The environments are colorful and well-rendered, and the combat is engaging. With the variety of difficulty options available, there’s something for everyone. There’s a story-focused casual difficulty and even a tough-as-nails nightmare mode. There are also plenty of mini-games like fishing, gambling, and Pom Pom Party, which is a match-3 type game.

Overall, if you like the Trails series, Trails to Azure is another solid entry. I wouldn’t say it is a good entry point though, mostly because it is the second half of an already in-progress story arc. Though there is a backstory function that lets you catch up on the details of the previous game. The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is a solid RPG that will satisfy fans of the franchise and newcomers alike if you’re willing to take your time learning the plot elements surrounding the first game in the set.

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

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure

$39.99 USD

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Engaging Combat
• Fun Mini-Games
• Over 50 Hours of Content
• Multiple Difficulty Levels
• Fun Story and Characters

Cons

• Not Exactly Newcomer Friendly