Review | The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure

A short review

Get to know the cast, and prepare for some naughty comments and scenes (I really don't understand why they have to be so naughty from time to time).

If you've ever wondered, Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure are the two titles in The Legend of Heroes series that shed light on the Ouroboros events and characters you may have been curious about in the Trails of Cold Steel or Trails in the Sky titles. These games serve as a bridge between titles and in-game events, especially in Trails of Cold Steel III and IV.

Although the game was released in 2013, it was not officially localized until 2023, and it was also ported from the Vita to other consoles: Windows, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. It's worth noting that the best way to play Azure is to play Zero first, or even play both titles in sequence since they function as one game (each around 100 hours long!).

Story and the characters

The real strength comes from the cast and the story. Although I had issues with pacing during the first 25-30 hours of the game, the rest is a solid 9/10. Lloyd and the crew are worth every penny, and it's incredibly satisfying to learn about events we've only heard about in other games of the series.

The first part of the game feels like one long intro without many plot peaks, featuring dull and lengthy side quests and nothing particularly challenging for the player. But when you reach Chapter 4, that's when everything starts and never lets go until the very end. I was honestly bored during the first part, but the second part of the game felt like a different, better experience. Great villains, great challenges, and a great turn-based system kept me going.

Game design, exploration

Although pretty basic, exploring Crossbell is somewhat fun. It's a city with many points of interest and stories to tell. The dungeons, on the other hand, are pretty linear and basic, with a couple of exceptions.

The biggest issue for me was the constant backtracking to locations from the previous game (Geofront being the most boring and ugly-looking dungeon). There are only a couple of new dungeons to explore, which made me a bit sad. I don't like repeating what I've already seen. The good thing is the rewards—everything you complete serves as a buff that you can use in the upcoming challenges.

Combat

Not much to say—I love the Burst mechanics and the Master Quartz system. I think the combat system is a step and a half up compared to Azure. Some boss fights were really challenging, and I love that you can lose some of them, although winning gives you extra points at the end of the chapter.

The combat picks up slowly but surely.

Side Content

There's a lot of missable content and a lot of side content, which is great, but the majority of quests involve talking for 30 minutes about a missing cat and other trivial matters. They should really shorten some conversations and just get to the point. It's not interesting enough to keep the player engaged for such a long time during some quests.

Nightmare difficulty mode and NG+ unlock more challenges, which I approve of, but replaying the game can be a bit overwhelming. This time around, I will skip replaying the game—it's just too much Crossbell for me.

Conclusion

A great title with slow pacing, boring side quests, awesome combat, a majestic soundtrack, and a lovely cast of characters. If you love the series, you need to play this title, especially if you're into the story, as it's interconnected with almost all the other titles.

The art in drawn scenes is awesome. The in-game graphics - not so much.

You can decide who to date, who to have by your side in battles. Make sure you read from chests after picking up items from them - some comments are here for the giggles