It’s been close to 10 years now that I’ve started my journey through The Legend of Heroes and it feels like ten times that given the amount of games I’ve dabbled in since starting. From Trails of Cold Steel to Trails through Daybreak, it’s clear that Falcom’s incredible worldbuilding is the cornerstone of the overall saga, and that is very much clear in Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, the remake of what’s to be considered the opening of the very long-running series that has since the PSP original seen a ridiculous amount of releases.
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter sees adopted siblings Estelle and Joshua Bright’s first steps into becoming bracers, Liberl’s do-it-all of sorts that help the army keep check in the going ons in the kingdom. In that, we get to join them in an 80+ journey that, if that number hasn’t already scared you away, a tiptoe into what is one of gaming’s most overlooked back-to-back storylines to date. Seriously, if you have yet to play The Legend of Heroes games, do yourself a favor and play this one as it distills what’s been the best gameplay elements so far.
Not only does it borrow the on the field combat from the Daybreak offshoot, but it makes orbs much simpler to handle, and while the latter wasn’t exactly an issue with the Cold Steel games per se, they feel as manageable now as they’ve ever been. Those coupled with a beautiful graphical makeover is more than enough to turn Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter into the best way to play what was already a fun and very busy RPG in the first place.
As touched upon above, gone are the chibi visuals from the first iteration in favor of a graphical overhaul that puts the game at an even field with the latest entries in the saga. The world now looks lush and vibrant and the characters that inhabit it are clearly anime-inspired in their looks, with plenty of flair to make the protagonists stand apart in a convention. Don’t fret, though, for much of that is also the excellent development in their personalities, a key feature that has been making these games ever so playable to me.
And that’s also in part to how familiar they are to one another. Key activities such as sidequests, fishing, and cooking are ever present in pretty much all entries of The Legend of Heroes, including this. Granted, thanks to some great writing, when it comes to clearing out your bracer book, you won’t simply be going on fetch and extermination quests, but also getting cool little bits of story. For those who have been playing along, it’s definitely threaded territory, but you’re sure to be used to it by now, and knowing what is in store for completing them, they’re more than worth the effort, right?
As I touched upon a few paragraphs before, dealing with orbs is easier now than it’s ever been. Orbs are what the world of The Legend of Heroes hinges on as it’s the main power source for machines, magic, heck, everything, so it’s no wonder it’s a major part of playing the game. In combat, it’s put to use in setting up attacks and other abilities, in a similar fashion to Final Fantasy VII’s materia. Here, you get to combine their power depending on their color, and in tandem they can be incredibly useful if you pay attention to enemy elements and weaknesses.
Luckily, it’s a simple matter acquiring these bits as they seem to pop up from seemingly everywhere. By whacking bushes and monsters as you run through the game’s world, you’re able to accrue a sizeable amount of these things, and they come in handy not just at making you stronger, but in putting some coin in your purse, since you can trade them in for mira, the game’s currency, at just about any store.
The combat in particular is absolutely enthralling in Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, in the very same way as other entries. You can use magic and skills to abuse weaknesses and have characters join in on one another’s attacks that absolutely demolish the opposition, and due to the very flexible nature of character building, there’s lots of variety when it comes to these combos. Also, your party doesn’t remain exactly the same throughout the game, as partners tend to jump in and out of it often to complement the already powerful setup of Estelle and Joshua.
Speaking of the two, these are some of the most likeable protagonists in The Legend of Heroes, unsurprisingly, given they are the stars of three games, not to mention continuous cameos in later episodes. Estelle, the eternal tomboy with a silly personality and seriousness when it comes to fighting contrasts very well with her adopted brother Joshua’s more quiet and reserved self, a guy who is very good at just about everything he does but is tormented by his past, which is slowly unwrapped as the game moves on.
Due to the fact that they’re the kids of one of the kingdom’s most capable bracers, it falls to them to live up to their father’s image while trying to assert a name for themselves, and it’s a process that Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter makes quite enjoyable to follow. References to other regions of the world that those who have been keeping up have surely visited and have had equally enjoyable times with make wanting to also see this one through all the more, thanks to Falcom’s talent at lore and worldbuilding.
If Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is an indication of what’s to come in the form of remakes for some of the older entries in this gigantic series, I’ll be more than keen to replay some of my favorites. Hopefully this one will sell well to warrant them to come out, that is. The grapevine says that the next two chapters are surely already on the bag, but I wouldn’t mind seeing the same treatment being dealt to other sub-sections of The Legends of Heroes as a whole. But before any of that, there are hours and hours to get through in this one, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves!
