HIGH Fantastic combat system that is both modern and an homage to classic RPGs.

LOW Sluggish pacing in the middle chapters.

WTF “How about a hundred smacks on the ass?”

About a month ago I started seeing buzz online for Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter.

The Trails/Legend of Heroes series, despite its vast library, is one I knew very little about, but this remake of the first in the series seemed to check a lot of personal boxes — realtime combat that transitions into turn-based, a captivating art style, and a high fantasy setting harkening back to classic JRPGs. So, I booted up the free demo, and by the end of its generous eight-hour playtime, I was completely hooked and thirsty for more. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a beautiful RPG with top-notch combat, memorable characters, and also serves as a perfect entry point into the long-running Trails series.

1st Chapter follows the story of sixteen-year-old Estelle and her adopted brother Joshua as they aim to become top notch Bracers — people who help protect the citizens of Liberl from monsters, thieves, and any threats to the kingdom. Over the course of their journey, they will travel across the kingdom to aid as many people as possible while balancing each other out perfectly — Estelle is captivatingly optimistic and reactionary, while Joshua is more reserved and calculated. As they blossom into powerful bracers, so do their feelings for one and other.

The story Falcom weaves is a complex one commencing with Estelle and Joshua’s hunt for their missing father, which eventually matures into a struggle for military power, treason from within the government, and other powerful forces at work behind the scenes. When firing on all cylinders, Trails is captivating and engrossing, simultaneously balancing the intimate and personal story of two kids trying to find their dad, and the larger, more sophisticated political drama. However, I found myself disengaged in the middle chapters because the focus shifted off both these potent storylines, and more into side characters that are ultimately important to the overall plot, though they feel gratuitous during their runtimes. 

Besides the sluggish middle section, another issue is that each chapter tends to focus on two characters that will join in battle with Estelle and Joshua, but their residence in the party is short-lived as they always depart at the end of each chapter, leaving Estelle and Joshua effectively starting from scratch. Each of these side characters are memorable — from over-the-top traveling musician Olivier, to the mysteriously powerful swordsman Agate, the cast is top notch. However, it felt like just as soon as I got to know the characters on a deeper level, they would set off on their own journey.

That said, all of the intermittent party members reappear in an epically-bombastic final act that ties everyone’s stories together quite well, but the thickness of the middle chapters does lessen the overall experience. Also puzzling was that some of these itinerant characters have voice acting while Estelle and Joshua do not, which did occasionally pull me out of the immersion. 

What does remain engaging throughout 1st Chapter’s runtime is the phenomenal combat system. When approaching wandering enemies, players can enter into a basic, but effective real-time battle complete with normal attacks, dodges, and a special meter that charges over time. Once the enemy’s stun meter is full, the player will have a huge advantage when they enter into turn-based combat, which they can slickly switch into with the press of a button.

In the turn-based combat, characters will have a range of options at their disposal, with different resources for each. The key to successful battles is knowing how to balance spells and abilities, and also knowing how to correctly position party members. For example, some buffs and healing spells are only effective when party members are positioned near each other, but certain enemies might abuse this proximity with powerful AOE attacks. Understanding both party strengths and enemy attack patterns is crucial. 

In addition to a traditional level-up system and equipment management, Trails adds a deeper level of preparation to combat with the orbment system. Each playable character has the ability to equip an elemental quart into a total of six slots. Depending on the element of the quartz and its proximity to other quartz, the character can obtain varying spells to use in battle. For example, equipping a water-based HP quartz will give the character healing spells, while a water-based mind quartz will give the character an offensive aqua attack. As the adventure progresses, players will obtain more powerful quartz to create incredibly powerful offensive and defensive spells. The level of customization here is high, and finding the correct quartz for each character is enticing. (There’s is also an auto-equip for those who want to enjoy battles without too much experimentation.) 

The world of Liberl is one brimming with history — it’s filled with collectable books that outline how the kingdom came to be, and mysterious towers hint at the many wars and struggles the country has endured. Trails does a great job at making the land feel lived-in and real, though I do wish the environments were a little more varied when exploring. The sun is always shining brightly over the samey-looking rolling meadows, with the occasional cave or forest thrown in.

Overall, I truly enjoyed my time with Estelle, Joshua, and their many companions in their quest to become senior bracers. Falcom does a commendable job creating a world and story that feels real for the majority of its runtime, despite a few occasional stumbles. As a newcomer to the series, the combat system captivated me from the first battle and never let me go. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter feels like a classic JRPG I might have grown up playing, yet produced in a modern and nuanced way at the same time. Thanks to the obvious pride and care put into this remake, consider me the newest fan of the Trails series. 

Rating: 8 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Nihon Falcom & Nihon Falcom Corporation and published by GungHo Online Entertainment America, Inc. It is currently available on Switch/Switch 2, XBX/S, PS5 and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PS5. Approximately 39 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There is no multiplayer mode.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T and contains Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco. The official description reads: Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is rated T for Teen by the ESRB with Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Suggestive Themes, and Use of Alcohol and Tobacco. This is an action role-playing game in which players assume the roles of adopted siblings searching for their missing father. From a third-person perspective, players explore a kingdom, interact with characters, complete missions, and engage in battle with human and fantastical enemies (e.g., plants, robots, soldiers). Players use swords, staffs, guns, and magic spells to attack enemies. Players can use special moves that depict brief cutscenes of the attacks. Combat is highlighted by colorful light effects and impact sounds. Still-images sometimes depict bloodstains near bodies and on characters’ faces/clothing. One female character is designed with a somewhat revealing outfit (e.g., deep cleavage) and breast-jiggling effects; some camera angles focus on her chest. Story elements also allude to a romantic relationship between adopted siblings (e.g., struggling with their feelings, kissing). One scene depicts two characters under the influence of alcohol (e.g., flushed faces, slurred speech), with accompanying dialogue (e.g., “Come and drink with your big sister. You drink or I bring the whole place down”; “Wow, I really drank. Feels like it’s been forever since I last got to cut loose.”) One character is seen smoking a cigarette, and a side mission involves finding stolen cigarettes. The words “sh*t” and “a*sholes” appear in the game.

Colorblind Modes: There is no colorblind mode.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles, though they are not resizable. Audio cues are not needed for progression, making the game fully accessible. 

Remappable Controls: Yes, the game’s controls are remappable.

The post Trails In The Sky 1st Chapter Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

We weren’t going to record this week, but we got your tweets and emails.

Thank you to everyone who contacted us and said that you listen to SVG for a few moments of zen when the world is feeling like too much. If doing this podcast can bring even a few moments of good into the world right now, we’re glad to do it.

So, in that context, this week’s show covers:

Trails of Cold Steel, PS4
Neo Cab, Switch (wrapup)
Fallout 76: Wastelanders, PS4 (check-in)
Nioh 2, PS4
Those Who Remain, PS4

…And More! Stay safe, stay healthy, and we hope this week’s show brings a few moments of peace to you while we all fight the good fight.

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to SoVideogamesPODCAST (at) gmail (dot) com, or post them in the comments section below. Thanks!

The post So… Videogames! Ep. 184 appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH These characters are pretty great.

LOW Again with the missable, poorly signposted side quests!

WTF Black hair? I thought it was dark blue all this time…

Reviewing The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is a bit of an oddity. For starters, it’s less a traditional sequel, and more of a continuation — the first game ended on a cliffhanger. As a result, anyone jumping into part two should play through the entirety of the previous entry before even thinking about getting on board with this one. Of course, the original Cold Steel was one of the better JRPGs to come out in recent years so it’s worthwhile from that perspective, but Cold Steel II is basically one big spoiler to that content, and some of the background and lore will be tough to penetrate for newcomers.

As such, fair warning — spoilers for the first Cold Steel will follow.

Trails of Cold Steel 2 again thrusts players into the impeccably polite shoes of Rean Schwarzer, distinguished student of Thors Military Academy, excellent swordsman, and currently someone who’s stuck on top of a mountain after getting his ass handed to him during the climactic battle at the end of part one. Alone, that is, except for a talking cat and an immobilized combat mech. So yeah, things have been better for Rean, especially since he’s been out cold for a month and civil war has broken out in the meantime.

Since Trails of Cold Steel 2 is a direct continuation of the first game, it’s similar in many respects. There’s no great reworking of the gameplay systems, and returning players will feel right at home with the spells and character techniques. The battles still work on an active time gauge principle where pinpointing threats and wrecking them before they can unleash hell is key, and it all flows together smoothly, and at a satisfying pace.

There are certain improvements and changes though, such as an Overdrive mode where two partnered characters are granted the chance to go nuts for several turns with bonuses to their stats, removal of negative status effects, and the guaranteed ability to unbalance enemies, to name just some of the benefits. Overdrive can be a game changer when used well, and improves upon already-solid combat.

There are also moments where Rean saddles up with the Divine Knight combat mech Valimar to take on enemies that are too large or powerful for the team to confront in standard battles. The difference here is that Rean and his massive mechanical chum now target individual body parts for critical hits depending on their stance and actions. It isn’t a crazy shakeup to the core combat system, but it does add some variety into the mix, and hell, giant robots are always cool.

As for issues with the game, they’re pretty minor in the grand scheme of things.

The Trails games have always been verbose, with tons of dialogue to read and loads of characterization and setup throughout. It may be a little bit much for some players, especially given that the initial task Rean faces is basically tracking down his buddies and stuffing them back into the party instead of immediately heading out on a grand adventure. The writing is generally excellent, but it takes a while before things get going and the pacing sags occasionally where the script hits some serious levels of exposition.

The performance on the Vita is also spotty in places where the hardware just can’t handle the action as well as might be hoped for. There also are a number of recycled assets and environments carried over from the first Cold Steel.

My biggest personal pet peeve? the developers still don’t do a great job of letting players know about missable side missions. I’d like to be able to 100% the game without a guide constantly by my side, especially since players are rated on their performance and completion ratio throughout. More transparency, please!

Minor issues and pacing aside, it’s incredibly easy to recommend The Legend of heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 2 to fans of the original. The storyline stakes are higher than ever, the additions to the battle system are intelligent and deftly handled, Laura’s back with her massive freaking sword, and the team of Class VII are as likeable a bunch as ever. For newcomers, my advice absolutely has to be repeated: start with the first game. It may a huge time investment given that both entries take approximately 70 hours each, but it’s worth it for anyone looking to experience one of the most well-crafted JRPGs in recent history. Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Falcom and published by Xseed Games. It is currently available on Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the Vita. Approximately 70 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated Teen and contains Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, and Violence. Honestly though, it’s pretty tame as far as most of those things go. Not so sure about why anyone’d want to wash Rean’s back, mind. That bit was kinda weird.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: I don’t recall any section of this game requiring audio to play as intended, and subtitles are available throughout.

Remappable Controls: Certain specific functions are remappable, such as how to zoom in or change character.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available in the options.

The post The Legend Of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.