[Review] The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

[Spring*]

While some of the titles on this list might be games you’re familiar with, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky might make your eyes glaze over. From the overly-long title to the anime-esque thumbnail, we wouldn’t blame some players for skipping right over this entry. You’d be doing yourself an injustice, however; Trails in the Sky is one of the best RPGs of the 2000s. Originally released on the PSP, Trails in the Sky is the first chapter in the Sky series of Trails, part of a wider RPG series developed by Nihon Falcom, the dev team behind the Ys games.

Trails in the Sky is a 50-hour epic that boasts plenty of side quests to undertake. There isn't much in the way of bonus content once you finish the adventure, but there is a new game-plus mode that lets you experience it all again after selecting which goods you want to carry over, including money and character levels. You can also unlock both hard and nightmare modes, boosting the difficulty level for an even greater challenge.

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky features a good strategic focus and a plethora of fierce opponents, but its riveting narrative is where it really shines. The transformation of a simple rescue mission into a vast conspiracy against the throne should put you on the edge of your seat, while Joshua and Estelle's budding romance steals the show. The result is a heartwarming adventure that marks a welcome North American debut for the series.

An orbment system lets you strategically fine-tune characters to make up for their shortcomings. Orbments--mechanical devices that enable you to use magic--determine your spell variety, depending on the elemental quartz you pair with them. Inserting water quartz lets you cast heal magic; whereas activating wind quartz unleashes whirlwinds. The strength of these spells will depend on your quartz level, with advanced quartz unlocking your most devastating abilities. While collecting quartz and discovering new magic is fun, you can also take advantage of their stat bonuses and support abilities to strengthen your allies. If you want to increase Estelle's defense, for example, you can use an earth quartz to directly modify her defense stat while granting her access to a protective shield spell during battle.