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[jshackles]

Summary
The story of aspiring hero Lloyd Bannings continues in Trails to Azure!

Set just a few months after the events of Trails from Zero, a temporary peace has settled over Crossbell and the Special Support Section find themselves with newfound fame and status, thanks to their heroic actions.

However, the peace is soon broken with the rise of multiple organizations with ulterior motives. Framing these growing tensions is the increasing pressure from the Erebonian Empire and the Republic of Calvard, with Crossbell caught between them. With the safety of their home and the foundations of their team now on the line, Lloyd and his allies must gear themselves for the threats that loom ahead. Little do they know that Crossbell will soon become the stage for a climactic conflict that will determine its future...

Platforms
The game is $39.99 on all plaforms. Physical copies are available for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.

Nintendo Switch

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

Buy The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure and shop other great Nintendo products online at the official My Nintendo Store.

www.nintendo.com

PlayStation 4

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure

A heros duty, a citys fate.

store.playstation.com

Steam

GOG

Best Video games, DRM-free | GOG.COM

Download the best classic and new games on Windows, Mac & Linux. A vast selection of titles, DRM-free, with free goodies and 30-day money-back guarantee.

www.gog.com

Epic Games Store

https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/the-legend-of-heroes-trails-to-azure

Reviews

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure Reviews

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is rated 'Strong' after being reviewed by 56 critics, with an overall average score of 83. It's ranked in the top 9% of games and recommended by 89% of...

opencritic.com

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure Reviews

Sandwiched between two great powers, the city of Crossbel is the place where the Uroboros group carry out their biggest and darkest schemes. A mysterious drug is spreading its poison across the city, the mafia and the mercenary groups seem to have a role in the crimes. Add a break down to the...

www.metacritic.com

Videos




Screenshots

 

[Labadal]

Nice... but I still need to play the first one (in my backlog).

 

[jshackles]

lol I guess nobody on GAF is playing this

 

[GHound]

lol I guess nobody on GAF is playing this

Copy came in, playing games I've already started.

 

[Topher]

lol I guess nobody on GAF is playing this

Not yet, but I will

 

[Paltheos]

I've already played the Geofront release. I've bought it again (through official NA channels) to support though.

This game is really something. I had been very underwhelmed by Trails from Zero. Design throughout seemed more cynical and inorganic unlike Trails in the Sky, and the formula Falcom used in Trails of Cold Steel seemed more refined there (while, to be clear, being fundamentally the same as Zero's). The main cast were a likeable enough bunch but the story and plot fumbled so many times. How am I supposed to take these Team Aqua/Magma rejects seriously, or these 1920s American mafiosos who don't seem like they know what they're doing? Why are the Trails in the Sky callbacks so hamfisted? Why should I care about what's going on right now when this game feels like a prologue? I think I really liked only the final chapter in that game.

Azure is such an improvement that I almost can't believe it followed up such a weak predecessor. Even as a guy who'd played Cold Steel 1 and 2 already, this game has twists. The best of the climaxes are some of the best moments in the series. In general the game does a great job of raising tension and keeping it up even a slow game series like Trails. And I really came to love allot of the characters - Randy's probably my #2 in the whole series after this game, which again is such a shock since I didn't really care all that much for any of them in Zero because the whole game was setup and I just didn't believe Falcom would deliver to the insane hype surrounding this game. I was wrong.

Trails to Azure is easily top 3 for me (of the 9 I've played in the series), maybe higher depending on the day you ask me. It's a unicorn: A high stakes, actually exciting, political drama JRPG in an iterative franchise. It's not perfect but I also don't know if or when I'll ever see anything like it again (... see anything like it succeed - that's what I meant. Cold Steel 4 is sure a video game).

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I got to Chapter 2 In Trails To Azure. I've been enjoying the game more than the first one.

As for Trails From Zero, great game but by the end I wasn't as personally invested as I was in the beginning of that game.

 

[drganon]

Still need to play trails from zero.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Still need to play trails from zero.

A good point to jump in. Now that all of TITS, Crossbell Duology and Cold Steel games are on Steam, you can play from the start. Tits is the best of the story arcs though

 

[Vlodril]

A good point to jump in. Now that all of TITS, Crossbell Duology and Cold Steel games are on Steam, you can play from the start. Tits is the best of the story arcs though

The problem is that series is so big. And each game is like 80 hours. I played the first tits (which was fantastic) then did cold steel 1 and halfway through two but i feel it's too much. Too many things to play and i have 3 and 4 ahead there is no way i am going to play the new ones.

Same thing that happened with the yakuza series. I played most of them but at some point you burn out.

 

[drganon]

A good point to jump in. Now that all of TITS, Crossbell Duology and Cold Steel games are on Steam, you can play from the start. Tits is the best of the story arcs though

Haven't played any of the trails in the sky games yet, but have played the cold steel games except for 2 ( don't ask me why I didn't start with 1 instead of 3).

 

[Astray]

lol I guess nobody on GAF is playing this

About to get done with Zero and get on this immediately. (saved right outside the final boss chamber)

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

The problem is that series is so big. And each game is like 80 hours. I played the first tits (which was fantastic) then did cold steel 1 and halfway through two but i feel it's too much. Too many things to play and i have 3 and 4 ahead there is no way i am going to play the new ones.

Same thing that happened with the yakuza series. I played most of them but at some point you burn out.

What I did is I play 1 or 2 games of shorter length Inbetween each Trails game

So I never got burned out. But that's understandable

Haven't played any of the trails in the sky games yet, but have played the cold steel games except for 2 ( don't ask me why I didn't start with 1 instead of 3).

You should go back and Play TITS and Crossbell Duology and than play though Cold Steel 1 - 4

 

[Sub_Level]

lol I guess nobody on GAF is playing this

I’m 40 hours deep into Cold Steel 3 and I am…barely on Chapter 3. I’ll buy to support but its gonna be a while before I get to Azure. All that Crossbell stuff was great but the game obviously expected me to play these two games first.

 

[pleaseinsertdisctwo]

I was interested in trying out Zero/Azure since the setting in these games interests me….

But after seeing a few clips, it seems like it’s plagued by amateurish expository writing just like my experience with Cold Steel.


“I know that the manager of X company, Liam Von Alderweiss, known for his link to Y company, will be coming today.”

*Liam Von Alderweiss shows up*

“Well, well, well. Aren’t you the Bloody Beast of the Sacred War, known for felling 100 soldiers single-handedly? My, I didn’t think you’d be so innocent-looking.”

“Hmph!”

 

[Graciaus]

I bought to support them day one but I don't think I'll be playing it for a little while. Finished Zero last month in preparation for this but think I'll get a few quick VNs out of the way first. Don't want to get burnt out playing back to back.

 

[Mister Wolf]

I see this is the game that introduced the master quartz system.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Just finished it. Took me 39 hours. Zero took 40. I'm all ready for Reverie.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

I’m 40 hours deep into Cold Steel 3 and I am…barely on Chapter 3. I’ll buy to support but its gonna be a while before I get to Azure. All that Crossbell stuff was great but the game obviously expected me to play these two games first.

That's about where I was when I was told I needed to play Zero before three, so I put that game on pause and started Zero, and will play Azure when it's done, then go back to three, then four.

On another note about Azure, it's only been out for weeks and the physical version has already gone through it's likely only print run, and scalpers are already on the case. Gamestop still has some, as I just got a copy for retail price. Just had to pay for shipping.

 

[lachesis]

Azure is my next one. Last game I completed was Zero, and Azure's been sitting on my steam deck for a while... but haven't got the will to play just yet. (Going thru some gaming burn-out)
I like the campy storytelling of the series so far - but the quartz system is a bit too loose, and at the same time too limiting for my taste, as I am super indecisive.. For some reason, it really doesn't click with me that well since FC. Storyline has though. Looking forward what may be happening after whole Mob saga for the Crossbell folks in Azure.

 

[drganon]

I'm around 70 hours in zero. Still gotta play azure, cold steel 2 and the sky games.

 

[Rykan]

Aren't there major differences between the PS4 and the Switch & PC version? At least, I remember reading about that.

 

[Miyazaki’s Slave]

Swamped right now trying to line up stuff to finish before Zelda/Diablo/SF6/FF16.

Running through Last Epoch, new PoE League, just finished D3 S28, started Everspace 2 over the weekend as well. This came in but it is still in its wrapper and has been added to "the shelf".

Will probably buy it again on steam at some point with all intentions to play on the Steam Deck...but that will never happen.

Thanks for the ot jshackles . Your taste in games is always appreciated!

 

[Graciaus]

Aren't there major differences between the PS4 and the Switch & PC version? At least, I remember reading about that.

The PS4 version doesn't have any of the new improvements. Unless you absolutely had to I would not get that version.

 

[Sub_Level]

85 hours into Cold Steel III. Seein certain characters come back to fight together, man

Also goddamn this game is long. This is Persona 5 length.

 

[Astray]

About to get done with Zero and get on this immediately. (saved right outside the final boss chamber)

I've just started the final chapter, and the story is amazing with tons of twists and reveals getting dropped one after the other.

Can't wait to start Trails of Cold Steel after this, though I might go for the new Prince of Persia game as a palate cleanser.