The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

I've played Personas 3, 4, and 5. I've played Metaphor. I've played Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy VI & VII, Xenogears. I've played Vagrant Story. This series opened my eyes and showed me just how good JRPGs can be. If you have any interest in the genre, you must play these games.

20 hours in , I'm still in Chapter 1, gameplay was very interactibe, and hard mode provides a challenging gameplay too, i can tell the writting is building up to a huge plot twist, and i quite enjoying the writting of random npc and the main storyline uptill now

If you want to tried trails first chapter, then you should also tried trails second chapter. without both of them you can't really enjoyed both of the stories. I do really recommends Trails FC its really gives me different JRPG experience from others JRPG. Exp how you do see the characther development from estelle and joshua from FC to SC, grow to a better person, grow to a really a good chemistry between them, etc.

TL;DR: Press Left-Alt for Turbo. Completionists beware.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is a beloved series by many, myself included. So often throughout the story I found myself chuckling at the character interactions, even laughing out loud at some of the anime-like interactions that always felt very... human. Very relatable. On this ground alone, I can see why this game has various sequels, and a remaster coming in 2025.
The gameplay has a turn-based field system where positioning of your characters can be as important as what 'magic' you use. Which btw, the 'magic' system (known as 'Arts') is quite an interesting system by it's own right. Using 'Quartz', one can change a character's Arts as you play through the game, changing that character's role by changing what Arts they can use.

Now, this part is just for completionists, and I consider myself to be one. If you want to REALLY explore everything this game has to offer... you're gonna need a guide. That's non-optional. Many times, this game makes you complete quests within a small window of timeframe, and simply expects that you'll know to do so, and how to do them. Multiple times I had to backtrack to get a specific item from an npc for 100% completion (i.e. the collectable novels), and I'm just supposed to KNOW which npc and what part of the game I can get the item from. Sure, this game has save slots whereby you can reload and obtain this item... if you remember. It's a part of 2000's game saving that I will NOT miss.
Even so... this game in particular has plenty of guides, so a spoiler-free run is more than possible, and I'll mention the steam guides I used below.

So, did I overall enjoy the game? Absolutely. The game runs at a very slow pace though, and at one point of my gameplay I forgot what button it was to speed up gameplay was (hint: It's Left Alt), which left me waiting through turn-based battles and major backtracking for items and quests for about 3 hours: those 3 hours was the worst experience I had with this game, and I am SO thankful this game has a speed-up-button.
Will I play the sequel? Mmmm... maybe. As much as I enjoyed this game (and as cheap as it was), I might just wait for a remaster. Or watch someone else play it.

It's hard for me to recommend this game, because a sequel is supposed to be coming out the year I'm writing this review. Even if you don't want to buy the game, or even buy it when it's on sale... I would still recommend you immerse yourself in the series. Xseed games is the same creator of my beloved Rune Factory 4, so I look forward to the sequel of this game, and any other rpgs they put out!

Shoutout to ErickaUnlimited and Shuuzu's 100% achievement guides. They were a BIG help in me getting a spoiler-free, 100% first-time-run without much headache.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2863854416
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1089109429

local she/her himbo estelle bright, having recently turned 16 and thus met the age requirement, cheerfully joins the bracer guild (civilians' Local Hero union)! together with her foster brother and clear haver of backstory most tragique joshua, resolves to travel around the country to get the letters of recommendation from every guild branch that will allow her to graduate from rookie status. along the way she will meet funny friends, do So Many Sidequests, have many a romcom hijink with joshua, and also trip over what is definitely not a 10-car pileup of weird cult conspiracies Do Not Worry About It Im Sure Its Fine.

THE THING EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW BEFORE PURCHASING TRAILS IN THE SKY IS: this game is the first 50something hours of a 150-hour game that got split into two separate games because there was just an absurd amount of game in that game. in order to get the most fulfilling experience, you will need to also purchase the immediate sequel, TRAILS IN THE SKY SC. additionally make sure that you keep your save data between games because SC can use that data to give you extra dialogue based on the sidequests you've completed here.

selling points for trails in the sky include its charming low-poly environs, a system that allows you some freedom to custom-spec your party members, and the fact that npc behavior updates every time the main story progresses, including a bunch of mini narratives about families and couples and so forth that continue throughout this game and the next one.

unfortunately while trails in the sky is generally a pretty enjoyable time, there are a handful of This Game Was Written In 2004 moments that have a sharp dip in quality compared to the rest of the story, and if they make you wince you'll have a lot of wincing to do. (agate i am looking directly at you lol.) SC does not have these issues with the character writing though so if you can manage to survive the choppy water momence here you will have smoother sailing in the sequel.

if you have the time and budget for the package deal, trails in the sky is a fun time that will scratch your Big Chonky JRPG itch. and, if you choose to pursue the For Maniac Completionists achievements, remember to ALWAYS double-tap treasure chests. there are lots of guides on the community hub to help you ok good luck

A Classic RPG, while a little old has got great detail in its story and character writting. and with the remake of it coming its a good chance to be able to see the differences between the two and see how much has evolved over the 10+ games in the series

Following a guide, got 100% in 45 hours (though the last hour or so was finding the single chest I forgot to talk to) - I didn't really understand orbaments in this game but playing on normal it wasn't really an issue that I wasn't min/maxed on those. I honestly enjoyed the graphics - they picked a style and stuck with it and having the varied backgrounds and dungeons made it feel like a really large and carefully designed game. I liked how the game started with low stakes quests and gradually built up to more and more in depth quests as your characters grew.

Going back to review all the trails games after I completed the series (up to Daybreak 1 as of me writing this). Here are some things I would tell my past self to sell him or give general advice.

For Sky 1 specifically:
- This is the first game in the whole series, if you wanna get into trails start here, they're not like other RPG series where each entry is barely related to the last, play em all in order. Sky 1-3 -> Zero and Azure -> Cold Steel 1-4 -> Reverie -> Daybreak
- There is a fanmade patch to add the JP voices from the console releases of the 3 sky games, absolutely get it it's basically fully voice-acted.
- There is a remake coming up at the end of 2025, IMO play this anyway cause it's very charming to see the series grow over time and it'd be quite jarring to start with the most modern version then go back to the oldest to continue. Also the graphics haven't aged poorly at all, I adore how the early trails games look and am very happy that I chose to play em
- If you're enjoying Sky 1 get Sky 2 as well before whatever sale you're on is over, they're two halves of the same story

Trails as a whole:
- Amazing series of turn-based JRPGs that's fully available on steam, all ports are good, no weird BS you need to do to enjoy em
- Trails games are very much story RPGs, some of them can get very restrictive with not letting you to choose your party members for story reasons and so on. Still the orbment system (basically how you build your characters) adds a high level of customization so it still feels like it gives the player a good bit of freedom at all times, and I'd say the gameplay is amazing all the way through
- Some peeps say you gotta play a bunch of boring games first to get to the good trails. I agree that the newer trails are easier to sell people on cause they're much flashier and got hype factor but the old ones are by no means bad. Sky trilogy was very fun to play through and my fav trails game is only the 4th release out of the 11 I played

So yeah, TLDR I recommend this series if you want to get into a huge turn-based RPG world where all the stories are related to each other. Great if you want to sink a lot of time without thinking about other stuff

96 hours spread out over nearly 10 years... all to feel absolutely silly for taking so long to complete this. This game is absolutely not for someone that is put off by somewhat "dated" graphics, almost zero voice work, tons of dialogue, and classic turn-based RPG combat. If none of that bothers you, what you will find is an incredible first chapter in an excellent story. While this series - The Legend of Heroes - has gotten a greater following thanks to Trails of Cold Steel, this game makes it very easy to see where it came from. If you haven't invested in this part of the story, do yourself that favor.

I'm like 4 games deep into this franchise now, so I'd say that this game definitely did an amazing job of successfully sucking me into its' world.

An absolutely wonderful start to a an adventure series with great story/ lore.

Great game! My first game in the Trails series that I completed. Played a little bit of Cold Steel a few years ago, but never finished it. Always wanted to get back to it, but decided it would be better to start from the beginning, and I'm really glad that I did! This game was amazing! It is definitely a slow burn that takes time. Even though the story is slow the world, characters, and gameplay will keep you entertained.

This game is for people who want to commit to a game series and not just a single game. If you like long epic stories of adventure and fantasy, enjoy turn based gameplay with some strategy involved, then I think you will greatly enjoy this game!

I got into the "Legend of Heroes" series through the "Cold Steel 1 & 2" games. Then I found out about the other arcs in the series and have begun the process of playing these as well! It's a niche JRPG series with great storytelling and universe building. The turn-based combat is easy to understand, but takes real thought to master. This game starts out a little slow-paced, but really kicks into high gear towards the end. I kinda love it!

One of my favourite JRPGs and its from a series i almost didnt want to play.

give this game a chance it will surprise you in many ways

Лучшая игра в моей жизни. Без преувелечений. Ни одна Final Fantasy или Tales of не давали мне столько эмоций. Великолепная игра, 10/10, вы обязаны ее пройти.

the world of the characters, their relationships and interactions is simply a masterpiece of such a well-developed big world, such revealed personalities are rarely found anywhere, and it's also worth remembering how old this game is exactly in the name of the decade

Played it once as a kid. I never got to finish it, but I spoiled myself with the ending-- and even with no context, it made me cry!

Absolute banger game regardless. It only gets better from here >:D

One of the greatest RPGs and RPG franchises out there, in my personal opinion.

20 years later, Trails in the Sky may feel a bit old-fashioned, but it's still great despite that. Its gameplay is solid (I really liked the turn-based battle system mechanics), the story is great, and overall I feel like the game was made with a lot of passion and heart. The soundtrack is also very great overall. And despite Trails in the Sky not having cutting-edge graphics for 2004 (for example, Metal Gear Solid 3), it has a nice art style and that's perhaps more important than the most top-of-the-line CGI.

My rating: 5/5
Trails in the Sky is a Japanese RPG game that really feels personal and very full of soul and heart. And I recommend it to any fans of these categories of games.

FF7 really messed everything up by being popular because if not for it we would have gotten games like Xenogears, DW7, and this. JRPGs that were exclusively 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds. Fuck 3D models on 2D backgrounds. This is real gaming. Ending is also good too i guess

I honestly recommend playing this before the remake since either you'd wait for SC and 3rd's remakes or have to transition back to this style of gameplay. Whatever version you choose, this is THE starting point in the long Trails series. I love this series with all my heart and it's a joy seeing everyone is getting into it in whatever shape or form. (By the time of writing this the game is on sale, you should give it a try ;})

The Good
- Music
- Art style/visuals
- Writing

The Bad
- Difficulty
> The normal difficulty is too high, imo. I've played a lot of JRPGs and I have never died so much in the starting section/prologue before. There are barely any rest points (one dungeon in particular didn't have ANY). No fast travel. Enemies always respawn, but grinding isn't really feasible because either you get like 3 exp per battle or there's no place to rest in order to get a grind loop going. I don't even want to think about what the late game is like if the early game is this frustrating.
> The battle system is poorly explained and the tutorial isn't helpful.
> The whole orb/quartz system is also poorly explained and not intuitive.

- Tech Issues
> This game is plagued with tech issues. Crashing, inputs being read incorrectly to the point of the game being unusable (at one point the game thought I was holding down Right and would not stop spinning; I had to quit out and lose my unsaved progress). If I was actually having fun with this game, I would put up with it, but the game isn't worth the hassle.

Trails in the Sky FC is a charming JRPG that admittedly starts slow, but builds into something special. While not quite a masterpiece, its cozy atmosphere and excellent world-building create a perfect foundation for the series.

The game shines with its top-tier soundtrack and straightforward but effective combat system. Turbo mode is an absolute blessing - frankly essential for modern playthroughs. Though it may not reach the heights of SC, it's absolutely worth your time as the starting point of an incredible journey.

I've played Trails FC a few times at this point, but now that I finally knocked off the Steam playthrough I'm going to put an official recommendation on it. I think Trails FC is extremely well crafted and very detailed from story and worldbuilding perspectives, to a degree that not many other JRPGs do. It goes out of its way to reward exploration and many small opportunities to interact with the world itself, much moreso than other games of its kind.

Nothing feels wasted or out of place in the storyline and again, I think exceptionally few JRPGs know how to keep everything in the story meaningful and contiguous to the central point while still setting up enough mystery and intrigue. The gameplay is a little rough and traditional since we've made so much progress since 2004-ish, but it's still pretty good and challenging. The orbment system is cool and there's a lot of space to experiment in and a reason to do it since the active cast is pretty dynamic, changing over time.

The game gets pretty brutal with side quests since you're really encouraged to explore every nook and cranny of the world that you can (even in spots where you think you can't). I recommend playing without a guide and then playing another playthrough with a guide because you will not believe all the stuff that you can possibly miss out on.

Trails FC is easily one of my favorite games and it's earned a spot in my "list of games anyone should experience" like DOOM, Age of Empires, etc. I don't want to say anything more about the game because I think it's important to go into the game as blindly as possible.

The story is very well written and addictive once you get started!!

Heard good things. Cannot force myself to play this just to have foresight into sequels that supposedly are truly great games. Boring. Very very boring. Gave it 15 hours of my life I cannot get back.

A fine RPG and a direct competitor to Final Fantasy 7. Deep story and lore and great characters.

Suffers from long-winded exposition and Deux Ex Machina that can be frustrating: beating bosses often means they still get away in ridiculous fashion, much like lots of traditional Anime shows.

Worth a buy at full price, expect the story to take at least 50 plus hours to complete.

Honestly this game starts out really painstakingly slow, however it does pick up and the payout is great. The ending is great and perfectly sets up the second game. 10/10 would recommend for JRPG enjoyers.

This is a good jrpg to play on the Steam Deck on the go and docked to TV. It took me a year to complete playing it off and on. The combat is good but I'll get burn out over time so I gave the game a rest. It was easy to pick up and play where I left off in spite not playing it for a few months. The cliffhanger ending making me to look forward continue with the second story.

A very Dialogue heavy JRPG told from the perspective of a Gal, who like the player themselves, has no fucking clue whats going on unless its commit immediate violence. In other words, peak JRPG.

Story's a bit back loaded into the last chapter or so, But this game isn't just setting itself up. Its the foundation point of both a trilogy, and a larger, still ongoing series. Something had to start it off, right? Here's that something.

Also the magic system is hilariously fucked (in a good way) because it turns out that making people equip items to obtain spells means that everyone has access to the same broken spells. Hmm yes, do I spam White Gehenna now or next turn?

The game itself is fine, but having sidequests expiring with no notification sucks.
I dont want to follow a game fact while I play to makes sure I complete everything in order and not miss anything without restarting the damn thing, it could used backtracking, as you cant explore previous areas once you finish the main quest,

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is pure PS2-era RPG nostalgia. Its isometric views, fantastic soundtrack, and coming-of-age story feel like they belong to the golden age of the PS1 and PS2 era. It’s a nostalgic trip, and it’s quite good.

The writing and story are strong, supported by well-detailed characters, great moments of humor, and surprising tenderness. Tonally, the game stays light, focusing on a coming-of-age tale. Estelle seeks to uncover the fate of her father while rising through the Bracer Guild (essentially mercenary police). I really enjoyed the story. The characters are distinct and show excellent growth as the plot unfolds. The banter between party members feels natural, building relationships that develop organically as the game progresses. There’s no world-ending threat here (not yet anyway)—just a wholesome narrative with a few recurring villains who aren’t too over-the-top. The overarching plot concludes grandly, with a few plot threads left open for sequels, but Trails feels more like it’s setting up a solid lore foundation and a memorable cast of characters to expand the series further.

The combat is good but not great. It uses a pseudo-tactics, turn-based system. Attack order is tracked on a sidebar during battles, and you have free movement across a grid. However, this movement feels somewhat unnecessary, as positioning only determines whether you're in or out of attack range. Enemies move freely, often dodging your queued spells or forcing you out of melee range. This can get frustrating and makes the combat feel like it needs some tweaking. For instance, being able to both move and attack in a single turn would improve the flow significantly.

Combat skills are tied to your Orbment equips, known as Quartz (think Materia from Final Fantasy). These small crystals provide magic and power, tying into the broader technology and lore of the Legend of Heroes series. The system involves stacking Quartz to unlock new skills, which I really enjoyed, though I wish it had more depth with additional Quartz types and synergies. Unfortunately, crafting Quartz requires grinding. You need Sepith, a unique currency earned in battles, and the late game demands large amounts to craft higher-level Quartz. This grind feels unnecessary and separate from the usual leveling grind.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a nostalgic return to the golden age of JRPGs. I’m excited to play the rest of the series.

It is the start of the first arc of a great series of games its mechanics and story are both great if you like Turn based JRPGS this game and series is for you

Good story. Slow battling system but still very fun. Worth a try for any JRPG fans.

I'm not the biggest fan of turn based games, but I played it because the whole franchise caught my interest. Trails in the Sky FC is the first Legend of Heroes game for me.

Initially I bought it because of the good reviews and the promising story and oh boy the game delivered. First released in 2004, I felt in some story aspects this game was a bit ahead of its time which I really liked.

The story itself is easy to follow, but because of the many characters being introduced you get confused from time to time when characters are being mentioned by name (I finished this game within a week, maybe that's why). Also you will miss some quests if you don't pay attention, some quests just pop up without you noticing by visiting some places or just talking to the right NPC so frequently check the available quests.

The characters are well written and each have their own personality. The protagonists feel alive but a bit stereotypical (Estelle as the sassy lively girl, Joshua as the calm and collected partner) but that doesn't matter personally.

If you're new to this series, you may be overwhelmed with the quartz/orbment system which grants you stats/buffs/abilities and I also haven't figured it out fully yet to use it at its full potential, but for a casual (normal) walkthrough this suffices. The difficulty levels are normal, hard and nightmare which you can select at the start of the game but cannot change later except you start from the beginning in another walkthrough.

Despite me finishing this game within a week, some chapters felt dragged out, I personally didn't enjoy chapter 3 as much as I enjoyed the previous ones and in the final chapter I felt there were too many "final" bosses. While casually talking to friends on Discord, it took me more than one hour of the last final boss fight to finish (maybe my tactic was shit, I was shit or I just wasted too much time while being distracted on Discord. Since I'm not experienced in turn-based rpgs, long final boss fights may be normal.

The ending sets the stage for Trails in the Sky SC and after all Estelle and Joshua went through together, you really want to follow the rest of their journey.

I bought this game for 8€ during the Steam Autumn Sale and it was definitely worth it. Looking forward to Trails in the Sky SC.

It starts really slow, but picks up around the 10th hour. Great characters, great story, great lore, outstanding OST, average gameplay. Grind isn't really an issue here, if that is your concern. I grinded for about 2 hours for a final boss and that's it. Just engage enemies when you see them and you're gonna be fine.
For this price this is an amazing game, it's worth it. 8/10.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky was one of the good J-RPG from the 2000s. The gameplay is interesting, with turn base core with some tactical elements embedded. As someone who play turn based RPG in the late 90s and early 2000s, I think this game is fantastic.

Pros:
- The Story
- The details and good long play time

Cons:
- One chars is kinda annoying but of course in line with the story
- The UI elements are kinda confusing...

Final Score:
3.5/5

SPOILER WARNING
After several hours playing I found the characters are annoying...
I deduct 0.5 points in final score coz of that...
Well one of the character is almost in the same annoying level as Tidus FFX or Vaan FFXII...
And another one is just like a cliche manga/anime protagonist that seems out of the place lol

I came into this game without knowing much about it and I had heard about it somewhere. And I'm glad I did get it. It was one of the kinds of games I enjoy. Long games, and world building and good dialogue - not to mention that turn based RPG games are my style.

It's a little older, yes, but it still works well because the dialogue is good. It's followed by several games in the same franchise (I think 10+ games and counting). Its two immediate successors are worth playing, I think.

Recommended if you like turn based JRPGs.

Replaying it after finishing all the other games in the Trails series. And is still as good as the other ones!

This game has that classic JRPG feel with an engaging story and interesting set of characters. It's a bit of a slow burn at first, but once the story gets going, man it moves quickly. I'm almost 40 hours in and still not completely finished. But I've had a blast playing this game and look forward to every playing session.

I think it's quite good game when I enjoyed it in Chinese version in 2014 and in English version in 2019. A few days ago I saw the re-make news of Trails in the Sky and now wanna play again before it. But when I changed my system to windows 11, I cannot run the game. If I could get any help there, I would appreciate it .

If you love story-rich games, this is an awesome series to get into. Memorable characters, emotional/engaging stories, and loads of action :)

What can I say about the wonderful Trails in the Sky FC, the 1st part of arguably the best JRPG trilogy to ever grace the world of gaming? A series that arrived on Steam slowly and with great trouble, looking incredibly niche, but then kept winning more and more fans, so much that today you might just prefer for them to shut up for a sec and lay it off with the thick praise?

Some argue the first entry is more of a humble beginning; a good but not great introduction that’s worth sticking to for the sake of what comes later. But I beg to differ: this is already peak. Each of the three Sky games is top-tier; they just excel at different things.

In FC’s case, the focus is on the relaxing slice of life, yet it is among the richest, most fulfilling slices of life I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. You travel around an idyllic country to the tunes of a genius OST (JRPG music doesn’t get any better than this) while having conversations with the locals, and the writing goes at it one NPC at a time until it achieves incredible levels of immersion.

Playing this game is the equivalent of sitting under a tree on a nice sunny day while getting caressed by a warm summer breeze, except the breeze also whispers stories to you. They are mostly simple, unassuming tales, but put together they form a painstakingly developed world. The characters infect you with their positive, hard-working, decidedly Japanese outlook, yet it never feels saccharine or shallow, because troubles are always there too; nobody just allows them to ruin the mood.

However, even if you’re not particularly psyched about hours upon hours of sunny worldbuilding, FC is indeed worth sticking to, not just for the 2nd game but also for its own final stretch. The last chapter raises the stakes and pacing considerably, offering a long, satisfying conclusion to the immediate plot threads through a rich mixture of political conspiracies and personal dramas. And just when it looks like it’s already over, you’re rewarded with the best scene of them all; an absolute masterclass in direction and storytelling that flips the entire narrative on its head, adding a new, much darker layer to the portrayed events.

Of course, this is not a visual novel (even though the humongous script makes it feel like one at times), so on top of all the text you also get combat, and it’s a damn good turn-based combat, having a steady sense of progression, a versatile magic system and a memorable tactical angle that lets you manipulate the turn order for your own benefit. The attack animations, too, are very clean and well-done, despite looking simple by modern standards. Personally, I didn’t even need the much-praised "turbo mode" that speeds them up: some encounters may get repetitive or long, sure, but there’s a certain flow to them, and this flow is synced perfectly to the game’s overall pace.

I’d also like to praise the localization efforts. Japanese translations frequently come in two extremes: faithful yet stiff and competent yet overly liberal, having qualified people who are unable to resist "enhancing" the text using puns, flowery words or their subjective writing sensibilities. Sky’s localizers may be guilty of the latter at times, but this is nothing compared to how smooth their prose feels and how easy it is to read, with each sentence flowing naturally into the next one (which is hugely important for a game that relies on long conversations so much).

It’s common to find praise for Trails as a whole, highlighting its unparalleled length and scope among the games tied by a continuous narrative. Some might say not only FC but the entire Sky trilogy is just the tip of the iceberg. At the same time, a lot has been said about the series’ more recent drop in quality: how the characters and set pieces keep getting recycled, how the writing seems to lose depth and go for the safest tropes, or how the overarching story becomes increasingly meandering. Arguably, the developers also acknowledge this slump, what with their recent report of suddenly being 90% done or the announcement of Sky remakes (which may yet end up feeling completely different from the originals).

With this in mind, perhaps the tip was the juiciest part after all… which is a bummer, considering that Sky is great at hyping you up for the future events as well. But it’s also yet another reason to savor this timeless classic, no matter what year it is on the calendar.

Soundtrack highlight: the one and only.

One of the best JRPGs I've ever played, you can feel the care and love it was poured into the game, with an ever changing world that advances with you, side npcs advancing their story along yours, amazing characters, good music and a great story.

Man, this game takes for ever to finally started.
However long it is, I really like this game a lot.
I loved it's cast and other NPC, however I hate these FUCKING NAMES.
The gameplay is well done like the diffucult for a exam.
It's not very hard or very easily.
It is so balance and greatly executed.
I do believe that the story could be told little bit more faster and long conversation being more shorten.
This game still hold up and i don't think it really needs remake, however i am happy that it's getting one.
Now people who were afraid of getting into this series can now enjoy this wonderful story for the first time and it will be on console so everyone can play it.
i still think this is the best game in the series.

This game helps you learn more about the characters and the world like you yourself are learning the ropes of bracer work and living in Liberl. And for a 'Prologue' to the Sky Trilogy and the Kiseki series as a whole it makes the work to get to the rich story educational and even fun, there is such great dialogue that I barely felt bored. Everyone in Liberl even NPCs have such charm that adds to the experience.
Such a great game and a fun 100%

it's so peak. if youre debating whether or not you should wait for the remake, i say don't hesitate to jump in now; the gameplay still holds up just fine and the ending is going to leave you wanting to start playing the sequel immediately after the credits finish rolling. additionally, if youre wanting to get into trails and wondering if you really should start all the way back here instead of a newer arc like daybreak, the answer is yes, you should! its so worth it!!! the characters, world building, and lore are all so incredible crafted with an insane amount of attention to detail, and this game already sows so many plot seeds for future games, so you're really gonna appreciate it in the long run if you start here!

I never reviewed this before but as it stands. The Legend of Heroes as a series deserves to be praised to the heavens and back.

It has an amazing story and puts its' own swing on magics and skills. This is a JRPG that stands out amongst all other JRPGs made within its era. This is certainly a generational game that spans across 3 or 4 different series but rest assured throughout the iterations that the heroes live on and may come to save the day more than once.

It has one of the best soundtracks that I have possibly ever heard and can easily be replayed due to its memorability. You may play other JRPGs throughout time but this game will remain as a positive memory that may be called upon across many years.

It’s very dialogue heavy and there comes some positives and drawbacks with that.

Feels like it's written by a English/U.S. writer, rather than a Japanese one with plenty of lines like ‘don’t be such a ninny’ or ‘in the clinker’.

Despite the writing being quite good, there were times that I skipped through it (like the theatre section) because it felt very beside the point and uninteresting to me.

I was up to the final chapter of this game when I just kind of capitulated and stopped caring enough to want to keep wading through it. That much constant reading, even with decent dialogue is just oppressively tiresome to me. ..and the gameplay and RPG systems, while quite fine are nothing particularly addictive or special.

I can tell this is a special JRPG series for the right sort of gamer, but it's a little bit much for my tastes.

It was truly a joy to experience the story and all the characters. It started off kinda slow and I wasn't getting into it completely until around the third chapter. Definitely recommend it.

For me, the question in regards to RPGs isn't if it's worth buying, but if it's worth playing. After all, an RPG usually require a huge time investment to see it to its completion. With how dirt cheap this game is on the sales it often goes on, the question should thus really be; it worth to sink the 40-50 hours into it that it takes to finish it?

Yes. I do think so. However... I didn't feel that way when I started to play it at first.

Prior to this the only Legend of Heroes game I'd ever played was The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion and I remember loving it and being super invested in the story. (Please make a PC port!) I was literally glued to my PSP back then. I think I probably expected to be pulled in right away in much the same fashion, when I started this game, but it did not happen.

But after starting this game twice, and quitting twice during the prologue because I didn't have the patience to get through the slogfest of its turn based battles and the poor pacing of the start of the game. It also didn't help that I was generally busy with other things in life to be able to set aside ample time for RPGs anymore unless they were really compelling from the start.

But at last, about a decade after getting it, I finally played it in full and it was actually so worth it. And now I am eager to play the next one. I also found if you hold down the sprint button it speeds up everything, which is really good when you deal with the battles. I only found this out 24 hours into the game sadly. (I played with PS4 controller, it was the R2 button for anyone wondering, idk about on keyboard.)

I still say the game is slow to take off, though and I am not actually in favor of it. While, in hindsight after knowing the full plot, I get that it is to set everything up I still say it could have been done a lot better. I think a game should pull you in from the start and in terms of pacing it's just not well done. For sure, it does get so much better and totally pulled me in and kept me invested eventually which made it worth it, but I contest that no game should make you sit through hours of what feels like slog before it starts to feel good. This is a game, we play it for fun, after all.

In terms of cast, 10/10. I genuinely like all the characters, as well, which for me is usually one of the biggest important factors in an RPG. The music as Falcom is known for imo, is amazing, too. This is, barring the slow start, a great JRPG and despite its flaws, I recommend it to anyone who likes the genre. Just be aware that the start is imo pretty boring and poorly paced and the turn based combat is a snorefest even when sped up.

Also, the sidequests expire and the game isn't really clear about when this happens and I absolutely dislike it. There's a ton of achievements you can miss out on due to missing cues such as buying newspaper issues, doing all sidequests etc. Personally I don't really care about achievements but be aware of this when you do. personally I simply did wanna do all sidequests for flavor and lore and it just feels like sh*t to check the board and see quests have expired that you actually wanted to do. So if you care for them, check them in between every main quest/event or use a guide.