The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

A fantastic addition to my RPG Library. I don't go for the newest games, preferring the old school RPGs that are being remade and remastered. But I needed a new game to play and this one was fabulous. I don't know why I kept it on my wishlist for so long.

Giving this review after finishing 1, 2 and 3.

No spoilers, but will be a collected review of the 3 games, as they are directly tied together.

1 was amazing, nice pacing, nice story(its only the beginning of a rly interesting story)
Fun characters, comedy, action, abit of.. romance.

2 was just as amazing, directly tied together with 1, i instantly jumped into it to keep going through the story.
Same as 1, fun characters, comedy, but this time more action, more suspense. Very nice.

3 felt alittle slower, but still very good once it got going. It also follows the events of the first 2 games, alot of backstory for the characters we love aswell as setting up future story lines. So very good to go through.

Overall Trails in the Sky as a trilogy, very solid, It is is a long one, but its a good one.

Now onto Crossbell(Zero and Azure)!

I love Estelle Bright from The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky.

(Great story, great characters, decent gameplay with a life-saving turbo button)

((Get SkyInstaller for the JP voice acting it's incredible))

(((Thank you Chair)))

the way this game handles the characters is so awesome like yesss dude thats a big found family right there

This is one of the greats and i can't wait to play the rest and the rest of the games in the series

Great game, perfect starter to a classic series. 10/10 Oliver is the goat

Peak game I’m afraid. I sat here for 65 hours and loved every second. High recommend and become addicted to the series like me

Trails in the Sky prioritizes making its townsfolk feel like real people. Everyone is named, everyone reacts to recent story events, and everyone has their own problems.

The storytelling also reflects this, having a large amount of the cast be relevant in each area's story. The story's scope stretches beyond our two primary protagonists, but it doesn't leave them in the dust either. In that way, the storytelling reminds me a lot of Hunter X Hunter. Our protagonists are important, but they're also little fish in a vast ocean.

That said, the game is very slow to start, and I personally find the ending to be frustrating. Even so, everything in the middle has good moments along with character-driven political intrigue. At its best It feels simultaneously like a saturday morning cartoon, a slice-of-life anime, and a mystery novel. Childish adventure, relaxing aesthetic, and engaging mysteries.

If that sounds good to you, I doubt there's any problem you could have with the gameplay or anything else that'd turn you sour. You'll likely find yourself enjoying the grid-based combat, so long as you make generous use of the fast forward button.
Look into modding in the Japanese voice lines, they really level up the experience.

This game brought me into the fold of not just JRPG games, but the entire trails series! Story, sound track, characters ect are just simply amazing!! 10/10 and highly recommend all to give this a shot ay. As I write this, I'm playing the whole series starting from this to get all their achievements ay :)

Alright this games took 3 attempts for me to finish, but once you get past the greater introducing it just takes off, its a fantastic ride and a love filled one at that some much care was put into every facet of this game. I'm looking forward to all the future games in the series.

Slow start but a fun and in depth JRPG

Nihon Falcom first instalment of the Trails Series, really capture that adventure feels of old school JRPG. Charming character, the world that moving forward with the stories, and stories that made you care about the character and wanting more of them. Though parts of the gameplay and story feels like you just touching the water, i felt the first chapter is a big set up for the Second Chapter, and i'm looking forward to play it quickly.
Really Recommended if you like old School JRPG that feels really Anime-y and a bit grindy. Just because it has "RPG" in it, it's not for everyone. JRPG is a niche genre especially the old school one which is bit more niche than the modern JRPG.

The graphics are literally amazing for their time, and the ambience is so well done. I’m also obsessed with the music that intoxicates me all the time and would instantly feel a wave of nostalgia when I just played a short sample. On top of that, the gameplay and battle mechanism are genuinely entertaining; Tho the battle could be repetitive from time to time, you can press “alt” to speed it up, y’know.

The story in the Trails games is top-notch. Tho I’ve been playing only 17.5 hours and haven’t finished the FC for now, I had already spent over 100 hours watch people go through it, and more than 200 hours on the entire trilogy. I highly recommend these games to everyone, and I consider it mandatory to play them in order for the full experience.

And just so you know, basically, I love every character because all of them are all unique and likeable, but Estelle is my favorite and it'll never change.

Can’t wait to see the FC remake that is going to release, yeah!!!

Well, I did it. I completed Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. I don't really know what that means for the rest of the series, because in a lot of ways it really felt like a chore for me to get there.

First and foremost, it's a wonderful game, with a vibrant world and lively interesting characters. Every NPC you talk to his unique dialogue after each story beat, which can lead to immersion if you're into that kind of thing. The world obviously has a lot of lore going on, and this is just the prologue to the main series, or the 2nd game.

The gameplay is serviceable, but I do think I'll have to ramp up my understanding of the Quartz systems and food systems in 2nd chapter. It's pretty standard Turn Based Stuff except on a grid. There are some difficulty spikes, but these are mitigated by the game making itself easier if you continually lose battles.

Let's be honest, I played this game so I could move onto the rest of the series. It's a fine introduction and I enjoyed my time with it mostly. I do have one problem though and it occasionally the characters will just not shut up. They will comment on absolutely everything, and then repeat it, and then continue to talk about something. If anything burns me out on this series is just going to be that it's mostly a visual novel, you just have battles in between.

But anyways, I beat this one, I did it. I'm stoked, time to move the heck on. As if I need to get myself involved in a long running series with tons of games already.

Trails in the Sky FC is the beginning of a massive and epic story spanning different story arcs in a lush and vivid world and it shows. FC takes its time to flesh out its characters and world and, as such, causes the game to take quite a while to actually get to the point. Nevertheless, FC does a somewhat satisfactory job of introducing us to all things Zemuria. For better or worse, Trails in the Sky is a game of its time and shares a lot of the idiosyncrasies of games of its time. Still, this version of the game provides a few quality of life that I think are essential to keep the game moving. All in all, FC takes a while, a long while, to hit the ground running but when you reach that point the story and plot will most likely have taken you captive and will force you to take on the next game almost immediately. Put bluntly, this game is mandatory if you want to see what the Trails series is all about and why a lot of people put this series in high regard.

No matter how hard I try, I just can't get into this game. And since this series has historically been so interconnected that if you don't start here, you're really kind of hosing yourself, I ended up throwing away a *lot* of money on this series.

Don't believe the hype. This is boring and a slog. And after nearly 9 hours of playing a game I can still confidently say it's the definition of mediocre. There are a lot of fan boys who gush over this one and it's the reason I gave the stupid game a chance. Should have just passed.

After almost exclusively playing Trails in the Sky over the past two weeks, I *just* finished it after 57 hours of play time. I am sitting here, stunned.

I thought all the posts I had read about this game were simply over-enthusiastic hype. I was wrong. The entire game is fun from start to finish. It respects your time, and the challenge level is just right. However... this ending... *it's something else entirely*.

You ever finish a game and feel an empty feeling, as if no other game could fill that hole? That is what I feel right now. Fortunately, there is the sequel to play!

This is the gateway into an AMAZING series. The more you learn about the setting and each characters that live there, the deeper you want to dive. Many of the characters introduced in this game stay relevant in future games. I'm very fortunate that a friend suggested I go all the way back to this game when i decided to take my first steps in this series.

Known for being one of the best JRPG stories of all time, Trails in the Sky is the first of many in a series and it doesn't entirely disappoint. Besides a dated combat system and user interface, the story holds its own especially in the second half of this first chapter. Can't wait to see whats next. If you truly can't stand to play older games, wait for the remake.

Despite criticism from many people saying this game only serves as a prologue, thus having limited potential, I still see this as one of the best game in the series with how how it introduces characters and the world of Zemuria. I also like that each chapter is much more memorable (like chapters in Zero and Azure) compared to other games.

Slow in the beginning due to having to build the world of all of Liberl but a great story and some of the best world building in a game I've played that immediately pays off at the end and leading into the next game. Characters are great and unique. Side characters are more than just random NPCs with names and some even have full on story lines you can follow by talking to them whenever you see them in various locations around the world. Combat is fine but the Orbment system is a really cool.

Didn't know what to expect but was very pleasantly surprised!
Pros:
- Combat is fun and the boss fights are challenging enough without being frustrating
- Story is really well done and stays interesting throughout
- Characters are fun and I love the orb system for customising their moves

Cons:
- Quest timeout system is frustrating and I'm so annoyed I missed out on a couple because of this
- Some dated views, mild homophobia played for laughs (Very brief)

Overall 7/10 game and I'm excited to play the second one!

Trails in the Sky FC is your typical classic JRPG, from the characters to the settings and the story -- they've pretty much been done before and will be done again because cliches and tropes work, particularly when well-executed like in Sky. Estelle and Joshua plays off each other nicely and is a nice duo to follow through the whole game. Other characters, be it playable or non-playable are also quite memorable, particularly Olivier imo, because when you see him on-screen you know you're about to see some amazing dialogues. The story so far is not one of a kind nor exactly mind-blowing but it's solid and, once again, executed nicely.

If you're thinking of playing this game, do keep in mind that Sky FC is a slow-paced game. Usually 80 hours of gameplay in JRPG would net your characters around level 70-80 but here I finished the game at just level 40, which shows just how much non-combat content in the game is (granted I spent maybe 5-10 hours total afk but the same works for 70 hours of gameplay). However this seems like an intentional design for one purpose; world-building. Sky FC wants you to immediately hop into Sky SC because the story is continued right off FC's ending. And seeing the important plot reveal at the end of FC, it would make sense if the resulting world-building is used as the base for SC so you can dive right into the plot without worrying about new regions. Still, this is just speculations on my part so take it with a grain of salt.

All in all, if Sky FC still intrigues you, then I absolutely recommend it. It is a nice classic JRPG that does its characters and world really well and has quite cheap of a price tag. It doesn't require your undivided focus 24/7 to completion and is quite easy to pick up again by just reading the plot summaries and having an easy battle system to follow. A solid 7.5/10.

Ah sim, a lenda dos heróis rastros no céu, da subsérie a lenda dos heróis rastros no céu, da subsérie a lenda dos heróis rastros, da subsérie a lenda dos heróis, da serie matador de dragão.

This is my first JRPG game so there's not much to compare it to, but I finally finished the whole Trails in the Sky trilogy to the end and im very grateful for the time spent on this masterpiece...
The story, the music in this game... it's criminally good.
Even after a while, I can't stop listening to the soundtrack and thinking of this series over and over again...

Hopefully Falcom will hear the pleas of the Russian-speaking community to add Russian localization to the upcoming remake of the first chapter of Trails

This was recommend to be my a friend, and figured I'd give it a try (I know, I'm very late to the party).

While some of the mechanics are interesting, overall, after about 15 hours, the dialogue in this game completely turned me off the game. It was just painful to read through some of these interactions. There are plenty other games of this genre out there, I'll go try one of those.

While this is not my favorite game of the trilogy (FC, SC, and 3rd), this gets a recommend purely for leading through to both SC and 3rd.

The writing is stellar if very slow due to the first chapter designation, it is a fairly slow story until you start getting into chapter 3, and speeds up very rapidly by there.

Battle system is a little constrained by the lack of equipment choices. The orbment system, or this game's version of magi-tech, is where most of your customization will come from.

All in all, it's a recommend if only because you'll be immediately wanting to play SC right after. I promise, it's that worthwhile.

This is a pretty solid game and money well spent. The graphics are well put together and enjoyable to look at (though I'm slightly bothered by the hand drawn images of the female protagonist vs her sprite. The drawn version looks like a normal, skinny, teenaged girl. The sprite looks like a sort of chubby little kid and I have not been able to Punky Brewster out of my head, between her clothes, the color of the clothes and her general shape. It's just sort of weird, as the male protagonits' sprite looks like his illustration. Other than than, everything is nicely integrated, nothing jumps out as jarringly out of place. The gameplay is pretty fun. There are a variety of commands to give characters, so the battles don't have to be total repetition. The combat is where the game really shines. The magic system seems pretty intricate and will probably be fun to play around with more once I've progressed further. It's rather fun now, even early in. The only real frustration I have with this game is how much the characters talk to each other. Obviously the game needs a plot, which has to be laid out through exposition and character development relies on dialogue too ,but they cold probably do with about half as much. Because I'm always ready to get back to killing monsters by the time the main character start quipping at each other.

Starting the Trails of series is quite daunting after you hear about how many games and how long it takes to catch up to the series, but after finishing Trails in the Sky FC, I can say with absolute certainty that this JRPG series is definitely worth the play. Memorable characters, a strong story and captivating gameplay, this game will definitely leave a lasting mark on your journey through the Trails of series. I actually spent my last 8 hours playing the game without leaving my seat and it was all worth it. I highly recommend this game to any fans in the JRPG genre.

Listen, for the longest time I was annoyed at Trails fans telling me that I needed to start from the very beginning of this long-running series to get the best experience. It took me about six years before I actually managed to finish this game from beginning to end because I found the story slow and boring.

Now, the story *is* a little slow, but it has this unique 'cozy' vibe that very few JRPGs have. Because it's the first installment, it doesn’t have the pressure to rush the plot or force anything dramatic to happen. Characters develop organically, and you’re able to immerse yourself in every area you explore. The world-building is meticulous and rewarding, with NPCs who feel alive and react dynamically to events in the story.

The combat system is a classic turn-based affair with a tactical layer that allows for satisfying experimentation with Arts and Crafts (the game’s magic and skill systems). While it may not be as flashy as modern JRPGs, it’s solid and enjoyable, especially once you unlock more abilities later in the game.

What really makes *Trails in the Sky FC* shine is its characters. Estelle and Joshua are so relatable and well-written protagonists. Their banter feels natural, their growth feels earned, and their journey is as much about personal discovery as it is about saving the day. By the time I reached the credits, I was completely hooked and eager to dive into *SC*.

If you’re looking for an epic JRPG with fast-paced action right out of the gate, this might not be for you. But if you want a game that takes its time to build a rich world full of heartwarming moments and unforgettable characters, *Trails in the Sky FC* is absolutely worth your time.

found this game on a whim. Reminds me of Honkai: Starbucks battle mechanics. story has been amazing so far (Estelle is Bestelle). i am excited to jump into the later games once i play this game into the ground.

Story, plot points, combat, Olivier. 5 stars

This was a game that people had recommended me for years now, and I eventually decided to give it a shot. That was one of the best decisions I've ever made, in terms of gaming.

This game immediately hooked me, with it's fun writing, world building, and characters. By the end of chapter 1, the story really started to pick up and I could not put the controller down. The story starts off fairly simple, and it takes its time to set up the world and characters before it starts expanding and getting bigger and bigger, up until the ending that will have you craving the sequel.

I cannot understate how fun and good the characters are, I love how they are written and I love every single character, even down to the NPCs which seldom feel like robots, and feel like actual people existing in this world. Speaking of, the world building in Trails is excellent, and I love how fleshed out it is (and it only gets better with every game).

The gameplay is actually really neat, and I love customizing my orbments and seeing the different combinations I could make for the characters in my party. The gameplay holds up excellently and my only real critique is the lack of dungeon maps, making me confused in areas like...sewers..ugh...lol. Also, I love to see older jrpgs with no random encounters, so that's a huge W.

Trails in the Sky is a great beginning to the Trails series, and one of the best video games I have had the pleasure of losing myself in. While not quite as grand as later titles, like it's sequel and onward, it plants all the seeds for future games and it is an excellent adventure.

Didn't think I would like the series so much but 500 hours later and every game in the series beaten this is now my favorite gaming series ever. Seriously give it a go.

Wanted to play a smaller and cozy JRPG while I wait for Expedition 33.
Little did I know I signed up for a whole series playthrough after that ending.

Simply the start to one of the greatest JRPG series of all time, it doesn't get much better than this. If you made it to the end, you are likely buying the second chapter.

It's been a while since I played this, but I recall enjoying what I played of it. Mostly the character interactions and the combat. I literally never played any other Trails games, but it left a solid enough impression that I'm leaving a positive review years later to clear it from my backlog, so take that as you will.

Great characters but I wasn't so into the story. Ending was certainly something (in a great way)

i love it its great, the entire series is freakin amazing!!!!!

I played this game on a whim when covid hit 5 years ago. Why come back for a review?

I'm 11 games into this franchise 5 years later, over 700 hours. The worldbuilding and character development is bar none. This game is an investment to glory. There are few franchises that have an ongoing narrative between titles past 3 games, and this is one of maybe 5 I can think of, and this one is in the top echelon of that niche group.

Play Trails.

Trails in the Sky is a game I’d been wanting to play for a while after I saw a YouTube video about the Trails series. The world and characters intrigued me, and I was excited to dive in. But to be honest, the start of the game was a real struggle for me. I ended up quitting twice because it felt like it was moving way too slow, and I just couldn't stay engaged. On my third try, though, I told myself, “This time, I'm finishing it,” and I’m so glad I pushed through.

The beginning really is slow, but looking back, I realize that’s kind of the point. The slow start builds up the story and characters in such a way that when things finally pick up, the payoff feels huge. By the time I hit the later parts of the game, I was fully invested in Estelle and Joshua’s journey, and now I can’t wait to see what happens next.

The game does a great job of making the world of Liberl feel alive. Each town and area has its own little stories, side quests, and characters that make you feel like you're really a part of the world. The combat is turn-based, but it’s got a surprising amount of depth, and once you start unlocking new abilities, it’s actually pretty satisfying.

That said, the game does have its drawbacks. The pacing can feel really slow at times, and if you’re someone who needs things to move faster, that might be a dealbreaker. Also, the music, while nice at first, starts to feel a bit repetitive after a while.

Despite these issues, though, I had an amazing time in the Kingdom of Liberl. The story, characters, and world-building are what really kept me hooked, and I’m already looking forward to the next game in the series. If you’re someone who loves great storytelling and doesn’t mind a slow burn, Trails in the Sky is definitely worth your time.

Seems like an interesting story with likable characters but the combat is too tedious to occupy as much space as it does.

Even after finding the turbo button battles every encounter feels like a chore and there are tons of encounters.

The enemies in ordinary encounters have large hp pools,hit very hard early on, and many don't seem to have exploitable weaknesses to target making most fights last several rounds.

It's also very easy to enter combat at a disadvantage if a monster spawns behind you are a companion making exploration very slow and frustrating.

The skill system is not intuitive and you'll probably need some kind of guide to get the most out of it.

The side quests so far are uninteresting.

It's a shame that this promising story got paired with this exasperating combat system. I'll probably finish this eventually (?) but after 8 hours nothing has clicked. If you're very patient you might enjoy this game more than I have so far.

Good game. Most fun I had with a classic 2D JRPG in a long time since Final Fantasy games. I did not like the romance in the story towards the end but the magic system is unique and interesting. I maxed out my orbments for this game.

A fantastic jrpg with masterful world-building and a heavy emphasis on finding hope in the darkest of times.

I will probably write a more detailed review when I complete the Trails in the Sky trilogy, but I thought this to be an incredibly enjoyable game when viewed in isolation.

The slower parts of the game lend themselves to characterizing the two protagonists really well and I personally did not find fault in the pacing of the game.

Finished the game. Great story telling, a bit slice of life actually. Didn't find it challenging at all, apart from the final boss which required some thinking on how to deal with him. This is part 1 of a 3 part story and you will definitely want to play the other 2 games.
Played about 90% of it on the SteamDeck it works absolutely fine.
Final recommendation, chapter 2 is really really boring with some school shenanigans... skipped most of that dialogue and I recommend you do the same, you will lose nothing.

Fantastic classic RPG, looking forward to the remake later this year! IMO, still the best way to start the Legend of Heroes series!

I’ve had this game on my to-do list for a few years. 40 hours later, I’m glad I set aside the time to finish it. It’s a fun story with some excellent worldbuilding and character writing, though the slow pace of this first chapter is a bit of a drag at parts. Overall I would recommend for those interested in a story-driven JRPG. Looking forward to checking out SC next.

Coming from Cold Steel to play the very first entry of the series is quite a fun experience, it is lengthy but the pacing picks up as the story approach the climax towards the end, leaving you excited to jump into the next entry.

Amazing story, SC here I come.

The start of one of my most favourite series of games, with a rich story and fun turn based fighting system. For anyone who wants to sink in plenty of hours in a captivating world with a great story and fun characters, give this a go. it is really worth it.

Just a heads up, if you like this, you'll have another 11 games to go.

A must play, one of the best j-rpg I've ever played so far. Everything is polished and the story is deep and intense. The music is also really good. I played it with the voice mod, since for some reasons they cut them out the PC edition. The Japanese VA casting is superb and the game really feels empty without them.

If you are looking for a good JRPG you can really sink your teeth into, look no further. I went in with zero expectations outside of “I wanted to play a JRPG title I haven’t yet,” and was utterly blown away.

The world of The Legend of Heroes really IS the One Piece of JRPGs. *Every* NPC is impacted/has new things to say when you progress the story forward, and that’s something I’ll be doing a lot more of on my next playthrough.

The soundtrack is killer, the characters are A++, the combat and equipment systems are simple but deep, you’ll laugh, you’ll ugly cry, you WILL get invested in these characters. There are twists and turns in ways I promise you will not see coming, some of them dozens of hours in the making, on top of many of the tropes you’ve come to know and love. Couple all this with a heavily-90’s anime inspired art and you are in for one hell of an airship ride.

Do yourself a favor and at least play this one. If you make it to the final dungeon, buy the 2nd. Because once you finish this one, you’ll be begging for more with its ending.

This is a game for story lovers and character lovers, I know some people will not be interested just because of the graphics. But you don’t need goo graphics when you have good art direction and fantastic story.
9/10