Board 8 > The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero Review Zone

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://opencritic.com/game/13380/the-legend-of-heroes-trails-from-zero

Bro's the first of the Crossbell Dualogy is finally here in an official capacity and the barrier has been overcome! However be warned if you care about these things that the PS4 version is straight up inferior to the PC and Switch versions as it's just a straight port of the PS4 version that came out in Japan (which had some QoL enhancements), while the PC and Switch versions have additional QoL and improved graphics thanks to the work of Durante. You can do your own research about what that all entails, but it is quite significant. As it stands currently we're at an 80% through 14 reviews.

Some of the reviews did knock the score of the PS4 versions a bit because of this, but overall it's fairly positive. If you played the TitS games you should know what to expect here as it's an evolution of those games. Zero is a bit like the first TitS game in that it's introducing Crossbell and its inhabitants and establishing the lore. Overall I liked it more though as Lloyd Bannings is my guy and Crossbell is a place that just feels so alive and interesting. Of course if you've already played the Cold Steel games you were probably already spoiled on some of the things that happen in this game and Azure, but I'd still recommend checking them out if you haven't before!

The Thirsty Mage - 10/10
What more can be said about Trails from Zero? The Legend of Heroes is one of the best series in all of video games and the Crossbell arc is one of the stronger titles in the franchise. Its disappointing that the PlayStation version uses the old visuals from Kai port which is a Japanese only PS4 release from 2020, but its worth playing whatever version you can get your hands on. Trails from Zero is the total package, an incredibly well written story, a cast of characters that youll fall in love with, and a wonderfully complex battle system thats a joy to master.

NintendoLife - 9/10
In a series renowned for its stellar writing, twisting plots, and wonderful characters, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is a stand-out RPG. Narrowing the focus of its story to one state, and honing in on a smaller cast of characters, makes for a fantastic and engrossing adventure that is about both intimate relationships and huge, secretive scandals. The fact that this is just one half of a duology means that, while the story wraps up nicely here, we have tons of questions that we're itching to get answers to in Trails to Azure. If you haven't played Trails, it's time to overcome that barrier, because there's no better place to zero in on this fantastic series than in Crossbell.

NintendoWorldReport - 8/10
Fortunately, Lloyd and the rest of the SSS make for likable characters that you can't help but root for. The dialogue-heavy second half of the game can drag a little bit, but the cumulative experience is still a positive one that I would recommend to RPG fans. With Trails to Azure coming in 2023, the stable of Falcom titles on Switch continues to grow, and there's Zero reason to be unhappy about that.

Push Square - 8/10
Trails from Zero has been well worth the wait. This is a classic Falcom RPG - an engrossing, crime-fighting adventure through one of the property's greatest settings. The experience as a whole does get bogged down in tedious side content and some poorly aged design, but fantastic characters and fascinating story beats hold everything together. Based on our time with Zero, we can't wait for Trails to Azure in 2023.

Nook Gaming - 8/10
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is yet another solid game in Falcoms rich legacy of RPGs. Issues like the lack of an English dub, slow game speed, and the strange sidequest system add up and do bring the experience down somewhat. Despite these issues, Trails from Zero is a game that manages to successfully and smartly craft an experience that stands out from its contemporaries.

PSX Brazil - 6.5/10
The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero is a very bad remaster of a very good game. While the story of the SSS and the journey through Crossbell must be played by any fan of the series and the gameplay holds up surprisingly well even today, the PS4 version leaves so much to be desired that it is only recommended for those who can't afford to play it on another platform.

For graphics here some PS4 vs. Switch/PC comparisons

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/7/7/AAB6RfAADsZV.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/7/8/AAB6RfAADsZW.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/7/9/AAB6RfAADsZX.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/8/0/AAB6RfAADsZY.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/8/1/AAB6RfAADsZZ.jpg

....I am super interested to hear more about this PS4 version desparity and what exactly happened. Seems like an incredibly off thing to happen in 2022. Is it something that can be patched?

Falcom simply told NISA they were not allowed to put any of the enhancements into the PS4 version.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

....I am super interested to hear more about this PS4 version desparity and what exactly happened. Seems like an incredibly off thing to happen in 2022. Is it something that can be patched?

AFAIK basically the PS4 version wasn't given to Durante to work on like the PC and Switch versions for some reason. He said he absolutely could have made the PS4 version have parity, but they just never gave it to him.

Arti posted...

Falcom simply told NISA they were not allowed to put any of the enhancements into the PS4 version.

basically this Falcom wanted parity with the PS4 Kai versions so it's just a straight port of that version while the Switch and PC versions are basically entirely new versions

I guess it's a good thing they never threw up a pre-order!

with that said my PS4 collectors edition is already on the way get that platinum trophy babyyyyyy

Wait wtf this is already coming out

RikkuAlmighty posted...

Wait wtf this is already coming out

Should've probably been out late year or early this year.

So sounds like it will be steam deck rather than playstation playthrough for me

Now to clarify, this is just the first one, not a collection of 1 and 2?

Edit: Answered my own question, forgot these weren't just called 1 and 2 and had different names.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/6/8/AAB6RfAADsaw.jpg

Azure will be Spring 2023

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

with that said my PS4 collectors edition is already on the way get that platinum trophy babyyyyyy

but you have the Japanese version already!

just get the platinum in that

that was just to show my support for the series to get these versions

Botched the PS4 version huh :( Thats what I originally wanted it on, but its apparently not getting updated/patched to match the Switch/PC release so why even bother

Reminder that Kuro no Kiseki II: Crimson Sin is out in 9 days as we continue to fall further behind Japan v____v

but hey new openings!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WrT-hlph_8

Now being told that Zero and Azure save transfer over into the Playstation exclusive Trails Games that haven't come out here yet UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

that is true

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Now being told that Zero and Azure save transfer over into the Playstation exclusive Trails Games that haven't come out here yet UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

No, Reverie is coming to Switch, PS4, and PC. It's not Playstation exclusive.

What kind of stuff transfers over?

You're right, wierd that the articles would make a big deal about that as a deciding factor then?

It does look like you get stuff from every Trails game clear data though, so still going to be shit outta luck on something since CS 1 and 2 aren't on Switch in the west.

and also don't forget Zero gets save transfer bonuses from PS4 Cold Steel games

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

and also don't forget Zero gets save transfer bonuses from PS4 Cold Steel games

It doesn't get bonuses from the Switch Cold Steel games? Are you sure about that?

Also, what are these bonuses? I'm not seeing anything bonuses in Zero.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

It does look like you get stuff from every Trails game clear data though, so still going to be shit outta luck on something since CS 1 and 2 aren't on Switch in the west.

No, 1 and 2 don't give any bonuses for Zero, and their bonuses in 3 are very minor.

Correct, but they do have transfers to REVERIE, meaning those won't be there, and even if you did play Cold Steel 3 and 4 on Switch you'll still be missing a piece of the puzzle if you play Zero and Azure there.

Now, there have been cases in the past where games in this situation have added transfer content as free DLC in the west, so who knows.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Correct, but they do have transfers to REVERIE, meaning those won't be there, and even if you did play Cold Steel 3 and 4 on Switch you'll still be missing a piece of the puzzle if you play Zero and Azure there.

1 and 2 don't have bonuses for Reverie either.

OK well I just need to stop reading anything anyone says in these site articles, since apparently none of them know what's going on.

The transfer bonuses are never worth anything anyway.

The best you tend to get is one easily replaceable accessory.

they killed bruh moment 0/10

https://twitter.com/NoisyPixelNews/status/1572613280149176323

only 2 games for Calvard

I'm assuming that's because of the poor sales of the first game

Give Trails a short hiatus for us to catch up and for them to focus on Ys X

Well Kondo has been saying they thought Trails of Cold Steel was too bulky and that they wanted to keep the other arcs at 2 games moving forward.

That said, I believe the sales theory more anyways tbh.

Give Trails a short hiatus so they can actually fully cook the games

I think fully cooking the games isn't really an option because they kind of thrive on low turnaround time to make profit

I've played all three Sky and Cold Steel games but I can't really muster any hype for Zero since I already know the outcome of the story. Often the journey is greater than the end but for a game series like this there's going to be a ton of filler.

Lord_Ephraim posted...

I've played all three Sky and Cold Steel games but I can't really muster any hype for Zero since I already know the outcome of the story. Often the journey is greater than the end but for a game series like this there's going to be a ton of filler.

as someone who played Crossbell after Cold Steel, they're still fantastic games

you don't know as much about what happens as you think you do from playing Cold Steel

Lord_Ephraim posted...

I've played all three Sky and Cold Steel games but I can't really muster any hype for Zero since I already know the outcome of the story. Often the journey is greater than the end but for a game series like this there's going to be a ton of filler.

How did you learn Zero's outcome? I feel like the CS games don't really show much of what happens in Zero.

_stingers_ posted...

I think fully cooking the games isn't really an option because they kind of thrive on low turnaround time to make profit

kuro 1 bombed. at that point they should start making lower-budget wacky standalones like they used to (except actually advertise them) and save their big titles to release when they're more finished. bonus is that it'll fatigue people less and they'll draw more people in if they're events, as well as like giving people a chance to actually catch up and making the series less impossible for newcomers to get into

Lord_Ephraim posted...

I've played all three Sky and Cold Steel games but I can't really muster any hype for Zero since I already know the outcome of the story. Often the journey is greater than the end but for a game series like this there's going to be a ton of filler.

zero is arguably the best game in the series

https://www.gematsu.com/2022/09/the-legend-of-heroes-trails-series-sales-top-seven-million

2 million sales in the last two years. Looks like it mostly sells games abroad nowadays, considering how little of an impact the games have made in Japan in that time period.

not even as much as Splatoon 3's opening weekend

They need to stop making references to so many other games in the series. Make it easier to get into.

2 million is pretty huge for a series like Trails. It's surpassed Disgaea and Atelier now.

BK_Sheikah00 posted...

They need to stop making references to so many other games in the series. Make it easier to get into.

The entire appeal of the series is that it IS a continuous narrative

Anyway I think theres a decent chance after Kuro II we dont see trails again for a little while. Ys X is guaranteed, but I suspect well see Ys V Remake or Tokyo Xanadu 2 in 2024 instead. That also ensures that the west might actually catch up fully for once

Hbthebattle posted...

Tokyo Xanadu 2

Plz TY

Could be a non-Tokyo Xanadu game.

Part of (but definitely not the entire) appeal of the series to me is that all the games take place in the same world, which allows them to develop the setting and large-scale plot in a way that other series really can't. But I definitely think it's possible to have that without overloading your games with cameos of old characters or cryptic references to past events that don't serve any real purpose besides "hey remember when you [maybe] played this other game???" I should mention that I only really think Cold Steel 3 and 4 are guilty of this though, out of the games through Cold Steel 4.