On the Trail for Cold Steel.
The Legend of Heroes series has been a vastly complicated one to play through in its entirety, especially in English and without playing across multiple platforms. While the Trails in the Sky series and that of Cold Steel were made readily available outside of Japan, the Crossbell saga that bridges those games wasn’t so lucky. While there appeared to be no indication that Trails from Zero or Trails to Azure would ever see an English release, a fan-driven translation suddenly changed all that, allowing these two important adventures to finally see the light of day.
Geofront, a community of fans of the Legend of Heroes series, set out to translate the entirety of Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure, two games that would tell the story of Lloyd Bannings and the Special Support Section as they navigated the political minefield that is Crossbell. This translation was so beloved by its community that Falcom themselves worked alongside this team to bring these games to fans all over the world.
Trails from Zero was an exceptional experience, detailing the events that would place Crossbell in a very interesting position, events that even took place alongside the Trails of Cold Steel saga. In fact, Trails to Azure ties directly into major events from Trails of Cold Steel II, events that I remember all too well, but lacked some of the context as to their cause. It’s interesting to see this game’s events played out with the additional moments surrounding Cold Steel II and really makes me appreciate the way this series is all connected, especially with the upcoming Trails into Reverie, a title that follows the events of Trails of Cold Steel IV, releasing in just a few short months.
Trails to Azure begins a few months after the events of Zero, with Lloyd hot on the trail of wrapping up a few unfinished details surrounding the cult that he and his fellow SSS members dissolved in the last game. Elie, Randy, and Tio are all out attending to other matters, with newcomers Noel and Wazy, characters we got to know in Zero, freshly added to the mix. This allows for the SSS to have a rotation of six members throughout much of this adventure, with a few others occasionally added to help out.
While I’ll refrain from going into detail regarding Trails to Azure’s plot, it certainly is better paced than that of Zero and while it lacks some moments for a few members of the SSS to shine, most notably, Elie, it still results in a much better tale, especially during the last act, where many secrets are brought to light. Now, I say that it’s better paced than Zero, but make no mistake about it, Azure still does have moments that do take a while to get through, missions that feel like filler, and a lot of talking that usually results in characters actually not saying a whole lot. Azure is a continuation to Zero in nearly every way, so these sorts of things were to be expected.
When it comes to the resolutions surrounding the main characters, I really enjoyed the arcs that many have gone through during both of these adventures, especially that of Lloyd. The last hour or so of this game really allows his whole arc to shine with a moment between Lloyd and another character to damn near bring a tear to my eye. I also enjoyed the narrative around Randy and his heritage, resulting in a lot of growth for a character that is usually flirting up a storm with any lady in the room. As mentioned, Elie doesn’t really have much to do here, sadly, and while that is also the case for Tio, apart from a wealth of scenes utilizing her hacking skills, her involvement in the series later on is what makes her lack of content here to sting a bit less. I’ll also add that there is a certain scene with Elie and another female character groping her that felt totally unnecessary, as seen below.
It’s also worth pointing out that Trails from Zero certainly is a requirement to take in before you start Azure, at least to get the maximum effect from its moments. It’s a shame that the Legend of Heroes branding doesn’t have a series number on it to indicate that Azure is, in fact, the 5th title in this series.
If I had to fault Trails to Azure in any significant way, it’s that many of the locations you’ll visit are simply areas we’ve explored ad nauseam in Trails from Zero, which can result in exploration being a bit of grind and feel really repetitive, especially if you are coming straight from Zero, which did release late last year. While it’s great to be able to play both games so close together, the reused environments here sadly make this game feel less amazing than it should.
That said, there are plenty of new areas to explore, and each of the returning locations is packed with new and familiar characters, all stocked with new dialogue, and depending on what quests you did in Zero, some dialogue will reflect those choices. While an odd comparison, Trails from Azure reminded me of how Yakuza continued to rely on Kamurocho to tell its story, having you return to the same locations and often the same characters with a whole new story making that location feel new again. While Crossbell is as it ever was, and likely will be. the political turmoil that is kicked into high gear results in a very different feel for the city that goes on to define much of its future.
As was the case with Zero, you’ll come to rely on a series of allies who all benefit from the additional length Azure brings to the table. Characters like Yin, Wazy, and Arios, all have far more to do here, arcs that allow us to understand more of who they are and the events that place them on our path. We also get a better understanding of the events that await us across the Cold Steel Saga as we are introduced to villains who will give us a run for our money later on, learning more about their origins and what they fight for.
Azure also commits to a lot of fantastic reveals and twists that had me thinking back on certain interactions from Zero with a whole new perspective. The Legend of Heroes series has always had a wonderfully connected plot and Azure only continues to double down on that. Again, while I won’t dig into the main story too much, these connected moments really do help pay off a wealth of planning in the narrative that while it can be a bit vague at times, it really does feel like one massive saga when you take in all the games across the series.
Trails to Azure continues to see the SSS responding to various jobs across Crossbell and its neighboring communities, some of which are practically identical to that of Trails from Zero, unfortunately. However, some of that busy work is made a bit easier to take on due to the fact that Lloyd and his crew now have access to a vehicle that can travel to their destination on a whim, making a lot of that tedium almost vanish.
And despite this faster method of getting around, Azure is still a much longer adventure than Zero, clocking in at around 60-70 hours, which is likely the result of being able to rely on a lot of already present locations. And while you can streamline the experience and ignore some of the filler, the game’s boss encounters will require everything you can muster to even dent them, so taking in everything this game offers is crucial to earning the best gear and quartz to succeed.
When it comes to Azure’s combat, there is very little change here or anything that is significantly different to really get into detail, given this is a direct continuation of a game you’ve likely played. Encounters are still turn-based with each character having Arts they can pull off that takes a full turn to cast, whereas Crafts are special attacks that can be used immediately. And, just like Zero, your Craft points can be saved up to pull off stronger attacks and even combination strikes between party members.
For a more detailed look at combat and all of the various systems, check out my Trails from Zero review as if you are interested in Azure after playing through Zero, then you likely already know the ins and outs of what you should expect. If you have yet to play through Zero, then please stop reading this review and play through the entirety of Zero because it is certainly worth your time.
That said, new to Azure are a few additions that add a bit of depth to its combat. First, is the inclusion of the Master Quartz, a feature you’ll likely recall that continued on in Cold Steel. This allows you to set a Master Quartz to each of your teammates that can boost certain stats as they level them up, such as added defense or boosting your critical attack. This allows you to almost create a build-type for each character as you have a variety of Master Quartz to choose from.
Also new to Azure is Burst, a special attack mode that will occsionally be accessible during the game. While it’s odd that this mode just shows up and is occasionally accessible, you’ll come on to rely on it very heavily during much of the late game. As you attack and take damage, a burst meter will fill up. Once activated, burst allows you to assault the enemy without interruption, increasing CP with each turn and removing any status effects your team may have been inflicted with. It also boosts your defence while also allowing you to cast Arts with no delay. You can also acquire burst orbs that grant you a chunk of meter should you want to completely steamroll a large group of enemies. It’s a great system but the fact that it can sometimes be inaccessible is a weird thing.
When it comes to presentation, Azure is often great but can suffer from a few technical issues. First is a spotty framerate when using the High-Speed Boost of increasing gameplay speed. I never noticed any problems with Trails from Zero, but a few locations in Azure had noticeable dips when using this speed system. Secondly, are a few assets that don’t have the white background erased fully from their image, resulting in a few images that look poorly added into the scene, especially your Orbal phone device having trace amounts of its original white background present on the image, something that appears on screen like 300 times during the game. It’s not a big issue, but one I constantly saw pop up through my roughly 73-hour playthrough.
Trails to Azure is certainly a more improved experience than Zero but also suffers from its own set of minor issues. It’s still a truly fantastic and must-play JRPG and one that needs to be enjoyed with as much context of the series as you can. Its story of the SSS doing what it can to define its existence is exceptional, with a cast of characters you’ll truly root for as they attempt to get to the bottom of a plot that threatens the lives of Crossbell and beyond. Finally having these two games out in time for Trails into Reverie will allow a lot of people to gain that added context when Lloyd and his team return in fully playable form, and it’s about damn time.
Developer - NIS America Inc. Publisher - Nihon Falcom. Released - March 14th, 2023. Available On - Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, PC. Rated - (T) Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Sexual Themes, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco. Platform Reviewed - Nintendo Switch OLED. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.