The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero... Oh boy, an official Western release of this game? Christmas must’ve come early. As a passionate fan of the Trails series, I have wanted to jump into the Crossbell arc for years, and it is finally here! And let me tell you, it is excellent! While it is not necessary, clearing the first trails game is highly recommended for the best gameplay experience. Shoutout to the Geofront team for working on the localization; you guys finally did it! The port ran with zero issues, the translation was spot on, and the additional features were a nice touch. Splendid work!

In a nutshell, the reasons I'm particularly fond of The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero are these:

• Enthralling storytelling combined with immersive worldbuilding, all while setting you up for the extensive and ongoing Trails lore
  
• Great combat mechanic – best experienced in higher-difficulty gameplay
  
• Fine-tuning skills is one of the best part of the experience, especially when you have four party members and a plethora of options to mess around with
  
• Turbo-mode and resume option is a small but significant feature
  
• Closes the curtain to an unfinished arc of the Sky trilogy in a very wholesome manner; it brought tears to my eyes

Follow our Curator page, Summit Reviews , to see more high-quality reviews regularly.

Trails From Zero kicks off its tale in a familiar manner, similar to the previous game. However, instead of being part of the Bracer Guild, a non-governmental organization acting to keep the peace and protect civilians, you'll be part of the newly founded Special Support Section (S.S.S.), a division of the prestigious Crosbell Police Department (C.P.D.), the law enforcement agency charged with maintaining public order. You play as Lloyd Bannings, a rookie detective fresh from the academy looking to make Crossbell a lil better. Armed with your detective handbook and zealous personality against injustice, you'll be running from one place to another, solving case after case until you finally stumble upon your big break, revealing the state of Crossbell's management.

Props to Falcom's design team; they did an exceptional job visualizing the beauty of Crossbell. From the beautiful flower field of the quaint village of Armorica to the picturesque waterfall of Mainz Mountain Path to the strange ruins of the forgotten past, each was done with utmost care to provide an immersive gameplay experience.

However, Due to the theme this time around being a detective mystery, some parts of the game can be straining to read through; I'm talking about long-winded conversations between characters about cases and story progression. This drag is especially true during the early part of the game, but of course, things get a bit better after passing a certain point of the game. While I have no issue with it, as I'm used to reading through long passages, some people may not. In a nutshell, the game is closer to a visual novel than an RPG in storytelling. So you better get friendly with that X button, as it'll be your best friend throughout the gameplay. And another thing, aside from Lloyd, relating to the members of the S.S.S. might prove to be an issue as you won't get the complete picture during the later part of the game. The game drops subtle hints every now and then, but unless you catch on, some characters might seem shallow or just one dimension.

At the end of every chapter, your performance will be graded based on how you navigated the story: every choice you made, all the cases you cleared, and any above-and-beyond actions you took. Each of them will net you Detective Points (DP), which will unlock some of the best items in the game as you rise in the ranks.

Now comes the tricky part. You’ll need to maximize your DP earnings per chapter to reach the highest rank. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Oh my sweet, sweet child, things are never that easy in the Trails Series. So, have fun exploring!

Here's the deal with collectibles and achievements in this game, particularly those treasure chests, recipes, and books, ESPECIALLY those darned books, man. While there's a workaround for the chests, the latter ones can prove to be a challenge. You'll need to talk to the right person at the right time. Miss your window? Well, I hope you get it on your next run. Advice? Create plenty of saved files! Pay close attention to your detective handbook, as most of the achievements revolve around filling the pages in that book. The point is, if you're serious about total completion, be sure to check it every now and then.
https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3221806044
Trails From Zero combat uses the Action Time Battle system to determine turn order, with each action having a base delay affecting your next turn. This system is too easy on lower difficulty. On higher difficulties, it can be unforgiving, even bordering unfair at times – I’m not even kidding, you could lose even before the battle starts, imagine that! However, this is what truly allows the combat system to shine! If you’re up for some challenge and willing to experience and tweak around the seemingly simple yet complex combat to its fullest, I say play the game in hard or nightmare mode where a single misstep could spell doom for your team. But if you’re like me and aiming for a 100% run, then nightmare mode is the way to go, as there are two difficulty-related achievements. That way, you can get both in one fell swoop.
https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3221805958
You will want every advantage you can get to survive playing on higher difficulty. One of them happens to be my favorite part of the game: tweaking the classic Orbment system and character abilities. Here’s the thing: every enemy has a weakness that you can exploit, and Arts or magic are a lot more valuable than melee combat on higher difficulty, so start tweaking and exploiting their weaknesses like your life depends on it
https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3223142145
Trails From Zero is the first to introduce the bonding system in the whole series. While I think it's nifty, it has very little breathing room if you plan on getting all bonding-related achievements in one run. It is doable, but you’ll need to follow specific and strict instructions to do it. Do yourself a favor, find a guide and follow it unless you’re willing to do multiple runs. Knock yourself out.

Overall, Trails From Zero offers a compelling detective RPG experience and definitely a solid A from me – as expected, Trails game does not disappoint. The heavy-dialogue part might be taxing for some, but bear with me here! Behind all that lies one of the most amazing storylines, well-crafted characters, and the most immersive gameplay experience. A must-try for any JRPG fans!