Author’s Note: Some contributors to the RPG site are part of the Geofront fan translation group, whose script was used as the basis for this issue of NIS America. I am not one of them, and their inclusion has in no way affected my review or the score.
Finally, English-language Legend of Heroes fans can (officially) experience the first entry of the legendary series Crossbell Arc of Falcom with The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero. Although franchise super fans are probably already familiar with the history of the game. Trails from Zero was originally released in Japanese on the PSP in 2010, and has seen a number of reissues since then, including an enhanced version in 2012 for the Playstation Vita known as Zero no Kiseki: Evolution, which would later get a remaster on PS4 known as Zero no Kiseki: Kai in Spring 2020, but none of these versions received English localizations at the time. For those keeping the timeline of the series, Trails from Zero takes place after the events of Trails in the Sky: The 3rd, with a new primary cast and setting.
Trails from Zero focuses on the early days and early days of Crossbell’s Special Support Section, a new bracer-like group from the Crossbell Police Department. Players of the Cold Steel game series will recognize many of these faces, including the detective Lloyd Bannings, the gunmen and articulate Elie MacDowel, the Epstein Foundation prodigy Tio Plato, the playboy Randy Orlando and their no-nonsense boss, Sergei Lou. Their job is to improve the image and reception of the police, but they take general requests from the public and do community work that the rest of the force does not interfere with.
However, things are not as innocent and calm as they seem in the busy streets of Crossbell. Sandwiched between the hostile nations of Erebonia and the Calvard, Crossbell is in a precarious position to try to maintain their independence and prevent their nation from becoming a battleground for their neighbors. While the SSS will deal with their share of requests to “find this” and “kill this scary monster” over the course of the more than 60-hour game, the team will also have to deal with rival gangs and the nefarious mafia group of holding back the city from Revache & Co., and mysteries of the past that will threaten the freedom of Crossbell herself. Lloyd and the crew will have to rely on friends they make along the way to get through, and in typical Legend of Heroes fashion, there will be plenty of jaw-dropping twists and surprises for players to look forward to – impacting Zemuria in general. Longtime fans of the Legend of Heroes games can also see familiar faces helping out along the way.
Because the state Crossbell is much smaller than Lirl. where Trails in the Sky took place, and Erebonia, where Trails in Cold Steel is located, I found Trails from Zero to be a much more personal affair. During several missions you will explore some of the small surrounding villages, but most of your time will be spent diving into the secrets of the city-state. By the time I dragged the story into the finale, I was so attached to the people of Crossbell that I just walked through the different districts talking to the NPCs to see what was going on with them that day.
Much of this attachment came from Trails from Zero’s liberal use of sidequests that you can do and find as you work to achieve your main goal for each chapter. Outside of the missions that task you with taking out a particularly tough enemy, most of these will help you directly and interact with the region’s townspeople. You hear about their lives, their concerns and how by helping them you really make their lives better. I became involved in their stories and lives and wanted to know how my new friends got along long after I submitted their requests. It is a testament to Falcom’s skill at building a world with the Legend of Heroes games. With every entry I play, my opinion that this series is way ahead of others is only further cemented.
Trails of Zero was originally released on the PSP not long after the Trails in the Sky arc ended, and these two series share many similarities in both presentation and mechanics, which may come as a bit of a shock to those experienced alone and are from the later released Cold Steel games. Most of the characters and monsters are detailed 3D models rendered as 2D sprites moving in primitive looking 3D environments using simple geometry. Rich and vibrant textures are relied upon to bring those simple, square buildings and objects to life and most versions of this release do just that.
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Combat is also very similar to the Sky trilogy, with battles taking place on a grid as opposed to Cold Steel’s open arenas. Arts (the Legend of Heroes version of magic) and Quartz (pretty much material) return, where you need to plug your Quartz into your special Enigma device. Each Quartz you equip will contain a certain amount of the different elements of the world, to varying degrees. Bringing those element totals to certain points gives you access to different arts that you can use based on those elements. It can be a chore to figure out depending on what other games in the series you’ve played, but using the Doctor lists in your detective handbook should have the system clicking in no time.
If you’re feeling a little burned out on missions and don’t feel like grinding levels, there are plenty of fun side activities to take a break. The series’ main sideline, fishing, is open to all Fishermans Guild members with an all-new selection of catches found in the region’s numerous fishing spots. Each fish you catch will give you Sepith or items, making fishing a relaxing and beneficial activity. If you’re short on cash, you can always go to the casino in the entertainment district and try Blackjack, Poker, Slots or Roulette and exchange your winnings for cash or rare items! Once you’re done fishing and gambling, you can work on improving your cooking and recipes by creating delicious (and sometimes dangerous) treats that will help you as you rejoin the story and face enemies again.
Despite everything that’s great about this game, and it’s a great and great RPG, Trails from Zero’s English release unfortunately also feels like a missed opportunity or two for NIS America, especially the PlayStation 4 version. For starters, everything that was great about the PC version (and Switch version, as I understand it) was the result of hard work and dedication from passionate Trails fans. This includes the wonderful translation work of the Geofront group, from whom NIS America purchased the script, and Durante’s lavish quality of life improvements. These improvements include adding a chat log, UI scaling options, adjustable high-speed mode settings, and more, all of which are only present in the PC and Switch releases and are completely absent from the PS4 release. All of these improvements, including the fan translation, have been released for free for players to apply to their Japanese PC version of Zero no Kiseki (Trails from Zero’s title in Japan).
Other than missing features and improvements, visual details are significantly lower on the PS4, even compared to the Switch version. Textures, the same vibrant and rich I mentioned earlier, are fuzzy and blotchy for players on the PlayStation, which can be seen from the very first moments of the game. Character sprites also look much more erratic and rough compared to the other platforms’ versions, which look smooth and clear. I can’t think of any other scenario where the Switch release of a game blows the PlayStation version out of the water by such a wide margin. I’d only recommend the PS4 release if it’s the only way to experience this great game, because while it’s still very playable, it’s far from the optimal method this game deserves.
What really made Trails from Zero fail is the fact that while so much of what they’ve used is the result of previously released fan projects, NIS America chose not to bring the English voice actors back to reprise their roles. The Japanese voice cast does a great job, but the omission of the English cast makes this release – a game that fans have been begging for years and so important to this series’ timeline – feels all the more like a release out of necessity and convenience, in instead of passion and urge to tell this story. I would have gladly paid $60 (yes, I’ll buy a copy of the game too) for the return of the voice actors. Especially since it’s already been confirmed that the upcoming Trails into Reverie will feature the returning voice cast.
Given its availability on modern platforms, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is currently possibly the best and easiest starting point for players to jump into this behemoth of a series with ease. With this release, it is the easiest of the games to play while ruining the least amount of events from other games and also has a solid and slightly more modern look. I fell in love with the SSS even more after I finally got to see their beginnings and experience the beginnings of their stories together and their home of Crossbell. I loved exploring the hills of Amorica and the mines of Maize, chasing the crooks of Revache while befriending the gangs of the Downtown district. I loved reading every witty response from every treasure chest I opened (seriously, after opening a chest, check it again for some great messages and puns), and every new revelation I discovered. After playing this mainly on my Steamdeck, it led to many late nights and hushed stutters as I tried not to wake my wife after a jarring twist, a feeling Falcom seems to have mastered.
Falcom’s Legend of Heroes: Trails series deserves the same high rating, if not higher, as other AAA RPG studios out there today. The wait for Trails to Azure, due out next year, will be tough, but hopefully this extra time will allow NIS America to release all versions of the game to the high standard it deserves.
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