The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, released on PC, PSP and PS3, was produced by Japanese studio Falcom, known mainly from the extremely popular series of Ys games, several parts of which have also been released in the USA and Europe on PSP. Trails in the Sky is the first part of a new trilogy in The Legend of Heroes series and was first released in Japan on PCs in 2004, and two years later it was ported to PSP and in 2012 to PlayStation 3.

Plot

Ten years before the game's story began, the kingdom of Liberl, where the action takes place, was attacked by the overwhelming forces of the Erebonian Empire. However, thanks to the generosity and courage of the defending troops under the command of Cassius Bright, the invader was displaced and defeated in a few weeks. After the war, Cassius decided to give up his honors and position in the army, becoming a member of the Bracer Guild, an association of adventurers. The main character of the game is sixteen-year-old Estelle Bright, daughter of the legendary defender of Liberl, who, like her father, wants to become a licensed adventurer. Together with her half-brother Joshua, they embark on a dangerous journey to achieve their goal. On their way, they will meet many new friends and enemies, as well as discover political intrigues and courtly conspiracies threatening the kingdom.

We spend most of our time traveling around Liberl, meeting new people, exploring the undergrounds and visiting other cities and guilds' headquarters, where we receive new quests to complete. Falcom made sure that the universe created for the game was alive. We have the opportunity to talk not only to hundreds of NPCs, but also to read an adventurous novel or local issues of newspapers, where you will find a lot of information and curiosities about culture, history or geography of the world.

Mechanics

The turn-based combat requires players to use multiple strategies, the choice of which depends on the opponents they face. When we start a fight, we go to the battle screen. Our heroes and opponents appear on the tactical grid. Each character can only move in their turn. During the battles, we can use melee attacks, ranged attacks and use special powers and characteristic skills.

Technical aspects

The graphics in Trails in the Sky aren't impressive, but it is pleasing to the eye and will satisfy fans of jRPG games. Two-dimensional models of characters and creatures inhabit fully three-dimensional locations, which, thanks to the rotating camera, can be viewed from all sides. Dialogues in the game aren't dubbed. They are presented primarily in text form, so players have to rely on their imagination and atmosphere created by a rich and varied soundtrack.

Last updated on 01 February 2013