The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero
This review contains spoilers
Elaborating:
- Lloyd is a solid main character. Good detective. Obviously his arc will continue moving forward so I'll learn more and maybe he gets more interesting. I say that because I know that part of the reason I wasn't AS invested in this game as say, SC, was because I'm just more invested in Estelle. But separated from my own bias, I still think he's less memorable. But he also doesn't annoy me or anything so I like him.
- But the game benefits from the fact that you mostly play as the 4 members of SSS, which does make the team feel really cohesive. I enjoyed seeing these rookies grow together. You do get another character a couple times, specifically at the end (which was awesome, but more on that in a bit), but yeah, I enjoyed the focus.
It's also nice because the game is stingier with money so you don't have to buy for a large cast.
- Also like having a wolf.
- Gameplay isn't an evolution in any meaningful way. Added a couple things but it's more of the same ultimately. I'm fine with that because the gameplay is still great.
- The music. There are a couple songs here that I love. But as a whole it's relatively forgettable. Not BAD, but not at the level of prior games (or the two future games I've beaten).
- But like the other Trails games, the story is what matters. In terms of the 3 arc origin games (Trails 1, this and Cold Steel 1), this has the best story. It's a tight piece. The best pacing of any of the games. Almost no wasted time. There's a focus on the decline of Crossbell because of corruption, which means we spend a lot of time dealing with the underworld. I dig that a lot. Crossbell is memorable. And I know what happens later to it so it's cool seeing this. I still think SC has a better story. At least a more emotional one, which means a lot to me. But shit, I loved the plot in Zero.
The finale is excellent. This is how you end a game. Basically turns into home invasion for a while when shit is hitting the fan, and the final dungeon is not overly long. Plus we get to deal with druggie cultists. And because I will mention Estelle and Joshua any time I can, being able to finally play them for the final dungeon left a good taste in my mouth.
- Lloyd is a solid main character. Good detective. Obviously his arc will continue moving forward so I'll learn more and maybe he gets more interesting. I say that because I know that part of the reason I wasn't AS invested in this game as say, SC, was because I'm just more invested in Estelle. But separated from my own bias, I still think he's less memorable. But he also doesn't annoy me or anything so I like him.
- But the game benefits from the fact that you mostly play as the 4 members of SSS, which does make the team feel really cohesive. I enjoyed seeing these rookies grow together. You do get another character a couple times, specifically at the end (which was awesome, but more on that in a bit), but yeah, I enjoyed the focus.
It's also nice because the game is stingier with money so you don't have to buy for a large cast.
- Also like having a wolf.
- Gameplay isn't an evolution in any meaningful way. Added a couple things but it's more of the same ultimately. I'm fine with that because the gameplay is still great.
- The music. There are a couple songs here that I love. But as a whole it's relatively forgettable. Not BAD, but not at the level of prior games (or the two future games I've beaten).
- But like the other Trails games, the story is what matters. In terms of the 3 arc origin games (Trails 1, this and Cold Steel 1), this has the best story. It's a tight piece. The best pacing of any of the games. Almost no wasted time. There's a focus on the decline of Crossbell because of corruption, which means we spend a lot of time dealing with the underworld. I dig that a lot. Crossbell is memorable. And I know what happens later to it so it's cool seeing this. I still think SC has a better story. At least a more emotional one, which means a lot to me. But shit, I loved the plot in Zero.
The finale is excellent. This is how you end a game. Basically turns into home invasion for a while when shit is hitting the fan, and the final dungeon is not overly long. Plus we get to deal with druggie cultists. And because I will mention Estelle and Joshua any time I can, being able to finally play them for the final dungeon left a good taste in my mouth.
Mini Review: Fantastic start to the Crossbell arc, even if I think there are some elements that are lesser than the games before. I don't think the music is as good, and Lloyd is a good MC but doesn't compare to Estelle. With that said, the remaster is smooth. The gameplay is more of the same but it remains strong. The story is wonderful though, with tight pacing and an excellent finale.
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