Legend of Heroes/Trails into Reverie Review

Release Date: July 7th, 2023
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Publisher: NIS America Platform: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch(reviewed)
Price: $59.99

Good News Everyone! If you are a fan of the long-running Legend of Heroes/Trails series, you can now play the tenth installment of the series on the Nintendo Switch.  If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you might want to skip this one.  Still with me?  Okay then, have a seat and let's dig in. Trails Into Reverie is an epilogue to the most recent games from Nihon Falcom’s long-running The Legend of Heroes/Trails series.

Wait, You said Erik drank ALL the Jamison?!

While the series has roots going back to the NEC PC-8800 from 1988, the setting currently used was first introduced in The Legend of Heroes VI: Trails in the Sky 20 years ago. Just to be clear, this game seems to be aimed at existing fans of the series. If you aren’t part of that audience, it’s going to feel like you wandered into a furry convention early in the morning when you are desperately trying to find an espresso stand, Something Erik calls a “weekday”.

Anyhoo, Trails Into Reverie functions a kind of epilogue to the previous entries. I was fortunate to have my 15-year-old as a translator/native guide.  They inform me that there are also spoilers for some games that have never been released in English, so consider yourself warned. Getting started wasn’t too bad as there is an extensive (very extensive) tutorial, but a lot of background information is just assumed and left unexplained.

If I fire my comically oversized weapon, Ill break my shoulder.

Taking place after the events of Cold Steel IV, Trails into Reverie, follows three separate protagonists: Rean Schwarzer; Lloyd Bannings and the mysterious “C,” a masked individual who has taken the name of a rebel leader from earlier in the series. The game follows all three protagonists’ stories simultaneously, with the player being able to switch between them. This works better than you think, as story progression is buffered somewhat by addressing chapters in the story one at a time. This means you have to get all the story points out of the way before the game will progress. This gives the story a very linear feel.  This is compensated for somewhat by the “True Reverie Corridor.” You have to unlock it in the story but. Once done, the characters from all three routes are gathered in a realm where they can delve into a randomly generated dungeon and grants access, side stories and minigames.

The animation leaves a lot to be desired, it is not terrible, but it has not changed from previous games and feels quite dated and, like many games in the genre, there is that mannequin like sameness to the artwork. Likewise, the sound is fine but doesn’t stand out.  Adding more frustration, the game isn’t fully voiced, so during dialogue heavy portions you’ll need to see if your insurance covers carpal tunnel. The individual characters all have a mannequin like sameness, no necessarily in their faces but in their wooden movement. I often had the feeling I was about ten seconds away from a mannequin themed horror movie. This has a small upside, as you can turn the speed up to 10x and end up with something that resembles a chase scene from the old Benny Hill show.

Is the mannequin part of the setting or a character?

The battle system is mostly unchanged from Cold Steel IV, with the notable addition of the “Valiant Rage” system, which gives you extra abilities if certain conditions are met. This makes things a bit more refined than Cold Steel IV.  It’s worth noting that early in the game, resources are quite scarce and the choices you make switching between different characters might be left without needed crystals or other resources going into a boss battle.

The minigames are a mixed bag. I have the distinct impression they found these on floppy disks stuffed into an old cabinet next to a red stapler. Of these minigames, “Project Tirfing” and “Magical Alisa” are the worst offenders. These have the distinct feel that they were shelved about 1998 and revived only because they did not have time to create any better content. In fairness, some hold-overs from previous games in the series  “Pomtto” and the card game “Vantage Masters” actually hold up on their own merits.

All in all, Trails into Reverie is a passable example of fan service, closing the story nicely for fans of the series, but it's not a good entry point for newbies. 

The Good:

·       Good fan service.

·       Innovative character swapping.

·       Hilarious high-speed mode.

The Bad:

·       Some mini-games are forgettable.

·       The art and sound are mediocre.

·       Tutorial takes forever