1. frantisek

   10

   I played the Japanese version years ago, and this is by far one of the best story-driven jrpgs ever created. Its pacing may seem a bit slow at first, but its setting and characters need to be introduced in such a way since this game is only the first chapter in a massive series encompassing many titles (the first three have already been announced by xseed).. The world (aka the Liberl kingdom) is explored directly and is really vast (the cities are especially great because of their details), the setting is so full of lore it rivals some of the best fantasy novels and computer rpgs (you can find informations on practically anything you are interested into, and there are many books to read and newspapers that details the kingdom of Liberl's events), the battle system is a unique and extremely enjoyable mix of turn based combat and strategical depth and the characters can have many possible setups thanks to the quartz, somewhat like final fantasy 7's materia. Somewhat like computer rpgs series like Dragon Age and Mass Effect, Trails allows you to use the final save data in the next game, retaining your levels and slightly altering its events depending on the quests you have done. Every fan of jrpgs with a powerful and deep story, a great battle system and a believable world would do well to buy it and its even more awesome sequel, Trails Second Chapter, when it's released.… Expand

   • Helpful?

     21 of 25 users said yes
2. coldkgon

   10

   Trails in the Sky is a 2004 PC RPG ported into PSP in 2006. It the first story in a sequential set of three games, with a new game set in the same world released 2010 and another one for release late 2011. For 6 years this gem remained hidden due to the language barrier, but thanks to the monumental efforts by Localization company extraordinaire XSEED, English-speakers now have the chance to experience this game, created by a niche company and marketed by word of mouth only to become one of the staples of RPG genre in Japan. Animation – 9.5/10 – this does not mean that you will be WOW’ed by the graphics. Unlike ARPGs such as the recent FF13, Trails does not use veritable supermachines to give smooth beautiful HD graphics. What Trails does do is the minute detail. No where will you find one dungeon the same as the next, with the same old texture and ambience. Every individual character, while using only sprites, have so many different sprites in use. NPCs are all quite remarkably different and varied. Most important characters will have many different in-dialogue portraits to depict their mood and expression. There is only one anime-style movie cutin for the opening, but there are many MANY scenes, used mostly in sprite format. Battle graphics are smooth with good usage of cutins for bigger attacks. Overall great graphics that does not become the crux of the game (unlike another game where each town is HD, so you couldn’t even explore it at your own devices and must follow a linear path…), and is detailed beyond any other in the genre. Does what it sets out to do almost perfectly. Sound – 10/10 – Have you ever heard of “Falcom jdkâ€�? That’s the group of musicians and composers specifically hired by the company that created this game. Ever heard the YS music? Same group. Check youtube top 100 RPG music, and you will find many music by this group and company. Words can’t even describe the music, youtube them. Gameplay – 9/10 – Traditional RPG style. No random encounters, creeps can be seen on the field. Engage them from behind to pre-emptive strike, but the same can apply to you. Battles take place on 20x20 hex field where you walk, attack and use items via a semi-turnbased system. Imagine Grandia meets FF Tactics. Your turns are by character, not by party, where each action has a cooldown that affects when your next turn comes along. There are also bonuses (heal, atk up, critical) associated with turns, meaning you need some form of tactics to ensure the enemies do not get that bonus critical. Magic (Arts) are not learnt but rather pieced together using the Orbment system, a materia esque system. Using different Quartz, put into 6 different slots separated into different lines, you fulfill the requirements for different arts. Quartz have varied effects (stat up, chance to inflict status etc) and must be put in certain order to unlock better magic, allowing for additional customization of each playable character. Special attacks (Crafts) are learnt with levels and uses CP, which is accumulated as you attack or withstand damage (like rage bar) and once past 100, can be used at any time for instant limit break. The exp system of this game does NOT encourage grinding. If character level is lower than a monster, exp gain is much higher and therefore levelup is quick. Once you reach above-average levels, exp gain will become single digit and you need exponentially more encounters to gain the same amount of exp. Nice and simple, works well but lacks total innovation. Story – 15/10 – You heard me…what was that? Can’t have numerator higher? Fine, 10/10 then. This game has only enough gameplay to justify the awesome story. It’s a basic story, boy + girl goes on journey to find self and become stronger, ends up getting caught up in events bigger than themselves and culminates into a climatic battle. It might sound like many other RPGs, but the whole scene is set wonderfully, no need for willing suspension of disbelief at all. Enemies are varied and easy to get attached to, with human emotions and motivations, truly different only in what they believed in and the sides you are differed, instead of nameless evil men. I cannot stress how awesome this story is. Unless you have a heart of stone, this game will move you and make you feel, and likely you’ll shed a (manly) tear as well. TL:DR – get this game. Awesome super story, good gameplay, kickass music and charming animation, what more do you want? And it’s a complete story in and of itself, NOT half a game, albeit with a connection at the end of the story. Recommended for anyone who remotely likes stories and RPGs.… Expand

   • Helpful?

     21 of 25 users said yes
3. Hamilton

   9

   Back in the '90s Japanese rpgs were one of the more popular genres in gaming, but since then they have mostly fallen from grace, with people transitioning to other kind of games or simply ignoring new releases. Some claim this is because of the genre's crisis, others think that it's simply a problem of budget, with many interesting titles being released on handheld and with poor graphics ending up overlooked by those who clamor for the glorious jrpgs of old. Trails in the Sky is the perfect example of this trend: it will probably be ignored by most gamers for a variety of reasons (being released on Psp, a console almost dead in the USA, being a game with unimpressive graphics, its lack of marketing), but it actually has everything that made jrpgs a great and loved genre back in the days. Its climate reminded me of series such as Lunar, Grandia and Suikoden, its characters were funny and believable young heroes in the best tradition of heroic fantasy and the world they lived in is so wonderfully filled with backstories and dialogues you will never feel to be stranded in some cardboard kingdom made only as a backdrop for a small-scale adventure. Battles were really funny too, and the quartz system made me spend much time adapting the heroes' skills. I was a bit skeptical regarding Trails in the Sky's value since I knew Falcom mostly for action games like the Ys series or for its unsuccessful Gagharv games, but after some 48 hours when I saw the ending I was reminded of why I loved jrpgs and was converted to this series' fandom.… Expand

   • Helpful?

     8 of 8 users said yes

See all 11 User Reviews