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One factor I stored considering again to when taking part in by way of Falcom’s newest sport launch – The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki – was how the collection’ legacy is directly each its best power, and its best weak point. Again in 2018 we grappled with the load of what makes Trails within the Sky the third so nice, and the way it’s unattainable to evaluate that sport in a vacuum devoid of what had come earlier than. The identical may be mentioned for video games like Trails of Chilly Metal IV, or Trails into Reverie; for higher or worse, that “legacy” is strictly what makes Trails so particular.

Much more than another title within the collection, Kai no Kiseki calls for gamers be acquainted with the complete collection chronology – excepting The Legend of Nayuta. A number of this comes all the way down to the sport’s construction; whereas Trails by way of Dawn II adapts a number of the route system that began in Trails into Reverie, Kai no Kiseki affords a combination between Dawn II’s construction and Reverie’s extra freeform method by bringing each Rean Schwarzer and Kevin Graham (accompanied by C’s crew from Reverie) into the combination. The result’s a narrative that digs deep on the collection’ historical past, typically significantly recontextualizing earlier occasions in ways in which utterly reshape understanding of the collection, and Zemuria as a complete.

With out beating across the bush, Kai no Kiseki lastly lays the groundwork for the collection’ conclusion. How we’ll get there’s nonetheless left unknown; however after 13 lengthy video games, the end line is lastly nearby. Kai’s ending is one thing we’ll all must grapple with in the course of the watch for the subsequent sport – which appears more likely to be touchdown in 2026, as Falcom’s plate appears full with an unnamed Tokyo Xanadu sequel and The Legend of Heroes: Trails within the Sky the first each slated for subsequent 12 months. 

Finally the sport sticks the touchdown. The journey to get there, nonetheless, has some notable faults. I loved the story – however the sport’s pacing is uneven at the perfect of occasions. Rean and Kevin’s routes are significantly shorter than Van’s, but the overwhelming majority of the sport’s main plot reveals occur inside these routes; leaving Van’s crew principally specializing in character moments for the forged. I perceive the method they are going with – Kevin and Rean are exploring the “background” of Kai’s plot, whereas Van’s group is usually scratching the floor till all of it collides on the finish.

Definitely not serving to issues is Grim Garten, a reprised model of the randomly-generated dungeon system that appeared in Trails By way of Dawn II, and earlier than that Trails into Reverie and Trails of Chilly Metal II. Merely put, between 3 separate routes – and every route that includes a mean of three to 4 sidequests per chapter, in addition to Join Occasions – all of it begins so as to add up. Falcom has lengthy since opted to reference aspect content material from prior video games as if gamers are all the time 100% finishing their video games, and I might wager should you’ve performed all of the video games up till now you have resigned your self to do the identical. 

For context, in Dawn II there’s an Act with the same route construction to Kai; in that case, normally gamers solely had 2 quests per route to contemplate, and people routes themselves have been usually shorter as nicely. That is not even entering into the truth that Grim Garten affords gamers a way to observe any remaining Join Occasions that they hadn’t seen in prior chapters, alongside its personal set of Mementos; just like the Daydreams in Trails into Reverie, albeit shorter. All of it provides up; and whereas I ended up having fun with most of it, I can not deny that we have reached a degree the place all of it feels not less than slightly ridiculous. After all, this bloat feels all of the extra apparent when going by way of the Van routes, which focus extra on constructing the suspense in the direction of the sport’s inevitable and signposted conclusion.

That is to not say that the sport’s story main as much as that conclusion is a slog. As said, Kevin and Rean’s routes often drop very thrilling lore and story drops; however much more than that, Falcom has come a really good distance from the canned animations that plagued Trails of Chilly Metal. They’d already began to make the most of correct fully-animated cutscenes in Dawn, however even that could be a far gulf from what the corporate has begun to ship in Kai. What was as soon as one in every of Falcom’s best weaknesses is now a significant power, with Kai no Kiseki providing a number of the most spectacular setpieces and cutscenes in any of the RPGs that I’ve performed within the final a number of years.

This new presentation would not apply to every thing, after all. Sidequests are principally devoid from these new bespoke animations, as you’d anticipate; however that is to not say that the questing hasn’t seen some modifications for Kai as nicely. Notably, Matters have seen a a lot bigger focus this time round. New “Subject Quests” have gamers shuffling completely different Matters with completely different characters to try to determine an answer to a particular drawback. As an added wrinkle, these quests are the one ones within the sport that will not have their targets listed on the quick journey menu – you may have to determine the place to go subsequent primarily based off context clues and from information of different NPCs you will have talked to.

Whereas it is a minor factor; I appreciated how each throughout these Subject Quests and the principle story you actually get to see how far the remainder of Arkride Options Workplace has come. It isn’t simply Van figuring issues out on his personal anymore; characters like Feri, Aaron, Agnes and extra all play their half, as you’d anticipate contemplating how lengthy they’ve now been working with Van. The identical may be mentioned for a way the sport treats the gamers, too; perhaps it could possibly be a bit overwhelming for some, however Kai feels prefer it options so many extra multiple-choice choices throughout quests, assuredly to check whether or not you are paying consideration. There’s even one sidequest involving serving to a pair of characters win a race – should you guess on their race in one in every of Edith’s new zones you may find yourself with a ton of money come the top of the chapter should you helped the staff come out on prime.

On the same notice; fight has continued to be expanded upon from Dawn. Including to the fight’s current Motion and Flip-Primarily based hybrid method, Falcom has launched ZOC, a characteristic that after absolutely charged can decelerate time for a brief interval throughout motion fight whereas additionally significantly growing your injury output. Sure characters can use your increase gauge to activate a “Trance” mode, providing the identical buff to your power in the course of its for much longer impact. There is a a lot bigger emphasis on motion fight this time round, and even a dungeon that utterly disables your capability to enter turn-based fight in any respect, in addition to puzzles in each dungeons and story moments that make use of your action-combat options – together with some particular ones revolving across the Fast Arts characteristic that was added in Dawn II.

ZOC can be accessible in turn-based mode, however the best way it really works and the way it’s activated is a bit completely different. S-crafts this time round now solely require a single Shard Increase to activate, whereas utilizing two Shard Boosts now prompts ZOC; an extra flip for the character. That is particularly helpful for casting Arts, after all; however even past {that a} well-timed ZOC can assist flip the tide throughout a tricky boss battle. Courageous Orders from Trails of Chilly Metal and Trails into Reverie are additionally again, although technically the sport calls them one thing else that I did not trouble to memorize since they instantly instructed me they have been simply Courageous Orders. These use the identical Increase gauge as S-crafts, ZOC and Shard Boosts.

As a complete, fight feels suitably recent – particularly after Dawn II remained principally the identical as its predecessor, outdoors of the addition of Fast Arts throughout motion fight. If I had one grievance, nonetheless, it is that with all of the modifications to the motion fight typically the digital camera lock-on reveals its tough edges. One endgame battle was notably egregious about this, although the problems under no circumstances ruined the second.

Kai no Kiseki feels emblematic of every thing Trails has ever been; and whereas that implies that a few of Trails’ weaknesses are extra obvious than ever, on the identical time the center of the collection has by no means been extra clear. A part of why I cherished Trails by way of Dawn a lot after I performed it on the Japanese launch was the way it felt like Falcom wished to take a extra deliberate method to how they dealt with their writing, and throughout each Dawn II and Kai no Kiseki I am extra assured than ever that Falcom is aware of precisely what story they need to inform, each for Calvard and the Trails collection as a complete.

It is going to be an extended watch for the subsequent Trails sport; however now greater than ever that wait feels prefer it simply is likely to be value it. Kai no Kiseki -Farewell, O Zemuria- is each a celebration of the video games that got here earlier than it, and a assured assertion of intent for the remainder of the collection. Nihon Falcom is able to ship off Trails on a bang, and never a whimper.

The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki -Farewell, O Zemuria- was performed utilizing a evaluation copy supplied by Nihon Falcom