For all of Lloyd’s talk about overcoming barriers, Trails to Azure faced many before finally reaching the West. Nearly twelve years after its initial PSP release, Nihon Falcom’s RPG arrives hot on the heels of Trails from Zero, with NIS America licensing a popular fan translation. It’s a crucial release before the upcoming Trails into Reverie, which serves as a joint epilogue for both Crossbell and the Cold Steel arc. Azure’s release was a long time coming, but it’s a worthy follow-up that builds on Zero’s strengths.
If you didn’t beat Trails From Zero first, fix that immediately. Azure assumes your familiarity with what happened before – although jumping in without playing the Trails in the Sky trilogy will be fine, as much as diving into such a large series might seem daunting. Going through Sky first adds context to a few scenes, but a wide cast of returning characters fills any crucial blanks. I’d also recommend playing both on the same console; a cleared Zero save file is transferable into Azure and adds some appreciated bonuses. EXP levels carry over, fishing rank, and Detective Points are all accounted for, while certain scenes play out differently depending on prior choices. Don’t expect any drastic changes like Mass Effect would offer, but it’s a lovely touch that helps maintain your own continuity between both RPGs.
Azure itself takes place several months after Zero, and starts by tying up some loose ends. Like before, we’re playing as Lloyd Bannings, the leader of this charismatic group, and this time we’re welcoming two recruits into the Crossbell police department’s Special Support Section (SSS). Crossbell retains that strong character we previously saw across this city-state, but new conflicts threaten this uneasy peace under the surface.
Source – eurogamer.net
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