When determining the difference between an RPG and a JRPG, many people will tell you that a JRPG-aside from being generally developed in Japan-is usually more character or story focused, as opposed to being more player focused. As you'd expect, these types of games are quite popular in the East, but there are of course some series that have made the jump across the Pacific and became popularized in the West as well. Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Persona are all well known by most gaming fans, and everyone who knows what video games are is aware of Pokemon in some capacity. Below this pantheon of mainstream titles, though, are the slightly more niche titles-not obscure by any stretch of the imagination, but games that you'd have to have a stronger interest in RPGs to be aware of. A few potential examples would be the Tales series, the Mana games, and, of course, the Trails games. Beginning life on old school Japanese computers, The Legend of Heroes would see 6 releases between the late 80s and 90s before it adapted the name it's more commonly known as today. And the game to begin that trend (and, indeed, the game many recommend for players wanting to get into the series) was 2004's Trails in the Sky.

Now, anyone looking to get into the Trails series has likely encountered a word of warning about its rather relaxed pace; these games are characterized as text heavy adventures with a narrative that prefers to take its time. For Sky, at least, that's a blessing and a curse. Let's start with the positives; this is, by all accounts, a delightfully charming game, especially on first impression. Its mixture of simple, cute graphics and its small town, laid-back beginning are the perfect start for what would seemingly become a cozy adventure. Character's generally are enjoyable, and while you'll have to suffer through some typical mid-2000s anime-esque dialogue every so often, it's generally enjoyable and you easily get a grip on the main characters. The music is good, controls and UI are simple, and it has a nostalgic quality to it that will enthrall even first time players. Throughout the first chapter or two, Sky is in a perfect position to deliver a great game.

The issue, as you've probably guessed, is that the narrative moves at a snail's pace; dragging on far too long than the game has content to justify. The episodic nature of the game doesn't help in this regard. Each chapter functions more or less as a reset, of not just the character roster, but the narrative stakes as well. You'll end up gaining new partners each chapter, and while these side characters do add a lot of unique interactions, they hardly have time for development, and those that aren't outright comical end up feeling a bit generic. But the game experiences a far bigger robbery of its agency because of how the story transitions between chapters; generally, the chapter will end with a boss fight, where, after being defeated, your enemies will miraculously escape. When this happens several times in a row, it can feel like you've played hours and hours of game, only to end up back at square one. It's a trope that, when used poorly, only serves to make games feel longer and more drawn out; a task that Sky does not need help achieving.

Normally with an RPG, a comment on the gameplay (which usually means the combat) would have made an appearance sooner, but it's appropriate for this game that it's almost an afterthought. You spend a relatively low amount of time in combat, which makes sense with its rather limited applications. Still, for a somewhat simple system, its implication is quite good. The lack of grinding in this game is appreciated, and the turbo feature (Aidios bless it) makes short work of any standard combat encounter. In fact, the turbo feature can be thanked for keeping this game interesting as it is for so long; the main gameplay of this game is walking around and talking to people, and you'll likely be using it liberally as you galavant across Liberl.

Trials in the Sky is a 3 part story, and many who've played the trilogy describe the first entry as a bit of a prologue-indeed, it and its sequel were originally planned to be one game, but concerns over total length ended up splitting them in half. Most will comment on its increasing agency towards the end, and its set up for its sequels. Trials games in general are also often praised for their sense of worldbuilding and interconnectedness. Sky SC is, in particular, acclaimed by many as one of the best Trails games. Perhaps it is. But it's sequel's supposed strengths don't cover for the fact that this game is its own product, and should be able to be enjoyed as such. As it is, Trails in the Sky shows you a charming game with a lot to love, which grinds you down with its poor pacing and weak narrative structure, only ever really compelling at the end. Even if its sequel's payoff is exceptional, the Sky saga's first chapter stumbles a bit coming out of the gate.

Viéndolo en retrospectiva (y habiendo jugado a su secuela hace poco) siento que no conecto del todo conmigo como si hizo SC en el sentido de que si bien disfrute de su historia, no tanto de su gameplay y mecánicas y tenía que tener una guía abierta porque no sabía como avanzar en la historia o adonde ir. No le echo la culpa al juego, sino a mí mismo ya que luego de haber jugado SC y haber ahora si disfrutado de su combate puesto que pude entenderlo y nunca necesite de una guía, creo que si jugara nuevamente FC en la actualidad si podría disfrutarlo más.

Aun con esa primera experiencia mixta, no puedo no recomendar no solo este juego, sino en si meterse de lleno en esta saga y haciéndolo de la manera correcta, desde la saga "In the sky" y no desde "Cold Steel" que se que puede que los gráficos te resulten arcaicos (que a mí no, a mí me encantaron y desbordan personalidad), además de tener a una de las pocas protagonistas en un jrpg y no solo eso, una de las mejores por su personalidad. Estelle Besto Tomboy.

Con este juego fue que di comienzo a esta saga hace unos años...Fuck... Como pasa el tiempo de rápido y es que recuerdo aún la época donde lo jugué, una época difícil en muchos sentidos. En ese tiempo habían sucedido cosas en mi vida, lo que hizo que me fuera de donde vivía con lo mínimo y mi laptop de hace 10 años y por eso puedo decir que sí, incluso en una laptop que de por sí era gama baja cuando se compró puedes jugarlo. Recuerdo que en ese tiempo no tenía nada, ninguna manera de pasar el rato y mi teléfono se había dañado y tampoco podía ver videos en mi laptop puesto que se trababa hasta el word... Pero si no hubiese sido por esa situación yo no me hubiese metido a ponerme no solo a jugar Trails in The sky, sino a dedicarle una ingente cantidad de horas a leer visual novels, lo que curiosamente al dia de hoy tanto leer visual novels como jugar jrpgs es mi hobbie principal. Como hubiera sido una vida si eso nunca hubiese sucedido? Probablemente ni siquiera hubiera tenido una cuenta aquí ni estuviese escribiendo esto y estaría aún jugando a League of legends...

Estou contente por ter dado uma oportunidade a esta franquia; simplesmente me apaixonei desde o início. Inicia-se de um jeito bem confortável, bem slowburn, nada abrupto, estabelecendo o mundo de maneira envolvente e deixando sempre o desejo de explorar mais no desenvolvimento do seu rico universo.

O jogo se destaca em vários aspectos, não apenas na história. Apresentando personagens excepcionais, especialmente na maneira como a party é introduzida. Ao contrário do padrão com o qual sempre me familiarizei em outros jogos de jrpg, onde os personagens são gradualmente entrando e permanecem constantes na party, só dando umas trocas, aqui, a abordagem dinâmica contribui para um universo mais vibrante. Além dos dois principais, há uma rotação que se adapta à narrativa do momento. Embora tenha estranhado inicialmente, logo me acostumei, pois isso proporcionou uma compreensão abrangente de diversas estratégias, conferindo um sentido de vitalidade ao mundo. Essa mudança permite que os personagens interajam mais diretamente com outros aspectos da trama, enriquecendo a experiência. Os personagens secundários também não ficam para trás; desenvolvi um carinho especial por vários deles.

O sistema de combate, uma mistura envolvente de turno tradicional com estratégia, proporciona uma experiência que fascina e deixa QUERO MAIS DISSO. Entendo perfeitamente o motivo de ser uma franquia com tantos títulos. No início, pode ser um tanto confuso, especialmente em relação às build, mas uma vez compreendido, torna-se bastante acessível. Embora existam algumas estratégias que possam parecer um tanto desequilibradas, deixando bem quebrado, prejudicando um pouco a variedade, estou disposto a relevar, pois a diversão prevalece.

Ademais, acredito que, não importando o quão interessante seja a trama, se o elenco de personagens e a jogabilidade não forem cativantes, não adianta. No entanto, aqui tudo é harmoniosamente equilibrado e bem executado em todos esses três aspectos.

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