This review contains spoilers
Trails in the Sky is one of the truest JRPG series around. What I mean by that is while it may triumph most others in the finer details of its worldbuilding and combat system, the overarching success of Trails' First Chapter (FC) can be linked back to how it ticks off all the boxes for your standard JRPG narrative, and it's through this that will determine whether the game is for you.
There's a distinct formula that FC follows: each part takes you to a different city with new people and quests to solve, the latter often being the same as past ones with slight alterations. We learn about each character before tragedy strikes, leading to the main plot kicking in as you beat wave after wave of enemies until finally, the big startling revelation turns out to be something else entirely. Cue sentimental scenes, bonding moments and credits to close out each episode. It's easy to fault the game for such repetition, even the finale plays out this way. But this is their tried-and-true approach and one that I believed worked like a charm.
It's uncanny for how standard-fare most of the writing is that the game maintains a lovely sense about itself that I'm enamored by. A cast of all-too typical archetypes building off one another with playful banter and interactions. Swathes of dialogue that never relate back to the core narrative hold a natural whimsy to them, enhancing the role of a Bracer in this new world. Even the ironically predictable twists and questions never fail to leave their mark thanks to gradual development over the course of the game.
If you're a JRPG fan, you know what you're walking into. But for those unsure of whether Trails is worth the investment, let me just say that FC is a game that wears its heart on its sleeve. There's hardly any pretense in the presentation, nor does it shy away from the clear scope of its gameplay. It knows what it wants to be and delivers on that earnestly.
There's a distinct formula that FC follows: each part takes you to a different city with new people and quests to solve, the latter often being the same as past ones with slight alterations. We learn about each character before tragedy strikes, leading to the main plot kicking in as you beat wave after wave of enemies until finally, the big startling revelation turns out to be something else entirely. Cue sentimental scenes, bonding moments and credits to close out each episode. It's easy to fault the game for such repetition, even the finale plays out this way. But this is their tried-and-true approach and one that I believed worked like a charm.
It's uncanny for how standard-fare most of the writing is that the game maintains a lovely sense about itself that I'm enamored by. A cast of all-too typical archetypes building off one another with playful banter and interactions. Swathes of dialogue that never relate back to the core narrative hold a natural whimsy to them, enhancing the role of a Bracer in this new world. Even the ironically predictable twists and questions never fail to leave their mark thanks to gradual development over the course of the game.
If you're a JRPG fan, you know what you're walking into. But for those unsure of whether Trails is worth the investment, let me just say that FC is a game that wears its heart on its sleeve. There's hardly any pretense in the presentation, nor does it shy away from the clear scope of its gameplay. It knows what it wants to be and delivers on that earnestly.