please note: my playtime here is inaccurate. I already played the japanese version with 68 hrs playtime.
And if you didn't finish "Trails from Zero" I highly recommend doing so before playing Azure since it's a direct sequel and you'll have a tough time understanding everything in the game. So I won't talk about the game mechanics, I only talk about the differences and the quality of this game as a sequel

it's very similar to Zero and every other Trails game so far. New is the introduction of "master quartz" and "burst". Master quartz is the nearest you can get to something like a job system from Square. You can only equip 1 each character and they alter your stats more than any other quartz so far. They also have perks that can you give additional advantages. But they aren't a gamechanger or something, since all roles are still set in stone, so you won't give Tio a strength quartz for example. You can't experiment with them either, because you have to level up each one. So you give every character one that suits them and then only change it once, when you get more or better ones. The burst mechanic can be seen as some kind of limit break, there is a gauge you have to fill up and as soon as it's full you can use some kind of ambush where you are able to use 1 attack for each character and can cast spells without any delay.
Both additions are nice to have imo, but both don't change the game and it's mechanics, so it more feels like the desire of putting new mechanics to the game at any costs. Might sounds a bit rough, but the Trails series always was a story focused game, so I personally don't mind. So let's see how it performs there.

Oh boy, the story in this game is freaking crazy and carries the game so hard, it's maybe one of the best and most thrilling stories in gaming history. But why is that so? The Trails series now relies on a 5 games long worldbuilding. In Sky, you get an introduction in the political situations, the countries, the fractions and everything else lore wise (quartz, Adios, etc.). But Sky was basically the story of Estelle and her viewpoint on everything. Lloyd has a more neutral viewpoint on everything, yeah he has his opinions and own story and stuff, but it isn't as fleshed out as Estelle. With LLoyd, the worldbuilding from the Trails series comes to shine. And with the knowledge from the previous entries, Falcom managed to pull out the impossible for me. They were able to make a political debate to one of the best moments in the franchise. In other games I normally don't read books or anything not attached to the main plot, because in videogames I'm more a fan of "show, don't tell". But here, any book expands the worldbuilding. And that debate is like the peak in that regard. Any decisions they make there might affect future games storywise and the knowledge from a book might become in handy for a future entry (am I right, gambler Jack?).
I know it's a super subjective matter. Not everyone wants a freaking visual novel as a full fledged jrpg. And it's a bit unfair, since this here is a long running series, not a single game story. But this here in that level is something, no other franchise does. And I can totally understand why. In the end, it's a financial matter and if you make a game where you have to play multiple long games beforehand, you'll lose potential customers. But thats why I love this series. Falcom is totally doing their thing here and with Azure, they reached a point where I really don't know how they should improve. And I'm fully aware that not everything is perfect here. The games are super slow paced and later in Cold Steel, they made some decisions I really dislike.
Well, I lost myself here, I guess. And I only talked about one single part in the game. But I think everyone should experience this ride on their own. All i can say is that the 2nd half live up to all possible expectations I might have made here. Damn, even some side quests have memorable moments and are highlights

The port is similar to Zero with all it's new additions. And I have to praise NIS America again for letting the geofront team be an official partner for the western release. This is sadly not common and there might be companies with a slightly different opinion *cough*

Like I said earlier, this is the best Trails game so far. As soon as you reach this entry, you are able to excuse the slow pacing from the previous games. It's thrilling, there are some huge twists later on, the music is fantastic. The gameplay is more of the same, but it's still fun. This is one of my favorite games ever and I have a lot of fond memories with this game and the franchise.

[h1]Probably the best Trails game![/h1] [b]please note: my playtime here is inaccurate. I already played the japanese version with 68 hrs playtime. And if you didn't finish "Trails from Zero" I highly recommend doing so before playing Azure since it's a direct sequel and you'll have a tough time understanding everything in the game. So I won't talk about the game mechanics, I only talk about the differences and the quality of this game as a sequel[/b] [h1]Gameplay[/h1] it's very similar to Zero and every other Trails game so far. New is the introduction of "master quartz" and "burst". Master quartz is the nearest you can get to something like a job system from Square. You can only equip 1 each character and they alter your stats more than any other quartz so far. They also have perks that can you give additional advantages. But they aren't a gamechanger or something, since all roles are still set in stone, so you won't give Tio a strength quartz for example. You can't experiment with them either, because you have to level up each one. So you give every character one that suits them and then only change it once, when you get more or better ones. The burst mechanic can be seen as some kind of limit break, there is a gauge you have to fill up and as soon as it's full you can use some kind of ambush where you are able to use 1 attack for each character and can cast spells without any delay. Both additions are nice to have imo, but both don't change the game and it's mechanics, so it more feels like the desire of putting new mechanics to the game at any costs. Might sounds a bit rough, but the Trails series always was a story focused game, so I personally don't mind. So let's see how it performs there. [h1]Story[/h1] Oh boy, the story in this game is freaking crazy and carries the game so hard, it's maybe one of the best and most thrilling stories in gaming history. But why is that so? The Trails series now relies on a 5 games long worldbuilding. In Sky, you get an introduction in the political situations, the countries, the fractions and everything else lore wise (quartz, Adios, etc.). But Sky was basically the story of Estelle and her viewpoint on everything. Lloyd has a more neutral viewpoint on everything, yeah he has his opinions and own story and stuff, but it isn't as fleshed out as Estelle. With LLoyd, the worldbuilding from the Trails series comes to shine. And with the knowledge from the previous entries, Falcom managed to pull out the impossible for me. They were able to make a political debate to one of the best moments in the franchise. In other games I normally don't read books or anything not attached to the main plot, because in videogames I'm more a fan of "show, don't tell". But here, any book expands the worldbuilding. And that debate is like the peak in that regard. Any decisions they make there might affect future games storywise and the knowledge from a book might become in handy for a future entry (am I right, gambler Jack?). I know it's a super subjective matter. Not everyone wants a freaking visual novel as a full fledged jrpg. And it's a bit unfair, since this here is a long running series, not a single game story. But this here in that level is something, no other franchise does. And I can totally understand why. In the end, it's a financial matter and if you make a game where you have to play multiple long games beforehand, you'll lose potential customers. But thats why I love this series. Falcom is totally doing their thing here and with Azure, they reached a point where I really don't know how they should improve. And I'm fully aware that not everything is perfect here. The games are super slow paced and later in Cold Steel, they made some decisions I really dislike. Well, I lost myself here, I guess. And I only talked about one single part in the game. But I think everyone should experience this ride on their own. All i can say is that the 2nd half live up to all possible expectations I might have made here. Damn, even some side quests have memorable moments and are highlights [h1]Port[/h1] The port is similar to Zero with all it's new additions. And I have to praise NIS America again for letting the geofront team be an official partner for the western release. This is sadly not common and there might be companies with a slightly different opinion *cough* [h1]TL;DR[/h1] Like I said earlier, this is the best Trails game so far. As soon as you reach this entry, you are able to excuse the slow pacing from the previous games. It's thrilling, there are some huge twists later on, the music is fantastic. The gameplay is more of the same, but it's still fun. This is one of my favorite games ever and I have a lot of fond memories with this game and the franchise.