Bro why does this series keep getting better and better with every single game? I go "man trails in the sky 3rd is my favorite" and then this game comes along and shatters what i would expect a trails game to be.

It takes a new narrative direction compared to the sky trilogy focusing more on a detective story about a group of rookie cops who are tasked with essentially doing dirty work for the police department and their journey as they slowly uncover the corruption and dark side of Crossbell(the city the game is set in) and their struggle to fight back against it. That is a super basic description of the narrative but the narrative evolves as the game progresses and what seems like simple government corruption slowly turns into something much more sinister. The plot has a bunch of interesting twists and turns that had me really invested and it gets especially insane later on.

Speaking of Crossbell. It's hands down the best setting in the entire series so far. it's a massive technologically advanced city with tons of different areas and districts to explore. it's very fleshed out and you get to know the city very well throughout the game as you conduct investigations and progress the story. Also Trails at it's core is a fantasy game so seeing the fantasy elements such as monsters and elemental orbments and attacks being merged with a more grounded setting and storyline is quite a unique combination that i haven't seen done much in videogames.

The characters are awesome as well and have great chemistry with each other. The main cast is all great with everyone feeling mostly fleshed and enjoyable as characters. My personal favorites were Elie because she's cute and Randy because he is an absolute legend and adds some much needed comedic relief to the group dynamic while also being a very strong and interesting character in his own right.

The gameplay is pretty similar to trails in the sky but it has some much needed additions and improvements that make the gameplay a whole lot more fun. I didn't really get bored gameplay wise until around the final dungeon which is a big step up from the sky trilogy where i was bored with the gameplay like 20 hours in.

Lastly music. I played the game using the evolution soundtrack and it was amazing. tons of amazing rock and metal stuff with nice saxophone and jazz stuff thrown in too. The music really fit the tone of the world and narrative nicely and made the game much more memorable. Some of my favorites include: "Inevitable struggle", "Surely Someday" and ESPECIALLY "get over the barrier". wonderful soundtrack that i will be putting on my playlist

Overall this game is an awesome experience and gets a solid dink approved 8.5/10. It does have some aspects that could be improved but overall it is a must play if you like Jrpgs or just want a good narrative with a unique yet grounded setting.

it's also not a bad starting point for new players of the trails series. While certain aspects of the plot definitely won't hit as hard or even make sense as a new player jumping in, overall the narrative explains the callbacks well enough and also has a completely fresh narrative of it's own.

so yeah... Play It ;)

Bro why does this series keep getting better and better with every single game? I go "man trails in the sky 3rd is my favorite" and then this game comes along and shatters what i would expect a trails game to be. It takes a new narrative direction compared to the sky trilogy focusing more on a detective story about a group of rookie cops who are tasked with essentially doing dirty work for the police department and their journey as they slowly uncover the corruption and dark side of Crossbell(the city the game is set in) and their struggle to fight back against it. That is a super basic description of the narrative but the narrative evolves as the game progresses and what seems like simple government corruption slowly turns into something much more sinister. The plot has a bunch of interesting twists and turns that had me really invested and it gets especially insane later on. Speaking of Crossbell. It's hands down the best setting in the entire series so far. it's a massive technologically advanced city with tons of different areas and districts to explore. it's very fleshed out and you get to know the city very well throughout the game as you conduct investigations and progress the story. Also Trails at it's core is a fantasy game so seeing the fantasy elements such as monsters and elemental orbments and attacks being merged with a more grounded setting and storyline is quite a unique combination that i haven't seen done much in videogames. The characters are awesome as well and have great chemistry with each other. The main cast is all great with everyone feeling mostly fleshed and enjoyable as characters. My personal favorites were Elie because she's cute and Randy because he is an absolute legend and adds some much needed comedic relief to the group dynamic while also being a very strong and interesting character in his own right. The gameplay is pretty similar to trails in the sky but it has some much needed additions and improvements that make the gameplay a whole lot more fun. I didn't really get bored gameplay wise until around the final dungeon which is a big step up from the sky trilogy where i was bored with the gameplay like 20 hours in. Lastly music. I played the game using the evolution soundtrack and it was amazing. tons of amazing rock and metal stuff with nice saxophone and jazz stuff thrown in too. The music really fit the tone of the world and narrative nicely and made the game much more memorable. Some of my favorites include: "Inevitable struggle", "Surely Someday" and ESPECIALLY "get over the barrier". wonderful soundtrack that i will be putting on my playlist Overall this game is an awesome experience and gets a solid dink approved 8.5/10. It does have some aspects that could be improved but overall it is a must play if you like Jrpgs or just want a good narrative with a unique yet grounded setting. it's also not a bad starting point for new players of the trails series. While certain aspects of the plot definitely won't hit as hard or even make sense as a new player jumping in, overall the narrative explains the callbacks well enough and also has a completely fresh narrative of it's own. so yeah... Play It ;)