If you finished Trails from Zero and wondered “why this game has such a weird title?” – you will find all the answers here, in Trails to Azure. And I am jealous of players who will experience and discover it for the first time.

Most of the Trails fans will agree that Trails to Azure is the best entry in the series. And while I disagree (Zero is my fav.), I do understand where this is coming from. Slower pace of Zero, SSS team individual characters growth, all this paved the way for Azure’s glory. There is a lot of “the best” bullet points that can be applied here. Where do I even begin???
Best soundtrack in the whole series. Best end boss theme. Best narrative. Best plot twist. Best (kind of) optional boss fight with best boss fight theme music (Unfathomed Force). Best part ways scenes and best characters. And now – best version of the game ever made. The Legend of Durante: Trails to Azure PC is here in full glory.
4k, FULL ultra wide support, 144FPS mode, well received water shader to make water in game look gorgeous. Optional music titles on screen (personally I LOVE this option), and tons of customisation. Support for ALL major gamepads and proper kb+mouse controls. Steam Deck support on D1 with dedicated settings for it. When we’re talking about Deck – I just tested it and the story is similar to Zero (which shouldn’t be a surprise – those games technically are the same), and it runs flawlessly with smooth performance. In 60FPS mode, battery indicator shows over 6 hours of gameplay on one charge. Impressive. There’s plethora of options to use on Deck, heck, you can use trackpads to navigate if you want. UI scales perfectly here and it’s a joy to watch the game. So far I tested
PC-wise I didn’t have a time to test it properly, before this review is out, but I can bet on Durante and his team. They are the best after all. If I’m wrong, and pc version is bad - I swear, I will come back to change the verdict and also, I will drive my car naked to the nearest supermarket, where I will take a pic and upload it on twitter. That’s how much I trust those guys.

Story? Do you even need to be convinced? If you’re coming from Trails from Zero, you know fully well what to expect. For first timers – keep in mind what I said at the beginning. About true meaning of first Crossbell game, Trails from Zero. You will fully get the meaning of it in Azure. It is peak of Falcom storytelling, period and I truly envy you, as I will be playing it probably for 10th time now, so nothing can surprise me, sadly.
Just buy the game and support developer (we are so lucky, as Trails fans to have such a dedicated group of developers now). This is a masterpiece title and it’s easily 10/10 score. Not just in my opinion, but many, many Trails fans…Thank you all guys. Guren, Geofront team – if not your efforts, we wouldn’t be here today…from a fan translation to official Western release. Our passions…are not so conflicting 😉

Edit to my script: Testing also on desktop pc, and seems like I won’t need to run naked to the supermarket. Thank you, Durante, for saving my face.

All of the options you have seen in Zero, you’re getting here. Frame limit at 144, anisotropic filtering, water shader, even options to change displayed details on Steam for your friends (in case of spoilers in chapter names). Heck, even support for Stadia controllers (rest in peace and never come back), individual button mapping, all the jazzy stuff is here.
PC version is as usual with Durante – the best and ultimate version of the game, thank you very much. Now go and protect KeA’a smile.

Si

Can you play Trails to Azure first? Absolutely not. You need to at least play Trails from Zero beforehand. It is a direct continuation from that game in terms of cast, location/lore, plotwise, etc.

Further, you will enjoy several reveals in this game to a much greater degree if you previously played the Trails in the Sky trilogy and understand the factions/lore etc from there. It's not as strictly necessary as playing Zero though.

Whatever your path to get here, you'll find some tweaks/additions to the skill and battle systems that improve and make them more fun, some of which stick with the series from here on out.

This game focuses a bit less on the characters than the previous couple games, and the events and politics take center stage. This is greatly to the game's benefit, in my opinion. Prepare yourself for one hell of a rollercoaster, as this thing goes well off the tracks. Especially if you haven't played the Cold Steel games first, you're in for a ride.

Highest recommendations for Trails to Azure. Just make sure you play at least Trails from Zero first. Zero + Azure combined is a true masterpiece.

This is the greatest JRPG you've never played and honestly one of the greatest games ever, period. Kino, peak fiction, whatever else you'd want to call it, I feel like it meets those expectations and then some. I bought this game for the primary reason of leaving a review because I need people to know how great this game is. Please go in having only the knowledge of the past four games at your back, or at least with the knowledge of Zero. It's so incredibly worth it. If you had for some reason played only the Sky games years ago and skipped any fan translations of these two games, then you're in for a treat after all of these years. This game alone fills in more gaps between Sky and Cold Steel than you can possibly imagine.

I am but a simple woman. I see a legend of heroes game, I click the green button.

lets go randy bros

Hey you! Yes you! Don't be put off by the negative reviews that insult this masterpiece! Just ''GET OVER THE BARRIER!''

As someone who has played thousands of games, I can say that it was one of the best games I have played in my life. 10/10

I finished the game with the translation before it came to Steam. So, you don't worry about my the game play time.

Last one: ''IN MEMORY OF SCOTT TIJERINA (KillScottKill)''

Thanks for everything dude. Your dream is become real. We have already ''get over the barrier'' by you. You are true hero! RIP...

After a decade, Zero and now Azure finally gets an official port. Few years back, people thought this game would never get an official release and forever be left in the dust. It is the fans who have spearheaded the English localization and revival of this amazing game, which is still an understatement. Getting an official port on Steam is a phenomenal moment for fans of the Trails games. This port is absolutely terrific, so much work has been done to make it so much better than ever before.

Trails to Azure is the 5th installment in the Trails game franchise. This is a direct sequel to Trails from Zero, but I would highly recommend to play the previous games (FC, SC & TC) as well as they are all absolutely fantastic in terms of story and characters. Based on timeline, Trails to Azure takes several months after Zero and at the same time as Cold Steel II, so you'll see some overlapping moments in the story. Trails to Azure is simply one of the best Trails game in the series. A must have play before trying the Cold Steel games to truly understand and appreciate the story. The plot twists in this game is beyond mind-blowing. With amazing soundtracks, dialogues & characters, Trails to Azure delivers a truly unforgettable story experience.

(Finished this game before so I reviewed early)

As a dedicated fan of the series, I can confidently say that this Crossbell entry takes the franchise to new heights (Even though I loved the Sky arc) surpassing all expectations. Trails to Azure is a testament to the incredible craftsmanship of Nihon Falcom and their dedication to creating a truly exceptional RPG experience. Trails to Azure is a gaming masterpiece that deserves all the praise it receives.

Onto Cold Steel for me.

There's not a huge amount to add over my Zero review, so I'll post it here if you're interested, & instead write this review as an extension of that: https://steamcommunity.com/id/Semaphia/recommended/1668510/

The slower-paced developments of Zero really pay off in an arc finale that surprises & delights with its twists & turns, & tie in beautifully to other stories in the franchise. The character development on show is extraordinary & Falcom's attention to detail is truly unmatched, creating a city & nearby communities that feel as alive as in any other game I've played, culminating in a finale that had me in tears. If you've played Sky and find yourself wondering if the Crossbell arc is worth it, the answer is an overwhelming YES!

Combat feels like a minor step up but a step up nonetheless thanks to the addition of the Burst system, & the larger cast of usable characters also allow for more replayability/variety. The turbo mode again makes playing through the game a pleasure since fights that would perhaps otherwise be a slog become reasonable & the reasonably short but non-interesting fights can be over in just a few seconds.

While Zero/Azure fail to usurp Sky for my #1 spot (mostly because Estelle is that brilliant), it absolutely cements Trails as my favourite post-FFIX JRPG experience thanks to its brilliant writing, scope, attention to detail, & above all else, charm.