Rather than have save points scattered throughout the game, Trails in the Sky allows users to save at any point in time simply by visiting the menu. There are recovery points located throughout the game though, these allow for you to heal all of your characters by simply visiting it. They are typically located in dangerous areas/dungeon areas. Also using the supplied Recipe Book that you are given at the beginning of the game. By simply eating various things throughout the game your recipe book will gain an entry in it regarding what is needed to make it, as well as the effect it will have on your characters. This is a much cheaper way to heal your party than to go to the vendors and purchase various healing “potions”. There are two different kinds of meals, to-go meals and sit-down meals. The to-go meals may be eaten at any point in time by your characters, but sit-down meals must be eaten at that very moment upon receiving it, so they cannot be carried. The ingredients required to make things are bought at various stores, or received from monsters/enemies that you have defeated in battle.
Speaking of the areas, the maps and layouts of the game are fantastic. The towns are huge and allow for a lot of exploration and discovery. Almost every building can be entered and walked around in, and all of the NPC’s are able to be talked to by your characters. Yes not all of the conversations are interesting to read, but this is what made older RPG’s so popular, they actually felt like huge worlds to go through during your time playing the game. The maps are 3D in scale, and offer a rotating camera allowing you to play from the viewpoint that is most comfortable to you. Another thing to touch on, making decisions in this game actually matters, hence the reason for the choices of responses when participating in conversations. So you may want to think before you act or say something, because you may regret it later in the game.
While progressing through the game, you will encounter many different kinds of enemies, and it is best to remember how you approach them before entering them. Rather than have random encounters in the game, the enemies are actually roaming the map already, some are even hiding waiting for you to walk by so they can come after you and gain an unexpected advantage. So it is best to approach the enemy from behind to gain the advantage of having the “pre-emptive strike”. This will allow you to attack more times than once before the enemy even realizes it. But if the enemy happens to catch you off guard, they of course gain the upper hand.
The battles themselves are a combination of turn based and strategic based. It is a great setup that offers something a bit different for fans of the RPG genre. Once a player’s turn is available, they are given several choices on how they want to attack. If the enemy is not within the area that is attackable, then the player will use that turn to move closer, but this gives the enemy a chance to attack first, so you must plan accordingly.
Rather than just attack your enemies with regular strikes or magic, there are also things known as Crafts. These are essentially special abilities that can be used in battle against enemies, or to aid allies. Crafts are exclusive to that character, typically matching the abilities that that character exhibits throughout the game. During a match while dealing or receiving damage you will gain CP to that character. Once the CP gauge reaches 100 or higher, a special ability called S Break may be used, which is essentially an ultimate attack. Both Crafts and S Breaks can be changed through player preferences within the menu.
Also while in battle, you will notice there is a bar on the left indicating who has the next attack. Meaning that there will not only be your characters there, but also in what order the enemies will be attacking. Occasionally there will be icons that appear next to either your character’s picture, or even enemies, these are known as turn bonuses. What they do is allow for stat boosts or special abilities granted for that individual turn. These can range from critical strike to a heal administered to the character/enemy. These seem to be completely random, but a great change of pace to the title. You will find yourself looking at the bar on the left more and more hoping for a boost, especially when you find yourself overwhelmed by enemies.
There will be times when players simply cannot make it past a certain point in the game. It may tie into not being a high enough level, or they just aren’t using the correct strategy. There is a new feature for when players are knocked out in battle and choose to hit retry. The game will then load into the beginning of the battle all over again, and you are able to see if you can succeed this time. Should you find yourself knocked out again you may want to think about using the Retry Offset feature. This feature makes enemies become a tad weaker with each Retry that occurs. So if you find yourself ambushed and you are hurt, and you don’t want to flee, this is the feature for you.
Graphically, the game is a great sprite based RPG set in a 3D world. The controllable camera is a great feature to get the best view at all times while playing. It is nice to see the level of detail put into the huge world that is set for you to explore. Also, there are occasional cutscenes that will pop up during small things such as S Breaks, which is a nice addition. During conversations with main characters, there are hand drawn cutscene versions of their faces that show different emotions depending on what they are saying, or even what is being said to them. It is little things like this that make this a top notch RPG. The sound/musical score in the game is another positive for the title. Simply put, fans of old school RPG fans and new ones alike will not be disappointed.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is a fantastic addition to the already large level of great RPG’s available on the PlayStation Portable. What separates it is the engrossing story, and relatable characters. Throw in ridiculously addicting mechanics and you have yourself a winner. Fans of the RPG genre would be doing themselves a disservice by not picking this one up.
PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score
+ Huge world that has a deep and rich history, especially for a PSP title. + Relatable characters, that play an important part in a great story. |
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