Trails to Azure is the BEST in the Series | Review

[@TheGamingShelf]

🎮Order your copy of Trails to Azure HERE PC: greenmangaming.sjv.io/Pyj4j6 PS4 & Switch: amzn.to/3JlGOZ8

[@ashmitchowdhury15]

Absolutely. The moment when you realise how fragile the peace of crossbell you experienced in zero is mind blowing. The fate of a small country/city state sandwiched between two superpowers was heartbreaking to see(relatable in current world).

[@SuperSupersoda]

One thing that should always be mentioned when it comes to Trails is that the series is not for everyone. It's perfectly okay to not like it or not want to play it. Not only is it not for everyone, it's also not for most people. I really liked Chapter 1, for example, because I felt it accomplished several critical story related things. It introduced some of our new antagonists, it served as a reset for the SSS after the crazy ending to zero and the mission to find Ernest that occupied the prologue. Returns to normalcy are important parts of a story, they serve to re-establish status quo and to pivot the direction of a story in a new way. The prologue to Sky SC served the same function: the relative slowness of Estelle's training in Leman State served to pivot the story's direction from what we were occupied in the first game towards the second one. It's okay to not like the slow parts, I personally like them because it allows me to get back into the swing of things with the SSS after the long break since the last time I played Zero. The trails games are expertly written, and that too can be to their detriment. We can talk all we want about literary merit, but not many people would play War & Peace if it were a video game. Everybody's different, and that's why good, thorough reviews are so important: to give people the best information so that they can decide for themselves whether something is for them or not. Don't feel like you have to play trails or like trails. Aidios wouldn't want that.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Absolutely! It’s very divisive. But if you’re ready for the ride then you’ll probably love it.

[@BlackHazama]

I just finished Azure and holy, I can see why it’s considered one of the best entires in the Trails series. It is a masterpiece!

[@jmporkbob]

I agree that I like Azure much more, but how could you say Zero was like a light hearted anime? It had hard street drugs, child trafficking/experimentation/torture, satanic cults, demonization... and uh, Paradise. I dunno, Zero felt darker than like 95% of all games I've ever played if I'm being honest.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Maybe in how it was presented? But you make a good point lol

[@TheSilvershadow200]

Paradise is only mentioned but otherwise, yes.

[@agunkorea2995]

Haha.. paradise.. cute little girl

[@Wesgarbarwil1420]

I have Trails in the Sky 1-3 on PC, Cold Steel 1-4 on PS4 and now Zero and Azure on Switch. So far I have played Sky 1 for about 20 hours....The backlog problem is real 😭😭😭

[@TheGamingShelf]

Haha lots of catching up to do!

[@Wesgarbarwil1420]

@The Gaming Shelf it's partly your fault 🤣 too many awesome videos showcasing rpgs I have no time to play. I guess the other part I can blame on having 3 year old twins 🤣

[@TheFeezy777]

Wow its probably going to take you over a few years to get through all of them. Not to mention reverie when it comes out.

[@Catcatstudios727]

So cool to see you do a turnaround on the Kiseki series. I remember on TGSP back in the day, you didn't really care for such a long continuous narrative.

[@TheGamingShelf]

It took the Crossbell games to do it!

[@all-fiction3305]

I held off playing cold steel 3 and 4 hoping Crossbell duology came out. Now I have 3 rpg's to play! I love this series long term story. I love seeing things set up and then come into play. Sometimes in a different game! Its not for everybody but Its a reason I love FFXIV As they also set some things up that'll show up an expansion or two later.

[@SoFreshNSerene]

Same my friends told me to just wait it out I’ve had 3 and 4 for 2 years but I had t wait for zero and azure glad I did it’s gonna be a fun time

[@anderxale1]

Good call! I finished Crossbell by playing the PSP unofficial translation. Makes Cold Steel much more full. I bet a better translation of Azure will fill it all in even better!

[@SoFreshNSerene]

@@anderxale1 shoutout to Scott and geofront

[@anderxale1]

@@SoFreshNSerene RIP

[@johnhp6565]

The continent of Zemuria has its own measurement units that are used instead of the imperial or metric system. Several units are actually metric units with different names Reges 1 rege equals 1 centimeter in metric units and 0.393700787 inches in imperial units. Reges aren't used all that often in the games. Arges 1 arge equals 1 meter in metric units and 3.2808399 feet in imperial units. Arges are frequently used to describe the size of things. Selges 1 selge equals 100 meters or 1 hectometer/0.1 kilometer in metric units and 0.0621371192 miles in imperial units. Selges are frequently used to describe distances and are usually seen on road signs. Torims 1 torim equals 1 (metric) ton or 2000 pounds.

[@wenchwoggYT]

Azure is my favorite in the franchise

[@TheGamingShelf]

Nice! What did you enjoy most about it?

[@apnwu369]

Yep agree, the first half of Azure was not great but the second half was one of the best in the series. I personally like Zero better overall though

[@orbalology]

Queue Taylor's Kiseki catchup marathon, let's go!! 😆

[@TheGamingShelf]

Haha the clock is ticking until Reverie drops!

[@_Sayba_]

I just got the platinum trophy for this game. The final boss (on nightmare mode) is probably the hardest boss I've ever fought in a turn based game.

[@TheFeezy777]

You must never played Final Fantasy 9 OZMA boss. You literally get killed in seconds.

[@_Sayba_]

@@TheFeezy777 Damn that quick? But ur right I never played FF9. I do plan to play it eventually.

[@TheFeezy777]

@@_Sayba_ yea that boss hard as hell. Its a luck based fight. FF9 is pretty good thoughp

[@veghesther3204]

Actually for this one Azure the FINAL boss is LETHAL even on EASY Mode towards the END of the fight it starts to charge up a UNNBLOCKABLE s craft that even on easy mode does like 2x as much as your MAX HP is and can NOT be blocked by Tio's Zero Field s craft OR the Stealth effect at all. The only way around that is to end the battle itself before the instant game over attack is used but ON Nightmare mode the boss still has a little over HALF of its max HP left at least 100,000 at the time the boss starts to actually USE it. One easy mode the game over attack is used once its down to its last 10,000 or so HP.

[@_Sayba_]

@@veghesther3204 Also, what makes things worse for the final boss for Azure is if you deal more than 10k damage the boss instantly casts vanish on your character. So you can't use S-crafts. Also characters who get hit with vanish lose all their EP.

[@JustSumGuy01]

I am waiting for my copy to show up. Until then, I am furiously trying to beat P5R again but on the Switch

[@JJG1666]

Excited to get my copy this Saturday.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Nice! I hope you enjoy. What system did you get it on?

[@JJG1666]

@@TheGamingShelf PS4.

[@GamingG4276]

I really do want to play the Trails series, but I only have a Switch. And not all games are on Switch, so I hope part one comes to it someday.

[@r5LgxTbQ]

any PC released in the past 10 years should be able to play all 3 Sky games flawlessly, even if its not a gaming one. Plus there's GeForce Now which can run the game in the cloud and runs as an app on smart TVs or pretty much anything with a web browser. Highly recommend giving it a shot.

[@Bludersbunch]

Why did nobody stock this?

[@TheGamingShelf]

Niche release? I know Amazon is selling it.

[@CRedd9830]

I agree about Chapter 1 being too slow (I still enjoy it). The way it ramps up with each chapter after that is tremendous, especially Chapter 4.

[@murraybeth14]

Great review! So glad I found your channel.

[@TheGamingShelf]

I'm so glad you found it too! Out of curiosity what was the first video of mine you found?

[@murraybeth14]

​@The Gaming Shelf i believe it was the video you made about Mato Anomalies (i think that's the name?) when i was searching for detective games to play lol!

[@BrandonHeat243]

I need to beat the Crossbell games one day. Currently playing Reverie and plan to play Kuro 1 after that(gotta love fanmade English patches!). Then either I'll play Kuro 2(if there is a decent English patch by then) or I'll try the Crossbell games.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Oh man Reverie has to be SO much better with the context of the Crossbell games.

[@BrandonHeat243]

@@TheGamingShelf Yeah though Lloyd and crew have a pretty sizable role in the Cold Steel games so I do have a firm grasp of who they are and what's going on. His segment in Cold Steel 2 was the real big missed moment I think. When I played that I was like "Who the heck is this guy?". On the other hand, if you had played the Crossbell games before that that would have likely been a really cool fanservice moment instead of jarringly playing as some stranger.

[@nelsonw9483]

Reverie is very Crossbell focused, with the SSS being the main protags and Rean even feeling like a side character this time around. If I were you, I'd put Reverie on hold and finish the duology first.

[@apnwu369]

@@TheGamingShelf The Crossbell games are some of my favorite of all time but the Crossbell story in Reverie was so boring and poorly written. Its just Cold Steel 4 all over again being bored out of your mind for 100s of hours. The new characters were pretty cool though

[@BrandonHeat243]

@@nelsonw9483 I appreciate the advice but in my experience stopping a long RPG in the middle is a BAD idea. At least for me.

[@r5LgxTbQ]

I don't get the criticism of it being slow in the start. Though I didn't feel like Sky FC was slow either. Maybe the good writing makes up for it to me, I dunno. I like seeing the SSS doing SSS stuff.

[@ithydoodles]

I can't wait for mine to arrive. Amazon just took my payment so it'll ship soon :). Might not get it until Saturday but I've been playing Tales of Symphonia and to some extent FE Engage.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Hope you enjoy it! How did you like Zero?

[@ithydoodles]

@@TheGamingShelf I loved it. I was actually going to get farther than chapter 2 in the psp version but the localization was announced. So I waited.

[@FrozenAXL]

Unfortunately, CS games kinda dumbs down the plot and the characters, they are basically a shallow version of their much richer Zero\Azure selves, Randy is the only one who shows true character. Hopefully, Reverie gives them a much better take.

[@JimC1984]

Got the LE i was rdy to play but my son was born on release day. Hes more important hopefully in like 6 months i can play this

[@JimC1984]

So i did get to play a little bit and oh man kevin graham is back!

[@zilph82]

Just started this year, finished the 3 trails in the sky on pc using my lenovo legion go, now just started trails to azure in my ps5 + lenovo legion go using chiaking for streaming to mobile. Still 4 cold steel, 2 crossbell, 1 reverie and 1 daybreak to go, 8 plus future ones, its going to be a long 2025

[@nathanlabrador7664]

Can't wait to start this game tomorrow. I really loved Zero and I've heard good things about this game.

[@TheGamingShelf]

I hope you enjoy! Which were your favorite characters?

[@nathanlabrador7664]

​@TheGamingShelf Late response, but Elie. I just love her so much. Also, I'm already done with Chapter 4 of Azure and it's fantastic.

[@p_ttown1979]

as a huge fan of cold steel im looking forward to eventually starting this!

[@robertatwell694]

I have played Dragon Slayer (Turbo Duo), Trails in the Sky 1st, Zero, and Cold Steel 1 and 2...i plan on getting the Sky trilogy for my PC and im currently in Chapter 4 of Azure. Needless to say i LOVE the series and look forward to playing the rest of them!

[@edbon7062]

I'm on it right now!

[@TheGamingShelf]

Nice!

[@anderxale1]

When I finished the Crossbell arc and played the Cold Steels I wondered why Juna and not Noel? (Same weapons) Seems like Noel is coming to Reverie though?!? :)

[@TheGamingShelf]

Yeah good point!

[@anderxale1]

​@@TheGamingShelf I forgot to say, great video. I agree with your takes

[@jclosed2516]

I tought about that one too, but the answer I settled on is that Noel is already an older and seasoned soldier, while Juna is just fresh from the police academy and thus easy shapable. Noel would not fit in the student role very easily. This is because she has already burned in routines, and she has that "orders are orders" mentality that let her act even against her conscience and friends. We could see that in the past. Juna is the type that won't act against friends and would not betray her conscience. She rather goes against everything to do what is right, even if that means standing up against mighty rulers. So - At the end Juna fits perfectly in the role as class VII member, while Noel would fit in like a square peg in a round hole...

[@anderxale1]

@@jclosed2516 I like that explanation. If you played the end of steel 2 then you know why I don't mind having the seasoned sss members on equal footing as rean when it comes to battle strength... but Cold Steel 3 needed a character that could grow in a way that Noel already has. Makes sense, thanks

[@TheFeezy777]

​@@jclosed2516 i like Juna also. She grows on you in both Cold Steel 3 & 4. She basically becomes the leader of the pack when Rean isnt around.

[@roguerifter9724]

This will be a lot of fun though I probably won't play it for a while. I like to take decent breaks between games in a series I like to avoid burnout, and I just finished Trails from Zero last month.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Good idea! Always nice to pace things out. How did you like Zero?

[@roguerifter9724]

Its my favorite game in the franchise so far. And I've played every Legend of Heroes game released in the US except Cold Steel IV (which I own), and Azure (Which I'm picking up this weekend unless something goes wrong. Though like I said I won't play it for a little while). That Includes playing the first Legend of Heroes game on a childhood friend's TG-16, and the Gagharv trilogy

[@TheFeezy777]

​@@roguerifter9724 cold steel series was the best. Looking foward to Reverie soon.

[@robertatwell694]

​@Rogue Rifter are you referring to Dragon Slayer? I played and beat that game on the Turbo Duo and it was one of the best RPGS to come out in that time period...memories!!

[@roguerifter9724]

Yeah. I never understood why the game was on all of the 16-bit consoles in Japan but only one in the US, and of course we never got the sequel.

[@Zzero0018]

Not sure how you can claim it's the best game in the Trails series when you state you haven't played many of them (or at least the trails of cold steel line).

[@Johnnybox81]

About to start zero and bough ToCS 1-3. I'll get Azure soon but not cheap on the switch!

[@CRedd9830]

My favorite Trails game and among my top 10 favorite games of all time.

[@tenaciousrodent6251]

If you only agree for 85% with the actions of the heroes when all is said and done you know the writing has layers. I would not call it perfect because the end game was a bit mandatory JRPG stuff that you just gotta have in the genre but the naturally flowing callbacks to the Sky series are just amazing.

[@DavidRBrown7]

I really hate it when the listed release date is only the US one (sorry US people) was expecting this yesterday but now it turns out to be the 17th here in the UK.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Doh >_

[@ithydoodles]

I thought it was also the 17th here too?

[@alexjurkovic3517]

In Australia it’s the 24th 😢

[@radianttrails939]

It would be really interesting if you eventually went back to cold steel after playing these. That's all I'll say lol, cause personally it had me hooked in cold steel. But also, theres no right or wrong answer and respect your perspective regardless!

[@Orchestruction]

I just finished Sky for the first time so I feel for you for being behind as hell.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Haha good luck catching up!

[@eternity449]

Just popping in to say, I'm still at that first chapter with about 7 hours logged. It feels very strange to open the game every night to play 1-2 hours just to read lines and lines of unnecessary, forgettable dialogue. I've actually stopped talking to npcs just to avoid the "SSS is back, Tio and Randy are still MIA" spiel that every single one of them was programmed to say.

[@KirbyLovesPinkWalls]

I've never played a Trails game. Should I get Zero before this?

[@mohnur5053]

Order Trails in the sky 1-3 > Trails from Zero & to Azure > Cold steel 1-4 > Reverie > Kuro no Kiseki

[@dunglifemovement]

I just started Trails from Zero

[@Alpheus_09C]

Man, im reaching the end of the series. So you know what that means, time to replay the entire thing again

[@oksurejamie]

is this like the last one where the PS4 version is measurably worse than Switch and PC?

[@TheGamingShelf]

Not sure, I haven’t played it on PS4, but I imagine so. Probably working with similar ports.

[@veghesther3204]

Pretty much and despite that the GAME itself claims to have AUTO saving BOTH Azure and Zero the PS4 version of both does NOT Auto Saves are only on the OTHER versions Switch/PC only.

[@KrsJin]

I really want to play it, but going to start the series from the beginning. Sigh, backlogs haha.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Good luck 😆

[@McCaroni_Sup]

"What is arge?! They could have just used meters" My guy, arge IS a meter. Its just under a different name to give the world a bit more flavor. Personally, if I had my way every nation in Zemuria would speak a different, fictional language lmao.

[@guruthosamarthruin4459]

I've never played Dr. Mario, but isn't that exactly what Pom Pom Party is?

[@TheGamingShelf]

Basically yeah!

[@bakacdaz]

Political part of Zero and Azure is so good it make me more patriotic for Crossbell than my IRL country lol.

[@TitaRussellTrails]

Personally prefer sky 2 and cold steel 4 but Azure has some amazing music.

[@HarryPnass1]

Lol nothing beats trails in the sky one and two. Estelle is just too good

[@TheGamingShelf]

Bestelle* 😉

[@Coconattsuu]

I would agree because Estelle is Bestelle but I do think this game is the best in the series. At least until Reverie which I haven;t played

[@BlackHazama]

I’m on SC Chapter 3 and I feel like it’s going so slow… I really hope this gets better

[@HarryPnass1]

@@BlackHazama from what I seen there's some great boss fights in that game

[@agunkorea2995]

The only mc in trails saga who easily destroy troupey Chadstelle

[@jrpgaddict7726]

Is there voice acting??

[@m.di.c.]

Japanese only (on PC, not sure about the other ones).

[@TheGamingShelf]

Yes, Japanese only though.

[@guccidonbuzzflightyear4440]

No way

[@TheGamingShelf]

WAY

[@n3r0n3]

I still have to unwrap the game but I understand this is classic trails: first game a never-ending slog up to the final chapters that save the day, second game partly sluggish and partly good. This is true of Trails of cold steel 2 compared to 1, 4 compared to 3, and I understand azure compared to zero. The reason why Falcom does not do anything about it is beyond me but I suppose the series being so overrated is part of the problem. Then the scope of the trails game, its overarching idea.. all great: on vita we did not have anything comparable so we initially forced ourselves and over time we came to like it, we developed an attachment to the series. After all these years tho someone should step up and ask Falcom to do better.

[@DevilHunter1994]

Honestly, I think it's just that Falcom doesn't "fix" anything because the people who are fans of this series genuinely love what they do, and how they go about doing it. I've personally never felt that any Trails game was a slog to play, and always appreciate how the slow buildup in the early games of an arc lead to FANTASTIC payoffs that were well worth the wait. These payoffs take full advatage of the slower narrative pacing and buildup to hit as hard as they do. Honestly, if Falcom did speed up the pacing of their narratives to meet more general standards, I think the series would ultimately lose what makes it special in the eyes of its fans. Trails is a series that doesn't compromise when it comes to telling the stories that it wants to tell. Because of that, the series appeals to a subset of a fanbase of an already niche genre. This would be a big problem for Falcom if they were making games with massive budgets that required equally massive sales to be a financial success, but thankfully, that's not an issue for them. They chose to put story and characters ahead of visual presentation, and for fans of their games, that decision has been very appreciated. They have their dedicated and steadily growing fanbase that absolutely loves their slow burn longform storytelling for the most part, and the support of that loyal fanbase is enough to secure the financial success of the series. Basically, Falcom knows the audience they want to reach, and they haven't changed their formula because they know their formula is working very well with their audience. I think this is fine. Not every game, or series needs to be designed to appeal to everyone. If the series has its audience, and that audience is enough to make the series a worthwhile endeavour, then that's all that matters.

[@WolfBetter]

I'm sorry but for me 0>Azure.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Agree to disagree :)

[@nikolaikolev8433]

The best in terms of gameplay, yes. Sadly close to the end the story became such a mess, that I almost stopped caring about and decided to proceed further, without a big investment in the finale. Doesn't matter how good expirience is Azure, I kinda prefer Zero more.

[@jonathanhamilton7794]

Sucks..2d..when it should be 4d

[@TheGamingShelf]

4D? 😳

[@OneManCast]

I'll disagree. Trails of Cold Steel is better imo.

[@kinh0t]

Could not get into this series, 70% mashing confirm button on conversations. 30% fun battle.

[@TheGamingShelf]

lol you're not wrong.

[@veghesther3204]

At least BOTH games have a 3x speed OPTION but ONLY the PC/Switch version has the AUTO advance text option to kind of completely SKIP all of that.

[@RythymBeast]

lol

[@TheGamingShelf]

🤣

[@keiichimorisato98]

I'm used to fantasy measurements, FFXIV has a very extensive one. So do a lot of fantasy books I've read over the years.

[@TheGamingShelf]

On paper it’s cool, but unless they explain it then it’s just frustrating.

[@keiichimorisato98]

@The Gaming Shelf if it is consistent, then you can figure out what they mean. FFXIV makes no attempt at explaining it, but if you pay attention to what is being said, you can figure it out. Like Ilm means Inch, you figure it out when a character says "not one ilm further," or something to that effect, or the height of a building is described.

[@RaifSeverence]

​@@TheGamingShelf arge and selge. Pretty sure there's other measurements too.