The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
File:Loh6 The Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky.jpg Cover art
Developer(s)	Nihon Falcom
Publisher(s)
Artist(s)	Haccan Yuu Shiina
Composer(s)	Hayato Sonoda Wataru Ishibashi Takahide Murayama
Series	The Legend of Heroes - Trails in the Sky
Platforms	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita
Release date(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation Portable PlayStation 3 PlayStation Vita (Evolution)
Genre(s)	Role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (英雄伝説VI(シックス) 空の軌跡, Eiyū Densetsu Shikkusu Sora no Kiseki) is a Japanese role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is commonly referred to as Trails in the Sky First Chapter (英雄伝説 空の軌跡FC) to distinguish itself from the rest of the games in the Trails in the Sky series. The game is the first game in trilogy of titles, which also includes Trails in the Sky Second Chapter and Trails in the Sky the 3rd, and collectively, the titles create the sixth entry in the larger The Legend of Heroes series of video games.

First Chapter was first released in Japan for Microsoft Windows in 2004, and later ported to the PlayStation Portable in 2006. North American video game publisher Xseed Games acquired the rights to push the game from Falcom, but did not release it until 2011 due to the game's massive size and amount of text necessary to translate and localize. A HD port to the PlayStation 3 was released in Japan in 2012 as part of Sony's PSP Remaster line of games, while a HD remaster for the PlayStation Vita has been released in 2015; both Japanese-only releases. A localization of the PC original was announced for the third game in the Sora no Kiseki trilogy to be released by XSEED Games in 2017.

Gameplay

A field map

The game's structure consists of a series of maps, most of which fall into two categories: field maps, which have roaming monsters that initiate combat on contact, and town maps. Most maps are 3D and fully rotatable. The background field for the battles is determined by where the monster was engaged. Field maps often contain treasure chests that may be obvious or hidden, sometimes requiring the player to rotate their screen or look for a "!" mark which indicates an interactive object. Town maps are more loaded with NPCs and shops. Shops generally have their own buildings and logo on the minimap which can be toggled within the town.

Players start off in the town of Rolent and travel around the country of Liberl as the game progresses. The game has a main story line and many side quests that can be started at the Bracer's guild or by talking to NPCs. Side quests offer rewards and flesh out the main story.

Combat

A combat screen

Combat is held in a separate screen with square tiles (default camera position at 45 degrees to the squares). Each character and enemy takes their turn when their icon reaches the top of the AT bar (on the left of combat screen). Options for characters are: Move, Attack, Arts, Craft, Item and Retreat. Any of these actions will end a character or enemy's turn.

• Move: allows the character to go onto a different tile than the one he/she is currently on.
• Attack: uses equipped weapon to deal damage to the enemy. Different weapons have different ranges and areas of effect.
• Arts: different powers that become available basing on the combination of quartz you have equipped on that character's orbment. Requires EP and takes time to use.
• Craft: The character's individual special skills. They are unique to each character and require CP to use. Unlike Arts, they do not require an extra turn to use.
• S-Craft: A special type of craft. When the character's CP reaches at least 100, the character's set "special" can be triggered on the press of a button that depends on the character's slot. After the current turn has finished, the character that was triggered will perform their special straight away, regardless of their position on the AT bar. As a result, the character can take their turn, then activate their S-craft right after, thus proving a useful tool for urgent needs.

Combat ends when all enemies are destroyed and having your whole party wiped out will normally result in gameover, with a few exceptions in events.

Plot

Story

The game takes place in Liberl Kingdom, 10 years after being invaded by the Erebonian Empire from the north. It is governed by queen Alicia II. Currently, the kingdom thrives off of high technology which is eyed closely by the Erebonian Empire.

The main character is Estelle Bright, a young woman newly recruited into the country's Bracer's Guild, a civilian-run peacekeeping organization. She and her adopted brother, Joshua, travel throughout Liberl to become fully fledged Bracers, but happen across a conspiracy to seize control from the queen.

Characters

• Estelle Bright (エステル・ブライト, Esuteru Buraito) (Japanese voice: Akemi Kanda; English voice: Stephanie Sheh): 16 years old. The main protagonist of the game. She is a rather naive and straightforward girl who is always energetic and positive. She was born and raised in the rural areas of Rolent, a quiet farming and mining town based just north of the Kingdom's capital. She is very tomboyish, loving to fish and collect sports shoes, although, over the course of the game, she becomes aware of her developing romantic feelings for Joshua. She learned the ways of the staff directly from her father.
• Joshua Bright (ヨシュア・ブライト, Yoshua Buraito) (Japanese voice: Mitsuki Saiga; English voice: Johnny Yong Bosch): 16 years old. The main male character. Adopted into the Bright family five years after the end of the war with Erebonia, he is a calm youth with black hair and amber eyes who is always there to keep the hotheaded Estelle from getting too deep into trouble. His special hobby is to play the harmonica, and in combat he wields dual swords.
• Agate Crosner (アガット・クロスナー, Agatto Kurosunaa) (Japanese voice: Takayuki Kondō; English voice: Bryce Papenbrook): 24 years old. He hails from a small village in the rural Bose area but also spent most of his youth in the port city of Ruan as the leader of the Ravens gang. He is one of the up-and-coming bracers in the kingdom, nicknamed "Heavy Sword" for his use of such a weapon in combat. He always appears angry and grumpy on the surface but is in fact a caring youth who looks after newcomers like the Brights.
• Tita Russell (ティータ・ラッセル, Tiita Rasseru) (Japanese voice: Hiromi Konno): 12 years old. She is a girl residing in the city of Zeiss, and is the granddaughter of Albert Russell, the founding father of Orbment technology in the kingdom and a genius inventor. She is incredibly skilled in machinery and orbment technology. Despite her young age she's an apprentice in the central workshop, the most important R&D facility in the country. She is seen as a little sister figure by Estelle, and sees Estelle and Joshua as elder siblings. When she works with orbment, she often becomes oblivious to her surroundings and starts bombarding others with excessive information on the subject.
• Scherazard Harvey (シェラザード・ハーヴェイ, Sherazaado Haavei) (Japanese voice: Yuka Shioyama; English voice: Michelle Ruff): 23 years old. A female Bracer with silver hair and dark skin, nicknamed "Silver Streak". She is a sisterly figure to the Brights, and looks after them through much of their journey. She is also a student under Cassius. Born in the slums of a foreign realm, she was picked up by a traveling circus as a child, and after the circus disbanded she stayed under Cassius and became a Bracer. She is well versed in dancing, cards and thief skills. Her hobby is drinking, and she's often seen drunk during the game. Her favorite drinking partners are Aina, the guild's Rolent branch attendant (and a woman that never gets drunk), and Olivier.
• Olivier Lenheim (オリビエ・レンハイム, Olibie Renheimu) (Japanese voice: Takehito Koyasu; English voice: Troy Baker): 26 years old. A handsome blonde man from the Erebonian empire who claims to be a traveling musician. He is extremely carefree and often says peculiar things, which often gets him in trouble, especially when making passes at all attractive characters he encounters (of both genders). His childhood friend Mueller Vander is a military officer, and is often seen trying to stop Olivier from getting into further trouble.
• Kloe Rinz (クローゼ・リンツ, Kurooze Rintsu) (Japanese voice: Yuuko Minaguchi; English voice: Cristina Vee): 16 years old. A female student in the Royal Jenis Academy in rural Ruan area. She is a calm and sensitive figure who looks after kids in a foster home. She has a pet white falcon named Sieg and is also the school's fencing champion.
• Zane Vathek (ジン・ヴァセック, Zane Vatekku) (Japanese voice: Tetsu Inada; English voice: Patrick Seitz): 30 years old. A giant of a man hailing from the Calvard republic, he is a skilled martial artist and one of the highest-ranking bracers in the entire world. Nicknamed "The Immovable", he is a reliable figure who gives the Brights a great deal of support. He meets Joshua and Estelle at a martial arts competition, and proceeds to help them with their quest.
• Alan Richard (アラン・リシャール, Aran Rishaaru) (Japanese voice: Hiroaki Miura): 35 years old. In the first installment he was the colonel of the Kingdom's army, and the head of the newly founded espionage agency, a rising star in the army that used to work under Cassius Bright before he retired.

Development

The game was initially released on Microsoft Windows in 2004 and then ported to the PlayStation Portable in the beginning of 2006. The PlayStation 3 port was released in 2012. The game's first English release only occurred in 2011, when Xseed Games released First Chapter for the PSP, followed by a Windows version in July 2014. The PSP version features a number of additions, including a monster collecting book, which records all monsters defeated by the player, voice acting during the battles, and some minor graphics additions and alterations.

High definition versions of all three games were released on the PlayStation 3 in Japan. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC Kai HD Edition was released on December 13, 2012. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC Kai HD Edition was released on April 25, 2013. The PS3 version of the game allows for players to also load save data from the PSP editions of the games and continue their game with the PS3 version. For SC and TC Kai HD, players can import clear game files from either the PSP or Kai HD Edition of First and Second Chapter.

In December 2014, it was announced that the games would be released with an "Evolution" subtitle for the PlayStation Vita in Japan.

Related media

The soundtrack was released as Eiyū Densetsu VI Sora no Kiseki Original Sound Track in July 2004 in Japan, published and produced by Falcom Sound Team JDK. It was composed by Hayato Sonoda, Wataru Ishibashi, Takahide Murayama and arranged by Kohei Wada. The album has two discs with 33 and 26 tracks, respectively. Tracks 24 to 31 comprise "The White Flower Madrigal" Suite. The song "Whereabouts of the Stars" was written by Hideaki Hamada, with vocals from u-mi. The soundtrack to the first chapter is also distributed with the Windows release in the form of Ogg Vorbis music files.

An OVA adaptation of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky was announced in 2011. The first OVA was released on November 25, 2011 on DVD and Blu-ray. The second and final OVA was released on January 22, 2012. In 2012, the OVAs have been licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America.

Reception

Reception
Review scores Publication Score PC PSP Famitsu 32/40 Game Informer 8.25/10 GamePro GamesMaster 82% GameSpot 8/10 GamesRadar IGN 8/10 Hardcore Gamer 4.5/5 Pocket Gamer 9/10 RPGFan 90% 88% Aggregate scores GameRankings 86% 79% Metacritic 85/100 79/100
Awards Publication Award RPGFan Best RPG (Editors' Pick) RPGFan Best Traditional RPG Wired 16th Best Videogame of 2011

First Chapter was well received by critics. Review aggregator GameRankings gave it ratings of 86% for the PC version and 79% for the PSP version, while Metacritic gave rated it 85/100 for the PC version and 79/100 for the PSP version. Neilie Johnson of IGN gave it a positive review, stating that, though "First Chapter is not the most original ever made, like any good JRPG it offers amusing writing, dynamic combat, interesting tasks, an absorbing narrative, and hours upon hours of gameplay" and concluded that "while the game's 50/50 balance between combat and story may not be to everyone's taste, its charm and overall entertainment value make it well worth the investment." Hardcore Gamer praised the "rock-solid character writing", noting every character has "their own history, ambitions, and social connections", every NPC "has their own name and motivations and interpersonal relationships with other NPCs", and the influence of Hayao Miyazaki's classic anime film Castle in the Sky on the cast and steampunk setting. They also praised the open-ended story, quest design, and combat system, and for having "one of the most complete and enthralling worlds ever rendered", concluding it to be "one of the finest JRPGs in the history of the genre".

External links

• Official website
• (Japanese) Official Sora no Kiseki portal
• (Japanese) Legend of Heroes VI: Sora no Kiseki official website
• (Japanese) Legend of Heroes: Sora no Kiseki official website
• (Japanese) Mobile phone version by Taito