Trails in the Sky the 3rd Evolution（英雄伝説 空の軌跡 the 3rd Evolution）

It's become a regular ritual of mine to pick up a Trails game every time a new one comes out in a desperate attempt to try to keep up. Now that I've finally beaten the 3rd one, that brings the current tally to 3/11 or a grade of F minus minus minus, which compared to the US government is actually pretty good IMO. I would put up the usual Trump meme pic but I'm so fucking tired of that shit, here's a picture of a bat plushie instead.

Please stop eating the fuckers, for fuck's sake!! (You know who you are)

There is no better time than now to escape from shitty reality into the sweet bliss of logical and responsible adults in a fantasy RPG video game. Yes, let's dig into the 3rd iteration of brave heroes fighting against people of differing ideologies, political intrigue, and high-level foreign policy negotiations between shrewd leaders... Naw, let's just go into some la-la land after the prologue chapter with magic memory doors n shit... yeeaaaaah....

Falcom, your own characters are saying your setting is a fucking JOKE!

I'm glad they didn't call this Sora no Kiseki TC, calling it "the 3rd" like a 5th wheel is appropriate because it plays like a fan-service afterthought, not the finale of a trilogy. It's a good excuse to get all the characters from the first 2 games together and reminisce on extra events that fill out the setting. As much as I love to see little side stories of tiny RPG characters in pajamas, the manner in which the game presents them just bothered me. Like, why does a character that recently LIVED through the event need to see a memory of it much less through some weird door? From the standpoint of the character, it must be like watching a shitty home movie from last week on VCR (kids, you'll need to Google that).

 

Awww, so cute! Oh I know, let's have her fight ruthless mercenaries and ancient legendary monsters!

Yeah sure, technically the game does have a story and it's not bad actually. But at times, it just feels so contrived and just an excuse to beam all the familiar crew back into another game (and I mean "beam" literally). I did at least like the new character and her VA, RieB with a weird B (or whatever that is). While I'm not into nuns, she was cool because she likes to eat. It's too bad she's not a morbidly obese trans person of color to properly represent us American gamers. Missed opportunity there IMO. Maybe it'll be fixed in the PS5 version if MS buys Falcom or something. #FuckMe2020

Why is she white, thin, and binary? I want REAL people, like those assholes that don't wear masks

The part of the game that I finally really started warming up to was the combat. I know I complained about the fact that it's recycled for SC but kinda like how some people start to like shitty songs after hearing it repeatedly on the radio, it eventually grew on me. As usual, I loved how you start at level 90 unlike most RPG sequels that offer no explanation as to why you're back at level 1 and weak as fuck again.

They couldn't resist the obligatory stroll in molten lava cliché however

Another common annoyance that this game handles gracefully is grinding under-leveled characters. I really wish more RPGs scale EXP like this. You haven't used a character for a few chapters? No problem, just have them hang out in the back for a few battles and they'll level up in no time. I even maxed out 9999 EXP in one battle for the unsightly males to prepare for the final battle.

As usual, I tend to leave... ugh MEN out of my party

Save for some minor changes such as enemy elements, the mechanics are pretty much identical. However, the strategies I employed were different because of the insanely effective quartz. While I mostly ignored arts in the first game, having 50%-75% reduction in casting time made them so much more useful. In particular, because some bosses are immune to all debuffs and status ailments, it's vitally important that you keep your buffs up. Speed, in particular, is of the upmost importance in hard mode. As usual, I have not played in nightmare mode, saving that for another day.

Yeah! What's wrong with having a 13 year old girlfriend? Hmm... let me think... #Jailbait

Other notable areas besides the combat, side stories, new character, and Agate's weird relationship with a 13-year-old girl, are the annoying mini games and music. The mini games such as poker, blackjack, and trivia are well, like I said, just annoying. I didn't mind the fishing contest so much though.

From this angle, you can tell Estelle has it where it counts

Some of the dungeon songs were head rockers so I'm liking the soundtrack more and more with each iteration of the series, which is always a good sign of things to come.

Good stuff. I was rocking while dungeon crawling.

Score: 3.5 C'mon Falcom, where is the obligatory hot springs church outing event? out of 5 (79 hours to beat)

Is the premise contrived and the game a bit fan servicey for bringing back all these characters? Sure, but overall, I still had fun for the total of almost 80 hours and the main plot wasn't bad, just a bit too much hocus pocus for my tastes. For the reason that I had fun for that amount of time and there's nothing wrong with the game, I would rate it as slightly above average.

Cover art for "I'm so wet, I want to have your baby but I'm a nun!" (as featured in the doujin series) 

I guess there's finally an English localized version of the game on Steam but based on the original PSP version. I dunno, maybe because I wasn't a Jhipster back then, but I like the Evolution remakes just fine so there's a tiny Jhipster smugness bonus added on for this version.

"It was a clever inducement of the temporary representative Cashius bright that broke down the agglutinating situation of a war." WTF??? I bet Falcom never expected anyone to read this shit.

The final boss battles were kind of brutal even in just Hard mode. I recommend looking up the best party member distribution before you start the last dungeons. Thankfully, they at least offer you an option to save before the last boss battle because I would have thrown my Vita at the wall if I had to start over after hours and hours of fighting. Thanks to the OP Absolute guard and continually buffing despite that annoying move the final boss has to remove all your buffs, I was able to make it to the end on my first try. Whew!

Legend of Heroes VII? That's one of like 5 ways to define this series (fucking Falcom man)

And that's that, finally done with this series in a series in a series. I'm definitely NOT catching up on all these Legend of Heroes RPGs but I'm having fun with them so I suppose it's not a bad thing to have a whole stack to go through still. I'm certainly looking forward to moving on from Liberl after well over 200 hours in the same locations. It's time to go to Crossbell... finally!!!

Additional Evolution screenshots for the Jhipster smugness library

Beating the game unlocks music from all 3 games. Cool, unless you're a classic OST pig in the mud

Ugh, fuck this trivia game. I'm down for more what's his face crossdressing though.

Holy shit, is this some huge spoiler?! Naw, it's just another fucking "memory".

Oh magic clothes that coincidentally reuses an existing asset? How... convenient!

The cursive on this Salt Paling doc is hard to read saving Falcom from further embarrassment.

It's a hidden gem shooter! Get your copy now before it becomes RAREZ!!!

Scale
0 - Awful
1 - Bad and not worth your time
2 - Has some flaws but still enjoyable
3 - An average enjoyable experience
4 - A great game
5 - Masterpiece of a caliber only found very rarely

Trails in the Sky SC Evolution（英雄伝説 空の軌跡 SC Evolution）

OH MY GOD.

Sora no Kiseki SC Evolution is a fucking loooooooooooooooooong game. Got dayum! That's really the first thing I have to say after 118 hours of trailing in the sky... or something...

Game too long, doesn't respect reviewer's time. Score: 0 out of 5 -Shitaku

Of course, now that the original PSP game has finally been localized (oh, welcome to 2006, non-Jhipsters), you might think you can beat this game under 60 hours, but remember I'm playing through the main story like an audio-book and listening to hours and hours of professional voice acting takes a lot longer than the version that's now 12 year's old. (Sorry, non-Jhipsters).

Most don't know SC secretly means Shit-hole Countries cause Japan is racist unlike USA

I started playing Sora no Kiseki SC Evolution right after I finished FC, which is always a mistake. I mean, I always do this even though I'm always burnt out from the previous game and inevitably, I drop the game after a few hours. Though in this case, it didn't really matter because I had zero chance of finishing such a long RPG without dropping it at least 3 or 4 times (or 5... or 6). The only reason I was probably able to finish it was my vain attempt to catch up every time Falcom announced or released another game in the series. At any rate, once I got up to Chapter 5 clocking in at 60 hours, I got far enough in that I figured, fuck it. Time to GIT GUD.

Unfortunately, that's not a coincidence as chapter 5 is when you're done traveling the lands of Liverl for the 2nd time. Ala FF X-2 style, Falcom saved a buttload of work by recycling all the exact same locations from FC. It's reasonable to expect a game to start slow as it introduces the setting and characters so I gave FC a break for the slow start. However, I naively didn't expect to do the same thing AGAIN in the sequel. Yeah, you finally get to go to the docks at the Capital (big whoop) and that tantalizing locked room in the sewer of Rolent (spoiler: there's nothing in it), but 90% of SC's locations are recycled and milked to death. So while the highlight of FC was all the detailed sprite trinkets, I was definitely less impressed this second time around.

Wow, I didn't know Libeeru was spelled like that in English. I guess better then Liverpool?

However, what WAS impressive was the sheer amount of dialogue and how much of it was voiced. If you thought FC had tons of dialogue, you ain't seen nothing yet as SC probably has more than double the previous game. In addition, there's TONS more variation depending on who you decide to take in your party compared to FC which had fixed party members for the majority of the game.

The level of variation in the voiced dialogue was made possible probably only because the original developers didn't have to worry about voice acting. It only takes a dev a few copy and paste operations and a switch statement to code up "Let's go, A-kun and B-ko!", "Let's go, B-ko and C-chan!", "Let's go A-kun and C-chan!", etc., etc., etc. Some of the dialogues even depend on what you did in the previous game ala Mass Effect (before EA took a huge dump on it). When it came time to voice the Evo version, I really don't envy the enormous job that was in store, especially for poor Estelle-chan. I highly doubt that the newer games such as "Steel at its natural temperature" would have the same level of immersion, though I would be highly impressed if it did.

Notice the little pacman to replay the voiced dialogue. (Sorry non-jhpisters)

Falcom also could have taken the lazy route and decided not to voice at least the side quest dialogue, but nope, they soldiered through and even though the VA quality of the various NPCs sometimes sounds like Falcom friends and family members pitching in to help, I at least applaud the effort. Fei, the mechanic, is a hottie though cause she kinda sounds like my ex. (We broke up because they changed her illustration style to be based on the manga spin-off instead of the canon light novel.)

Hey, where's the Falcom friends & family cast credits?!

As usual, the game is chock full of side quests and not all of them are just filler. You'll probably miss a few hidden ones unless you are playing with a guide. The one for chapter 2 was an absolute BITCH, and was actually the most difficult battle in the entire game because FUCKING JIMMY dies in one hit and it's game over (hard mode ofc). There were literally times when you would lose the game even before your first turn. If I was smart and bought the accessories that prevent sleep and confuse for all 4 party members at the Capital, it would have been much easier as you can keep casting absolute guard on FUCKING JIMMY. Of course the store in Zeiss didn't have JACK SHIT. I finally made it with a bunch of Evade 2 Quartz and plenty of items for the status ailments after like 10 tries.

You know what was surprising though? Just by completing this optional sub-quest, FUCKING JIMMY takes his stupid pirate treasure to the museum and you can talk to him throughout the next chapter. Eventually, he ends up applying for a job at the museum. Presumably, none of this would have happened if you didn't complete the optional sub-quest and would have affected even a tiny bit of dialogue in Chapter 8. I didn't check but it would be almost impossible to see every tiny piece of dialogue in this game.

Music was not bad. A bit better than FC.
A couple variations I did check for fun was even a tiny change depending on the order in which you spoke to NPCs or party members. For example, when I spoke with the lady at the restaurant in Rolent, she mentioned her daughter wanting to see Estelle and Estelle replies, "Actually, I already said hi" based purely on the order in which you spoke to two NPCs. Most of these tiny variations in dialogue are voiced as well and really adds immersion to the world not unlike Fallout.

The attention to the tiny sprite details also added to the immersion. While I was a bit disappointed at the heavy recycling of the towns and locations from the first game, I still enjoyed seeing the various tiny expressions in the character sprites and the little accessories. This is the kind of game where if the character were to make an omuraisu (hypothetically speaking), you would see the tiny eggs cooking in the frying pan and a dot of ketchup on the finished product along with the salad.

As a Tiny Kitchen fan, I approve of this game.

The gameplay, while the same as FC, was more interesting as you get more powerful orbments. While in the first game, I almost ignored Arts because of how long they take to cast, this time around, thanks to upgraded orbment for 40-50% reduction in cast time, I made way more use of Arts buffs. Having absolute guard even in a small circle was almost OP as I just bunch my characters and cast after every attack.

As for the story, well, it was a bit of a disappointment honestly. There's nothing wrong with it and it's a perfectly fine, orthodox (what we call Jhipsters call "King's road") story. However, when you experience a story that spans two games and over 150 hours, you kinda end up having super high expectations on a grand finale. And let's just say, while the story wasn't bad, it was certainly no Xenogears. The new art and videos were a pretty good addition at least IMO. I mean, if it wasn't misogynistic that is.

Oh settle down, spoiler freaks, she's right on the damn LE game cover

While I really did want to give this game a score of 4 as a great game, the ending just doesn't deliver greatness. Also regarding the length, while I had fun with it and it's chock full of content, I'm a very busy man and I would like to move on to my next paycheck... err I mean review. I'm not doing this for fucking free you know? Oh oops, actually, I am doing this for free cause OH MY GOD I'm playing games... for fun?? CRAAAZY. So yeah, fuck you Kotaku, this game gets a 4 just for the hours of fun and entertainment.

Score: 4 ok sure why not but WTF is up with Ren's voice? Don't they have lisp speech therapy in Japan?? out of 5 (118 hours to beat)

Having said that though, I'm totally burnt out and I definitely WON'T be starting 3rd anytime soon. Maybe I'll get to it when Falcom releases Subzero Steel 6 Kai.

I mean c'mon, you get to see an NPC hungover, throwing up in the shower. GAMING GOLD!

At the end of the day, I had fun times with all the NPCs and the side stories. I just have to wonder how the story would have turned out if Joshua was ugly and not a fucking ikemen. Where's the representation for ugly, fat men in gaming today?! #GamerGate.

Oh, and FUCK YOU JIMMIE!

Scale
0 - Awful
1 - Bad and not worth your time
2 - Has some flaws but still enjoyable
3 - An average enjoyable experience
4 - A great game
5 - Masterpiece of a caliber only found very rarely

Trails in the Sky FC Evolution（英雄伝説 空の軌跡 FC Evolution）

After several failed attempts at beating Sora no kiseki FC on two other platforms (yay Falcom), I finally marathoned this game on my trusty ol' Vita. See, what happened was Xseed (AKA the company that no longer does fan service games) FINALLY got around to localizing the sequel to this game. And in their usual classy manner, they decided to spoil this game in the first THREE WORDS of the steam description. I got so annoyed that I decided screw it, better finish this game and play SC (second chapter) as well before all the 'mericans spoil that too.

Guess which version is from the tasteful folks at Xseed?

Anyways, putting aside my disgust at Xseed's total lack of respect for spoilers, I'm glad to have finally finished the first game in a series that already has a total of 7 games so far. The trails series is the most recent and longest running series in the Legend of Heroes metaseries, which I first talked about in my last review of LOH3 or 2 or 2-1. In fact, this game was originally called Legend of Heroes VI as the sixth entry in the entire... oh, WHATEVER!

Of course, as a Jhipster, I am playing the Japanese exclusive Evolution remake for the Vita which features voice acting, sharp-ass graphics, and new artwork. I'm sure non-jhipsters can enjoy when it gets localized sometime around 2025, just in time for it to be completely obsolete with the PS5 super evolution 3d waifu Matrix VR remake... at least going by the current release schedule.

The first thing that really struck me about the Evolution version compared to the 2 disk UMD grindfest version or even the PS3 HD "port" (emphasis on the double quotes) was how damn sharp those pixels were on my fancy OLED screen. While the graphics remain mostly the same, the details on the shops, buildings, signs, and everything was just amazing. This is the only 2d RPG I know of so far where you can actually read the tiny signs without having to examine it.

Thanks for the ! but I can read the sign just fine already (click image for full size)

The other aspect that makes this game unique is just how much the NPCs have to say in the towns. Virtually every NPC has something different to say after every tiny, little story event. And if you have the patience to talk to every NPC over and over, tons of little stories will unfold. Some of them will react to the events of the story and others will talk about simple mundane things like the guy working at the bar babysitting his girlfriend's little sister while she goes to work. There's even a couple that are on a pilgrimage that you will see at every town as you travel from one place to another.

Enjoy as this poor guy's mom asks every girl in the village to marry her son

About half of the 75 hours it took me to beat this game was probably spent walking around town and talking to NPCs. Even if you aren't crazy like me, there is SO MUCH dialogue to the point where I'm tempted to put this game in the ADV category, which is why having the main story fully voiced is such a HUGE improvement. As an American, of course I'm offended when confronted with the notion of having to read so being able to listen to the dialogue with auto progress on is a huge bonus. The only annoying part is having to swipe every few minutes so the Vita doesn't go to sleep. I can't believe there is STILL no option to turn that off.

The voiced dialogue also features matching mouth movement in the character profiles and various expressions which is an attention to detail I really appreciate. Really, the level of detail and the hours and hours of voiced dialogue just boggles the mind when you consider Falcom is already releasing SC Evolution a mere 6 months after this one while Xseed took many years just to translate the text. (I've worked in Japan so I can imagine the poor salarymen slaving away at this.)

There was a free demo on JP PSN last time I checked

This visual novel even has an RPG aspect (lol), and the battle system is a very fun turn-based grid system. I played on hard and it felt like just the right amount of challenge. The level progression is VERY controlled. In other words, you level up right away in a new chapter and each level makes a huge difference but it rapidly slows down until the next chapter. The dip is sharp enough to the point where it's almost impossible to grind and become overpowered unless you enjoy watching your exp bar inch up a few pixels every battle (kinda reminds me of Fate/Extra in that regard). As a result, the boss battles were all fairly challenging for the most part.

If you've played the PSP Westerner newb edition, you may remember the option to retry a battle in easy mode and (apparently?) 100% success rate of escaping from battles. The easy retry option was never in the Japanese version and while I only played this game on hard, escape success rate generally starts around 60% (higher or lower depending on who has the initiative) and goes up after every failed attempt.

Sorry, no retry on easy or 100% escape rate here... NEWB

There is some strategizing you can do in terms of attack delays, and turn skipping to try to get the good field effects but not as much as a game like Grandia. Still, it's fun to fill up your CP gauge and take the enemies turn on a Zero craft field effect and get a special attack for free. However, it can get really annoying if, for example, a boss you've been pounding at forever gets a 50% heal field effect randomly.

That critical turn is gonna make this attack GOOOOD

As for the story overall, I obviously would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't spoiled at the outset. While it wasn't exactly jaw-dropping, most of the charm lies in the character interactions, which is ironic because that's exactly what was so sorely lacking in LOH White Witch. They both feature a male and female character traveling the land but unlike Julio and Chris, Joshua and Estelle actually have personality, back stories, and character development (OMG!!).

Now featuring back stories and personality

WHA??? Character development?

Score: 3.5 Jhipsters don't have to READ FOO (except 20+ hours of NPC gossip) out of 5 points (75 hours to beat)

Is Sora no Kiseki FC the best RPG of this decade as some who talk about the the same 5 games over and over and over and apparently hasn't played any other game since would say? Nooooot exactly, but it's still an above-average game, especially since it's voiced. I fully enjoyed my time with it and looking forward to the second chapter. Oh, and the updated soundtrack was a nice bonus too.

The OST was pretty good, especially this one
For those who have played previous versions of the game, you have to check out chapter 2 fully voiced. As those who played can probably guess, there's a part that's way more hilarious voiced rather than just reading the (copious) amount of text. I have to say, Joshua sounds way better than I expected at that part. Ha ha.

Bonus Vita wallpaper for smug Jhipsters to use while playing on their Vita (and I'm not talking about PSP archives)

Scale
0 - Awful
1 - Bad and not worth your time
2 - Has some flaws but still enjoyable
3 - An average enjoyable experience
4 - A great game
5 - Masterpiece of a caliber only found very rarely