Over the years, Nihon Falcom has managed to create one of the most detailed and lived-in worlds found in the Legend of Heroes series. Their ability to craft gripping narratives with interesting characters has served them well, garnering a large following even though localization can take a while to complete.
In particular, the Trails subseries found within the greater Legend of Heroes series have some of the most memorable moments and casts in gaming today, making them excellent investments if long JRPGs are your thing. If you want to know which games are the best to play and immerse yourself in, check out the entries below.
10Trails In The Sky
First Game In The Liberl Arc
The game that started it all, Trails in the Sky, is the most logical starting point for anybody who is looking to get immersed in the world of Zemuria for the first time. While every entry in the Trails series has extensive world-building and strategic turn-based combat, this title will set expectations for the rest of the series.
Trails in the Sky is the first of three games in the Liberl Kingdom arc that will have you meet important characters and witness historic events that will have a profound impact on the rest of the series. The perfect place to start if you don’t mind a more old-fashioned battle system that gets refined with later releases.
9Trails Of Cold Steel
First Game In The Erebonia Arc
Trails of Cold Steelmarked the first time the series would make the jump to 3D graphics and a fully realized 3D world for the player to explore. Even so, the hallmarks of the series are still present: a fleshed-out world to explore with memorable people living in it and an updated turn-based battle system.
This is another great title to start with, as it is the first game in the Erebonian Empire arc, and you need no prior information to understand what is happening, though context does help. The cast you meet is just as endearing as any other game in the series as well.
8Trails From Zero
First Game In The Crossbell Arc
Continuing with the theme of “first games,“Trails from Zerois the first game of the Crossbell arc and runs concurrently in the greater Trails timeline as the Cold Steel games. You play the role of Lloyd Bannings, a member of the Crossbell police department returning home after some time away, and he founded the Special Support Squad andits colorful cast of members.
The game is a direct follow-up from the Trails in the Sky trilogy, being an isometric 2D game with more simple turn-based combat when compared to the more recent Cold Steel games. If you’re a fan of that, this game is a great choice to play.
7Trails In The Sky SC
Second Game In The Liberl Arc
If you played through the first Trails in the Sky game, you will have many lingering questions left over. Trails in the Sky SC, or Second Chapter, will cover all the details left to tell in the story of Estelle and Joshua, the protagonists from the Liberl Kingdom arc.
While you do need to have played the first game in the arc to truly know what is happening in the story, the game has a gripping narrative and emotional payoffs to plot points set up in the first game. It is a worthy sequel and one that merits playing, especially if you played the first one.
6Trails Of Cold Steel II
Second Game In The Erebonia Arc
The sequel to the original Trails of Cold Steel,Trails of Cold Steel IIpicks up right where the first one left off, in the middle of an expanding civil war. Tensions are high while you run from the military government with your friends seeking a way to end the civil war once and for all.
While playing the first game in the arc is recommended, the game does its best to try to give players information about the story up to that point in case you missed any details or skipped the first title. The emotional payoffs are huge in this game, making it a joy to go through.
5Trails To Azure
Second Game And Finale Of The Crossbell Arc
As the final game in the Crossbell arc and sequel to Trails from Zero,Trails to Azuregives you as much closure to the story of the Special Support Squad and the people of Crosbell City as it possibly can.
The narrative is just as gripping as the first game in the arc, and while there are no major combat system changes between the two games, the familiarity lends itself well to those just coming out of Trails from Zero and jumping straight into this game.
4Trails Of Cold Steel III
Third Game In The Erebonia Arc
Trails of Cold Steel III, while a direct sequel to Trails of Cold Steel II, serves as almost a soft reboot to the Erebonian arc. The game goes out of its way to provide newcomers with information from the previous titles in the series to ease people into the experience.
Even more changed is the combat system, with new actions and abilities that streamline the system and make it faster-paced than its predecessors while still being a traditional turn-based system. It’s not a bad starting point if you don’t mind reading the lore from the game’s title screen.
3Trails Of Cold Steel IV
Fourth Game And Finale Of The Erebonia Arc
Trails of Cold Steel IVis a very special game in the entire Trails series. This game not only marks the end of the Erebonian arc of the overarching story but also brings together all the different casts and story elements set up in every game that came before it.
The game features an incredibly large roster of playable characters, with almost no one left behind. Characters from both the Trails in the Sky trilogy and Crossbell duology make their appearances, and players who managed to make it through every game up to this point are rewarded withsome of the most exciting payoffs in gaming history.
2Trails Into Reverie
Epilogue To The Erebonia And Crossbell Arcs
With the Liberl, Crossbell, and Erebonian arcs all coming to a close in Trails of Cold Steel IV,Trails into Reverieis a transitional point between the arcs that came before it and the second half of the Trails series' story that is set to come after.
It features another large cast of characters, featuring predominantly the main characters from the Erebonian arc and Crossbell arc, Rean and Lloyd, respectively. This game brings the combat system created in Trails of Cold Steel III to its zenith, offering more player freedom and battle strategies than ever before.
1Trails Through Daybreak
First Game Of The Calvard Arc
Following the excitement of the last three major arcs, Trails Through Daybreak begins the series' Calvard arc and is considered the beginning of the second half of the Trails storyline. It also features a new and improved battle system, allowing battles to take place seamlessly in the open world, a series first.
Also, for the first time in a while, this game marks a great starting point for new fans or players who want to give the series a try, as knowledge of previous entries is not entirely necessary to enjoy the game.
