Author: Ray McGill
[An updated classic that should have come West]
I think it was this 2015 article from Kotaku that first got me interested in The Legend of Heroes series. Jason Schreier sold it as an RPG for people who like to read, and it piqued my interest with that. Boy did it deliver, as a PSP game with a simple, but compelling story and a battle system that was easy at first, but layered depth as the game went on. It was not a perfect game, and it can lean into some problematic tropes as anime-style things can often do, but this was a great jumping-off point to a series that is now spanning I think 11 games in a series of separate, but connected story arcs.
The Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky FC Evolution
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Publisher:Nihon Falcom
Release Date: June 11, 2015 Japan only
The series is finally getting its due in the West with the missing Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure finally coming this way, as well as the great Trails of Cold Steel series being given the attention and advertising it deserved. The Trails in the Sky series got a second life as well, being ported over to the PC, so they are not orphaned as PSP games on the Vita. The third entry even got to make its debut on the PC in America. While I am elated that the games have come here, and we have more coming, I can’t help feeling we’re not getting the best versions of them. This feeling comes from being able to get my hands on the Vita port of the first Trails in the Sky entry: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC Evolution.
Released in 2015 to Japan and other Asian territories, FC Evolution (FC stands for “First Chapter”) brings a host of tweaks to a game that was eminently playable already. These changes are quality of life changes that draw in some additions seen in later games. The biggest change a series veteran will notice, however, is that the character portraits are completely redrawn. Everyone has softer lines to them, putting character designs more in line with everything that comes after. Trails in the Sky had more of an older-anime feel to it, and while the updates may come down to matters of taste, it does deliver a more consistent look, especially for those who came in later, like Trails of Cold Steel. Also, the music has been redone, with the original tracks being offered as DLC, but the new music sounds great, I think takes good advantage of the additional power of the Vita over the PSP. Purists may choose to switch over, but there is really no reason to.
The more important changes come in how combat is initiated and flows from there. Field attacks have been added to the game, which was a hallmark seen in later entries like Trails of Cold Steel. Attacking an enemy on the field before a battle starts can confer special benefits, especially if the enemy is struck from behind. There are 4 states a battle can start in. A normal battle when the characters and enemies meet head-to-head on the field, an enemy advantage if an enemy runs any of your characters in the field from behind, a “Single-advantage” battle if you run into an enemy from behind, and lastly a “Double-advantage” battle if you strike an enemy from behind with a field attack, then run into its dazed form. The Double-Advantage confers special benefits on top of your characters getting to act first, and then again after, usually in the form of the first round conferring guaranteed critical hits. Also getting Single-Advantage, or Double-Advantage actually gives XP bonuses; Single gives 1.5x XP, and Double gives a whopping double XP. This changes the grinding curve entirely, with far fewer battles needed to feel like you’re ready to move on.
The leveling curve in general feels greatly streamlined, with the combat moving at a much more brisk pace. On top of those changes, more special turn conditions have been added to combat, many of them being cribbed off of later entries. Instead of just getting HP, EP, or CP restored to you in battle, Crafts or Arts can have their cost reduced to zero, or you can even have the opportunity to act twice in a row with one character, a status called “Rush”. This creates a totally new flow to battle, and makes the manipulation of turns all the more important. Even though you don’t want a boss character getting 10% of its HP back, even less you want it acting twice in a row, or inflicting a random status ailment. It’s an update rather than an overhaul, but it feels different enough to make you approach an older game in new ways.
Other than this, the game feels really familiar, with the story being the same, and the map layouts being identical to the original entry. The characters are still top-notch, and it is enchanting to return to these characters as you first get to meet them. It is not like finding an old piece of clothing and finding it still fits well; it is like finding that original clothing company issued a re-release of clothing you really liked, but then you find out the new one looks similar but is better made, and the designer applied lessons learned along the way.
Now it is important to note, this game was never released in English, and I am unable to read Japanese. So how did I play this? Well, there is an English patch that can be applied to a Vita. You do not need an illegal rom of the game. You can buy an import copy of the cart, or even get a code from elsewhere. However, to be able to play it in English, there are some hoops one has to jump through, as you have to modify the Vita in an easy if time-consuming process. This is the biggest crime of all, as this is the best version of an already great game. The world at large deserves this great title, and Falcom owes it to itself to show everyone what it is truly capable of. The PC ports we have are not that, and if anyone wants to follow me down this trail of madness, I’ll provide the link I used to play Trails in the Sky FC Evolution in English. I love this game, and I will continue playing the Evolution series as English patches allow. If you have the ability to score a used Vita, the time to play around with it, then try this game out, it is fantastic.
Patching Trails in the Sky FC Evolution into English