To me, the Trails (Kiseki) series is the best JRPG series out there. It is unique in the fact that it has the best worldbuilding out of any game series out there. Persona, SMT, Tales, Xenoblade, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and many more are all great series, but to me, Trials is my top series. This has been my most anticipated game of the year, and I fully look forward to playing the entire remake later in the year. This remake is coming out tomorrow, but there is a demo available if you want to test out the game.
The Trials series has been an ongoing series for over 20 years, and there have been over 10 games in this series. They have done a great job of linking together previous games and building the world to be even greater. From what I have heard, the series is currently 90% complete, but one question that has always been posed to new people getting into the series is where to get started. Before, the best starting place would at the start of any arc: Liberl (Trails in the Sky), Crossbell (Trials of Zero), Erebonia (Trials of Cold Steel), or Calvard (Trials through Daybreak). All of these series have their own advantages and disadvantages, but with the release of this remake, I can say that the best start will be this remake of the very 1st game in the series.
What makes Trials Unique?
As I have stated before, I think that World Building is the strongest aspect of the Trails Series, and that comes along with its strong story. The only downside was the amount of reading that people would have to do, and the long time it takes to complete the games.
There are currently 13 games in the series so far. The English release of the last few games is not out yet, though. All of these games take place on the continent of Zemuria. Characters and terminology used from the very first game is also used in the very latest games. You only learn more about the world as you play through all the games, and I like seeing characters showing up in future arcs.
Besides this, one thing that makes Trails stands out is how they treat background NPCs. These NPCs can branch across games, and their dialogue is also updated as you progress through the story. This can hint towards side-quests, and other issues that can happen in the story if you are willing to go through and talk to the NPC. One of the things that I like doing when playing the game is to talk to these NPCs, and it's amazing to see how every character can also have their own story. This makes the world feel much more alive.
Should you play this game?
I love this series, and I have played through the demo. Besides the nice updated graphics, there is alot of voice acting (something that I have always considered lacking in the series), and various quality of life features. There is now action based combat to make the fights better, but the turn based combat is still there for people to use if they prefer it. I also like the quick travel feature, and there is also almost no loading zones outside of entering buildings. This makes the world feel way more alive. The only bad thing about it is probably the fact that they redid the translation from scratch and I miss some of the previous lines.
Personally, I think this is the perfect place for people to start, but the time commitment from the game can be daunting. I believe that the time to beat the game on the original version was like 40 hours, and I believe that the remake's version is even longer at like 50-60 hours. But if you can spare the time, and you are interested in this series, then this game is the place to do it. It's the very first entry to the series. Also, there is a demo for the prologue available. It is a few hours long so you can test if you like the game, and the save file is transferable to the main game after.
Music
I thought I would mention this towards the end, but I love the music from the Trials series. I have a few of the remake's versions here, and a few from the original game or its arranged versions. As the whole game isn't out yet, some of the remake's versions of these tracks aren't out yet. These are some of the tracks that I like from the game.
Conclusion
This is the remake of the first game in the series that I love, and I am very much looking forward to the game. However, time constraints make it so I probably won't be able to play it for a while though. I am very much looking forward to this game, and this is a perfect game if you like a series with good lore and world building. I think they have done a great job of modernizing the very first game, and I like the new quality of life features they have done for the game. As I said before, there is a demo available for the prologue, and that is a few hours worth of gameplay. Try that before deciding whether or not to purchase this game if you are new to this series.
Have you ever heard of this series, and are you considering playing this game?