The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Spoiler-free Review

Although Joshua and Estelle's story came to a satisfying conclusion in SC, this game effortlessly continues their stories, as well as delving deeper into the stories of Kevin Graham and Ries Argent. It also explores matters of faith, love and regret with a delicacy rarely seen in the realm of games.

💌 I loved:

• The music - some of the best tunes in the Trails series can be found right here, including Cry for Me, Cry for You, and the title screen theme.
• The characters - Kevin is love, Kevin is life. Oh, and Anelace is cool too I guess.
• The combat - this aspect is the most refined and arguably the most challenging out of all the TiTS games, although the turn effects can feel a little unfairly weighted towards your enemies' advantage, even on Easy.
• The story, which has some genuine tears-inducing moments in Renne's Moon Door (not a spoiler!) and the various amusing little moments of banter between your party members, e.g. Olivier and his pervy creeper ways! The party members' and NPCs' constant banging on about the goddess Aidios and how wonderful she is do get a bit grating though - the only people that seem to have any sort of criticism or issue with the church are the villains! What gives?

😕I was ambivalent about:

• The reused areas from FC & SC - although these are justified by the narrative, it can be a little dull to trek through so many dungeons from previous games, particularly when the developers apparently couldn't be bothered to do anything more than reverse the map or add a few glowing barriers. At least these areas don't overstay their welcome (for the most part), and there are a couple of new dungeons, albeit basic ones.

💩I disliked:

• Not being able to change the difficulty mid-game - why tho Falcom? I can understand this sort of nonsense in MMORPGs and other online games, but in a single player game? No. Just no. This is exactly why I stick with Easy mode in all Trails games.
• The overly random nature of the fishing and gambling mini-games - because screw you fishing lady and Gambler Jack. None of them are required to beat the main story though, and they're actually pretty fun when RNGesus isn't screwing you over.

OVERALL: A must-play JRPG for those that liked or even loved TiTS FC & SC, and a shining example of how to do a moving, thoughtful narrative right.

You can buy this game from GOG! Do eet!

Five Awesome Story-Rich JRPGs

There is an almost overwhelming abundance of JRPGs with great narratives out there, but I'm going to list off five really memorable/worthwhile ones (in no particular order):

The Legend of Heroes:  Trails in the Sky



A modern classic, with cheerful, jazzy music, and a narrative that burns slowly at the start, but soon builds up the tension and drama.  It also has enough difficulty options (e.g. retry offset) for players of all skill levels.  Buy it from GOG.com

Shin Megami Tensei IV



A dark, somewhat brutal game, but with a fascinating, choice driven narrative of Law, Chaos and Neutrality, set against a post-apocalyptic background, and buttressed with addictive demon negotiation and fusion mechanics.  Buy it from the Nintendo eShop

Final Fantasy X



A somewhat divisive installment in the Final Fantasy series, perhaps, due to its linearity and occasionally cringeworthy acting, but still a very worthwhile JRPG experience, with a deep Sphere Grid system for character customisation, and an engaging narrative centred around faith, doubt, and duty.  Get it from the PlayStation Store (Note:  US PlayStation Store link provided)

Persona 3 Portable



A slightly stripped down, but still very worthwhile, PSP port of Persona 3, with refined game mechanics and the option of playing as a female main character, which opens up new Social Links.  A narrative themed around facing death and making the most of life is enhanced by compelling characters and a sense of urgency.  This article goes into the game's narrative a bit further.  Buy it from the PlayStation Store

Costume Quest



Technically not a JRPG in terms of its origins, but certainly in terms of its battle mechanics and overworld.  Cute and charming as all getout (how can you not love those costumes?), and doesn't take itself seriously at all.  Plus, collecting all the Creepy Treats cards is a rabbit hole into addiction.  Buy it from GOG.com

Feel free to comment below - give your thoughts on my choices, or even your picks for great JRPGs.