Topic: The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure (Switch 2) Review Mini

[riskman64]

You already took my damn money. Do you need to take it again?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewmini/77072/the-legend-of-heroes-trails-to-azure-switch-2-review-mini

The Crossbell Duology portion of the rapidly more popular Trails franchise of RPGs comprises Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure. We reviewed both games in 2022/23 when they first came to Switch, respectively, and four (and three) years later we are getting Switch 2 versions of the pair. You can find our Trails from Zero review here, and our Trails to Azure review here. If you’re looking for more of a focus on story and mechanics, you’ll find that in the aforementioned Switch reviews. Those elements are effectively unchanged in the Switch 2 release. What’s new are impressive performance and visuals that make Nintendo’s latest platform the best place to play these two charming, if smaller-scale, RPGs. What’s annoying, though, is how these two Crossbell games are being sold.

To get an important caveat out of the way upfront, it’s required reading that you play Trails from Zero before (ideally in close proximity to) Trails to Azure. The latter follows up directly on the former, and there’s definitely something lost if you have forgotten some of the story beats, characters, and interactions from the first game when you finally get to the second. Because it had been some time (and with many RPGs in particular in between), I did feel that my enjoyment of Trails to Azure was a bit tempered, and I wished that I had had less of a gap between the two games to improve the experience.

There are a few odd features of the Switch 2 release, and one particular frustrating choice that we’re seeing far too often. If you want to download them, Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure are being sold separately on the eShop; there’s no digital bundle with the two games. This is a major bummer given how much more enjoyable they are when played one after the other. Physically, there is only a bundle that contains the two games, but that’s on a game-key card, which regularly draws the ire of collectors and even casual fans. Worse than that, in my view, is the fact that we have another Switch 2 version without any upgrade path. Folks who purchased Trails to Azure on the original Switch when it came to the platform in 2023 have no recourse but to purchase the same game for (at the time of review) the same price. Ironically, you can actually import save data from the previous gen Trails from Zero to yield some new conversations and dialogue in Azure. It’s a shame, too, since the Switch 2 allows the game to reach 120 FPS or 4K resolution, both of which really took my breath away when I saw them in action. There’s also mouse mode controls if you’re so inclined.

Trails from Azure is a worthy bookend to the Crossbell saga, and there’s no doubt that being able to go on another adventure with hero Lloyd Bannings at the forefront makes for a delightful time. That being said, I can’t overlook the disservice that these types of Switch 2 releases are doing to fans who supported an at-the-time more niche RPG franchise. Yes, the Trails in the Sky FC remake has shone the spotlight on the modern Legend of Heroes titles, but let's throw a bone to the players who were there first. I’ll dig my heels in against an all-digital future without upgrade options as we move from one console to the next.