Amazing. Truly amazing.
This first entry in the Crossbell duology doesn't have to hide at all behind its liberlian predecessors. I fell in love with all the characters of the Sky trilogy, but getting accustomed to this new cast happened in basically no time. Doesn't mean you won't see any known faces around ;)

Crossbell is a small country, and when I crossed basically the whole map by chapter 1, I was worried that the game would run out of locations for its long playtime. But worry not, there are still more than enough locations left to explore for Trails to Azure ;)

If you didn't play the Sky trilogy, you can technically start with this game, as it is a new story arc with only a few links and unspoilery callbacks to the predecessor. However, these few links will hit much harder if you know the previous story. And the Sky games are truly awesome as well, so GO PLAY THEM ALREADY!

Never heard of Trails before? Read this:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is the fourth entry in the long-running Trails (or "Kiseki") franchise and builds upon the events and gameplay of its predecessors. Unlike other popular JRPG franchises such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, Trails games all take place on the same continent and have one continuous overarching plot. While each arc tells a seperate story, events from one game have consequences for future titles and old characters reappear.

You can theoretically begin with any game in the series, but I highly recommend playing the games in release order.
Trails from Zero partly spoils events from the first three games and concludes character arcs that began in that trilogy. The games themselves are also very good and are worth a playthrough.

• Did you enjoy the Sky trilogy? Yes? Then play Zero. You'll feel right at home since Zero plays and looks exactly like Sky.
  Combat, story structure and quest design are virtually unchanged. There are new turn bonuses, new Quartz, new (combo) crafts and naturally, new crytpic and permanent missables that you won't find unless you're using a guide! I told you, you're going to feel as if you've never left Liberl.
  
  
• At first, I had a hard time warming up to the Special Support Section and Crossbell State, the new setting. Was it the lack of a certain twintailed Bracer? Who knows. By the time the end credits rolled, however, I didn't want to part with Lloyd, Elie, Tio, Randy and all the endearingly eccentric NPCs of this buzzing city state. While Sky had select standout characters like Olivier, Kevin and Estelle who all were peak entertainment, I feel as though the Special Support Section had the better overall group dynamic.
  The story also took an unexpected direction when things picked up, which was especially interesting after the events that took place during Sky. Can't wait to jump into Azure after a short break.
  
  
• On normal difficulty, I found the game easier than Sky FC. Losing fights is very uncommon, especially if you approach field enemies using back attacks. Bosses are on the easier side as well, the only somewhat troublesome encounters are the final bosses and optional chest / quest encounters, but even those can be overcome with little challenge as long as you come prepared.

Conclusion:

All in all, Trails from Zero is a worthy successor to the Sky Trilogy. While the gameplay is essentially the same as the previous games, the new cast and setting help to keep things fresh and exciting. The bar has been set very high and I am very curious to see how things will unfold in Azure.

The forth game of the Legend of Heroes Series, an absolutely great game with the introduction of a new arc. I really liked the new cast and the rest of the characters in this game. Moreover, I really like the different approach of building the story and characters. although it was not 100% similar the sky's storytelling but it shined on just like the previous games.

I was not fond of the new battle UI, but it was nice change and i got adapted to it eventually. There is a lot of quality of life features that were not in sky arc, and made the game more smooth and enjoyable to play. I do not recommend starting with this game as the entry game for the Legend of Heroes series, because most of the build up that happened in the prior games is clearly on an effect when you go through the story of this game.

Really great game.

One of the best JRPGs of all time

MATERPIECE THEY WRITERS KNOW WHAT THEY DOING

We love trails