The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure, known as Ao no Kiseki[a] in Japan, is a 2011 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes series. Trails to Azure serves as a sequel to Trails from Zero (2010), forming the second and final part of the series' "Crossbell arc".
| The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Nihon Falcom |
| Publisher(s) | NIS America
|
| Director(s) | Toshihiro Kondo |
| Producer(s) | Masayuki Kato |
| Programmer(s) |
|
| Artist(s) | Katsumi Enami |
| Writer(s) |
|
| Composer(s) |
|
| Series | Trails |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | September 29, 2011 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Trails to Azure released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable in 2011 with no release outside of Asia until 2023, when it was published by NIS America for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. The English release was based upon the work of a fan translation.
Plot
Trails to Azure is set a few months after the ending of Trails from Zero. The Special Support Section (SSS) are joined by new recruits – the Army sergeant major Noel Seeker and the former gang leader Wazy Hemisphere.
Again, unscrupulous figures seek to use KeA as the sept-terrion of mirage, now adopted by the SSS and taking the surname of Bannings, for their own ends. They are led by the mayor, Dieter Crois, who declares Crossbell's independence and seeks to ensure it through the powers of KeA, and his daughter Mariabell, who seeks to use KeA to rewrite history. The SSS have to brave civil unrest and occult intrusions to foil their plans. Both Dieter and Mariabell Crois are defeated, the former is arrested and the latter joins Ouroboros and KeA relinquishes her powers, but all of these events lead to Crossbell's annexation by the Erebonian Empire, which leads into events seen in the second half of the Trails of Cold Steel arc.
Release
Ao no Kiseki was released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable on September 29, 2011.[1] It was later ported to Windows for release in China on March 28, 2013.[2] It was also released for the PlayStation Vita in Japan on June 12, 2014, as Ao no Kiseki: Evolution. This version features improved visuals and more voice acting.[3][4] The Evolution version received a remaster for the PlayStation 4, releasing in Japan under the title Ao no Kiseki Kai on May 28, 2020.[5] It was also released for the Nintendo Switch in China and South Korea by Clouded Leopard Entertainment on April 22, 2021.[6]
Trails to Azure and its prequel, Trails from Zero, were not localized in English by the time of the Japanese release of Trails of Cold Steel in 2013. Falcom subsequently approached Xseed Games, who had previously localized Trails in the Sky, and requested that a localization of Trails of Cold Steel be prioritized instead, resulting in Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure being skipped.[7] An English fan translation was released in 2018,[8] with another one by a team known as the "Geofront" released in May 2021. Geofront's release would serve as the foundation for an official English version by NIS America for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Windows, released in March 2023 in North America, Europe and Australasia.[9][10] That version was also released in Japan for the Switch by Falcom on August 31, 2023.[11]
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PC) 86/100[12] (PS4) 81/100[13] (NS) 86/100[14] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 8.5/10[15] |
| Eurogamer | Recommended[16] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4/5[17] |
| Push Square | 9/10[18] |
| RPGamer | 4/5[19] |
Trails to Azure received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[12][13][14]
The game was listed as one of the best upcoming games of 2011 at that year's Tokyo Game Show.[20] Along with Trails from Zero, Comic Book Resources highlighted the game's "persistent overarching storyline, immersive and detailed settings, masterful character development [and] unique battle system". They noted that despite the lack of an official localization at the time, the plot and characters were integral to understanding later games in the series.[1]