The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie Review - Screenshot 1 of 6
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

Movement is such an integral part of the Trails/Kiseki series – both in a literal and figurative sense. The focus on transportation, walking, and familiarising yourself with the geography and inhabitants of Zemuria is paired with moments of political navigation, those who refuse to move on, and people growing from their mistakes. And after the events of Trails of Cold Steel IV, there’s a lot of movement – people are trying to move on from the events of five months ago.

In The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie, there’s plenty of player movement – moving between characters and stories – coupled with the aftermath of the Great Twilight. While recovery is slow and change is imminent in the Erebonian Empire, the state of Crossbell is at last reclaiming its independence. These are two nations in flux, moving on from the past. But there are new forces that threaten to disrupt this new chapter for Zemuria. This results in a solid and unconventional entry in the Trails series, albeit one that feels like a bit of a cheap excuse to get all of your favourite characters together.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie Review - Screenshot 2 of 6
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

In many ways, Trails into Reverie feels like a slamming down of the brakes after the 100+ hour gauntlet of intensity that is Cold Steel IV. Reverie is a relatively brisk 45-hour affair, and the game is also a lot more heavily structured. You follow three different story arcs between three different protagonists: Lloyd Bannings, head of the SSS and the lead of Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure; Rean Schwarzer, Instructor at Thors Branch Campus and protagonist of the Cold Steel saga; and the mysterious ‘C’, a brand new character. You can swap between these stories whenever you want through the ‘Trails to Walk’ system; sometimes you’re forced to swap to another character or finish another route.

We love this approach – it helps split attention between the cast much more evenly, though there are still way too many characters who barely get a look in. But it also helps in making this one of the tightest adventures in the franchise to date: there’s very little filler and the game feels more digestible as a result, even with all of the barriers to entry this tenth Trails game has to get over.

However, the individual arcs are in no way equal. Lloyd’s route, which focuses on the SSS in Crossbell as they continue to fight for independence, feels like a diet version of Trails to Azure. We adore the SSS, but yet again it’s about Crossbell’s freedom being snatched from its grasp. Rean’s story was the one we were most worried about, and while it does a good job of exploring his personal struggles after his role in the Great Twilight, did we really need another story about Rean? That route also features probably the worst chapter in the game.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie Review - Screenshot 3 of 6
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

C’s arc, however, is extremely good. Focusing on four new characters – C himself, Swin and Nadia (two former assassins), and a talking doll called Lapis – there’s never quite been a playable cast like this quartet. These are all criminals who grow and change each other and their perspectives on the world for the better, all with plenty of teasing. We would’ve taken an entire game focusing on these four in a heartbeat, and they bring a fresh dynamic to the franchise.

While there is very little filler in Trails into Reverie itself, the three storylines are all linked by one overarching plot thread, which ironically feels like filler in the wider Trails storyline. There are a few small carrots that are dangled in front of you, hinting at the series’ future in Calvard and the events of Kuro no Kiseki. But Reverie largely feels like a convenient way to gather over 50 characters together for a second song.

The game is pretty fun to play, though. Reverie still essentially has the same turn-based battle system as its direct predecessor, with Brave Orders, Rushes, and Bursts all returning. The goal is still to break enemies and then throw out tons of hard-hitting Arts and Crafts, and we enjoy nothing more than snapping Trails’ combat system in half and dishing out hundreds of thousands worth of damage.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie Review - Screenshot 4 of 6
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

The newest feature comes in the form of United Fronts. Using the Assault Gauge, you can spend points to get your entire party together (both in the battle and in reserve) to either attack with physical moves, or magic, or heal the party in one big motion. It also recovers Bravery Points, used for Brave Orders and follow-up attacks. It’s fantastic in a pinch and adds an extra layer of strategy to battle.

You can play around with the game’s combat to your heart’s content in the True Reverie Corridor, an extradimensional dungeon and hub. In the hub, you can spend Reverie Points to upgrade your Brave Points or Assault Gauge, unlock other features, play minigames, buy new equipment, or view Memories, additional cutscenes that add some flavour to the game’s main story and fill the gap between Cold Steel IV and Reverie.

The dungeon portion is where the magic lies, though. The floors in the dungeon are randomised and give you monsters to fight, treasures to uncover, and Orbs to take back to unlock Memories, minigames, equipment, and new characters. We spent hours here exploring, reshuffling, and working towards upgrading our favourite characters and kitting them out with the best gear – with the snappy battle system and the host of combat options on offer, it allows you to experience the pure joy of Revere’s gameplay, uninterrupted. It was hard for us to put down – particularly with the promise of creating the ultimate team, and in the post-game.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie Review - Screenshot 5 of 6
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

The Memories are the core draw here – the characters and world are what make Trails what it is. If you’ve played the PC-exclusive Trails in the Sky the 3rd, these are similar to the Memory Doors, but none of the Memories hit the same highs. Most are just fun little stories following different groups of characters prior to the events of Reverie. Some have gameplay elements, while others are just pure exposition. A few do give a taste of what’s to come in Kuro no Kiseki, and some put a smile on our faces, but these felt of little consequence.

If you’re not a fan of tinkering with loadouts, then it’s worth noting the amount of tinkering you have to do in Trails into Reverie. Given that there are over 50 playable characters and the number of times you switch between stories and parties, you’ll have to constantly equip, unequip, swap, and shuffle gear and party members — even if you eventually settle on a 'best' team, because you’ll be jumping between stories and as some Reverie Corridor fights force you to use a randomised party. It’s a level of micromanagement that’s fun when you have a party of ten, perhaps, but when it’s 50, it’s pretty overwhelming and can take 15-20 minutes to settle on a setup.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie Review - Screenshot 6 of 6
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

Visually, Trails into Reverie is similar to Cold Steel IV, which makes sense given that it was the last game Falcom developed using the PhyreEngine. However, some of the action scenes are a step up with some brilliantly choreographed fights, one in particular acting as a showcase for the new engine used in Kuro no Kiseki onwards. Couple these moments with the always-solid soundtrack from Falcom Sound Team jdk, and the epic fight scenes help to lift the game’s overall narrative.

The Switch port, however, struggles in the performance department. In dungeons and quiet towns, Trails into Reverie runs smoothly and consistently. However, in locations such as Heimdallr, or anywhere in Crossbell, the game lags considerably, to the point where it affects button inputs. This occurred whether the Switch was docked, undocked, in fast-forward mode, or played at regular speeds, and it really dampens some of the more epic moments in the game. We hope patches will smooth all of this out later down the line.

Trails into Reverie moves in lots of different directions, and in many ways, it's one of the most refreshing games in the series. It’s also impenetrable if you haven’t completed the Crossbell or Cold Steel games, requiring hundreds of hours of knowledge and gameplay in order to even comprehend what’s happening. But if you’re a series fan, then even as filler, it’s an enjoyable ride.

Conclusion

Capping off the Crossbell and Cold Steel arcs with a nice little bow, The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie hits some high highs – such as with C and the True Reverie Corridor – and when it does, it's an RPG fan’s paradise. But as an overall package, it feels like an easy excuse to get a huge number of characters together rather than do something meaningful with them. It’s far from the series’ best, but fans will find a lot to love here, even if we'd recommend seeking it out on another platform for the best experience, or waiting for a patch.

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie - Deluxe Edition
The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie - Deluxe Edition

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