Since I reviewed Trails Into Cold Steel II, I have been on an RPG crusade to play all the games in the Trails series. Zemuria is an incredibly well-constructed world with history and political intrigue. While starting as familiar tropes, the characters break those molds and become truly memorable. Further enhanced by an ever-evolving combat system and consistently excellent music, you have a formula for something exceptional. Trails in the Sky plants the roots for many things to come. Zero and Azure further refined what came before and told another compelling narrative. And Cold Steel brought the series into further advancements in its mechanics and presentation. If there is one obvious weakness, it is that Cold Steel IV leaves some key things ambiguous. Fans, including myself, have patiently awaited the next installment to the West. The time has finally come upon us. Being the 9th entry in the series, The Legend of Heroes, Trails into Reverie has the task of bringing all the sagas together and giving it a closing before moving on to new stories. After spending over 60 hours mostly focusing on the story, I was quite happy with how Falcom brings everything together.
 This is a completely spoiler-free review. As one of the core aspects of this franchise is its dedicated narrative, I will only be discussing the story in broader terms, such as execution and cohesion. Please Enjoy!
Shortly after Cold Steel IV’s end, we are dropped right into the action in typical Trails fashion. The player reunites with Lloyd and the SSS. All things seem to be on the upswing for the crew and Crossbell. However, in a gut-wrenching twist, Crosbell is again thrown into a conflict that throws Llloyd and the team into dire straits. Meanwhile, Rean and Class VII begin to solve a new mystery that is unraveling that threatens to reignite conflict around the continent as a whole. We then cut to two new Characters, Nadia and Swin, who are on a mission to deliver a package to an unknown benefactor. While traveling to their destination, they are assaulted on the road, where they are rescued by a masked figure named “C.” After realizing that the cargo belongs to C, they open the box to reveal a life-like doll named Lapis. Lapis does not know what purpose she was created for, and her memories are missing. The new motley crew begins to work under C to achieve his goals and help Lapis recover her memory. Based on the story, Trails Into Reverie has a lot happening simultaneously in different parts of the world.Â
Trails into Reverie’s biggest shake-up are its narrative presentation and The Reverie Corridor. We are given three routes to follow after the prologues that serve as the tutorial. A Player has the choices of Rean for Class VII, Lloyd for the SSS, and the mysterious “C.” This is where the “Trails to Walk” system comes into play. At any time, you can switch between the three routes to continue progress in each story. You will need to change occasionally between the three as you make a certain amount of progress. You can also access the Corridor to train your characters almost anytime, thus allowing you to keep your teams consistent in strength. Reverie has a BONKERS amount of playable characters. By splitting up the characters into individual routes, they can participate in the story as a whole, even if many characters are just there for the sake of it. I was worried I couldn’t keep the characters I wasn’t using viable. Thankfully again, The True Reverie Corridor was there when I felt I needed to train. By exploring the randomized dungeons, I collected Orbs that function as currency, which back at the hub could be used to get additional items and Characters not directly related to the story. It also has a Gacha-like system that can be used to get magic quartz and useable items and unlock side stories called memories.
This is also how Reverie handles its side and post-game content. Reverie provides four optional games. Returning from previous entries are POMPOM Party and the strategy card game Vantage Masters. As a former Yu-Gi-Oh player, I am still amazed at how much I enjoyed playing Vantage Masters. The newer additions are games called Beachside Vay-Cay, Magical Alisa LS, Who Wants to be a Mirannaire and Project Tyrfang. Beachside Vay-cay gives you a lite dating simulator; Magical Alisa is a side story featuring Rean and the female members of Class VII as magical girls defeating evil. Who Wants to be a Mirainaire Is a quiz game with trivia that covers the whole series. And Project Tyrfang is a third-person shooter. The Tyrfang mini-game reminds me of a less mobile Armored Core, and I would be fascinated to see what Falcom could do with this game style in the future. I plan on digging more into the mini-games later, but one thing is clear, Reverie is a loaded game.
Like previous entries, Reverie maintains a mix of cutscenes, voiced and non-voiced dialogue segments, exploration, and combat. We are again treated to a well-done localization and voice performances courtesy of NIS America. This makes the story, combat, and smaller character interactions delightful. While with Reverie, I felt the soundtrack was not as good as its predecessors. Falcom games are well known for their excellent soundtracks. However, while still quite good, Reverie falls short of the usually high bar set by the sound team. The music has a lot of variety: Multiple battle themes, encounter-specific themes, and some great dungeon tracks. I feel that quantity doesn’t equal quality in this case.Â
Personal character growth moments among the protagonists have already been resolved in their respective games. The retread is unnecessary. But, thanks again to solid voice performances and writing; these moments don’t lose weight. I’ve grown to love this huge cast of heroes, but I have to admit I enjoyed C’s route the most. Given the usual scale of Trail’s stories, there are grand implications that didn’t feel excessive or too indulgent. Despite having a dark implied past, I’m grateful that Nadia and Swin weren’t some over-the-top edge lords. And I grew to love Lapis; her cute design and personality won me almost instantly. C’s design is rather awesome, and I loved unraveling the mystery behind his goals and origins. They’re all great additions to the series, and I hope to see more.
There is plenty to enjoy between the three separate but connected stories, the usual stellar combat, the inclusion of The True Reverie Corridor, and all of the side games. Trails into Reverie isn’t perfect, but it’s still an excellent closing to the Erebonia Arc of the series. I enjoyed my time with Reverie, and now I can’t wait to see what Falcom has in store when the Kuro arc drops.
