I think it's safe to say the past few days have been incredibly emotional for me. Things have been exciting and in many ways wonderful, but I have also experienced a great deal of anxiety as a result. Because of the things that have been going on in my life, I feel like I've been experiencing just about everything more keenly. Everything seems to pack a greater emotional punch than perhaps it would under normal circumstances. I've been revisiting some of my favorite music and dabbling in some new stuff and really connecting with music on a level that I haven't in some time. I've also just finished The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky some two months and change after starting it and find myself blown away by how my reaction to the game has evolved over the course of its playtime.
Trails in the Sky is a PSP (and PC) RPG developed by Nihon Falcom, the company I'm led to believe is also responsible for the Ys series of games, none of which I've yet played. Trails in particular seems to be a labor of love as the level of detail in the dialogue is extensive. Based on what I've read, the North American localization team found themselves saddled with a tremendous workload in sifting through the colossal script and translating it to English. I've only recently learned that this team (XSeed, I want to say) have taken on what must be an equally monumental task of translating Trails in the Sky Second Chapter, which predictably picks up right where this one leaves off. Having just completed the game, I can scarcely wait for the sequel's North American release.
The bulk of Trails proceeds in a very low-key fashion as main characters Estelle and Joshua travel between the various cities of the nation of Liberl, completing tasks (mundane and otherwise) posted on the local mission boards in pursuit of their training as bracers. Bracers could be described as mercenaries for hire, but are also often tasked with jobs not requiring combat in any way. In order to be considered full bracers, Estelle and Joshua, children of legendary S-class bracer, Cassius Bright, must travel to the five cities of Liberl and attain letters of recommendation after proving their worth. Of course, as is so often the case, there's a more complex plot lurking beneath the surface, but there are only hints of what may be to come early on in the game.
Estelle and Joshua find themselves coming into contact with a variety of different characters in their travels over the span of a remarkably long playtime. For me, I finished at right around fifty hours after having been reasonably thorough completing sidequests. I didn't do every single one, but I did all the ones I felt I could realistically accomplish at the time without sacrificing a lot of time. I almost wonder if I would have enjoyed the middle sections of the game more if I'd skipped more of those sidequests. I found myself much more drawn into the arc of the game by the time I hit the fifth and final city of Liberl and was pulled directly into the main plot. The number of available sidequests during this part of the game dwindled dramatically and I think the game's pace improved for it.
For a sizable portion of the game, Trails in the Sky feels very much like a slice-of-life anime about the hijinks of a couple of teenagers who can't seem to locate their father, but as more and more details about these characters emerge, the tone becomes more serious and the plot comes to the forefront. I really enjoyed the contrast because it went a long way toward fleshing out the principle characters--even if a few of the companions encountered along the way might not feel as three-dimensional. I couldn't help but be reminded of the format of the anime Full Metal Panic, which begins very light and comedic before the layers are peeled back and the plot comes to the forefront. I could definitely draw a couple of parallels between Sousuke Sagara and Joshua.
Of course, while I did enjoy Trails in the Sky's ending, it did leave a lot of loose ends to be tied up. There's still a lot I'd like to know about Joshua and what Estelle is going to do in the wake of the events of the ending. I'm really hoping the Second Chapter localization doesn't get stuck in development hell, because I'm really looking forward to playing it.
