The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie Preview – This One’s For the Fans

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie is, for all intents and purposes, a game meant for fans who have followed these characters across three sagas and nine total games. It’s not exactly beginner friendly by any means, and that’s putting it mildly. Still, that identity, crafted by a rich history, is Reverie’s greatest strength.

With Trails into Reverie finally getting a Western release, there are plenty of familiar systems that can be found from a gameplay standpoint, though there are still new elements to take note of. For one, Reverie will, perhaps ironically, be the first time all of Crossbell’s cast will be voiced in English. After all, the Crossbell duology( Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure) was voiced entirely in Japanese.

And while a few of those characters appeared in the Trails of Cold Steel saga, it was only a fraction of the cast. Now, with the likes of Wazy (voiced by Griffin Burns), Noel (voiced by Abby Trott), Arios (voiced by Yong Yea), and many other Crossbell residents receiving this treatment, we’ll finally see this region in the same localized capacity as the rest of the series.

This reunion, both new and old, is significantly bolstered by the True Reverie Corridor, a locale highly reminiscent of Phantasma from Trails in the Sky the 3rd. Also, just like in that release, which was partially a reunion game in its own right, Trails into Reverie utilizes this area to emphasize and highlight character backstories and relationships.

As you explore this continually evolving dungeon, you’ll stumble upon various resources, eventually enabling you to view lengthy character episodes from various points in the series timeline. From events implied to have occurred offscreen to introspective deep dives, fans who have kept up with the games since their collective inception will get the most out of them. Despite their optional nature, they’re undeniably pivotal to watch as they will provide long-sought-after closure before we eventually make our way to Calvard in the near future in whatever Kuro no Kiseki’s English name is.

What makes Trails into Reverie more impressive, though, is how the character episodes aren’t even the crux of the experience. There’s an entirely original story here, uniting previous saga characters that continues and concludes several mini-arcs and conflicts.

Of course, I can’t say much, but what I can confirm, which is self-explanatory at this point, is that this narrative is really meant for those who have followed the Zemurian continent’s developments over the past decade and then some. In fact, this is true to such an extent that players who have already gone through Reverie half-jokingly refer to it as “Crossbell III” or “Cold Steel V” because the connectivity is just that constantly evident. So, if none of that made sense to you, you’re probably not at the right place in this series to jump in here and should check out the other games first.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie is a very particular game that easily has the potential to be your game of the year if your Trails’ history hits all the required boxes. If you’ve missed a game or two, I highly recommend going through them first. However, if you are fully caught up with the past nine titles, then brace for grown relationships and reunions that will be memorable for lifetimes.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on July 7, 2023.