The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure, known as Ao no Kiseki[lower-alpha 1] 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
  • JP: Nihon Falcom
Director(s)Toshihiro Kondo
Producer(s)Masayuki Kato
Programmer(s)
  • Toru Endo
  • Aichiro Miyata
  • Katsuya Horimoto
Artist(s)Katsumi Enami
Writer(s)
  • Hisayoshi Takeiri
  • Nobuhiro Hioki
  • Yoshihiro Konda
Composer(s)
  • Hayato Sonoda
  • Takahiro Unisuga
  • Saki Momiyama
  • Masanori Osaki
SeriesTrails
Platform(s)
Release
September 29, 2011
  • PlayStation Portable
    • JP: September 29, 2011
  • Windows
    • CHN: March 28, 2013
    • NA: March 14, 2023
    • EU: March 17, 2023
    • AU: March 24, 2023
  • PlayStation Vita
    • JP: June 12, 2014
  • PlayStation 4
    • JP: May 28, 2020
    • NA: March 14, 2023
    • EU: March 17, 2023
    • AU: March 24, 2023
  • Nintendo Switch
    • AS: April 22, 2021
    • NA: March 14, 2023
    • EU: March 17, 2023
    • AU: March 24, 2023
    • JP: August 31, 2023
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

Trails to Azure was listed as one of the best upcoming games of 2011 at that year's Tokyo Game Show.[12] 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]

Notes
  1. Japanese: 英雄伝説碧の軌跡, Hepburn: The Legend of Heroes: Ao no Kiseki

References
  1. Rawda, Odel (May 6, 2020). "Why Falcom's Trails from Zero & Trails to Azure Deserve a Western Release". CBR. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  2. "Chinese Ao no Kiseki PC Release Dated for 3/28". November 12, 2012.
  3. "Legend of Heroes Ao no Kiseki Evolution's Teaser Video Posted". June 21, 2023.
  4. "A Peek At The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Blue Evolution's Anime Opening". March 27, 2014.
  5. Romano, Sal (January 31, 2020). "The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki for PS4 launch April 23 and May 28 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  6. Romano, Sal (October 29, 2020). "The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki coming to Switch on February 18, 2021 and April 22 in Asia". Gematsu. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  7. Avery, Brittany (June 5, 2015). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel - Localization Blog #1". XSEED Games Official Website. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  8. Arshad Khan, Danial (July 7, 2018). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails To Azure (Ao no Kiseki) fan translation patch released". GearNuke. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  9. "The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero coming west in fall 2022 for PS4, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  10. Romano, Sal (October 17, 2022). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure launches March 14, 2023 in North America, March 17 in Europe". Gematsu. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  11. Romano, Sal. "The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero and The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure for Switch coming to Japan on August 31". Gematsu. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  12. Toto, Serkan (September 19, 2011). "Japan Game Awards 2011 At The Tokyo Game Show: Here Are The 10 Winners". Tech Crunch. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
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