As the format of the 3rd was becoming clear to me during the first few hours of gameplay, I wasn't sure how well my interest would hold up. The strength of the series has always been within the boundaries of storytelling, characterization, and world-building. I wasn't sure how well that would translate to sectioned off zones through enumerable doors divorced from the rest of the game. While the combat and primary gameplay mechanics in the trilogy have been functional, I wasn't sure they could carry the game on their own.

Getting right to the meat of the game,The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd( 英雄伝説 空の軌跡) is a remaster of the original PSP and Windows game. Of the things remastered, the primary thing is texture resolution, and lighting.

The textures look amazing, along with the new lighting style. This is something I think everyone can get behind, but I'm sure it will put some people off. Colors are more distinct and crisp. Playing the steam ver and PSP version side-by-side, one of the biggest differences is the lighting. Almost all of the textures are upgraded, but the lighting will really catch your eye. The game is a lot brighter than the original. I don't know if this is because of the PSP screen or not, but I tend to think it's a much better looking game because of it.

When a lot of the primary progression of the game involves trekking through dungeons that are, for the most part, fairly straightforward, having a high level of input over your team composition and strategy is fairly engaging. I often found myself swapping characters in and out of party not out of obligation, but out of interest.

Even on the normal difficulty mode, some of the battles presented in the main game involved a level of strategy that I didn't really encounter in the earlier entries; it often didn't stretch beyond utilizing elemental weaknesses and abusing S-crafts. While the 3rd could be similarly trivialized on a lower difficulty level or through copious level-grinding, I feel that it did not succumb to this weakness to the same extent.

Battles play out very similar to what players would have seen in FC and SC, except now you get to create your own dream party and use some of their awesome Crafts: if you enjoyed the battle system in the previous two games, then you’ll enjoy this one. Even though it’s just more of the same, playing the game with new characters gives a pretty fresh feeling and I never felt bored.

-The Pros-
+Additional depth/detail to every main character in the Sky Trilogy.
+Additional depth/detail to the world of West Zemuria.
+A lot of foreshadowing to future installments (Zero, Azure, Cold Steel)

+The Cons+
-Not Voice or Dub
(the difference between this and the PS VITA remaster versions, is that this one is now fully voiced on major scenarios, new visual arts, musics were fully arranged, and changes on the game balance)
-Game still have Glitch and some bugs
-Did Not Auto detect controller while starting the game(have to turn on from game settings)

Neutral
=Not The PS Vita Remaster Version

PS VITA VERSION (THE THING I WANT IT BADLY ON STEAM VERSION)
They've added more combat turn bonuses. Zero Arts and Zero Crafts allows you to use a craft or art at a cost of 0 EP or CP respectively. They also added a Rush bonus that makes your first attack give a delay of 0, which means you can get a free turn right after.

Another addition to combat they've added is the ability to hit enemies before engaging them. Like a lot of games where you have to actually run into enemies to start a random battle, you can now press O to attack them. Hitting from the front immobilizes them, and hitting them from the back stuns them, granting bonus XP at the end of the fight.

Something more hardcore players might dislike is the changes to combat, which I think will make the game overall a lot easier. I'm not far into it, but leveling will be faster cause of the 2x XP Bonus from stunned back attacks (which you can choose not to use), fights will be easier due to Zero Arts and Zero Crafts (free arts and free crafts are crazy), and Rush giving you free basic attacks.



-Conclusion-
If you haven't played the original, Trails in the Sky is a sub-series in the Legend of Heroes series, featuring its own unique world and characters. It is a classic JRPG with a large focus on story and characters and turn-based combat. The combat is more of a mix of classic JRPG random encounters with some isometric strategy game elements.

The combat is enjoyable, it allows for decent customization for all of your characters, and it offers some pretty decent challenge. Characters have their own special abilities, and they have a orbments which allow you to equip various amounts of special orbs that give special abilities based on the elements of those orbs. Lots of mix and match opportunities.

My Verdict 4/5
If you liked the first Legend Of Heroes game then this evolution is a must have addition to your collection. sadly we are not getting PS VITA remaster version which is partially voice and improve in game battle animation.

NOTE:MY 3RD TIME BUYING THIS GAME, I HAVE THE PSP VERSION, PS VITA REMASTER VERSION ( R4 asia version) and now this PC STEAM
xxxx Do Not Compare This To Vita Version xxxx

As the format of the 3rd was becoming clear to me during the first few hours of gameplay, I wasn't sure how well my interest would hold up. The strength of the series has always been within the boundaries of storytelling, characterization, and world-building. I wasn't sure how well that would translate to sectioned off zones through enumerable doors divorced from the rest of the game. While the combat and primary gameplay mechanics in the trilogy have been functional, I wasn't sure they could carry the game on their own. Getting right to the meat of the game,The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd( 英雄伝説 空の軌跡) is a remaster of the original PSP and Windows game. Of the things remastered, the primary thing is texture resolution, and lighting. The textures look amazing, along with the new lighting style. This is something I think everyone can get behind, but I'm sure it will put some people off. Colors are more distinct and crisp. Playing the steam ver and PSP version side-by-side, one of the biggest differences is the lighting. Almost all of the textures are upgraded, but the lighting will really catch your eye. The game is a lot brighter than the original. I don't know if this is because of the PSP screen or not, but I tend to think it's a much better looking game because of it. When a lot of the primary progression of the game involves trekking through dungeons that are, for the most part, fairly straightforward, having a high level of input over your team composition and strategy is fairly engaging. I often found myself swapping characters in and out of party not out of obligation, but out of interest. Even on the normal difficulty mode, some of the battles presented in the main game involved a level of strategy that I didn't really encounter in the earlier entries; it often didn't stretch beyond utilizing elemental weaknesses and abusing S-crafts. While the 3rd could be similarly trivialized on a lower difficulty level or through copious level-grinding, I feel that it did not succumb to this weakness to the same extent. Battles play out very similar to what players would have seen in FC and SC, except now you get to create your own dream party and use some of their awesome Crafts: if you enjoyed the battle system in the previous two games, then you’ll enjoy this one. Even though it’s just more of the same, playing the game with new characters gives a pretty fresh feeling and I never felt bored. -The Pros- +Additional depth/detail to every main character in the Sky Trilogy. +Additional depth/detail to the world of West Zemuria. +A lot of foreshadowing to future installments (Zero, Azure, Cold Steel) +The Cons+ -Not Voice or Dub (the difference between this and the PS VITA remaster versions, is that this one is now fully voiced on major scenarios, new visual arts, musics were fully arranged, and changes on the game balance) -Game still have Glitch and some bugs -Did Not Auto detect controller while starting the game(have to turn on from game settings) Neutral =Not The PS Vita Remaster Version PS VITA VERSION (THE THING I WANT IT BADLY ON STEAM VERSION) They've added more combat turn bonuses. Zero Arts and Zero Crafts allows you to use a craft or art at a cost of 0 EP or CP respectively. They also added a Rush bonus that makes your first attack give a delay of 0, which means you can get a free turn right after. Another addition to combat they've added is the ability to hit enemies before engaging them. Like a lot of games where you have to actually run into enemies to start a random battle, you can now press O to attack them. Hitting from the front immobilizes them, and hitting them from the back stuns them, granting bonus XP at the end of the fight. Something more hardcore players might dislike is the changes to combat, which I think will make the game overall a lot easier. I'm not far into it, but leveling will be faster cause of the 2x XP Bonus from stunned back attacks (which you can choose not to use), fights will be easier due to Zero Arts and Zero Crafts (free arts and free crafts are crazy), and Rush giving you free basic attacks. -Conclusion- If you haven't played the original, Trails in the Sky is a sub-series in the Legend of Heroes series, featuring its own unique world and characters. It is a classic JRPG with a large focus on story and characters and turn-based combat. The combat is more of a mix of classic JRPG random encounters with some isometric strategy game elements. The combat is enjoyable, it allows for decent customization for all of your characters, and it offers some pretty decent challenge. Characters have their own special abilities, and they have a orbments which allow you to equip various amounts of special orbs that give special abilities based on the elements of those orbs. Lots of mix and match opportunities. My Verdict 4/5 If you liked the first Legend Of Heroes game then this evolution is a must have addition to your collection. sadly we are not getting PS VITA remaster version which is partially voice and improve in game battle animation. NOTE:MY 3RD TIME BUYING THIS GAME, I HAVE THE PSP VERSION, PS VITA REMASTER VERSION ( R4 asia version) and now this PC STEAM xxxx Do Not Compare This To Vita Version xxxx