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The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero[a] is a 2010 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. It takes place in Crossbell, a city-state located between two great powers fighting for control over it, and follows Lloyd Bannings and his colleagues Elie MacDowell, Randy Orlando, and Tio Plato. The four form the Special Support Section, a newly formed department of the Crossbell police. The game and its 2011 sequel, Trails to Azure, form the Crossbell arc of the series.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero
Developer(s)Nihon Falcom
Publisher(s)NIS America
  • JP: Nihon Falcom
Director(s)Toshihiro Kondo
Producer(s)Masayuki Kato
Programmer(s)
  • Toru Endo
  • Homare Karusawa
  • Katsuya Horimoto
Artist(s)Katsumi Enami
Writer(s)
  • Hisayoshi Takeiri
  • Nobuhiro Hioki
  • Syuuji Nishitani
Composer(s)
  • Hayato Sonoda
  • Takahiro Unisuga
  • Saki Momiyama
  • Masanori Osaki
SeriesTrails
Platform(s)
Release
September 30, 2010
  • PlayStation Portable
    • JP: September 30, 2010
  • Windows
    • CHN: August 28, 2011
    • TW: September 10, 2011
    • JP: June 14, 2013
    • NA: September 27, 2022
    • EU: September 30, 2022
  • PlayStation Vita
    • JP: October 18, 2012
  • PlayStation 4
    • JP: April 23, 2020
    • NA: September 27, 2022
    • EU: September 30, 2022
    • AU: October 10, 2022
  • Nintendo Switch
    • AS: February 25, 2021
    • NA: September 27, 2022
    • EU: September 30, 2022
    • AU: October 10, 2022
    • JP: August 31, 2023
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Trails from Zero was first released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable before being ported to Windows for release in China in 2011. An enhanced port featuring improved visuals and additional voice acting was released for the PlayStation Vita in Japan as Zero no Kiseki: Evolution in 2012. The game received an English fan translation in 2020, which NIS America used as a base for an official version that was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows in September 2022.

Plot

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Trails from Zero is set three months after the end of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd, in the city-state of Crossbell. Uneasily situated between two great powers—the Erebonian Empire and the Calvard Republic, both of which claim sovereignty over Crossbell—the city is riven by political tensions, corruption, and organized crime.

The protagonist, Lloyd Bannings, is a rookie police detective. At the beginning, he is assigned to the Special Support Section (SSS), an odd-jobs branch of the city's police department, together with Elie MacDowell, heiress to a political dynasty, Randolph "Randy" Orlando, a laid-back ex-soldier, and Tio Plato, a young girl and electronics genius. The SSS investigate the schemes of the city's competing crime syndicates, before stumbling over the plot of the centuries-old D∴G cult to raise a young girl, known as KeA, to godhood by turning her into the "True Goddess" known as Demiourgos and through her, overthrow the continent's church and faith. The SSS defeat and arrest the cult's leaders and assume guardianship of KeA.

Development

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Trails from Zero was first released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable and was later ported to Windows for release in China in 2011.[1] It was also released for the PlayStation Vita in Japan as Zero no Kiseki: Evolution in October 2012. This version features improved visuals and more voice acting.[2] The Evolution version received a remaster for the PlayStation 4, releasing in Japan as Zero no Kiseki Kai in April 2020.[3] It was also released for the Nintendo Switch in China and South Korea by Clouded Leopard Entertainment in February 2021.[4]

Due to a variety of reasons, Trails from Zero and its sequel, Trails to Azure, were not localized outside of Japan by the time of the Japanese release of Trails of Cold Steel. 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.[5] An English fan translation was released by a team known as "Geofront" in March 2020.[6] An official English version by NIS America, using this as the base of the translation, was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows in North America and Europe in September 2022, and Australasia on October 10.[7] That version was also released in Japan for the Switch by Falcom on August 31, 2023.[8]

Reception

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Trails from Zero received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic,[9][10][11] with praise going to its story, cast of characters, combat mechanics, and music. Along with Trails to Azure, 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] Jason Schreier of Bloomberg considered the 2022 English release to be among the best games of the year.[21]

Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: 英雄伝説 零の軌跡, Hepburn: Eiyū Densetsu: Zero no Kiseki

References

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  1. ^ a b Rawda, Odel (May 6, 2020). "Why Falcom's Trails from Zero & Trails to Azure Deserve a Western Release". CBR. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  2. ^ ""Zero no Kiseki: Evolution" for(PS Vita)". Falcom. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  3. ^ 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. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  4. ^ Romano, Sal (February 2021). "The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki for Switch delayed to February 25 in Asia". Gematsu. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Avery, Brittany (June 5, 2015). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel - Localization Blog #1". XSEED Games Official Website. Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  6. ^ Romano, Sal (March 9, 2020). "The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki PC fan translation mod launches March 14". Gematsu. Archived from the original on March 15, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  7. ^ Romano, Sal (March 2, 2022). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero launches September 27 in North America, September 30 in Europe". Gematsu. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  8. ^ Romano, Sal (April 27, 2023). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero and The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure for Switch coming to Japan on August 31". Gematsu. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  12. ^ Andriessen, CJ (September 27, 2022). "Review: The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero". Destructoid. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  13. ^ Helm, Jordan (September 20, 2022). "Review: The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  14. ^ Lloret, Alberto (September 20, 2022). "Análisis de The Legends of Heroes: Trails from Zero para Nintendo Switch, PS4 y PC, un fabuloso RPG que llega 12 años tarde" [Review of The Legends of Heroes: Trails from Zero for Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PC, a fabulous RPG that arrives 12 years late]. HobbyConsolas (in Spanish). Axel Springer SE. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  15. ^ Hagues, Alana (September 20, 2022). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  16. ^ Rudek, Jordan (September 20, 2022). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  17. ^ Ramsey, Robert (September 20, 2022). "Trails from Zero Review (PS4)". Push Square. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  18. ^ Privitere, Anna Marie (September 22, 2022). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero Review". RPGamer. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  19. ^ Argyros, Caitlin (September 20, 2022). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero". RPGFan. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  20. ^ Musgrave, Shaun (September 26, 2022). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Radiant Silvergun' and 'Family Man', Plus the Latest Releases and Sales". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  21. ^ Schreier, Jason (December 30, 2022). "The 10 Best Video Games of the Year". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
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