I don’t believe this day will come. It’s been nearly 12 years since “Trail Zero” was released in Japan, and many JRPG fans have given up on the idea of an official Western release. Of course, we have fan translations, and while Trails fans know all too well the pain of waiting for localization, Zero and its sequels feel destined to be out of reach. Until last year’s announcement, that was it. NIS America has done what many thought was impossible, and I am personally very happy.
My own Trails journey started in 2020. After finishing Ys VIII, a friend recommended Trails of Cold Steel, and a year later – aside from Reverie and Kuro – I finished the wider series. Considering that Kuro No Kiseki just kicked off the second half with 10 games to go, you can appreciate the scale of our collaboration here. However, it’s hard for me to name a bad entry. From stopping the evil forces of Liberia to ending the civil war in Erebonia, and even falling into hell once, life is never boring. I’ve seen incredible stories, and world building has always been Trails’ greatest strength, but it’s telling a grand story in so many games that Trails really stands out – a rarity for an ongoing saga promise.
Nihon Falcom will create one of the most ambitious series in gaming, leading the way with some fantastic character arcs. I don’t think there is a better entry to illustrate this than a trail from scratch. Playing as Lloyd Bannings, our journey begins with leading a new police unit called the Special Support Section (SSS). Joined by Ellie, Randy and Tio, Zero kicks off the second arc of Trails by taking us to the Hong Kong-inspired autonomous state of Crossbell. Here we find the land caught up in a decades-long geopolitical dispute between Erebonia and Kalwad, the continent’s two great powers. With each country claiming sovereignty over Crossbell, this interesting world building has been in play from the start. However, there is no denying that Crosbell’s greatest charm is in itself. From the dilapidated SSS building to suburbs like Armourica Village, there is real character here.
As SSS, our responsibilities involve handling direct requests from the public, similar to the Bracer Guild in SkyTrack. Unsurprisingly, this includes a plethora of optional assist requests, chosen from your team’s PCs. Between monster extermination requests, getting cooking ingredients, and retrieving lost statues, there’s no shortage of things to do in SSS. Some of these tasks are slightly repetitive and cannot be bypassed, but again, you are not obligated to complete them. Naturally, you can’t make people wait forever – which is pretty rude when they need help – so there’s a fixed time limit to get this done. Once you’re ready to move forward, start processing mandatory requests.
Crossbell is a small city-state compared to the titans trapped between it, so we won’t be going on an extensive journey like Roads of Cold Steel offers. But there are plenty of places to visit, and if you’re in a hurry, you can turn on high-speed mode for exploration and combat. Unfortunately for the SSS, the roads are full of monsters ready to attack, so get ready to fight. There are no random encounters, and if you don’t feel it, you can easily avoid enemies while exploring. Alternatively, you can hit them without knowing it to gain an advantage. Just don’t let them sneak up behind you, because the reverse is also true.
Once started, battles transform into grid-based, turn-based battles. In addition to standard attacks, you can also equip different team members with quartz – I’ll go into more detail later. These can provide new utility arts, like healing, or art attacks with elemental properties, like fire or water damage. However, arts take longer to cast and cost EP, so use them wisely. Some enemies have elemental resistances and weaknesses, although enemies can be scanned for these key details. It requires a strategic approach, careful consideration, and the combat is quite tactically satisfying.
Each party member also has crafts that use individual CP meters that accumulate during battles. There is no delay like Arts, but I recommend hanging fire before you hit 100 CP, which allows you to activate S-Craft. Basically the “Ultimate Move”, this can be used for attack or support, depending on the character. Even better, wait until 200 CP to double the effect, so the patience is worth it. Even now, with the help of an upbeat combat theme, combat is still very enjoyable, and there’s a thrilling sense of victory when defeating bosses. Winning battles through ridiculously powerful S-Crafts is undeniably enjoyable, in a way only top anime action scenes can provide.
When you win, you gain experience points, and possibly a percentage bonus if you meet certain criteria (such as taking no damage). If you’re struggling with combat, there’s unfortunately no way to change the difficulty level in-game, but don’t worry, some changes can be made to drop the level grind. Beyond the standard equipment system, using Quartz is not limited to giving you more attacks. Some also offer stat boosts such as increased defense, movement per turn, evasion, or increased HP/EP. If you don’t find each character fighting the way they want, Zero offers plenty of ways to get creative.
Once everything is included in a chapter, Zero will rank your performance with Detective Points (DP), rewarding new items when you reach a certain level. It depends on how many requests you clear and the decisions you make in those requests, such as preventing key NPCs from taking damage in battle. Fair warning though, a few missions are hidden and won’t be mentioned on PC. This is annoying because Crossbell is a big city and some quest locations aren’t very obvious unless you’re following a guide.
Still, this has little effect on depreciation from zero overall. Not only does Nihon Falcom have excellent character development, but they also create a compelling story that doesn’t shy away from harder themes. Between corruption, religious fanaticism, and growing concerns about colonial ambitions, Crosbell’s inner workings present a powerful exploration of the innocent lives caught between the two. Zero’s story takes time to get going, which is a slow burner in those opening chapters as it sets the scene. But once you get there, once it clicks, I don’t want to stop. By putting you at the heart of its struggles, I’m starting to invest in its future.
Nihon Falcom tells a powerful story that ends with a thrilling ending, and its revelations both chill me and prove to be emotional. I don’t dare to spoil the details here, but I was definitely moved. That said, it’s not all serious stuff. Thanks to a good sense of humor, Zero never takes himself too seriously. Guilt over double-checking empty treasure chests makes me laugh like the team shouting out Lloyd’s frequent cheesy speeches. The music is still as catchy as ever, with Zero’s theme song being a particular hit.
Even better, NIS America’s port isn’t a case of just slapping a licensed fan translation and leaving it. Switch and PC players will find some quality of life additions, including a new message log, more UI options, and some graphical touches. Unfortunately, those changes didn’t make it to the PS4 version, but I don’t think that’s a deal breaker. Zero doesn’t look bad, and tried it on PS4, it still applies. It’s just a little cleaner elsewhere.
These minor changes don’t overshadow Trails from Zero’s PSP roots, but twelve years later, Nihon Falcom’s JRPG is still a winner. A great RPG from 2010, Type Zero is still a great game, thanks to a compelling story, fun combat, and some great character development. With Trails to Azure being localized next year, and the Crossbell arc finally being completed soon after, I can’t wait.
