Nihon Falcom’s The Legend of Heroes: Trails series is a bit of an oddity when it comes to JRPGs. While franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest tell isolated, unrelated stories each outing, Trails is closer to a book series. Each new release builds on the story and worldbuilding of the last. This means there’s a much bigger payoff when playing the games in the right order. However, it’s also much more confusing to nail down what that order is (or is supposed to be). The best place to start the Trails series is a matter of some light debate.
Which The Legend of Heroes: Trails games are available in English so far?
The Legend of Heroes: Trails series so far consists of 10 games separated into three arcs. Here they are in chronological order:
- The Sky Arc:
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (PC and PSP worldwide)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC (PC and PSP worldwide)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd (PC worldwide)
- Crossbell Arc:
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC, PS4, and Switch worldwide)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure (PC, PS4, and Switch worldwide)
- Cold Steel Arc:
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel (PS3, PS4, Vita, and PC)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II (PS3, PS4, Vita, and PC)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III (PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV (PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie – acts as an epilogue to the previous two arcs (PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC)
A whole new arc will begin next year with the localization of The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak. This has left a lot some potential new fans asking: “So where do I start the Trails series?”.
It’s not entirely obvious where these games all fit together at first glance. It doesn’t help that North America didn’t get the Crossbell Arc for years. The series has also run so long and introduces new characters with each arc, leaving multiple starting points.
Here are a few realistic ones:
The Minimalist Route: Start with the Cold Steel Arc
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel released in the West in 2019, nearly a decade after the last English Trials release. Many likely picked up Cold Steel as their start to the Trails series without even realizing Nihon Falcom had released games before it.
While many do start here, I think it only works if you don’t intend to play the previous arcs. By Cold Steel III, there is some Avengers Endgame level of crossover that I think would really hinder going back. If you’re going to catch up after starting Cold Steel, at least do it before Cold Steel III.
One somewhat valid argument for this entry point is the significantly lower time investment in playing half the games. It also leaves you with the five most recent games and you can play them all on PS4. The trade off is that you lose a lot of context from those other 5 games. However, it’s been done before by many and it’s an option if you really aren’t in for the full haul.
The Modern Route: Start with the Crossbell Arc
I call this the modern route because of availability. The only reason I would even consider saying skip The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky trilogy is if you literally couldn’t play it. The Sky trilogy is currently only (really) available on PC. The games aren’t intensive but you may not have a PC at all or be able to feasibly game on yours. I get it.
For that reason, I would say starting with the Crossbell Arc would be the best of a bad situation. The Crossbell Arc is, in the West, some of the newest games in the series. This means they’re available on Switch, PS4, and PC.
So if you’re wondering where to start The Legend of Heroes: Trails series, this is second only to …
I’ve seen a fair number of people say you can play Crossbell, and then go play the Sky Trilogy. I disagree, and I’ll get into that in detail later, but the within the first hour of Trails from Zero there are already plot pieces referenced from Sky. You lose the stakes and scope of the previous arc by having that information already in your head from Zero.
The Complete Route: Starting with the Sky Arc
I will pull no punches here. This is unequivocally my suggested way to play these games. I do not and will not suggest skipping the first trilogy. They’re slow burns, show their age in a few places (I relate), and they’re not on any platforms except PC. However, they also have great writing, one of the best casts in the series and build the foundation for everything after.
This is, admittedly, a big time investment. Each game can clock anywhere from 40 hours to 80 plus easily, and we all have busy lives. I still think it’s worth it to put that time in and really start the Trails games from the beginning.
It took me 3 months of playing a little at a time to clear the first game when I started. This isn’t a series where you wanna “get to” the next game, each one deserves your full attention.
The Hidden Route: Starting with Trails Through Daybreak
Disclaimer: This is a joke referencing the series many “hidden quests.” Don’t do this.
You technically can do this, because Daybreak is said to start a whole new chapter in the Trails saga. However, I really don’t think it’s a good idea. It would be like trying to get into the MCU by picking it up after Avengers Endgame. You’re getting the aftermath of stuff you didn’t watch.
It wouldn’t be impossible and I bet a bunch of people are going to do it. That doesn’t mean The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is going to be the jump-in point it some may think it is.
Once I pick where to start, does the order matter?
Yes, It does for sure. I cannot stress that these games should be played in the original Japanese release order I shared above.
Some make arguments for playing other orders, like playing the first two Cold Steel games then playing Sky. I can see the appeal, and at least they’re getting to enjoy The Sky Trilogy. (Please play the three Sky games) There’s just so much value added to the playthrough of these games by playing them in order.
There are whole arcs and storylines that later games will spoil and you won’t realize it until you go back. Sure, sometimes you can sort of get a “reverse twist” from playing out of order, but the vast majority is not going to work that way.
No matter where you start The Legend of Heroes: Trails series, you’re going to experience a good story. You’re just going to get a better story the more games you add in to the playthrough. The number of games seems really intimidating, but it isn’t nearly as insurmountable as some make it out to be. Every journey starts with a step after all.
