With all the recent Trails games getting recently released in the West, I find myself asked by many people while streaming for the site, “What is this awesome-looking series?”, “How do I get into this series?”, “Which game do I start with?”, “Can I start with Azure?” and plenty of other questions. Now I love to talk about Trails as much as the next fan of the series, but I realize it may be easier if we have something down in writing so that people can refer back to it. So in this article, I cover the origins of the series, why you might want to play it, and then give you an idea of what order to play the games in.
This article drives me nuts every time I see it. 3,000 words inventing a problem for a series that boils down to a very simple concept:
- Trails is a video game series with a continuous narrative
- That continuity is the reason to play the series
The place to start with this series is the first game in the story–the first Sky game–just like you’d start with the first episode of Game of Thrones or the first book of Wheel of Time. None of the games are “skippable” any more than a season of GoT or a book of WoT is. There are many moments in Trails that may not seem relevant in the moment that set up plot lines for later (sometimes much, much later). The whole “Crossbell spoils Cold Steel” bit isn’t a thing, either. Stories sometimes have parallel narratives, and sometimes writers give you information in a non-linear way. This is intentional.
And yes, you can start with a later game, but if you do, you’re playing an experience that isn’t fully intended for you. And here’s where I’ll be honest: without that full experience, some of these games are very average JRPGs. What sets these games apart from the pack is how they connect to each other, from the stories to the lore to the setting to the characters. Why not meet Trails on its own selling point? There are hundreds of JRPGs with great stand-alone experiences if that’s what you want today.
As someone who played Sky the First and was immediately fed up with Sky the Second — I skipped straight to Zero. It is my second favorite JRPG, only losing to its companion Azure.
Edit: fuck, I was a little turned around on this. It should have been the other way - Zero second favorite, Azure first.
the post show what the best game to start with, in my opinion it’s not that important to start at the perfect game. If you get your hands on a game there are several games to start from. Trails in the Sky,Trails from Zero, Trails of Cold Steel 1 or even Trails of Cold Steel 3, while not perfect, could be a starting point (haven’t played later ones yet). Just don’t start in a named series inbetween.
