It’s like putting on your favourite pair of slippers again!
Falcom and NIS America are masters of what I view as the classic JRPG: traditional turn-based combat, a sweeping political and detective saga, a large cast of characters, extensive lore, enormous RPG systems to tinker with, and two long, brilliantly balanced adventures.
As two-game sagas go, you don’t get much better than The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero and The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure.
I reviewed both games in a previous life, and if you would like to read my thoughts about each individual adventure, you can follow the links below.
Trails from Zero
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero PS4 Review – Total Gaming Addicts
Trails to Azure
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure PS4 Review – Total Gaming Addicts
I originally scored Trails from Zero a 7.5/10 and Trails to Azure a 9/10. Those scores still stand for the PS4 versions I played, but on Switch 2, I think things are now a little better.
Before explaining why, here are the headline technical upgrades included in the Switch 2 editions:
- Joy-Con 2 mouse controls.
- Save transfers from the original Switch editions.
- Cross-game “diagonal” save transfers. For example, a Trails from Zero save from Switch can be imported into Trails to Azure on Switch 2.
- Three different texture presentations: original PS4-style textures, point-sampled textures retaining a sharper retro appearance, and PH3’s modern upscaled textures.
- Higher-resolution textures, sprites and user-interface assets.
- Improved anti-aliasing and visual effects.
- Improved high-speed mode.
- Conversation log.
- Automatic text advance.
- Autosaving.
- Music-title display showing which BGM track is playing.
- The option to skip the startup logos.
- Various bug fixes and smaller interface improvements.
It is worth clarifying that features such as the improved assets, conversation log, and high-speed mode previously appeared in PH3’s original Switch and PC versions. They are still part of this new Switch 2 package, but they haven’t all been created exclusively for it.
The headline feature likely to grab your attention on the store page is the promise of 4K and 120fps. That claim is technically true but also slightly misleading because the game cannot deliver both simultaneously on Switch 2.
When docked, you can choose between 4K at 60fps and 1440p at 120fps. In handheld mode, meanwhile, the game can run at 1080p and up to 120fps.
That means you will never have 4K visuals and 120fps at the same time, but honestly, I really didn’t care.
These are simple sprite-based games built upon backgrounds and gameplay originally designed for the PSP in 2010 and 2011. Consequently, 4K and 120fps almost feel like overkill. What you do get, of course, is an exceptionally sharp, clean, and buttery-smooth experience, but there isn’t much happening that truly demonstrates the difference 120fps makes.
The 4K and 60fps mode is perfectly adequate. In fact, it looks beautiful.
I did encounter more than the occasional visual glitch. During some cutscenes, blocks of the background briefly flickered black, almost as though the game were about to crash. It never did, and the glitches lasted only for a moment, so I’m not going to mark the games down heavily for them.
Nevertheless, if you see them, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. They are definitely there. Hopefully, it is nothing that a launch-day patch cannot correct.
One genuinely frustrating issue is that there is currently no upgrade path for people who already own the games. That is particularly strange because Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, a remake of an earlier game in the Trails universe but not part of the Crossbell arc, does offer one.
Alongside the excellent visuals, one of the most welcome gameplay improvements for me was also one of the simplest: automatic text advance.
In games containing this much dialogue, it is a relief not to repeatedly press a button every time you want to advance the conversation. Apart from being more comfortable, it saves your controller buttons from taking an absolute battering.
The biggest thing that struck me while revisiting these games, however, was how perfectly suited they are to the particular strengths of a Nintendo Switch console.
Remember, they were originally created for the PSP: a small-screen handheld device. It absolutely grinds my gears how inefficient some modern developers are when porting and optimising games for the Switch’s portable screen.
Because of their handheld origins, Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure highlight just how important intelligent screen design and proportions can be. The visuals and interface are clear, superbly presented, and extremely welcoming when docked but especially in handheld mode.
These are the first games I have played on Switch 2 that actually felt better when I picked up the console, sat in my comfortable chair, and lost myself in their world. That is mainly because I never struggled to see the information I needed, which has been a recurring problem for me in several other games.
With a coffee and some biscuits beside me, I have already sunk a ridiculous number of hours back into these adventures.
As well as the comfort of playing this way, something else struck me: The writing and humour from these 2010 and 2011 games feel noticeably different from what we often receive today.
There is genuine comedic writing here. Tio’s deadpan delivery while admonishing Randy for his womanising antics is hilarious. Everyone teasing Lloyd about being completely oblivious to the women fawning over him is also weirdly refreshing.
Alongside those funny moments are numerous wonderful character-building sequences that give the game and its story far more depth than many modern releases dare to attempt.
Despite being around 15 years old, both games still feel fresh, exciting, and exceptionally well crafted by today’s standards. Add the modern upgrades, and an already brilliant duology has become even better.
I spend a lot of my gaming time trying new things and wondering whether newer franchises can improve upon the games I have already played. Returning to The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure very quickly reminded me that, nope, these old games really were the bangers I remembered them being.
They possess a simple but assured confidence. They don’t attempt to win you over with spectacular, photorealistic visuals. Instead, they deliver polished masterpieces of gameplay, storytelling, music and fun.
These games—and Falcom itself—represent the gold standard for how classic JRPGs should be made. It may be a tired old cliché, but in this instance, it is completely appropriate:
Like a fine wine, these games have actually improved with age.
They are utterly superb!
Developer: Nihon Falcom / PH3 Games
Publisher: NIS America
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Release Date: 10th September 2026
Gaming Respawn’s copy of The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero & The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure- Deluxe Edition for Nintendo Switch 2 was provided by the publisher.
