There are lots of video game series, but only a few of them continue for years and span across dozens upon dozens of titles. And one such series is The Legend of Heroes series, or as they’re known in Japan, the Kiseki series, The famed JRPG series has been around since 1989, spawning an expansive saga.
Today, we’ll be looking at the second title in the Calvard saga of the story, which is The Legend of Heroes Kuro no Kiseki II Crimson Sin, the sequel to The Legend of Heroes Kuro no Kiseki. Yes, I…know that name might be a bit too long, so for the rest of this review, I’ll just call them by how fans commonly do, which means omitting the “Legend of Heroes” part to prevent redundancy.
Before you read any further, however, I should perhaps warn you that this review has potential spoilers for games from the Trails series that have yet to come Westward. They’ve been kept to a minimum, but still worth noting.
▍Where Does This Game Stand, Chronologically?
In The Legend of Heroes Kuro no Kiseki II Crimson Sin, the story takes place exactly two months after the true ending of Kuro no Kiseki I, so it is highly recommended that you play its predecessor before even proceeding, or you’ll certainly get confused about the story.
The story still follows the protagonist Van Arkride, who helps solve complicated requests that thread within the gray lines of the law. According to the president of Nihon Falcom in an interview, Kuro no Kiseki II marks the point where the story is 70% complete, and there are still around four or maybe five more games until we get to the true end, so to speak.
Furthermore, the game makes constant references to the Crossbell duology of games (Trails from Zero and Trails from Azure) and while I won’t tell you to play all of those games because I’m not one to dictate your gaming preferences, I would still at least watch a couple of recaps.
That being said, Kuro no Kiseki II does contain a section called the Archive, which is a glossary full of the past series’ terminology and even some story segments such as the chronological timeline. But you can only understand so much via text if I’m being honest.
▍A Confusing Orbment System
One of the problems with Kuro no Kiseki II is how confusing the Orbment system got. It used to be that you just had specific slots to unlock, and such slots would change the types of Arts you could use, allowing for customization of the character’s move set.
However, this time…pretty much all the Quartzes do is provide you with some specific arts ONLY if you meet certain combination conditions. And the game isn’t exactly clear on how to properly set them, so newbie players to the series and even veterans might have a tough time following.
Now, if you’re playing on the easier difficulties, it is possible, in a sense, to just press the right side of the touchpad (on PS4/PS5), and have the AI sort it out based on your preferred choice, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that it’s still confusing nonetheless.
▍Extra Dungeon: Märchen Garden
If you are familiar with the Reverie Corridor from Hajimari no Kiseki, then well, that’s essentially what the new mode, Märchen Garden, consists of. On each floor, you’re given a specific task that you must clear to proceed. At the end of each floor also sits a Floor Master. When you’ve cleared a certain segment, you can also choose one out of three rewards.
However, you’re completely free to ignore it if your focus is the main story because what happens inside the story cutscenes aren’t supposed to significantly affect the main tale. It’s more directed as a sort of extra content. And even the developers know this, as there are future updates incoming that will add further floors and playable characters down the road.
By collecting S-Tokens in the overworld, you can also play a mode where Mare, Van’s Hollow Core, will throw them into a Mystique Cube, which is a sort of gacha that will give you fragments to obtain new soundtracks to change, and even some accessories. The presentation is certainly one of the most stylish I’ve seen, and the game even gives you Sepith and other useful items that will certainly benefit your team.
Ah yes, you might’ve noticed that literally all of the screenshots so far had HIGH-SPEED MODE on the top right. By pressing the left side of the touchpad, you can make the game run about 4 times faster, speeding up your combat farming. It’s honestly become such a staple of the Trails series that I don’t know what I would do if this was absent.
▍Expand Your Experience with DLC!
In typical Kiseki fashion, the game offers a LOT of cosmetic DLC options with dozens of different packages that let you alter a character’s costume and accessories. Those accessories will carry over to all cutscenes too, with the exception of potential pre-rendered videos and flashbacks.
▍Lots of Minigames to Play
Compared to its predecessor, Kuro no Kiseki II has a wider variety of minigames to play, and the gameplay variety is dozens of times higher, making this a pleasant experience. From basketball to even a card game, you’ll certainly enjoy all of the extras. But…that also comes at a price, as the total playtime of the game is 120 hours if you go for all the extras. So uh, good luck. (laughs in pain)
▍Should You Get Kuro no Kiseki II? Or Wait For an English Release?
The Legend of Heroes Kuro no Kiseki II is a good game, but perhaps the only thing that makes it fall short is the confusing Orbment system. The action combat does bring you the hype if you are a fan of classic JRPG. I still had an enjoyable time, even if it took me more time than usual because playing a game in Japanese is certainly a strenuous task if your language knowledge isn’t up to snuff.
Still, I just think that maybe it will take a good while until we get this game in the West. A Chinese/Korean release is in the works by Clouded Leopard, and that will release in October, but as for a potential English release…it’s hard to say really, given that Trails into Reverie, a game that I would consider important, will only see a 2023 release in the West, with no specifics as to when yet. But if you’re willing to get past the language barrier, you’ll certainly not regret it.
