The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails Evaluate (PS4)

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is an motion RPG with platforming components that began life on the PSP all the way in which again in 2012. And as is the case with so a lot of Falcom’s lesser-known titles, it was by no means launched outdoors of Japan. This new PS4 model, then, is a remaster of what some would contemplate to be a little bit of a basic, and whereas we might hesitate to place it on the identical podium as, say, the perfect video games in Falcom’s Ys sequence, there is no doubt that The Legend of Nayuta is a blast to play.

Broadly talking, Nayuta is like if Ys and Trails — Falcom’s standard JRPG saga — merged with each other. The gameplay has quite a bit in widespread with the adventures of Adol Christin, whereas the narrative aspect of issues takes cues from the aforementioned Trails titles — a minimum of by way of pacing and characterisation. However the place Nayuta units itself aside is in its construction, which sees our plucky protagonist (additionally named Nayuta) soar between his hub-like hometown and designated motion phases.

The principle thrust of the sport’s 20-ish hour story reveals itself fairly early, as Nayuta and his adventurous pal Cygna uncover the secrets and techniques of the ruins that pepper their beloved Remnant Isle. Being so eager in his pursuit of scholarly data, Nayuta dives headfirst into the thriller, and it is not lengthy earlier than he is exploring one other world, stuffed with unusual landscapes, perspective-shattering secrets and techniques, and, after all, monsters.

To be blunt, the narrative by no means actually had us hooked. Nayuta’s an enjoyably energetic lead, and Remnant Isle instantly charms as a setting, however the overarching plot stumbles on account of a reliance on drained and largely predictable style tropes. All of it simply falls considerably flat, regardless of a number of properly written dialogue and a few story twists that attempt to preserve issues attention-grabbing. Overly severe dangerous guys, a squeaky mascot companion, and the arrival of an amnesia-riddled thriller lady is a mix that’ll drag any RPG down.

Fortunately, the sport’s mix of hack-and-slash fight and fast-paced platforming needs to be sufficient to carry your consideration. With tight controls and a strong gameplay loop, dashing, leaping, and brawling your means via every pretty quick stage is satisfying — and rewarding, must you go trying to find hidden treasure chests and collectibles. What’s extra, finishing further goals — like beating a stage inside a set time restrict — nets you stamps that can be utilized to unlock new battle strategies. There’s at all times a aim to pursue.

Now then, the motion. Essentially, Nayuta is a simplistic slasher. You will have a fast and straightforward sword combo, a dodge roll, and a double soar. You smack an enemy, and in case your combo is not sufficient to kill, you progress away from its imminent retaliation. Simple at first, however the recreation shortly introduces foes that require some tactical pondering, be it due to ranged assaults or resistances to the whole lot however particular strategies. And while you begin encountering enemy teams that blend a number of of those components collectively, issues grow to be surprisingly tough — in a great way.

Boss battles are a spotlight as nicely. These climactic fights boast their very own gimmicks, and whereas it’d take a few makes an attempt to determine a sound technique, there’s a formidable diploma of creativity on present — particularly while you keep in mind that this was initially a PSP title. The truth is, it might be argued that from a gameplay standpoint, Nayuta is considered one of Falcom’s most experimental outings, and that always works to the sport’s benefit as every new stage affords some sort of contemporary intrigue.

Having mentioned all of that, there are occasions when the title feels only a contact unfair. Unseeable enemy assaults from offscreen generally is a drawback — particularly once they subsequently knock you off a platform and reset your progress — and appropriately judging the space of some jumps could be unnecessarily tough relying on the stage’s digital camera angle. Minor grievances for probably the most half, however the frustration can add up while you’re attempting to blitz a stage for the sake of sure rewards.

But when there’s one space the place Nayuta would not falter, it is presentation. This can be a nice wanting remaster of what was already a beautiful wanting PSP launch. Fashions and textures have been upgraded, and the artwork fashion — topped off with its big selection of brilliant colors and extremely fairly lightning results — actually pops at the next decision, whereas working at a flawless 60 frames-per-second.

Conclusion

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is an effortlessly charming motion RPG. Though the story struggles to have interaction, there’s a lot to love in regards to the recreation’s hectic mixture of hack-and-slash fight and responsive platforming. A straightforward advice for followers of Ys, or fast-paced, skill-based motion titles usually.