The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails Overview – Overview

Initially a Japan-only PSP sport, The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is a Nihon Falcom developed action-RPG that seems like an Ys sport set within the Trails/Legend of Heroes universe. Those that loved the deep turn-based RPG mechanics and sprawling world of Trails of Chilly Metal 3 and 4 will discover a a lot totally different expertise in Boundless Trails, with level-based gameplay, platforming, and a considerably smaller scope. That stated, there’s nonetheless that signature Falcom attraction within the characters and interactions, along with difficult however enjoyable gameplay and a graphical model that actually shines on Change.

On the outset, we meet protagonist Nayuta, a plucky researcher in-training who’s again on Remnant Island for his summer time break free from college. Together with his pal Cygna, he stops in on his sister Eartha earlier than an enormous tower crash lands beside the island, on which we meet two of the central villains and witness their stealing of a particular gear from a fairy-like creature named Noi. Nayuta and Noi find yourself working collectively to get well this gear and others in Noi’s homeworld of Terra, and so the sport finally ends up going down on each Remnant Island–the place many of the sidequests and characters reside–and Terra the place the action-style gameplay happens.

Talking of motion, Nayuta runs, jumps, double jumps, and slashes his method via 3D levels that provide each horizontal and vertical gameplay. Noi accompanies him and might solid magic spells, and as you make your method via the story you’ll earn further spells of various components, some as treasures in levels and others as rewards for defeating minibosses. Her spells work on a cost system, with prices replenishing over time, and also you’ll want a mixture of magic and sword assaults on condition that sure enemies are immune to 1 or the opposite; this consists of bosses as nicely. There’s additionally a good quantity of platforming, particularly in later or extra vertical levels, so that you’ll need to have an inherent ability for that sort of gameplay as nicely since pitfalls will drain your well being meter in a rush.

Throughout six or so chapters, you will bounce forwards and backwards between worlds, finishing duties in a single after which getting a little bit of a respite within the different. At Nayuta’s house, Eartha can put together lunchboxes of meals which you can take with you and use to revive your well being and achieve expertise factors. You will need to head out with all of your lunchbox slots crammed, too, as enemies can pack a punch and well being pick-ups are uncommon. Defeating enemies and destroying crates, barrels, and particles will yield components for Eartha to prepare dinner with and bugs and different specimens for the museum to retailer (which rewards you with cash and gadgets). There is a actually satisfying loop of enjoying a number of levels, going again house to seize some lunch, upgrading your gear on the retailers on the town, after which teleporting your self again into the motion.

Terra is split into 5 areas: a small story-centric hub and 4 totally different continents. The continents every have their very own biome and consist of 4 or 5 levels to finish, however after progressing via every one, you achieve the flexibility to change their season, and this lets you replay the levels of their new seasonal splendor. The steered degree will increase with the season shift, and totally different enemies and treasures seem, so there’s good cause to return for an additional go. That stated, Boundless Trails appears to put much less emphasis on gaining expertise factors via the person levels and enemies and as an alternative balances it with the expertise derived from consuming the meals you put together. The 2 techniques complement one another fairly nicely, resulting in a light-weight and breezy feeling that carries via the 15 to 20-hour expertise.

Boss encounters on the finish of every continent are robust and require particular methods that you could be not have employed as a lot within the particular person ranges. These bouts contain a number of levels and kind modifications, giving a pleasant sense of spectacle to the fruits of every main space of the sport. It’s sound technique to make sure your lunchbox slots are crammed up with meals that can totally restore your well being meter or increase your power, for instance, so you’ve gotten a possibility to get well from a number of totally different assaults and deal extra harm as you’re employed out one of the best ways to take down your opponent.

Regardless that the world of Boundless Trails isn’t significantly massive, it undergoes sufficient small modifications that it feels very a lot alive. In every chapter, townsfolk transfer to totally different areas and have various things to say; virtually everybody might be concerned in a sidequest or two throughout your playthrough. Remnant Island largely stays the identical from a visible standpoint, however as continents and seasons change, Terra begins to really feel fuller and extra fleshed out. You may earn as much as three stars from every stage via discovering each mira crystal (the native foreign money), finishing a particular goal–reminiscent of killing 40 enemies–and making it to the tip objective, so there’s some replay worth in-built right here. The celebrities can add as much as milestones that award new sword methods for Nayuta, taught by certainly one of his mentors, Orbus. That is all along with devoted in-game achievements. Falcom finally ends up squeezing a good bit of juice out of what initially seems to be a extra constrained island setting.

By way of presentation and efficiency, the menus are very easy to navigate, and the entire sport simply seems to be and performs extremely nicely on Change. I used to be significantly impressed with the visible constancy in Handheld mode. Regardless that the PSP roots do shine via by way of how the characters, enemies, and objects look, there’s an efficient use of shade to differentiate between the seasonal modifications that Terra undergoes. By way of music, the soundtrack is a robust one, with a peaceable and serene theme for Remnant Island and a few bumping, upbeat tracks for plenty of the levels themselves.

Ending Boundless Trails, I’m nonetheless reminded a lot of Ys VIII and its island setting but additionally a bit of of Ys Origins as nicely; each of these titles really feel, look, and play just like The Legend of Nayuta, and so followers of them will doubtless take pleasure in this Trails sport as nicely. Even in Excessive Pace Mode, which I make a behavior of turning on very often, efficiency by no means faltered. I’ll, nevertheless, criticize the localization to a small extent, because the dialogue options some awkward vocabulary selections once in a while.

With a reasonably gratifying essential narrative that performs second fiddle to participating gameplay and efficient presentation, The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails could also be slight by way of size when in comparison with different Trails video games, nevertheless it’s a by-product that matches them in high quality and pleasure. There’s one thing compelling about its relative simplicity and the entire small issues you are able to do from second to second that every one complement one another and assist your character progress, each by way of story and functionality. With Ys and the Trails video games usually being separated into motion and turn-based fight, respectively, I’d like to see both collection experiment with the opposite kind given how nicely it comes off in Boundless Trails. Younger Nayuta’s journey is nicely value experiencing for your self; simply don’t neglect to pack a lunch.