The "Trails" series has finally reached its 20th anniversary. Starting from "Trails in the Sky," the story triggered by that song has gradually expanded from two young protagonists to an extremely vast world view with dozens of major characters.

"Trails of the Rift" is about 90% complete—this is what President Kondo mentioned in an interview earlier this year. From the first encounter in Semlia to the subtitle of the fourteenth main installment, "Farewell, Semlia," it seems to suggest the impending conclusion of the "Trails" story.

It’s like following a series; although "Trails to Azure" had little impact on the main storyline, just witnessing the moment when the characters I've invested hundreds of hours in achieve their bonds is my motivation to follow the president to the end.

Inheritance and Evolution of GameplayThe gameplay mechanics of "Rift" inherit from "Azure 2," with real-time battles in the field, turn-based command battles, and circuit-building all consistent with the previous installment. While it's familiar territory for veteran players, the series has accumulated many elements, and new players may need extra time to familiarize themselves with the tutorial entries.

On this basis, the game has added some embellishing systems: Awakening, B.L.T.Z., and Z.O.C. B.L.T.Z. and Z.O.C. are mechanisms available to all characters; B.L.T.Z. can be seen as an expanded version of the previous game's S.C.L.M., requiring the AT reward "Gale" to activate.

When activated, a random backline character will join in support, enhancing combat skills and magic power, or boosting recovery and support skill effects. This can also trigger alongside S.C.L.M. attacks, allowing three characters to attack in one turn. The battle scenes are quite lively, and backline characters gain actual combat roles rather than just extra experience.

Z.O.C. can be activated directly in the field or initiated in turn-based battles to enable full amplification status. When triggered, the speed of monsters in the field becomes significantly slower, allowing players to safely knock enemies into a stunned state. In turn-based combat, Z.O.C. allows characters to break speed limits for consecutive actions, often enabling four or five consecutive turns, from buffing to bursting, creating a complete cycle. Some combat-focused characters gain substantial advantages from this system.

Awakening is a unique ability for certain characters, such as Van's Demon Armor form and Rean's Divine Unity. In a fully charged state, it can be activated directly in the field. This not only boosts all stats but also allows overwhelming power to ignore the enemy's strong attacks, maintaining a continuous assault. When distributing chips in turn-based combat, it can sustain enhanced status, greatly enhancing the combat experience.

The amplification gauge is easily filled, allowing players to freely engage strong enemies, effectively transforming "Trails" into a style reminiscent of "Ys."

Additionally, there's a delightful element: the return of the angel sheep "Pom." Like in the 2D era of "Trails," Pom will flee upon seeing a person, being in a high evasion state, requiring chip scans to hit it in the field.

Typically, utilizing the Z.O.C. mechanism allows players to encounter all Poms, and once in turn-based combat, an S-tech bombardment can be used, yielding consistently high rewards. Particularly, the Seven Star Stones are often given at 999 each, significantly altering the grind introduced since the transition to 3D. Even though there are still dozens of characters to develop, the speed of development has been elevated by Pom.

While "Azure 2" is on par with "Flash 2" in terms of narrative weight, it boasts rich gameplay content, which carries over into "Rift." Mini-games, card games, stealth, and hacking are all present in "Rift."

The "Black Courtyard," adapted from "Fairy Garden," has improved in terms of grinding, changing from route selection to a more Roguelike board mode. Players can freely choose from rewards, encounters, buff enhancements, or random events without being forced to grind through monsters.

The rewards from various events have also been enhanced, sometimes allowing players to find Pom squares directly on the board to unlock Pom reward stages, providing significant positive feedback.

Moreover, the previous dull card drawing method has been replaced by the straightforward "Interpret Magic Book," allowing for 100 consecutive draws without animation, resulting in a much smoother experience.

A Hearty Dive Amidst FillerWhile discussing "Trails" inevitably involves talking about the narrative, this time "Farewell, Semlia" offers a story worth viewing, so I won’t delve into details, only sharing my personal impressions.

First of all, rest assured that "Rift's" story doesn't suffer from the same excessive filler as "Azure 2." It advances the main story by 20%, with further explanations regarding the universe and treasures beyond. However, correspondingly, the game digs a bigger hole at the ending, leaving players concerned if the protagonists’ story will conclude in future "Rift 2."

The narrative is divided into three lines: Van's Agency Line, Rean's Imperial Heroes Line, and Kevin's Picnic Squad Line.

Van's storyline is the most significant, featuring many key and exciting moments, though there are still traces of filler at these connection points. Lackluster daily story arcs and 4SPG toilet humor occupy much of the content, making the process feel slightly prolonged and dragging.

Rean's storyline is much tighter, with the grown-up members of Thor's more mature in their actions. Unfortunately, aside from Fie and Black Rabbit, other new and old Class VII members don’t appear, only existing in nostalgic dialogue, presumably to set up the next installment.

The high-stakes battle between Rean and Clot has transformed into a mechanism similar to Demon Armor combat, retaining the skill that consumes a turn to recover. There’s also a gathering of members from the Eight Leaves One Blade style, alongside the debut of the Sword Saint, making Rean's storyline my personal favorite in this installment.

Kevin’s Picnic Squad story is much lighter, serving as a breather amidst tense narratives. Although it’s a pity Liza didn’t appear, watching the interactions between 3 and 9, the antics of the big guy, and Kevin's various quips are still quite entertaining.

Overall, while the narrative remains predictable, there are still touching points, and nostalgia can boost its score. However, for new players, the abundance of names and events, combined with convoluted jargon, makes comprehension difficult, even with the built-in encyclopedia.

Conclusion"Trails of the Rift" still suffers from narrative filler issues, but fortunately, this installment significantly advances the main storyline. Alongside the compact Rean line and lighter Kevin line, both nostalgic and exciting elements are abundant.

The combat and gameplay mechanisms accumulated throughout the series present a rich state in this installment, and even appear complex for new players.

With more exhilarating field battles, faster-paced command battles, and enhanced efficiency after the return of the angel sheep "Pom," this installment provides an interesting play experience.

As the new title for the series’ 20th anniversary and with the storyline pushed to 90%, "Rift" may not be ideal, but it lays a decent foundation for the conclusion. I only hope that the president can fill all the gaps in the final 10% of "Rift 2," providing a satisfactory ending for us who have followed the series for 20 years.

Score: 8.0 Points

Pros:

• New mechanisms enhance combat excitement

• Return of angel sheep lowers grind

• Significant advancement of the series’ main storyline

• Nostalgia and engaging old character stories coexist

Cons:

• Complex combat mechanisms increase learning curve for new players

• Van's storyline has some filler

• The ending digs a bigger hole