Software:Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki
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| File:LoH VII covers.jpg PSP cover art of Ao (left) and Zero (right) | |
| Developer(s) | Nihon Falcom |
| Publisher(s) | Nihon Falcom |
| Director(s) | Toshihiro Kondo |
| Producer(s) | Masayuki Kato |
| Composer(s) | Hayato Sonoda Takahiro Unisuga Saki Momiyama Masanori Osaki |
| Series | The Legend of Heroes |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable PlayStation Vita PlayStation 4 Microsoft Windows |
| Release | Zero no Kiseki (PSP)
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| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Zero no Kiseki[lower-alpha 1] and Ao no Kiseki[lower-alpha 2] are two connected role-playing video games developed by Nihon Falcom as a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes[lower-alpha 3] series. Together as a duology, they constitute the second story arc of the Trails sub-series, and take place three months after the end of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd and in a different country, Crossbell. The games star Lloyd Bannings, a rookie investigator within the Crossbell police force, joining three years after the death of his brother.
Zero no Kiseki was released in 2010 for PlayStation Portable. In 2011, the game was ported to PC for release in China and Japan. In 2012, it was later ported again for PlayStation Vita as Zero no Kiseki: Evolution, with improved visuals and full voice acting for the main story.[2]
Ao no Kiseki was released in 2011 for PlayStation Portable, and also ported to PC for release in China. It was also ported again for PlayStation Vita as Ao no Kiseki: Evolution, again with improved visuals and full voice acting for the main story and released in Japan in June 2014.[3][4]
Both games will receive full high-definition remasters for the PlayStation 4, releasing in Q2 2020 in Japan under the titles Zero no Kiseki Kai and Ao no Kiseki Kai.[5]
Plot
The game is set three months after the end of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd, in different country called Crossbell, a small country located between two giants in the game setting, Erebonia Empire and Calvard Republic. As a result, the country got divided into different sections, each representing the power that controlled them. Renaissance style architecture on Erebonia side, and Eastern style architecture (something like Chinatown) on Calvard side.
The plot of the game revolves around Lloyd Bannings, a rookie investigator who just joined the police force to investigate the death of his brother in line of duty three years before the story begin. The game follows him and his friends throughout their adventures around Crossbell as a police officer, finding the truth about his brother's death, and finally unraveled the hidden plots that happened behind the scenes in the country.
During his time as a police officer, Lloyd got put into a newly-created police division called Special Support Section (abbreviated as SSS), a new police division created to rival the Bracer Guild, which is more relied upon by citizens compared to the police. There, he met his coworker, Elie McDowell - daughter of a high-ranked politicians in Crossbell, Randy Orlando - an easygoing soldier with mysterious past, and Tio Plato - a genius young girl with uncanny proficiency in electronics.
Much like Bracer Guild, SSS deals with case-by-case request from the people, from saving a cat to exterminating wanted monsters. With their effort, the reputations of the policemen got better, culminating in prevention of mayor's assassination. Their superiors praised their efforts and offer Lloyd a promotion to the Department's First Investigation Division, which consist of the best members of police officers. Even then, he choose to remain with SSS because he believes that only by remaining with his current division will he able to investigate his brother's death. Unfortunately, this case also give them a clue to a whole new, terrible conspiracy between the dark side and the government itself that can threaten the whole Crossbell if left alone.
Localizations
No official English localization of the games exists, although a Chinese version was released for Microsoft Windows. Fan translations of both games are in development.[6]
Reception
Zero no Kiseki was well received in both Japan and China.[citation needed] It has won several notable awards, including the "PlayStation Award 2010 - User Choice Award" and the Japan Games Award 2011.[7]
External links
- Zero no Kiseki official website (in Japanese)
- Ao no Kiseki official website (in Japanese)
References
- ↑ "The Legend of Heroes Zero no Kiseki to be Released on PC in Japan on 6/14". 19 April 2013. http://www.esterior.net/2013/04/the-legend-of-heroes-zero-no-kiseki-to-be-released-on-pc-in-japan-on-614/.
- ↑ ""Zero no Kiseki: Evolution" for(PS Vita)". Falcom. http://www.zero-full.com/. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ↑ "Legend of Heroes Ao no Kiseki Evolution's Teaser Video Posted". http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2013-07-11/legend-of-heroes-ao-no-kiseki-evolution-teaser-video-posted.
- ↑ "A Peek At The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Blue Evolution's Anime Opening". 27 March 2014. http://www.siliconera.com/2014/03/27/peek-legend-heroes-trails-blue-evolutions-anime-opening/.
- ↑ Romano, Sal (18 December 2019). "The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki coming to PS4 in spring 2020 in Japan". https://gematsu.com/2019/12/the-legend-of-heroes-zero-no-kiseki-and-ao-no-kiseki-coming-to-ps4-in-spring-2020-in-japan. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ↑ Arshad Khan, Danial. "The Legend of Heroes: Trails To Azure (Ao no Kiseki) fan translation patch released". http://gearnuke.com/the-legend-of-heroes-trails-to-azure-ao-no-kiseki-fan-translation/. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
- ↑ "The Legend of Heroes "Zero no Kiseki" for PSP- Awards". Falcom. http://www.falcom.com/zero_psp/index.html. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
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