The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki

The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki[1] is a 2010 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of their Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes franchise.

The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki
PSP cover art
Developer(s)Nihon Falcom
Publisher(s)Nihon Falcom
Director(s)Toshihiro Kondo
Producer(s)Masayuki Kato
Programmer(s)
  • Toru Endo
  • Homare Karusawa
  • Katsuya Horimoto
  • Aichiro Miyata
Artist(s)Katsumi Enami
Writer(s)Hisayoshi Takeiri
Composer(s)
  • Hayato Sonoda
  • Takahiro Unisuga
  • Saki Momiyama
  • Masanori Osaki
Series
Platform(s)
ReleasePlayStation Portable
  • JP: September 30, 2010
Microsoft Windows
  • CHN: August 28, 2011
  • JP: June 14, 2013
PlayStation Vita
  • JP: October 18, 2012
PlayStation 4
  • JP: April 23, 2020
Genre(s)Role-playing game
Mode(s)Single-player

Zero no Kiseki and its direct sequel, The Legend of Heroes: Ao no Kiseki (2011), form the "Crossbell arc" of the series. Both games take place in Crossbell, a city-state located between two great powers, and follow Lloyd Bannings, a rookie investigator with the Crossbell police, and his colleagues Elie McDowell, Randy Orlando, and Tio Plato. The game has not been officially localized in English, but received a fan translation titled Trails from Zero in 2020.

History

Zero no Kiseki was released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable on September 30, 2010.[2] On August 28, 2011, the game was ported to Microsoft Windows for release in China. This version was released in Japan on June 14, 2013.[3] In 2012, it was released for the PlayStation Vita as Zero no Kiseki: Evolution, with improved visuals and more voice acting.[4] The Evolution version received a remaster for the PlayStation 4, releasing in Japan under the title Zero no Kiseki Kai on April 23, 2020.[5] No official English localization of the game exists, although a fan translation under the title of Trails from Zero was released on March 14, 2020.[6]

Plot

Zero no Kiseki is set three months after the end of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd, in the city-state of Crossbell. Uneasily situated between two great powers – the Erebonian Empire and the Calvard Republic, both of which claim sovereignty over Crossbell – the city is riven by political tensions, corruption and organized crime.

The protagonist, Lloyd Bannings, is a rookie police detective. At the beginning of Zero, he is assigned to the Special Support Section (SSS), an odd-jobs branch of the city's police department, together with Elie McDowell, heiress to a political dynasty, Randy Orlando, a laid-back ex-soldier, and Tio Plato, a young girl and electronics genius. During Zero, the SSS investigate the schemes of the city's competing crime syndicates, before stumbling over the plot of a centuries-old cult to raise a young girl, known as KeA, to godhood and, through her, overthrow the continent's church and faith. The SSS defeat and arrest the cult's leaders and assume guardianship of KeA.

Reception

Zero no Kiseki won the User Choice Award at the 2010 PlayStation Awards.[7] Along with Ao no Kiseki, Comic Book Resources highlighted the game's "persistent overarching storyline, immersive and detailed settings, masterful character development [and] unique battle system". They noted that despite the lack of an official localization, the plot and characters were integral to understanding later games in the series.[2]

References
    1. 英雄伝説零の軌跡 Eiyuu Densetsu: Zero no Kiseki
    2. Rawda, Odel (6 May 2020). "Why Falcom's Trails from Zero & Trails to Azure Deserve a Western Release". CBR. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
    3. "The Legend of Heroes Zero no Kiseki to be Released on PC in Japan on 6/14". 19 April 2013.
    4. ""Zero no Kiseki: Evolution" for(PS Vita)". Falcom. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
    5. Romano, Sal (31 January 2020). "The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki for PS4 launch April 23 and May 28 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
    6. Romano, Sal (9 March 2020). "The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki PC fan translation mod launches March 14". Gematsu. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
    7. "The Legend of Heroes "Zero no Kiseki" for PSP- Awards". Falcom. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
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