For whom the Crossbell tolls.
Azure itself takes place several months after Zero, and starts by tying up some loose ends.
Still, Azure rewards your diligence through Detective Points, providing new accessories as Lloyd’s detective rank advances.
If you’re impatient like me, there’s a high-speed mode to power through exploration and battles.
Either way, it’s always nice to have fast travel.
Across turn-based battles with grid-based movement, each ally can immediately strike with regular attacks.
Arts inflict elemental damage or support abilities like recovering HP, which costs time and EP.
Combat’s fundamentals remain unchanged from Zero, and that’s absolutely fine.
You could scan enemies to learn weaknesses and pick them off individually or destroy them through powerful S-Crafts.
Whatever you choose, those victories usually feel earned and still require that careful strategic approach.
It’s helpful in a pinch and can turn the tide of battle.
There’s also Master Quartz.
At level 5, you learn a powerful new Art.
I’ve always enjoyed battles in Trails and once again, this series delivers.
It delivers a significant narrative pay-off that’s best exemplified by the surprisingly sobering ending.
Crucially, Azure never drops that light sense of humour Trails often excels at, despite the subject matter.
