Nihon Falcom is an incredible studio. They have created some of the low-key innovative and engaging RPGs of the last couple of decades. I’ve played several of The Trails of franchise as well as the Ys series and I’ve always been blown away. Now with the release of The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails, I have started a new adventure in a new world. And my takeaway from this experience is mainly positive.
In The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails, you play as Nayuta a young boy on a remote island who is inquisitive, full of pep and quite sweet. He and his best friend Cygna are home from months being away. Their world is fascinating in that ruins from an ancient civilisation drop from the sky every now and then.
On one eventful day a significantly larger ruin than normal falls onto their island. From there Nayuta and Cygna’s lives are changed forever. They travel to a new world, face unimaginable dangers and learn devastating revelations.
A new trail, a new beginning
I’m a huge fan of the titles from Nihon Falcom, so I came into The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails with some baggage. What I got was a flawed but enjoyable experience. First off, the combat is open, you usually utilise a one-button combo. Now that does evolve as the game goes on, Nayuta gains access to spells, and skills that grow his retinue of abilities. You gain all these new skills and spells by completing tasks, finding items and more in each level. Once you reach a certain milestone you gain new skills, spells and equipment. It’s an excellent way to give you an incentive to 100% not just a level but the entire game.
Now these levels are filled with enemies and puzzles to get through, with mini-bosses dotted around the place. Then this culminates with a big bad boss at the end of each section of the game. These bosses are fun and imaginative and cap off each section well. An issue I had though was that the levels are mainly corridors. You run from one end to the next, it’s boring at times. Thankfully though the level designs are quite charming, brimming with colour.
The game is also quite fast-paced. The narrative moves at an excellent pace, giving characters their moments without too much fat. I will say though the narrative is somewhat predictable at times which can take away from the entirety of it all.
Ultimately though the game has a lot of RPG stalwarts that add to the enjoyment of The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails. There is a charming cast of characters, there are a lot of easy-to-complete sidequests, there are satisfying battles within it and it also has impressive scope at times.
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