The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails review

Ys-e Does It

Entries in Nihon Falcom’s Trails franchises habitually deliver complex storylines brimming with geopolitical intrigue. Since the property is comprised of multiple sub-series, characters routinely appear across successive entries. Some of the enjoyment stems from witnessing protracted character arcs- as protagonists like Rean Schwarzer grow from determined youngsters into battle-tested leaders. But that kind of expositional richness can also be a deterrent for players with limited recreational time.

Originally released in 2012 for Sony’s PlayStation Portable, The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails adopts an easy-going approach. With no mention of Zemuria or any crossover characters (protagonist Nayuta Herschel is probably related to Cold Steel’s Towa Herschel, but there’s no confirmation), this is a self-contained adventure.

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Factor in platform-driven, real-time combat that’s dished out across a network of Super Mario Bros-like nodes, and you have a wonderfully welcoming spin-off. In execution, Boundless Trails mixes some of the skilled storytelling of The Legend of Heroes with the intense action of Falcom’s Ys and Zwei games. In retrospect, it’s surprising that the game hasn’t officially made it westward until now. Fortunately, the wait is finally over, with a Switch port that offers a tangible improvement over the original.

Much like the bond between Adol and Dogi, Boundless Trails’ lead character Nayuta and lifelong friend Cygna Alhazen have the type of fraternal bond we probably all long for. Nayuta is an intellectual dreamer, who frequently gets absorbed in daydreams while Cygna is the dependable older brother, who indefatigably looks out for his mate. And while a bit of friendly rivalry can occasionally emerge between them, the two always seem supportive. Following a months-long voyage at sea, the pair return to the city of Remnant Isle, reopening the handyman business the duo had started years ago.

Gradual Build-up to an Anisong Anthem

And while homecoming is a prevalent theme in role-playing games, here it’s handled proficiently. Boundless Trails’ 90-minute prologue is in no hurry to let players run free in the action stages. Instead, the duration is spent familiarizing Nayuta’s archipelago home and introducing a diminutive pink-haired girl named Noi. After witnessing the doll-like character robbed of a mysterious object referred to as a Master Gear, Nayuta and Cygna spring into action, heroically jumping into a warp hole to assist. Yes, we know their actions are a bit reckless, but it’s hard not to get swept up by the pair’s chivalrous attitude. And largely, that’s the feeling across the entire plot. Sure, Boundless can flirt with outlandishness, but it’s grounded by a cast of likable characters.

On the other side of that vortex, Nayuta and Cygna walk into a lush, long-rumored world called Lost Heaven. Expectedly, the missing Master Gear is putting the beautiful realm in jeopardy, with the threat of environmental destruction imminent. While naysayers will claim that the plot is too predictable, the straightforwardness of the storytelling is hardly a fault. Originally a portable game, Boundless allows players to progress in bite-sized pieces rather than worrying about pausing the game in the middle of a weighty expositional dump.

Lost Heaven for Some, Terra for Others

Fortunately, there’s a lot of enjoyment to be found on the other side of that warp hole. Lost Heaven offers a succession of challenges without worrying about the traditional logistics of an RPG. Instead, these stages extend straightforward tasks such as eliminating a specific number of enemies or avoiding getting hit more than a few times. Each successful task rewards players with stars on a stamp card, which can be redeemed for additional weapon skills for Nayuta.

Add that on top of a more traditional leveling system and Boundless Trails provides a steady drip feed of gratification. Fortunately, that’s not the only design decision that offsets tedium. While you’ll repeatedly revisit the same levels, at one point they’ll undergo seasonal changes, which shifts the position of enemies and treasures, injecting variety.

A Bit of Imprecision Doesn’t Dampen Combat

In execution, combat is entertaining, despite the lack of camera control, occasional hits from off-screen enemies, and the sporadic missed leap that saps away a few hit points. Using a jump, double-jump, dash, and a quick combo of strikes, Nayuta is both lissome and lethal. Much of the enjoyment stems from learning to exploit each enemy’s weakness, where it’s a shrub sending out a torrent of projectiles or a crab using its shell to guard against attacks. Much like the Ys series, the boss battles are the highlights, offering the usual multi-stage showdowns where a progression of attack phases test Nayuta’s prowess. Of course, the old adage of being battle-ready applies here. As such, you’ll want your inventory to be filled with as many box lunches as possible, requiring some preparation back at home.

Pleasingly, your partner Noi also develops at regular intervals, earning new types of magical attacks. Across each stage, she devotedly follows you, offering ranged strikes that augment your melee ones. But she’ll have to use a bit of restraint, since rechanging her magical arsenal can take a bit of time. At first, Nayuta and Noi might get disoriented in Boundless’ labyrinthine levels. But by collecting mira crystals and destroying environmental objects, you’ll learn to leave a breadcrumb trail of destruction.

Conclusion

Eleven years on, Legend of Nayuta still looks surprisingly modern. At least some of that stems from Peter ‘Durante’ Thoman’s team at PH3 working their customary sorcery. Not only does the title enjoy a solid sixty frame-per-second framerate, but fidelity has also been boosted, and even audio quality demonstrates a palpable improvement. The latter is especially important given the quality of Falcom Sound Team JDK’s work, with Boundless supplying an abundance of beguiling tracks.

Although they tell some ambitious stories, Falcom’s mainline Trails games habitually demand familiarity from players. But The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is one of those marvelous exceptions. The game asks little more than for you to befriend its affable cast and appreciate its punchy real-time combat. Anyone with even a passing interest in action role-playing, should pay attention to Boundless’ appeal.

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails was played on PC
and Switch with review code provided by the publisher.