History VideoGame / TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky

* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:Kevin and Cassius come up with a way to destroy the Stigma that allows Weissman to control Joshua, but it can only be triggered by Weissmann giving a specific order. They choose to set it to Weissmann ordering Joshua to kill Estelle, knowing that Weissmann would not be able to resist the opportunity to KickTheDog.]]

** [[spoiler: Weissman, after absorbing the Aureole, turns into a bizarre, Lovecraftian-horror.]]

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: Weissman reveals he did this to Joshua]].

** [[spoiler:Professor Alba aka Georg Weissman]], the guy Estelle and Joshua keep bumping into for helpful conversations, is the true BigBad of story.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: One ironclad rule in Ouroboros is that all members must join of their own free will. You'd think that this would hinder [[spoiler:Weissman]], given his usual [[MoreThanMindControl method of operation]], but this rule only applies to actual members, [[LoopholeAbuse not their pawns]].

** [[spoiler:Loewe is mortally wounded while breaking through Weissman's barrier, giving Estelle and Joshua an opening to engage and defeat Weissman. After the fight, Loewe passes after one final conversation with Joshua.]]

** After listening to Weissman's speech at the Aureole in SC, Estelle comments, "Boy, I bet you're a real hit at parties. Not."

** Georg Weissman "the Faceless"

** SC takes this trope up to eleven as Ouroboros enforcers always [[TheBattleDidntCount stand upright]] and talk with the party after every battle, while always having some means of escape. Even [[spoiler:Weissman]] does this after you fight him and [[spoiler:his two OneWingedAngel forms, and it's Father Kevin who corners and executes him without Estelle or Joshua's knowledge]].

* StoryToGameplayRatio: The first game definitely falls on the side of Story > Gameplay, with the gameplay present being [[EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame fairly simplistic]]. The second game expands the play aspect a bit while not sacrificing story at all. (in fact, SC's word count is a whopping 716,401, about 20% more than ''Literature/WarAndPeace'') Overall, the series still lands on the "story rich" end of the spectrum.

* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Both Cassius and Estelle deliver these in SC [[spoiler:to Joshua and Renne respectively]]. You might even call them [[IncrediblyLamePun Bright Slaps]].

** The main story arc (in FC and SC) actually [[IncrediblyLamePun slides along the scale]] as it goes on. It starts off pretty light and idealistic, but then gets more and more cynical and dark until we're at almost ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' levels of [[MagnificentBastard bastardity]] and cynicism, to the point that even [[GenkiGirl Estelle]] begins to crack under the strain. [[spoiler: Ultimately it swings back toward the idealist side of things in the grand finale, though. The title can be heard as "[[MeaningfulName Miracle in the Sky]]" in Japanese for a reason, after all.]]

* MoreThanMindControl: [[spoiler:Weissmann]] is an absolute ''master'' of this. [[spoiler:It's how he was able to force Joshua to spy on the Bracers, it's a large part of the reason Joshua feels so guilty over what happened to Karen and it's one of the main impeti for Joshua leaving the Brights at the end of FC, as the idea that Weissmann might ''still'' have such control over him and might force him to betray or even kill Estelle fills him with absolute, blinding terror. SC reveals that his terror was entirely justified, though he's [[WhatTheHellHero still called out]] on his manner of dealing with it.]]

* BatmanColdOpen: The first half of the prologue of The 3rd is about Kevin completing a mission to retrieve an artifact that has absolutely nothing to the main plot of the game, which is kicked off when a simple pickup job he was instructed to do on the way home from his other mission goes awry.

''Trails in the Sky'' is, in a word, gigantic. It was so large, in fact, that Falcom couldn't practically release it as one game; it was released as two games, with a third game that was more of an epilogue than a third part. ''Trails in the Sky FC'' (short for "First Chapter") was released in mid-2004, ending on a massive cliffhanger, with several major questions left unanswered (and originally titled just 英雄伝説VI 空の軌跡, with no indication that it would be continued!) In spite of the game's modest budget and sprite-based graphics (far behind those standard for the then current wave of UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 games), it received praise from critics and players alike for its sprawling cast of characters, depth of WorldBuilding, ambitiously extensive script, and numerous side stories about the lives of its hundreds of non-playable characters.

However, the first chapter was eventually localized and released in March 2011 for the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]] courtesy of Creator/XSEEDGames (who worked on Creator/{{Falcom}}'s ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'' series previously). After several years, XSEED announced in late 2013 that ''Trails in the Sky SC'' would be released on [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork PSN]] and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, with the translation done in cooperation with Creator/CarpeFulgur; and after several other travails, ''SC'' finally got a release date of [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/251290/ October 29, 2015]]. ''The Third'' was released on May 3rd, 2017 (but only on PC).

Beginning in 2015, the games received an UpdatedRerelease for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita and UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 to bring the trilogy in line with later games in the franchise containing enhanced graphics, redrawn character portraits, new animated sequences, a rearranged soundtrack provided by several freelance musicians, full voice acting for the story scenes with the exception of sidequests, with various gameplay additions. Due to the licensing issues involved, these versions of the games are currently only available in Japan and are likely to remain unlocalized.

** Agate's crafts Buffalo Rage and Dynast Gale were changed to Wild Rage and Beat Down.

''Trails in the Sky'' is, in a word, gigantic. It was so large, in fact, that Falcom couldn't practically release it as one game; it was released as two games, with a third game that was more of an epilogue than a third part. ''Trails in the Sky FC'' (short for "First Chapter") was released in mid-2004, ending on a massive cliffhanger, with several major questions left unanswered. In spite of the game's modest budget and sprite-based graphics (far behind those standard for the then current wave of UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 games), it received praise from critics and players alike for its sprawling cast of characters, depth of WorldBuilding, ambitiously extensive script, and numerous side stories about the lives of its hundreds of non-playable characters.

** Estelle's surname is ''Bright'', and her first name comes from the Old French word for "star"; everyone thinks she is as bright as the sun that shines through the darkness. She is even called the ''Sun Girl'' by Kevin in 3rd.

** Kevin's crafts Death Punisher was changed to Mortal Punishment.