Over time The Legend of series has cultivated an experience that players love. Mature stories, deep interconnected narratives, with the Heroes series frequently making players top RPG list. So it makes sense there would be a lot of interest in the largely forgotten action RPG spin-off, The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails. With a self-contained story, a history of excellence, and this being one of the first opportunities to experience it in the west, is it worth the wait or was it better left exclusive?
Since The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is not part of a larger narrative, it makes things a lot easier to step into. There isn’t an “optional” 40 minute recap, nor is there a large cast that you’ve grown to love over the years. Instead, it focuses on Nayuta, a young explorer who dreams of exploring the unknown. Through an unlikely series of events he winds up in a location known as “Lost Heaven” where he needs to stop a major threat from doing untold damage to these worlds.
Even if it doesn’t sound particularly unique, a lot of The Legend of Heroes charm is present. Each of the characters gradually gain depth, as does the actual conflict you need to address. While it takes some time to get there, it’s a narrative worth exploring.
The World Has Its Own Charm
Almost immediately The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails shows its age. Given the original release was back in 2012, with something of a low budget, it’s very reminiscent of PlayStation 2-era titles. Not only do models look extremely dated, the world itself is deliberately remastered in an arguably unusual way. Character models and other focal points are given some love, with minor things showing all of its age. Even characters show some of it, usually through sharp angles, unusual artistic choices, or limited designs, though the cleaned up look makes them feel newer than they actually are. Tutorials are another fairly large indicator, explaining basic things in a way that is overly descriptive.
Not only does The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails look old, it also lacks the refinement you’d expect from a newer release. Since this is an action RPG, moves are stiff and somewhat floaty, with it being nowhere near as complicated as you might expect. This doesn’t stop things from being fun per se, it’s just important to remember it’s basically a 2012 game with a new coat of paint.
Negatives aside, in some ways The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails age is to its benefit. One of the simplest examples is retaining a town with NPCs to interact with. Many newer experiences either reduce the scope, to the point of even outright removing it, so having a new experience with that feature is always nice.
Much to NIS America’s credit they also added English voice acting to this release. This is a bit more impressive than other releases since they were recorded specifically for this release. Little touches like this are something the community appreciates, especially when it would be so much easier to stick with the base experience.
The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails Review Verdict
The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails: At its core I don't think The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is a bad experience, it just really shows its age. Combat is really loose, gameplay is not that refined, to even having graphics that are on the rough side. I do appreciate the effort that went into this experience, one that North America unfortunately originally missed out on, it just helps to go in with the right expectations. It's a solid narrative that is supported by okay gameplay. – Grant
Editor’s Note: The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails was reviewed on PlayStation 5 and a copy was provided to us for review purposes.
