The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is an motion RPG with platforming parts that began life on the PSP all the best way again in 2012. And as is the case with so lots of Falcom’s lesser-known titles, it was by no means launched outdoors of Japan. This new PS4 model, then, is a remaster of what some would think about to be a little bit of a traditional, and whereas we would hesitate to place it on the identical podium as, say, the perfect video games in Falcom’s Ys collection, there is not any doubt that The Legend of Nayuta is a blast to play.
Broadly talking, Nayuta is like if Ys and Trails — Falcom’s fashionable JRPG saga — merged with each other. The gameplay has rather a lot in widespread with the adventures of Adol Christin, whereas the narrative aspect of issues takes cues from the aforementioned Trails titles — a minimum of by way of pacing and characterisation. However the place Nayuta units itself aside is in its construction, which sees our plucky protagonist (additionally named Nayuta) leap between his hub-like hometown and designated motion levels.
The principle thrust of the sport’s 20-ish hour story reveals itself fairly early, as Nayuta and his adventurous good friend Cygna uncover the secrets and techniques of the ruins that pepper their beloved Remnant Isle. Being so eager in his pursuit of scholarly information, Nayuta dives headfirst into the thriller, and it isn’t lengthy earlier than he is exploring one other world, stuffed with unusual landscapes, perspective-shattering secrets and techniques, and, after all, monsters.
To be blunt, the narrative by no means actually had us hooked. Nayuta’s an enjoyably energetic lead, and Remnant Isle instantly charms as a setting, however the overarching plot stumbles on account of a reliance on drained and largely predictable style tropes. All of it simply falls considerably flat, regardless of a number of properly written dialogue and a few story twists that attempt to hold issues attention-grabbing. Overly critical dangerous guys, a squeaky mascot companion, and the arrival of an amnesia-riddled thriller woman is a mix that’ll drag any RPG down.
Fortunately, the sport’s mix of hack-and-slash fight and fast-paced platforming needs to be sufficient to carry your consideration. With tight controls and a strong gameplay loop, dashing, leaping, and brawling your approach by means of every pretty quick stage is satisfying — and rewarding, must you go looking for hidden treasure chests and collectibles. What’s extra, finishing extra aims — like beating a stage inside a set time restrict — nets you stamps that can be utilized to unlock new battle methods. There’s at all times a aim to pursue.
Now then, the motion. Basically, Nayuta is a simplistic slasher. You may have a fast and straightforward sword combo, a dodge roll, and a double leap. You smack an enemy, and in case your combo is not sufficient to kill, you progress away from its imminent retaliation. Simple at first, however the sport rapidly introduces foes that require some tactical pondering, be it due to ranged assaults or resistances to every thing however particular methods. And while you begin encountering enemy teams that blend a number of of those parts collectively, issues grow to be surprisingly difficult — in a great way.
Boss battles are a spotlight as effectively. These climactic fights boast their very own gimmicks, and whereas it’d take a few makes an attempt to determine a sound technique, there’s a powerful diploma of creativity on present — particularly while you do not forget that this was initially a PSP title. In reality, it could possibly be argued that from a gameplay viewpoint, Nayuta is considered one of Falcom’s most experimental outings, and that always works to the sport’s benefit as every new stage affords some form of recent intrigue.
Having stated all of that, there are occasions when the title feels only a contact unfair. Unseeable enemy assaults from offscreen could be a drawback — particularly once they subsequently knock you off a platform and reset your progress — and appropriately judging the space of some jumps may be unnecessarily troublesome relying on the stage’s digicam angle. Minor grievances for essentially the most half, however the frustration can add up while you’re attempting to blitz a stage for the sake of sure rewards.
But when there’s one space the place Nayuta would not falter, it is presentation. It is a nice trying remaster of what was already a beautiful trying PSP launch. Fashions and textures have been upgraded, and the artwork model — topped off with its wide selection of vivid colors and extremely fairly lightning results — actually pops at a better decision, whereas working at a flawless 60 frames-per-second.
Conclusion
The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is an effortlessly charming motion RPG. Despite the fact that the story struggles to interact, there’s a lot to love in regards to the sport’s hectic mixture of hack-and-slash fight and responsive platforming. A simple advice for followers of Ys, or fast-paced, skill-based motion titles typically.
