Review: The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails (Nintendo Switch)

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is an action RPG originally released for PSP in 2012. A part of The Legend of Heroes’ Trails series, the story follows Nayuta, a curious young man fascinated by the stars and the world’s possibilities that he and others cannot perceive. Contrary to popular opinion, Nayuta believes their planet is not flat, and he’s obsessed with learning more—as well as following his parents’ ambition to reach “Lost Heaven” beyond the horizon.

Enigmatic ruins and mysterious crystals descend from the heavens, leaving many to speculate on their extraterrestrial origins. It is from this point that Nayuta embarks on an epic odyssey within Lost Heaven, delving into the realm of seemingly boundless possibilities and unearthing the tantalizing quest that awaits beyond the horizon.

On your journey, you are joined by Noi and others such as Signa and Lyra. Each character is captivating, and there are plenty of engaging quests. The art style is also really nice in 2D, as well as 3D. The companions are endearing, and the game’s world is made all the more delightful by the warm ambiance of Remnant Isle and the enigmatic allure of Lost Heaven. The storyline manages to maintain an element of intrigue that keeps you invested.

While journeying through Lost Heaven, players will experience a combination of action-based combat and platforming elements. Each location features stages where you’ll engage in battles, gather items, complete optional quests, and progress to temples where challenging boss encounters await. The combat system seamlessly integrates Nayuta’s sword abilities with Noi’s magical powers. The action is easy to grasp.

As you advance through the game, you gain access to a wider array of these abilities. To enhance your character, you can earn stars by completing stages under specific conditions as well as doing side quests to unlock new abilities for Noi. Accumulating more stars enables you to unlock new sword techniques for Nayuta. Each new technique is useful, and some are especially fun to use.

In battle, Nayuta is merely a slasher. You can do a rapid sword combination, a dodge roll, and a double jump. This is simple at first, but the game quickly introduces foes that demand more than just button mashing. It could be due to ranged attacks or resistance to all but a few abilities, you’ll learn how to use all your abilities real quick.

When you come into groups of enemies that combine several of these features, things can become challenging, but in a good way.

The game isn’t perfect of course. The individual areas—with their own amazingly designed backgrounds and landscape, as well as beautiful soundtracks—are very well designed, but they can be annoying to work through at times. The platforming segments of the game occasionally proved challenging. These stages are presented in a 2.5D format, and players may encounter difficulty judging the distance when jumping onto moving platforms, resulting in fall damage. The fixed camera angle doesn’t help in these situations whatsoever. There are also some spelling mistakes now and again. But no issues leftover from the original PSP release will prevent you from completing the game, which can be done in an enjoyable 20-some hours.

While it may not be for everyone, if you’re looking for a JRPG with an amazing world of characters and secrets, the Switch update of The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is the game for you.