Currently Online 
#21
Change YoY: NEW! My Rating: 9.4 / 10
I found it surprisingly difficult to rank Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter on my list. On one hand, it is genuinely one of the best games I've played in recent years, but on the other it is a remake of a game that is already on my list and that doesn't really change anything about its story or characters in any significant way compared to the original. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment I spent playing it without question, but I also knew exactly what was going to happen at every point in the game. As such, the story naturally didn't have the impact it could have had if I played it blind, and as a result I still have the original ranked higher even though the gameplay was quite significantly improved in the remake.
Still, this is about as perfect a remake I've ever played. It kept everything that made the original one of my favourite games of all time, and improved on aspects that needed to be tweaked or upgraded to modern audiences, the visuals and gameplay first and foremost. The characters remain wonderfully written, and there are few games that are as effective at setting up a setting and story that spans over a dozen games at this point. It's quite possibly that once I've had some time to think and let my experience with the game rest a little longer, it will move up on my list and possibly even overtake the original. For now, it sits here.
