Two weeks ago, Gungho Online Entertainment sent out a box of chocolate to the press and certain content creators to celebrate the release of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. The remake of the first game in the Legend of Heroes Trails series. The chocolate was based on a chunk of the characters that are in the game.
DISCLAIMER: I will likely reveal spoilers for Trails in the Sky FC due to how the chocolate relates to the character. It will feel weird to discuss the taste, the flavors, without talking about how they relate to the specific characters they are made for. I will keep spoilers light, though!
My Spouse and I shared the chocolates so we could also discuss them together. Also, alongside everything else I do, I decided to keep notes to look back on in case I did write something or think about something I could look back. This will discuss the notes I wrote as we took a bite into each chocolate. I will also want to discuss the characters and why they do or do not fit the flavors attributed. I will format this based on the order in which we ate the chocolate.
Agate Crosner – Aztec Spice
Notes: A Perfect Balance of Cinnamon and Chocolate
We chose to taste Agate’s chocolate first. Mainly because both my spouse and I have a weak affinity towards spice and spicy things. We were surprised by the bite we had of this chocolate. You could still taste the spice of the cinnamon and chile, but with the way the chocolate is intertwined with the ingredients, it doesn’t taste spicy. It actually complements and gives a fantastic taste and aftertaste to each component in the chocolate.
Agate in the Trails series is described as the “Jerk with a heart of gold”. He looks the part of a punk and even acts like it when he is in public. He does have a very soft side, and it takes a lot before you can cozy up to him. He starts in a gang and, after getting a stern talking to and being whooped by Cassius Bright, decides to become a Bracer. I think this flavor represents him perfectly. We knew the ingredients and were skeptical about how it would taste, but came out of it surprised and excited to try more!
Tita Russell – Fresh Lemon
Notes: Very strong lemon that overtakes most of the flavor. Tastes really good though.
I let my spouse choose the next one, and she gravitated towards the yellow one. I didn’t want to let her know the irony of choosing this piece of chocolate right after eating the chocolate that represented Agate. If you understand that irony, then keep it to yourself and chuckle. As my notes said, this has a lot of lemon. The first bite floods your tongue with what feels like juice but is lemon. The crunch of the white chocolate isn’t enough to contrast with the lemon. Honestly, the white chocolate feels more like a texture to paint the lemon onto. It is lemon and more lemon, and it is sweet. The weird thing, though, is that unlike other Lemon candies, this one didn’t taste like sour citrus. It is a very sweet lemon tang with a bit of a crunch, thanks to the white chocolate. The lemon still tastes phenomenal.
Tita is a young girl in the Sky games and also a brilliant inventor. She may be super young, and the gun she wields might be the same size as her, but she has a lot of personality. She is very happy and cheerful throughout the first game, and also a bit overconfident in her own abilities. Luckily, Estelle and Joshua are there to keep her safe when she gets into trouble. She makes people happy wherever they go due to her cheerful and optimistic personality. Having a yellow lemon white chocolate flavor makes sense. She brightens up any room, so to speak!
Olivier Lenheim – Lavender
Notes: It tastes like there’s more than lavender but not sure on what the other flavors are in it besides chocolate.
The first bite of this chocolate fills your tongue with caramel. There is lavender chocolate that then fills your taste buds, and it tastes like there are other flavors, but they are so fast that it goes back to the lavender taste almost immediately. Both my spouse and I were unable of what to make of this chocolate. It tasted good, but with how much variety it feels is inside this chocolate, it makes it hard to pinpoint the tastes and aftertastes.
Olivier is a bard who is traveling around Liberl. He meets up with Estelle and Joshua as they make their way to Bose and learn more about the city. They also learn about the challenges of the military working with the Bracer Guild. Olivier helps them out and gives them some direction, but he also decides to start following them. You eventually will learn more secrets that he has kept hidden, but overall, Olivier is someone you will need a high tolerance for. He can annoy you, but he can also give you exactly what you need to move forward. The color and the intensity of lavender speak to Olivier incredibly. I think it represents him well, even if the flavor is a bit too strong.
Dorothy Hyatt – Passion Fruit
Notes: First bite gives you a hunker of caramel and chocolate with a sharp liquid that starts to overtake the flavor with passion fruit. It is an experience, but not our favorite one.
This was a chocolate that had a lot of strong flavors. The caramel and chocolate immediately enter your taste buds and never leave, even when the taste coalesces into a passion fruit. It has a good taste, but it overwhelms my senses so much that I had to wait a bit before trying the next piece of chocolate.
Dorothy, in the first Trails game, is a rookie photographer who is really good at getting pictures but often gets distracted from the world around her. It feels like it is her first time away from home, so she isn’t used to all these new locales. Dorothy is a lot to handle, but then again, so is her partner in crime, Nial! This chocolate isn’t a perfect fit for the character, but I do think it is a fit. Dorothy is still working on getting used to the job of moving around and getting pictures, but she is clumsy and unrefined. She can feel like too much at times and doesn’t even fit the mold that Nial wants to give her.
Josette Haar – Toasted Coconut
Notes: I could not taste the coconut until the very end, but honestly a really good blast of flavors.
There is caramel and chocolate in the first bite, though with a coconut-like taste mixed in. Once the tastes start to die down, then the real coconut flavor takes shape and fills your senses. I really enjoyed the aftertaste of this chocolate. It looks deceiving, though in all honesty, the look of the blue and white makes you think you are in for a different flavor than what you get.
This is the absolute perfect chocolate to represent this character. On the outside is very different than what you get on the inside. Josette has a lot of secrets hidden in that nice-looking royal academy uniform she wears for most of the first game that you see her in. I don’t want to go into too big of spoilers, but she has a lot of secrets. Once you get to know the real Josette, you see she is a good person and only wants what is best for her family. Yes, this chocolate fits Josette to a T.
Nial Burns – Butterscotch Bourbon
Notes: The Bourbon taste is there but overall, a pretty basic chocolate when you compare it to the other chocolates in this box.
My spouse and I don’t drink, so we were worried about how much we would like the alcohol flavored chocolates. We took our bite and were not surprised that we didn’t immediately recognize the flavor. It tasted more like coffee mixed with another flavor we haven’t had before, which was likely the bourbon. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t a strong flavor. I couldn’t really taste the butterscotch.
Nial Burns is a journalist for Liberl News, and his focus is always on finding a big story to get more eyes on the newspaper. He does spend a bit too much time in taverns, but when he is on board for a story, he gets locked in. I don’t mind them using his basic bourbon desires as the reason for using this chocolate piece to represent him, but it does feel a little like it is focusing on only one thing. I do think it fits Nial, but I also think it isn’t a strong fit for the character. The butterscotch caramel with a more coffee taste is likely to represent his smoking habit too.
Pom – Macadamia Praline
Notes: Very balanced mixture of chocolate with macadamia. It tastes extremely good!. A shining example of proper taste to balance flavors correctly!
The first bite of this chocolate was a strong mixture of chocolate and the mixture of macadamia. This is a tasty blend that I was saddened I ate as fast as I did. Both my spouse and I ranked it high up on the list of our favorite chocolates.
This Pom, in particular, the chocolate was based on was the Shining Pom. These are enemies in the Trails series that you will find all over. The shining ones give you a lot of experience points, Mira, and Sepith. They are also rare to be in a fight for long. After a few turns, they will run away, and you will lose all the potential experience you could have had. I think this chocolate is a perfect fit for the Shining Pom.
Aina Holden – Rosemary
Notes: Rosemary taste is not my favorite. It kind of messes with the chocolate in my opinion, though it’s not bad.
Like other chocolates in this box, I thought the rosemary would be a smaller taste or a blend of strong flavors. This however, was strong rosemary and not as strong other flavors. The chocolate tastes good, but the rosemary overtakes it in the worst possible way. It makes the aftertaste also too much like rosemary.
Just no… Aina is the first guild branch receptionist you meet in the game, as she is over the Rolent branch. You still get dialogue about her later on. That said, Aina is the one who keeps all the bracers in line in Rolent. The one she has to constantly get to stay in line just happens to be Scherazard, who is a straight-up alcoholic junkie. Aina, however, can outdrink and outdo Scherazard in almost every way when it comes to their nightly activities. Rosemary, I understand, is supposed to mean something of mourning the past, but even so, Aina isn’t really about that anymore. And it isn’t ever in the actual game. She does have someone she mourns, but she isn’t defined by it by the time the game begins. This is the one I vehemently disagree with being associated with Aina. Not a bad flavor, but it is a bad chocolate for Aina.
Professor Alba – Lime Vanilla
Notes: The chocolate gets overwhelmed by the vanilla and the lime. It tastes really good. The aftertaste tastes great when the chocolate comes back in to balance the flavors.
The first bite overwhelms the senses with the strong flavor of vanilla and lime. The flavor starts to mix, though as you continue to chew and let the rest of the chocolate mix together. You can still taste the lime and vanilla strongly, but as you are done swallowing the chocolate, your taste buds can still taste all three main flavors in this one. I think this one was a very well-designed chocolate, and it was better than I was initially expecting.
Professor Alba is someone who has many personalities based on who he is talking to. He is quick to put on a new persona if he likes or dislikes you. He will also do anything to find the mysteries he is looking for. In the first Trails game, you only get to see his more clumsy and gentle persona of Professor Alba. I do think this is a chocolate that fits him, albeit not perfectly, but it is a good showing of not being chocolate until the very end of the taste. You can only taste the vanilla and lime before the chocolate finally settles in on your tongue. Either way, a decent fit for Professor Alba.
Estelle Bright – Calamansi Mandarin
Notes: A little more citrus than the lemon one, and it is very strong. Not a good first bite, but it does simmer better as the flavor dies down.
My taste buds were immediately overwhelmed with the taste of citrus and orange in the first bite. It has caramel and chocolate, but they aren’t nearly as strong as the orange flavor. That is all the tongue remembers is the orange. The aftertaste of the chocolate tasted good. I much prefer the lemon flavor of Tita’s chocolate over this one for Estelle.
Estelle is the focal point of the bulk of the Trails in the Sky arc. She is generally upbeat during most of the first game. I think the chocolate does a good job of representing Estelle in that sense. Estelle is upbeat even during times when people need to grieve, and she very seldom understands the social cues and how to act appropriately in many situations. That said, when you think back on the person, you feel positive and love the time you spent with them. I may not have clicked with the orange taste much, but that aftertaste was well worth the experience.
Kloe Rinz – Vanilla Bean
Notes: I was not expecting Chocolate in the first bite, but it complements the vanilla bean flavor extremely well.
As many of the prior chocolates have shown, the first bite generally presents the strongest flavor, with the rest of the chewing sorting out the remaining flavors later on. This time, the chocolate was the strongest flavor, and the vanilla bean was more of the aftertaste. The vanilla bean significantly enhanced the chocolate’s flavor, and this was a great addition.
Kloe Rinz in Trails in the Sky is a student in the Royal Jenis Academy. She spends a lot of her free time with her motherly figure, Mrs. Theresa. Theresa has an orphanage that takes care of children without parents. Kloe is a very sweet girl, but also one with a lot of discipline. She is on the student council and helps out at the Academy whenever they need her. She has a sophistication about her that is very different than Estelle. It makes sense that this chocolate is almost the polar opposite of Estelle’s in that regard. The defining flavor of Kloe is Vanilla Bean, and it is in the background of the chocolate rather than a strong first impression.
Scherazard Harvey – Rum Caramel
Notes: A bit floral mixed with what tastes like a coffee bean. I personally haven’t had Rum, but I could envision this being a drink taste.
I was hesitant about trying this one since I don’t think I would be able to determine how close this chocolate tasted to rum. It tasted like coffee and caramel mixed with chocolate. I doubt that is what rum tastes like, but it is still fashioned after a drink taste. The taste lingers with you even after the aftertaste is gone from your mouth.
Scherazard Harvey is the mentor to Estelle and Joshua as they work on becoming Bracers. She was trained by Estelle’s father, Cassius Bright. She developed a drinking habit that is constantly shown throughout the game. It makes a lot of sense for the rum flavor to be for Scherazard. I think it is the better alcohol flavor compared to the butterscotch bourbon of Nial Burns.
Colonel Richard – Strawberry Balsamic
Notes: Really good balance of the strawberry with Balsamic Vinegar. Strawberry generally goes well with chocolate so this little chocolate tastes phenomenal.
You taste the strawberry right away on the first bite of this chocolate. It blends well with the vinegar and the chocolate. I already love strawberry mixed with chocolate, so the only question I had if I would like this, was how well the Balsamic Vinegar tastes with the combination. Honestly, it tastes delicious. A chocolate that mixes with the flavors on equal footing and is one I would happily eat more of.
Colonel Richard is the head of the intelligence division in the army. He focuses on creating a network of information to help make things easy to figure out. He is also one of the people early on in the game who actually likes the Bracer Guild, unlike other members of the military you meet early on. He is a pretty likable guy, so giving him a strawberry chocolate flavor feels right. It may not fit the color scheme or aesthetic of Colonel Richard, but I do think it fits him as a person.
Zin Vathek – Caramel Pecan
Notes: Very strong caramel front taste with what tastes like butter, salt and pecan. Ends with a good mix and a great aftertaste.
I was expecting a pecan front-loaded flavor, so consider me shocked when it was caramel that was instantly what my taste buds experienced on the first bite. There are other slightly less strong flavors in the chocolate, like salt and pecan. I could taste something that tasted like butter in it as well. The caramel and salt were the strongest parts of the mix, with the pecan and butter underneath it. The thing I tasted the most afterwards was the aftertaste mix. That is where the pecan really shone through. As the flavors settled, you could really grasp what the chocolate was going for. I liked the aftertaste more than the main taste personally.
Zin is an A-rank bracer who generally works in the Calvard Republic. He travels through Liberl to get to his favorite hot springs and also joins the main party for a few missions. He is what many think of as a “Bear of a man”. He is a giant. It also doesn’t help that his weapon of choice is his own two hands. Even though he is such a large presence, he is gentle and well-mannered. He tries to be respectful in everything he does. I don’t know if the taste is related to Zin, but the color scheme absolutely is.
Cassius Bright – Hazelnut Caramel
Notes: Very Strong Hazelnut flavor. Honestly hazelnut taste never goes away. Good hazelnut but can’t taste anything else.
I love hazelnut, and I add hazelnut flavoring to every hot chocolate I make for myself. That said, I think it goes best as a flavor that adds to another main flavor. When I first saw this chocolate, that was what I anticipated: a strong chocolate with a layer of hazelnut. This was a strong hazelnut with a small layer of chocolate and caramel. I think I ruined this chocolate just based on my own preconceived idea of what it was going to taste like in my head. I do think it is a good hazelnut flavor, and it tastes great.
Cassius Bright is someone who looks like a normal 45-year-old guy. Underneath that is one of the most powerful and intelligent people on the planet. The whole world knows Cassius Bright as a powerhouse. The only one who seems to downplay his abilities is his own daughter. Knowing that, having a hazelnut chocolate that tastes mostly like hazelnut because of its very strong hazelnut flavor, I find it very fitting for him as a character.
Joshua Bright – Fleur de Sel
Notes: Sea Salt taste floods the palate immediately. The chocolate becomes easier to recognize as the sea salt flavor dies down.
I chose to save Joshua Bright’s chocolate for last because it was the one I expected to like the most. I love sea salt and chocolate combinations. I did like this flavor, but I was not expecting the sea salt to immediately take over the whole tongue. As the sea salt flavor simmers, the chocolate is a good mixture. It tastes fantastic, but that first bite really overwhelms the senses.
This is a chocolate that was chosen based on the color, more so the flavor. While the sea salt’s strong flavor does resemble the strong front Joshua puts for himself, I don’t think I would use this as a chocolate flavor to define Joshua overall. He is the cool, calm, and collected part of the duo between him and Estelle. Estelle is the overly obnoxious and overconfident lovable goofball. Joshua is the one who is intelligent, observant, and socially aware of his surroundings. I think a milder flavor would suit him a bit better, especially in the first Trails game.
The Verdict
There were 16 different flavors of chocolate, and I don’t want to rank all of them, but I will tell you the one I liked the best and the one I disliked the most. After discussing things with my spouse, we both agreed that Agate Crosner’s chocolate was the best. We loved the cinnamon mix with the chocolate. It was a fantastic blend of both flavors. The one we did not care for was Nial Burns’ chocolate. It was basic in a box full of interesting flavors. None of the flavors I would consider bad in this box.
I do find it a fun campaign, though, to add chocolate flavors to some of the best characters the Trails series has to offer. Note that these chocolates weren’t created solely for this marketing campaign. If you want to buy any of these flavors, you can do so on Christopher Elbows’ chocolates website.
Be sure to read the full review of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter on our website. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is available for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The demo can be downloaded now on all platforms.
Disclosure Statement: The Orbal Confection box was provided to us by Gungho Online Entertainment.
