"Trails Beyond the Horizon's new character, Ulrika, is like staring into the abyss of a broken TikTok algorithm, and while my knee-jerk reaction might have been shock and even a little disdain, over the next 100 hours, I grew to find the character's bit surprisingly genuine and, admittedly, hilarious. What first felt like a gimmick grew to become one of my absolute favorite parts of the game, enhancing the already distinct personality of the Trails games."
"Ulrika's style is based on a Japanese fashion subculture known as "gals" or "gyaru," that's known for tanned skin and heavily accessorized looks. NIS America Within Ouroboros is a position known as Enforcer, ultra-powerful people who are given near freedom to do what they want - and because of that, they tend to have, let's say, quirky personalities. Ulrika is one such enforcer, and fittingly, you only ever interact with her through a computer screen, because she's quite literally terminally online."
Trails Beyond the Horizon, the 13th entry in a continuous JRPG series, introduces Ulrika, a new character who embodies a terminally-online, "gals"/gyaru aesthetic. Ulrika is an Enforcer within the shadowy Ouroboros organization, a near-omnipotent role that breeds quirky personalities. Interaction with Ulrika occurs only via computer screen, and she communicates in heavy Gen Z slang and streaming vernacular. The slang initially feels jarring and gimmicky, but prolonged play over roughly 100 hours reveals the persona as surprisingly genuine, humorous, and a standout element. Ulrika's presence deepens the series' personality while leaving Ouroboros' intentions still mysterious.
Read at Inverse
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