The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak

Though I will always have a soft spot for the Cold Steel games, Trails Through Daybreak arrives as the new best game of the series. Between giving a more mature protagonist and redefining the combat, the Calvard arc starts with its best foot forward. The fact that things have already become this hectic with the very first game means we're looking at probably the craziest arc to date. Sadly, these take a bit of time to localize, and we'll be two behind in September, but I will be right there when the next one hits.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak gives us a new area of Zemuria and a lot of new characters to love. Van Arkride is a great character and I hope to see more of him going forward.

Trails through Daybreak begins the second half of the Trails subseries of the Legend of Heroes series. The game follows Van Arkride and a wide cast of characters through the Calvard Republic.. PC version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.

Nihon Falcom needn't have gone about overhauling things as radically as they have. But with a newfound energy and purpose to its real-time/turn-based hybrid of a premise, as well as a bountiful amount of new and returning mechanics to experiment with, Trails Through Daybreak is nothing less than another fantastic reinvention for what was already some of if not the best turn-based combat in any JRPG series. Aided on top by that familiar dedication to player customization, intriguing world-building and that ongoing desire to spend a bit longer in getting the most out of the systems on show. Coun...

Ultimately, Trails Through Daybreak 2 ends up being a bit polarizing in terms of its place in the series and as a middle chapter in the ongoing Calvard arc, but its gameplay is so satisfying — including one of the best combat systems in the genre — that it's not a stretch to say that JRPG fans can't afford to miss out on what the game offers, regardless of their familiarity with the Legend of Heroes series and the broader Trails game timeline. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel for the series' mechanics, Trails Through Daybreak 2's combat, progression systems, customization, and breadth of co...

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is the spark that this series needed, and an incredible new chapter for such an iconic franchise. The shift in tone for the story and the addictive dual-mode combat had me hooked from beginning to end. If you play any game in this series, make it this one.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is a fantastic new entry in the Trails series, and while it has some problems, it is amazing on Steam Deck.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak establishes its own identity in the extensive franchise, offering fun new characters, compelling combat and a relatively strong presentation despite some familiar flaws.

Trails through Daybreak has the best side quests in any game I’ve played. I mean, I cried like, three different times. And these are just optional moments, too. The sheer storytelling and world-building alone makes this game worth a look. Overall, this is a great foundation for the next era of this series.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 makes a few missteps with the pacing of its multiversal story, but it puts a focus on quality character moments and impressive worldbuilding.

Despite my issues with some of the characters, Almata, and the underlying Xipha system, I still enjoyed my time at Calvard, seeing old friends and meeting new ones, and I am eager to return to one of my favorite long-form fictional works.

Historically, it's not uncommon to see Trails sequels launch this soon after the original game and that's also true with the Japanese Daybreak launch. While I didn't expect any sweeping changes given it's a direct sequel, these smaller updates could go a long way in Trails through Daybreak 2. I'm particularly curious to see how the time travel mechanics play out narratively, and I'll be checking out the full release next year.