The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II Reviews

After a near 50-hour journey, my second trip to the Republic of Calvard was certainly worth it. Despite my issues with the story and the new dungeon, Trails Through Daybreak 2 remains compelling thanks to its strong cast of characters, enjoyable combat and well-considered worldbuilding. It's not quite the leap forward I was hoping for, though it's still a great time that I'd recommend to any fans of the first game.

Nihon Falcom returns to the Republic of Calvard in The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II. While the game might not advance the series worldbuilding all that much, there's plenty of enjoy spending more time with its cast.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II refines its unique combat while telling an engrossing story that can’t help but stumble due to odd writing choices and poorly utilized plot elements.

Trails Through Daybreak 2 is a fantastic continuation of the franchise, even with some stumbles in story pacing, and it's a joy to play on the Steam Deck.

Being one of my favourite RPG franchises, I'm very happy to discuss The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II today so let's get to it.

Trails Through Daybreak II offers a fun mix of good storytelling, strategic gameplay, and character growth. However, it might be a bit too much for new players because of its complicated story and features.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II does what every good JRPG sequel should do: make it a friend fest, filling your adventure party with all the characters you know and love for one big journey. Set mere months after the first Daybreak game hit the west, lovable ruffian Van Arkride and co. are introduced to new threats and must work together to unravel the mystery.

Throughout 90 hours with Trails Through Daybreak 2, it was hard to shake the feeling that it was a game that would resonate strongly with JRPG fans, regardless of whether they had played previous games in the Legend of Heroes series or had followed the other Trails games from the sidelines.

With that in mind, Daybreak 2 sits in a weird space in which it’s a must-play for fans of the series, as it sets up events that will be built upon in future games, but it’s also really difficult to recommend. If you’re determined to go in regardless, keep your expectations in check, brace yourself for a seemingly endless amount of filler, and you should have a decent enough time.

While the narrative has its share of tedious moments and some repetitive missions, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II is still a great sequel. It delivers a compelling, immersive story and exhilarating combat, improving upon its predecessor in many ways while upholding the series’ JRPG excellence.

Returning to Calvard and spending more time with Arkride Solutions is always welcome, but a mediocre storyline harms what is otherwise another excellent entry.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 is an ambitious, but flawed, sequel to one of last year's best JRPGs

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II continues the Calvard story arc set by its predecessor and also reaches the standard of excellence set by it. Whether tackling 4SPG jobs from the bulletin board, grinding for gear or playing minigames in the Märchen Garten or trying to advance through the main story, things never get boring in Trails Through Daybreak II. The roster of characters is varied and interesting, and watching their own history and motivations play out in the context the main story helps make them feel alive. Progressing through the main story campaign is kept interesting through the combined force of a strong narrative and great battle system, but the player can always take a break and use the Märchen Garten as a playground. These factors make The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II not only a great addition to the franchise, but an incredible JRPG in general.

Trails Through Daybreak II doesn’t feel nearly as refreshing as its predecessor, but it’s still a solid entry in the long-running series that ticks the necessary boxes (legible text aside). Though its story isn’t all that exceptional, the combat is as rewarding as ever and new gameplay features like the Marchen Garten help to make this feel distinct and worthwhile. And while we wouldn’t necessarily suggest that this is a great starting point for newcomers, series fans will find lots to love here, even if it won’t be topping many lists as a series favourite.

Spanning more than two decades of releases, Nihon Falcom continues to push its world of Zemuria in new directions and doesn’t miss a step with its world-building masterclass Trails series. Since both the Crossbell and Erebonia world arcs have come to a conclusion with Trails into Reverie, Trails Through Daybreak feels like an excellent entry ramp to the series—especially with the staggering amount of information held in the title’s glossary section. However, Trails Through Daybreak II likely requires the player to finish the entire first title to enjoy the second to its fullest. After all, you shouldn’t watch season two of an anime before the first.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II has plenty for players to enjoy even if you decide to deviate from completing the main story. Everything looks and sounds incredible, and while the story is a bit meandering, the combat is sensational.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II is a near-perfect sequel that follows up the previous game with an intriguing story and premise. While shaking up the story formula, the game retains many of the redeeming qualities of its predecessor and makes improvements in the right areas, including the seamless action-to-turn-based combat system. This is a cant-miss RPG that brings everything Trails fans enjoy about the series.

But I also think that is unfair of me. Trails Through Daybreak II is a good game. It is a good game in the way that we actually don’t get a lot of, a solid installment in what seems from the outside to be a very solid series. Oh, sure, having nothing spectacular in it is kind of a flaw, but I think it is a good game all the way through. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll have a blast with it, and if you’re not a fan but want to get into it, maybe you really do want a JRPG that’s ...

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 manages to improve in some areas while stumbling a bit in others, but still manages to deliver an exciting tale; here is our review.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II capitalizes on the gameplay of the first game. It also enhances the animations and the effects of the predecessor.

Whilst the story isn’t as strong as the previous title, the endearing, well-written characters and exciting battle systems make this a Trails game that’s well worth it for long-time fans of the franchise.

The latest addition to Falcom's long-running RPG series isn't a complete disaster, but it's far from a triumph, and the new features barely raise it above the underwhelming story.

For some reason, the screen slowly rotates by default when entering a new scene or shop screen. The problem persisted after I unplugged my mouse. And there seem to be fewer than usual NPCs you can talk to on the streets. But these issues are far from dealbreakers for me.

Trails Through Daybreak II tells a great story with many twists and turns. NIS has also made quality-of-life improvements throughout the game to make everything flow as smoothly as possible. With excellent writing and entertaining combat, Trails Through Daybreak II shows it can stand on the same mountain as the biggest titans in the genre.

Return to the Calvard Republic and unravel the mystery of the crimson beast! One day, a shocking series of murders set the wheels of fate into motion once again. Chaos looming on the horizon, the spriggan Van Arkride receives an unexpected visitor. Who is behind the murders, and what is their goal? Nintendo Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by NIS America for testing purposes.

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.