The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak Reviews
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak’s new cast of characters, revamped battle system, and engaging story is exactly what the series needed to reach new heights.
How much can a review actually sway you if you’re up to number 11 in a series so sprawling, its creator envisions this game as roughly the halfway point in his grand tale? Don’t drop Trails now. That would be ridiculous even if Trails Through Daybreak wasn’t especially good. As it happens, it’s one of my favorite entries, and proof that Falcom is on an upward swing again between this one and Trails of Reverie before it. A little more polish could have gone a long way, but the Calvard Republic is an enjoyable place to explore, the protagonist is appreciably mature, and the story ends with that same deliciously Trails philosophy: always leave ‘em wondering how the heck they’ll ever wrap this up.
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. Countless entries later, Trails continues to prove itself as one of the most satisfying and engaging role-playing experiences available. It wasn't exactly begging for such reinvention, but with The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak, Nihon Falcom's opener to the Calvard arc is as close to perfect a new chapter, as you can possibly get.
Trails through Daybreak stands as another great entry in the storied Legend of Heroes series, making the most of its new setting with its memorable characters and engaging turn-based combat. Though it's held back a bit by things like the awkward introduction of action-based combat and some irritating quirks (and nearly unreadable text in portable mode), this is still an entry that we would strongly recommend to both series fans and, yes, newcomers, too. Trails through Daybreak is a strong inaugural outing, offering another fresh start for this franchise; we'd suggest you give it a shot.
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.
An eleventh chapter that tries to revamp the series from a gameplay point of view, only partially succeeding.
Review in Italian | Read full review
All in all, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is a strong introduction to the world of Zemuria. And it may have the best pacing of any game in the series. If you’ve ever been curious about the Trails series, love the Trails series, or just want a new RPG, check this title out.
The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is one of the year's best RPGs. From its fantastic combat that looks to innovate and push the franchise, genre forward, and its storytelling. It may not be the best story in the series, but its character development is some of the best out there. After twenty years and almost eleven games, The Legend of Heroes franchises are finally poised to compete with the best of the best.
Trails through Daybreak is one of the series' best games, and its most impressive in terms of scope. It's a robust, engrossing RPG that often demands patience, but it's hard to turn your back on such a strong cast of characters and a story that's stuffed with memorable moments. Throw a fantastic combat system into the equation, and Daybreak is right up there with Falcom's finest releases.
Trails Through Daybreak is a rather classic role-playing game and will delight Nihon Falcom fans, if only to inaugurate yet another narrative strand in a now endless dynasty. The combat system isn't quite as polished as the one seen in Trails of Cold Steel, however, and the plot likes to keep the pace a bit too slow, but as a start there's nothing to complain too much about, thanks also to the charisma of a protagonist like Van and an intriguing game world as only Falcom is capable of creating.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While not matching the epic nature of Trails of Cold Steel IV, which for its part had the advantage of being the final chapter of a painful and well-oiled tetralogy, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is configured as one of Nihon Falcom's best recent productions.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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 is a must-play for JRPG fans.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak takes a while to get moving, but is otherwise as J as JRPGs can get. A new cast of characters and the new settings make it more accessible than previous Trails releases on the Switch, and gameplay tweaks will please those who don't enjoy the grind of turn-based combat and complex party management.
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.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak isn't just a great JRPG, but it's also a great jumping in point for anyone wanting to dive into Trails for the first time. Despite some initial complexities and some uneven pacing, Trails Through Daybreak is engrossing from start to finish, and has me keen to see what else this storied franchise has to offer.
With Trails Through Daybreak, The Legend of Heroes name is the best it's ever been. With an incredible and sweeping story that pays off by the end, a vibrant cast of characters that will steal your heart, some of the best of turn-based combat, and streamlined mechanics, this is quite simply just a damn good and comfortable RPG well worth your time. It may ask a lot of you with its long runtime, breadth of content, and layered lore to wrap your head around but stick with it and you're in for one of the best from the genre this year. Job well done.
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.
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.
Although it only partially fixes Falcom's woes in terms of story pacing, Trails Through Daybreak is nonetheless a journey full of wonders.