The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak Media
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak - Announcement Trailer (Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, PC)
Critic Reviews for The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak
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
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.
