The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II Reviews

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is ranked in the 71st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Feb 7, 2025

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.

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7.5 / 10.0
Feb 11, 2025

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is strikingly similar to Trails into Reverie, in that it comes with a seriously uneven narrative and yet rock-solid overall content.

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7.6 / 10.0
Feb 7, 2025

Being a second part of a new story arc, The Legend of Heroes Trails through Daybreak II hits all the right marks, but in doing so the core system of the game, its challenging and deep turn-based combat system, somehow degenerates into a by the book real-time affair, that will surely please newcomers but probably alienate long-time fans. Still, another solid JRPG by Falcom.

Review in Italian | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Feb 15, 2025

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II has a list of content that is truly the stuff of JRPG legends. Aside from a few stale moments between the more important tidings of Van’s investigations, this is the single-player JRPG to play this month. Case closed.

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9 / 10.0
Feb 7, 2025

An outstanding JRPG on PlayStation 5

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Feb 14, 2025

Nothing about Trails Through Daybreak 2 dampens my enthusiasm for the series as a whole. I will be playing the next one the moment it’s available. This is one of the more disappointing Legend of Heroes titles, given that its biggest failing – the narrative – is typically what you want to play this series for – but even on a bad day The Legend of Heroes is a more interesting and entertaining vision and project than most JRPGs can aspire to be.

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6 / 10.0
Feb 7, 2025

Gone are the cross-country tours of Cold Steel 1, and in their place are an overuse of familiar surroundings and lackluster bonding events. Van is a memorable protagonist, but he doesn't have the poignant character moments he did in the first game. It may be that these Trails have simply run out of road, which is sad to say given the RPG heights the series has achieved.

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GameGrin
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Feb 7, 2025

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.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 7, 2025

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is a case of one step forward and one step back. Mechanically, it's the best put-together Trails game to date, as it fixes the problems in the last game and introduces enough new mechanics so it's fun to play. It also retains and refines the likable cast. Unfortunately, the lackluster time travel mechanic and plot structure weaken the experience. It's still a fun game but ends up feeling weaker than its predecessor.

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75 / 100
Feb 7, 2025

Daybreak 2 is an uneven Trails. The battle systems and those related to gameplay have improved considerably, but the main story ended up being its weak point. It is a title that partially meets expectations and still remains a good game, despite being a series known for having high-level games. Hopefully the next game will deliver on all the potential that the current arc has built up so far.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Feb 12, 2025

A direct sequel that does what you expect, smoothing out some rough edges to offer a more balanced experience than its predecessor.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Feb 7, 2025

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 is too much of a continuity sequel, so much so that at times it forgets to contribute something of its own, and that's its biggest problem. Even so, it's also an outstanding JRPG that manages to feel modern while embracing the classic.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8.6 / 10.0
Feb 10, 2025

With a more gameplay-focused and varied campaign as well as a phenomenally unforgettable cast of stand-out characters, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II really scratched a lot of itches for me that I didn't even know I had. Or was that Nadia's needles? ⚔️

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Feb 13, 2025

Trails into Daybreak II is a riveting conclusion to another excellent arc of the series.

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Feb 7, 2025

Trails Through Daybreak II builds on its predecessor with refined combat and strong character moments. While the story’s pacing can feel uneven and the focus on character arcs slows the main narrative, the game’s strategic battles and solid presentation make for an engaging experience. Although some technical issues and repetitive content may detract from the overall experience, Daybreak II still offers a rewarding journey for both newcomers and longtime fans of the series.

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Mind-blown
Feb 23, 2025

If you’re already a Trails fan, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is a no-brainer of a purchase, kicking off a fast-paced story on all fours and ready for you to catch up to what’s going on. If you’re new to the franchise, at the very least, I recommend you start with the first Daybreak, but the game does what it can to bring you into a new episode of Van Arkride’s weighty life with the information you need to understand why he cares deeply about some people you’re meeting for the first time. The only major question is what format you want to play in, and if you prefer to make the Switch your JRPG machine, you won’t be disappointed with Daybreak II’s performance. It’s a cozy way to play a convoluted (affectionate) story in a world that’s already weathered countless trials, and is up for weathering a few more. Another solid entry for a grande dame franchise.

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7.5 / 10.0
Feb 21, 2025

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II is an exceptional sequel that builds upon its predecessor in every conceivable way. Its gripping narrative, compelling characters, and innovative gameplay mechanics make for an unforgettable RPG experience. With its intricate world-building, meaningful character interactions, and thrilling combat, the game stands as a testament to Nihon Falcom’s storytelling prowess.

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8 / 10
Feb 7, 2025

Trails Through Daybreak II delivers another dramatic episode in the long-running and consistent series. It breaks hardly any new ground beyond a few additions to combat and some new places to explore, but the story is a wild and mature sequel sure to delight fans.

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3.5 / 5.0
Feb 19, 2025

While it may not be the most meorable entry in the series, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II still has plenty that series fans thoroughly enjoy. Spending more time with the memorable and delightful cast is never a bad thing, and even though there are elements that don’t quite hit the same or feel a bit superfluous, there’s never any point where the game is in danger of becoming grating.

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8.5 / 10.0
Feb 12, 2025

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is a sequel that refines and expands the gameplay formula of the first game, offering a deep and highly customizable combat experience. However, despite having incredible characters and captivating interactions, the game errs significantly on its pacing, which ends up hindering a little its extremely high quality.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review