Developer: Nihon Falcom, PH3 GmbH
Publisher: NIS America
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch
Tested on: PS5
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II – Review
It has not even been a year since we took a closer look at the last installment of The Legend of Heroes series, namely Trails through Daybreak. We concluded that this new entry was an amazing JRPG, albeit with a few minor flaws, such as dated visuals and some pacing issues. Now, Trails through Daybreak II is already here for our entertainment, and we couldn’t wait to delve into the next adventure of Van and Agnès. Even though we soon noticed that this second game was more of the same, we didn’t mind that at all.
Story
If you’re thinking of diving headfirst into Trails through Daybreak II, we suggest playing through the first game before tackling this one. This is a direct sequel to the events of the first title, and things might be a bit too complex if you didn’t play that one. If you have somewhat forgotten a few key elements of the first installment, Trails through Daybreak II has you covered with a fairly detailed recap of the events that occurred in the original. We do have to mention that Trails through Daybreak II does have a lot more references to other titles in The Legend of Heroes universe. If you haven’t played any of the older games, you might miss a bit of backstory or information here or there, but as a whole, everything should still make sense. The overall flow of the story is quite nice, but there are a few pacing issues here and there. There is sometimes a bit of a disturbed balance between story exposition and gameplay, especially near the start of the game. This new iteration also dabbles with time-looping, further shaking things up.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II begins with a special operation that has gone wrong, leaving many operatives dead in its wake. The culprit is currently not known. Shortly after, we see Van Arkride returning to his job as a private eye and bounty hunter. His peace is quickly disturbed when Elaine Auclair walks through the door requesting his assistance. She is asking this favor of Van outside of her regular function working for the Bracer Guild. While this case is probably something Van could easily do without, he has known Elaine for quite some time now, and he might even be considered a suspect himself due to events that occurred in the first game. In the meantime, Agnès Claudel is still looking for the final ‘Genesis’.
Graphics
Similarly to the first title, Trails through Daybreak II looks colorful and appealing as a whole, but the game never pushed our PlayStation 5 to the limit. We found the character designs and the expressive character portraits easily the highlights here, but it was still a lot of fun to explore our surroundings. Outside of dialogues, however, things look a bit dated and, in some locations, even a bit empty and lifeless. This is, of course, because this remains a multi-platform release for PC, PlayStation 4 & 5, and Nintendo Switch. The latter is slowly becoming less and less relevant, especially with the Switch 2 on the horizon. Even so, things never truly look bad, but we would love it if The Legend of Heroes got bombarded into the next generation with a visually polished title.
Sound
Just like the graphics, the sound design has not changed that much for this second installment. The music is fittingly cinematic for the grand adventure that unfolds. The music changes depending on the mood or situation, perfectly heightening the atmosphere. The voice acting is still a highlight here, but just like in the 2024 game, the dialogues suffer from uneven voice acting. Only most key dialogues are fully voiced, and even then, some of these dialogues suddenly come without voice acting at random points in the conversations. Sometimes, there were one or two characters that had full voice acting in a dialogue, while others had none. Last but not least, the sound effects are decent and provide great audio feedback.
Gameplay
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II is a traditional JRPG in which you’ll have parts of story exposition, exploration, and, of course, combat. The pacing isn’t always great, as the introduction alone will already set you back roughly half an hour with just dialogues, but the entire package is still rather impressive. For the most part, you’ll go through story segments and will then be allowed to explore, complete secondary objectives, and grind for experience if you want to. It’s all straightforward, and if you have already played the first game, then Trails through Daybreak II’s mechanics will not be too overwhelming.
Combat has remained unchanged in Trails through Daybreak II. This means you’ll be able to opt between turn-based battles or hack-and-slash combat. Battles against stronger opponents are often better fought in the turn-based format, and sometimes the game will also not give you a choice and put you in turn-based combat anyway. It’s still a nice system that circumvents grinding through too many small battles. The game also allows you to speed things up, which is quite pleasant for longer dungeons or when you have to travel back and forth. This option to speed things up will certainly feel like a blessing if you have limited gaming time. If you want to ditch combat altogether for a while, you’ll also find some mini-games you can partake in.
All in all, the game follows the same mechanics and rules as many other JRPGs in the genre. There is a party system present, and each member has its own strengths and weaknesses. You do have a gear system, and if the system proves to be too much of a hassle, you can opt to auto-equip certain items. This is a viable option when playing on a lower difficulty setting. Higher difficulty settings may require a bit more thought as to how you’ll manage your party. The game even changes protagonists from time to time to ensure things don’t get too stale. Even so, we feel this game works a bit more with recycled content than the first Trails through Daybreak. This might be due to the time-looping in the story.
Conclusion
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II is a great sequel to the original, but it does have a few more noticeable flaws than the first installment. This second game feels a bit lighter on content, has a lot more references to other titles in the series, making it harder for newcomers, and still feels a bit dated in certain aspects. Nonetheless, the story is enjoyable, the cast is extremely likable, and the gameplay mechanics are solid. If you’re a fan of the series or have only played the first Trails through Daybreak, we’re certain you’ll love this one as well.
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