As a fan of the Legend of Heroes series, I’ve had the release date of Trails Through Daybreak circled on my calendar since the moment it was announced. For 20 years, Nihon Falcom has been releasing hit after hit, creating masterpieces across a span of three separate story arcs. Unfortunately, the streak of creating 10 out of 10 titles ended with the release of Trails into Reverie, leaving me wondering what the future had in store for one of my favourite franchises. Even with the recent slip up in quality, I maintained faith that the series would get back on track with the newest story arc and thankfully, my faith was rewarded.  Nihon Falcom not only met expectations, they completely blew them away. Trails Through Daybreak completely revitalizes the series with gameplay that feels fresh and new but still maintains the spirit that the franchise is known for.

The Story of Trails Through Daybreak

The story of Trails Through Daybreak takes place in the Republic of Calvard, 2 years following the events of Cold Steel IV. The latest protagonist is Van Arkride, a private investigator that seemingly has ties with pretty much every organization in Zemuria. Previous leading heroes and heroines have skewed very much towards the Dudley Do-Right style of leadership, mostly staying upon the path of straight and narrow. Van Arkride however, is very much closer to an anti-hero, understanding that the world can’t be seen in shades of black and white and revels in working in the gray. This ambiguity in Van’s principals make him a much more interesting character then Lloyd or Rean.

The supporting cast of characters tends to stick towards the normal tropes you’d expect to see in a Legend of Heroes title. The young heroine who’s trying to balance work and school while also attempting to keep the hero honest. The small pre-teen former Jagaer trying to prove her worth while every conversation is a reminder that she’s seen little of the world. The brash hot-head character who can fight like a tank but acts before he thinks. The world is filled with Bracers and spies, politicians and mafia, every kind of character that’s come and gone in Zemuria is represented here. Unlike previous titles, Trails Through Daybreak does a wonderful job of slowing the pace of introducing new characters, which gives each one a little more time in the spotlight. By the end of Cold Steel IV, you needed an encyclopedia to keep track of the dozens of characters coming and going. Don’t get me wrong, as a longtime fan, I loved seeing the return of any Trails character, but even for someone that’s played most of the games more than once, it was hard to keep track of everyone.

The Gameplay Structure

The structure of gameplay maintained a strict formula throughout each chapter. Van and his team would explore Edith, the capital of Calvard, by taking on private investigator quests and solving mysteries. Eventually, some conflict in a neighboring city would come along, requiring the team to make a road trip to resolve the issues. By the end of the chapter, Van’s team would grow as another individual from the city would tag along on the way back to Edith, and the whole thing would repeat each chapter. The pacing of the activities is terrific, exploring Edith provides time for Van and his companions to mingle and get to know each other. Solving mysteries around the city is a nice change of pace from the school life of the Cold Steel story arc. No chapter outstayed its welcome, but each one is long enough to feel that it has a consequence on the overall story.

The battle system of Trails Through Daybreak went through a major overhaul compared to the previous story arc. A necessary task given that the combat system of Trails into Reverie feels like complete chaos trying to keep track of multi-layered systems. In Daybreak, the core system of Arts and Crafts remains, but instead of battle orders and CP manipulations, the system introduces a much simpler version called Combat Shards. The battle system is still turn-based, but the combat shards allow characters to move around the field without sacrificing a turn. This small change greatly improves the strategic possibilities as many attacks and spells can be improved or boosted depending the characters proximity to the enemies, or even to their allies. In Cold Steel, most of the combat centered around CP, and chaining together crafts in order to take down enemies quickly. Daybreak returns to its Legend of Heroes roots by relying much more heavily on utilizing arts and prioritizing the order in which characters attack.

Final Thoughts

Between the revitalized combat system and the beginning of a new story arc, Trails Through Daybreak is exactly what the franchise needs to keep the existing fan base engaged and a title that new fans feel they can get started on. Van Arkride is probably the best hero we’ve seen since Estelle Bright, and the story is one of most engaging and easy to follow that we’ve seen in some time. No debate between long-time Legend of Heroes fans is more contested than asking what title is the best for a newcomer to start with. For years, folks had a legitimate argument to make about most of the titles available. In my opinion, that debate can finally be put to rest. Trails Through Daybreak is the title to start with. It checks every box. Available on multiple platforms, a battle system easy to understand and fun to master, a complicated and interesting protagonist, and a story that doesn’t require knowledge from 9 previous games to enjoy. If you’ve always had an interest in the Legend of Heroes and was waiting for the right time to try it, the wait is officially over.

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