Legend of Heroes Trails Through Daybreak II is the latest Trails game to be released worldwide. With new stories to explore, a new combat system to try out, and more, this game has everything that a JRPG gamer would want. In this review, Trails fans and also those who wish to learn more about the series would love to read this and see if it’s worth getting on their gaming consoles.
Legend of Heroes Trails Through Daybreak II takes place after the events of the Almata incident. Calvard is in a state of peace but is suddenly disrupted when an unknown incident where numerous citizens have been attacked by a red demon. Unexpectedly, this demon is known as Grendel Zorga and is similar to Van Arkride’s transformation of Grendel. To solve this mystery, Van and his allies must explore the continent of Calvard and learn more about this mysterious creature and what is the legacy that Almata has left which has caused an uproar to not only the citizens of Calvard, but to all organizations such as Ouroborus, the Bracer Guild, CID, and more.
The story of the game is unexpected and has a lot of plot twists that I didn’t expect. Technically speaking, I have played this game in its first release in Japan 4 years ago. Being localized has made it better for me to understand the whole lore of the game and gave me some perspective on what other mysteries this series will introduce in the next Trails game. I am also a bit shocked to see fun interactions that have created so many lores that give us an insight into each character that players will meet in the game.
In every Trails game, a new feature is added to the combat system. In the latest Trails game, they are using the same combat system as the last but they did add a new feature for the Shard Boost called EX-Chain. When an enemy’s stun gauge is full, players can perform a special dual attack with another party member known as EX-Chain. This feature boosts the damage output and can easily KO enemies better. I like this feature as it becomes more idealistic and cunning in winning battles and increasing my party’s EXP.
Aside from that, the S-Crafts have returned once more and the animations have become more showy. I love the fact there are more attack and buff animations that players can watch. As a content creator, it was interesting to newly updated S-Craft and Craft moves for each character. The graphics of the game have contributed well to animation scenes and I can tell how devoted the production was to making sure this game was worth the wait.
The audio and BGM of the game were worth listening to also. I love the opening movie song of the game titled Crimson Sin. From what I can tell, it describes how the full summary of the game is, and when playing the game, it pumps my blood to play it thoroughly.
When there is a new Trails game, there will be multiple mini-games to explore. Activities like fishing, playing stealth missions, hacking treasure chests and more can be found. However, despite the number of mini-games active, there is a slight repetition towards it and I felt like it needs some adjustment to make it more challenging and appealing for those who wish to get a platinum trophy in this game.
Aside from the mini-games, there is an optional dungeon called the Märchen Garten. This dungeon allows players to level up and earn materials which they use to make their party stronger. The higher the level players enter a dungeon, the more rewards they earn from cleaning. Technically, you can skip this part but I would recommend doing this as it will give players the advantage to get stronger and survive any enemy that players will face in the main story. Plus, multiple rewards are not limited only to getting stronger.
There are cosmetics and other thrilling items that can be earned and unlocked through this dungeon. Some are whacky while others are nostalgic in a way that makes you want to play the previous Trails game.
Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is a great game to play. Filled with constant challenges and quests to explore, this game opens up new ways for the series to bring out realism to the next-gen consoles. I am hoping that the next Trails game will bring out more challenges and more plot twists that will shake my fandom to the core.
Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II
Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is a great game to play. Filled with constant challenges and quests to explore, this game opens up new ways for the series to bring out realism to the next-gen consoles and promises to bring out the importance of turn-based combat system to many genres.
The Good
- Amazing line-up of characters with various backgrounds and lores
- Story's depth is worth watching and exploring
- Combat system is amazing and fun at the same time, innovative as well
- BGM and audio makes the game feel more alive than ever
The Bad
- Repetitiveness of the mini-games' objective makes the game feel boring
