The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon Review

The Legend of Heroes has just launched its latest title, called The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon, and this is one of the most climactic games in the whole Calvard Arc storyline. Featuring numerous returning Trails characters from the previous series, this game is a great way to start 2026.

This game is one of the most lengthy games I have played, and I would not recommend newbies try it out before playing the previous series as well. It takes almost 60-80 hours just to finish the whole story arc of this new Trails game, and it is filled with not only new and depth-defying storylines, but also shows iconic and returning popular Trails characters that players have not seen in a long time.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon takes place after the events of Trails Through Daybreak II. It is the year 120X, Claude Epstein, the father of the Orbal Revolution, predicted that the whole continent of Zemurai would meet its END. As the day of reckoning approaches, preparations are being made at a facility in the Kunlun Mountains to launch an orbal rocket into outer space. Will they ever come to know the truth about their world? To uncover such mysteries, Arkride Solutions steps into the spotlight to uncover the truth with additional allies from Erobonia and from other intriguing parties such as the Bracer Guild, the Holy Church, and even Ouroboros.

The Story Gameplay is similar to that of Trails Into Reviere where players will play and choose 3 active routes with different main characters. Each of their stories will intersect with one another, while some reveal stunning revelations of what the future of the Trails series will be. Technically, this feels like literally playing Trails into Reviere but has more of a kick than what JRPG gamers would expect. There are some new features to try out, such as Van being able to transform into the Grendel more often during Command battles, fighting new secret bosses in new map areas, and also a returning feature that defined the Trails series, Brave Order, which has been improved upon and rebranded as Shard Commands, where players can buff their party members in battle and ensure a great outcome in the heat of the moment.

It is great to play once more as Rean, Kevin, and other Trails characters that we have not seen in a long time. But what is more surprising is that they have new battle animations that represent the kind of fighting moves they specialized. I am literally playing this new game on my Nintendo Switch 2, and I am impressed by how localized this game is with the proper updates, graphics, and translation. However, adjustments to the gameplay make the game too easy for those who are veterans to the series, and at the same time is not friendly to those who are new to the series. If one doesn’t understand clearly how to play the Trails series, they will have great difficulty progressing forward.

Aside from the main story’s missions and numerous combat improvements, there are many optional quests that a player can complete, but among them is the optional dungeon feature known as the Grim Garten. Similar to Trails into Reverie’s Reverie Corridor and the Daybreak II Marchen Garden, Players can complete this wicked dungeon and earn additional prizes and rewards to increase their party’s status levels and unlock hidden mysteries behind the world of Zemuria. At first, I thought that it would be a waste of time, but over time, I learned that this feature has helped in unlocking new mystic quartz and learning new moves that can help me get out of tough situations.

Would I recommend playing this game on various consoles? My answer would be yes. I have played this game on the PlayStation 5, PC, and especially on the Nintendo Switch 2. After hours of gaming and completing the game, I am stunned by the quality and effort of the developers in making sure this game is playable on platform especially on consoles that concentrate on the portability aspect of gaming. Some graphic differences can be found in various consoles, but they are very minimal, and future updates that will be uploaded soon by the developers will make the game more optimized.

Playing this game signifies a turning point for the Trails, and I can heartily say that this game is one of the most recommended JRPG games to play this year. But before playing this game, I would highly recommend players to first play the 1st two Daybreak games to get the full gist of the story. Don’t get me wrong, but the terminology of the series needs to be learned from the start and it gets harder to understand if you are new to the series.