[00:00] One of the biggest hurdles of the Trails series was how to introduce its world to new players when almost every game is interconnected through multiple follow-up entries. After all, the original Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky sub-series was only on PC and older handhelds like the PSP.
[00:15] Fortunately, developer Falcom remedied that with the excellent Trails in the Sky first chapter remake last year. Finally, an approachable way to start where the trail began with a slick 3D makeover and updated gameplay.
[00:27] Swiftly following up with the remake of Trails in the Sky second chapter, this RPG retains all the best qualities of the original version, such as its excellent story, side quests, and characters, while simultaneously giving it that visual and gameplay overhaul to fit modern standards.
[00:49] Trails in the Sky's second chapter picks up right where its predecessor ends, with our bubbly and confident heroine, Estelle Bright. Now that her adoptive brother and best friend, Joshua Bright, suddenly recalls his true origins and has disappeared,
[01:01] Estelle is dead set on finding him and bringing him home. I'll find Joshua, no matter what. It also digs deeper and fleshes out the cultish revelations that were unearthed towards the end of first chapter. And as a result, it gives second chapter heavier stakes from the onset,
[01:16] but also with the emotionally resonant edge that keeps you invested. Its zany cast of characters are brimming with personality too. Estelle's bright demeanor contrasts nicely with Joshua's now brooding mood. There's no good in being with someone like me.
[01:29] The two theater kids in Olivier and the villainous Blu Blanc face off in a duel of overindulgent poetry to see who can out-cringe each other. It's all entertaining to watch, and the experience is bolstered thanks to the addition of full voice acting.
[01:41] Nothing worse than two idiots arguing with each other. In the Sky remakes, the script and story are brought to life even more so with the original voice actors of Estelle and Joshua reprising their roles, who previously only did combat dialogue.
[01:53] It feels like a full-circle moment, especially for fans who've stuck with Trails since the beginning. And now that I know your whole path, I don't think I have a rival for that title. So, second chapter is virtually a faithful one-to-one recreation of the original in terms of story structure and side quests,
[02:08] so you'll be running around Liberal Kingdom going through the same cities and locations as you did in first chapter. While that might seem like a rehash, the order in which you visit them in this sequel is rearranged. Along with a completely different slate of side quests to tackle from the previous adventure,
[02:22] it makes this journey feel much less like a retread and more like revisiting an old friend. That being said the pacing in the last chapter before heading into the finale is a bit stunted since you required to backtrack through previous locations one final time due to story reasons The issue is that almost all of your fast travel points that you unlocked before disappear
[02:40] and you'll have to activate them again, which makes this particular bump in the road a slog. Leaning into a stylized, anime-inspired art direction with these remakes brings bolder colors and a new vision for familiar worlds, however.
[02:52] The transition between combat phases are smoother, and the use of more camera angles and shortcuts give attacks and crafts more cinematic flair. You can see close-ups of every character's fierce facial expressions as they shout and execute their attacks in ways that you could never with the top-down spice of the original.
[03:07] The new character models and animations give the story some extra life too, whether it's the party enjoying themselves while exploring the world or fighting for their lives against an all-powerful foe. The character animations look a lot less awkward in both gameplay and cutscenes, and in critical
[03:23] junctures they do a lot to add weight for its more serious, pivotal moments. Along with that, the political machinations and turmoil that dictate its world, and the origins of what you see further in the series, all that feels more fully realized.
[03:36] And the story here in Sky's second chapter strikes a wonderful momentum for concluding Estelle's and Joshua's character arcs cleanly and concisely without prolonging them. It's something that other protagonists suffered a bit from in later Trails sagas.
[03:52] This remake benefits from 13 games and over 20 years of iteration, taking the framework of existing gameplay systems from Trails games that came before. While the original version was purely turn-based,
[04:05] second chapter quite heavily borrows the real-time and turn-based hybrid systems that the Trails into Daybreak entries started. You can attack enemies in real-time in the field to whittle them down and stun them to gain the advantage, which are quick battles. Then immediately transition to the main turn-based system, which are command battles.
[04:20] Some Trails purists may not like the shift to hybrid combat, but it's the biggest change that makes it stand out from the original. Another significant difference in the Sky remakes is the addition of Brave Points, which were introduced in the Cold Steel saga. You accumulate them by landing critical hits, stunning enemies, or hitting stunned enemies.
[04:35] And depending on how many BP you spend, you can initiate Brave Attacks, which include follow-up hits from an ally, coordinated chain strikes, or an all-out group burst like that in Persona for additional damage. All that together makes Second Chapter's combat much more engaging and explosive than the
[04:58] original. Second Chapter also cleverly merges the hybrid and BP mechanics together. In the Daybreak games Van and his crew would just throw shards to deal extra damage if a command battle started with an advantage however when you enter them with an advantage in Sky second chapter you can launch a preemptive grave attack letting you start off the fight with a powerful grave chain
[05:17] or burst move. It's impressive that second chapter doesn't merely just copy and paste combat mechanics from previous Trails entries, but further refines them into something more satisfying. BB can also be used during quick battles in the form of a grave rush, which are powerful
[05:31] hits that deal exceedingly more stun damage, allowing you to enter into an advantage state faster. It's helpful on larger enemies who are more resilient to stun, but there's a strategic trade-off here. Since Brave Rush uses BP, you'll enter the command phase with fewer BP, meaning you
[05:45] might not have enough to initiate a preemptive Brave attack. And so, give-and-take compromises like these ensure that the battle system remains relatively balanced and challenging. Brave Rushes weren't in Daybreak's hybrid battles, and so the Sky remakes have a dedicated button for it. While
[05:59] the welcome addition to the combat, it's actually also the tipping point that makes the control scheme for quick battles a bit unwieldy. Especially with how high speed mode is mapped now, it's a bit of an annoying change, but it's a very minuscule problem in the grand scheme of things.
[06:12] As with all other Trails games, the timeline mechanic makes its welcome return once again, clearly showing the turn order of allies and enemies. Those randomized turn bonuses continue
[06:25] to add variability, augmenting the abilities of whomever's turn icon is lined up with it, whether it be friend or foe. These can range from automatic HP recovery and guaranteed critical hits to eliminating both cast time and cost with zero arts. Sure, beating enemies is gratifying,
[06:40] but much of that feeling comes from manipulating the timeline order through different spells and crafts while making the most of their innate effects. Is there a critical hit icon next to a monster casting a spell? Agate's Draguna Blast can inflict impede to interrupt spell casting.
[06:54] The enemy will still be able to land a critical hit with whatever their next non-casting attack will be, but at the very least, they won't be able to fire off that devastating spell. You've postponed the inevitable, giving you a moment of reprieve in this volatile, yet orderly battle system.
[07:07] But what if you don't want to leave it to chance? You can use Din's True Heralding Fist to inflict Delay, which pushes bonuses further down the timeline so that it'll land on somebody else, possibly one of your allies. It's instances like these where you have to balance fishing out as much damage as possible
[07:22] with managing the combat timeline for bonuses that could change the tide of battle. Despite Daybreak 2 making it easier to steal bonuses compared to its predecessor, the Sky remake simplified it further.
[07:34] For example, certain offensive crafts have a steal bonus effect, which is exactly what it sounds like. While not every character has a regular craft with that effect all offensive F which are ultimate attacks do giving every character the ability to steal bonuses in some capacity It a really useful change because it synergizes well with the fact that you can now stack multiple bonuses onto one character
[07:55] You can have HP recovery, critical hit, and zero arts icons activate all in one turn if you play your cards right. Playing around with delay and stealing effects adds a fun twist, with the trade-off being your house of cards potentially collapsing
[08:08] because enemies can steal bonuses and undo all your hard work. Second Chapter also uses Daybreak's free roam during command battles, so your team is able to move as much as they want around the battlefield without using up a turn. It's crucial to position your characters properly
[08:21] because not everybody's crafts have been updated with new effects, including the aforementioned steal bonus effect, and some do more damage depending on whether you're striking from the side or the back of the enemy. It's small changes like these that help second chapter feel modern and up to date with the
[08:37] recent Trails entries. The orbent system continues to be a great way to customize magic spells and perks for each character as well. These remakes surprisingly mirror the original system as it doesn't have Cold Steel's broken build crafting or Daybreak's multitude of passive shard abilities.
[08:51] Here where you play through elemental gems called Quartz determines which spells a certain character can use. Whereas in Daybreak everyone had the same arrangement in their orbents to slot Quartz in, second chapter's setup is more rigid. Magically oriented characters can have their
[09:03] courts set up to unlock higher tier spells as opposed to those who are more physically focused. This stricter system reflects a much more old school RPG approach as if to have specialized character classes. It's more straightforward to understand and initially
[09:15] feels a little underdeveloped coming from the openness and flexibility of orbment systems and other 12 entries. But in a field of revisions, it's admirable to at least see one aspect of gameplay in the Sky remakes that staunchly sticks to its roots.
[09:29] There's never been a better time to get into the Trails series than now. Following the outstanding Trails in the Sky first chapter remake, the Trails in the Sky second chapter remake is just as fantastic.
[09:41] It captures everything that made the original so endearing, and it's not just a fresh coat of paint. It's a complete makeover with a polished art style and stellar voice direction that enhances elegant storytelling and charismatic cast. It also capitalizes on over two decades worth of gameplay iterations
[09:56] and puts them into one action-packed yet emotional adventure. Despite a temporary lull in its penultimate act, that doesn't stop Second Chapter from being a quintessential Trails game and RPG in its own right. For more on recent games, check out our reviews of Star Wars Zero Company and The Blood of Dawnwalker.
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