The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 Review – Darkest Before Dawn

For several years, Falcom’s Trails series has occasionally risked becoming too predictable or losing its impact, a danger known as “jumping the shark.” A notable instance of this was seen in the finale of Cold Steel 4, where some consequences seemed surprisingly reversible. However, the developer managed to redeem themselves with Trails through Reverie, providing a fitting conclusion to the Erebonian saga while also establishing new plot points. This led to the fresh beginning of Trails through Daybreak, which marked the series’ first foray into the Calvard Republic.

Characters with distinct lifestyles and opulent surroundings, yet burdened by their own shadows and concerns, navigated through a complex world filled with underground activities, corruption, bureaucracy, and emerging dangers. The updated engine, featuring improved graphics and alterations to combat mechanics, added to the overall experience.

The narrative incorporates a time-travel aspect, allowing players to revisit past events and make alternative choices. (Avoids spoiling specific details.)

In “The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Crossbell 2″, many elements are similar yet the sense of urgency in the series’ overarching plot seems less intense. The characters and their growth continue to captivate, while combat remains smooth and pacing swift. However, keep in mind that you may encounter moments that leave you puzzled without significantly advancing the larger narrative.

Approximately a year following the events of the initial game, Arkride Solutions appears to be in a stronger position. However, this stability is disrupted when Elaine from the Bracer Guild alerts Van about a terrifying crimson beast wreaking havoc in Edith, seemingly attacking indiscriminately. The similarity between this creature and the legendary Grendel is not merely coincidental, leading Van and Elaine to join forces to pursue and capture it.

One key puzzle in the sequel revolves around Grendel Zolga, a crimson creature of unknown origin. Its intentions are yet to be revealed, as well as its accompanying AI. Furthermore, there’s the question of Almata’s legacy – an unidentified relic or treasure that emerged following their organization’s collapse. To add to the intrigue, we have a secretive, masked figure, members from Ouroboros and their underlings, and even more new characters joining the plot.

The narrative incorporates a unique time-travel mechanism, allowing players to revisit past events and alter their choices. A graphical timeline highlights the various branching paths. Although this concept is innovative for the series, it doesn’t follow the same pattern as games like Raging Loop. Unfortunately, the time-loop becomes repetitive in certain aspects, overused to a fault, and detracts from some of the more significant plot developments by lessening the tension.

Reuniting with cherished companions carries a special warmth and sense of familiarity, enhanced by the organic rhythm of our dialogue and narration.

The story in Trails through Daybreak 2 faces difficulties regardless of its absence, and it doesn’t significantly contribute to the series’ overarching plot, which is unfortunate. Yet, not every aspect of the game is insignificant, as the characters make it worthwhile. There’s a sense of comfort and nostalgia in meeting old friends again, enhanced by the well-written dialogues and interactions that generally feel authentic.

Listening to Van chat with various people is always enjoyable, but Damian Haas takes it up a notch this time, flawlessly transitioning between sarcastic remarks and genuine concern. Amanda Lee excels in her role as Agnès too, managing to blend the adorable and serious aspects effortlessly.

Additional instances feature Skyler Davenport as Mare (now sounding more like March 7th than before), Brittany Cox as Judith – and the series continues. Swin and Nadia are more captivating than ever, though their quirks can sometimes be exaggerated in certain interactions. Regrettably, it seems their skills are underutilized in this storyline that appears to serve mostly as a bridge.

People who resonate with the ambiance of the sequel will have ample activities to engage in. The narrative is divided into two paths and involves multiple groups at various locations that eventually intersect. You’ll find yourself immersed in a variety of activities such as learning a new card game, fishing, and solving hacking challenges. Apart from the somewhat tedious tailing mini-game, side quests offer some intriguing stories and character interactions, although they may occasionally lean towards the absurd. The LGC Alignment makes a comeback, but it’s significantly less significant than in the previous game, and at times, seems unnecessary.

Despite its somewhat unimpressive design, featuring a narrow range of objectives and predictable layouts, The Garten still offers an enjoyable experience, particularly for those who are passionate about combat.

Primarily, we have the Enchanted Garden, which mysteriously fell under control of an unidentified person for unexplained reasons. It’s now Van and the team’s task (at the urging of Marduk Company) to reclaim it. The garden features multiple levels with choices for routes you can take. Each section has distinct goals, such as destroying a specific quantity of items or overcoming a certain number of medium-sized adversaries before receiving a reward and progressing further.

If you’d prefer to linger and thoroughly sweep the area for hidden treasures as you go, that’s an option too. The ending stage features a boss, and although I think it could benefit from more diverse paths, these battles can become quite intense if you enter them without proper preparation.

Running through the garden yields Shard Tokens. These tokens can be utilized within the Mystic Cube. The system operates similarly to a gacha-style mechanic, much like in “Trails into Reverie,” but without the possibility of acquiring new characters. However, you’ll also gain Sepith, Quartz, and various unlockables such as alternative outfits, hairstyles, background music for diverse occasions within the garden.

In this game, Skill Gems are obtained not only from the Cube but also while exploring. They’re useful for enhancing various characters’ abilities within the gameplay and even granting stat bonuses across different tiers. Although the Garten might seem simple due to its limited objectives and repetitive layouts, it’s a enjoyable extra, particularly for those who enjoy combat.

Although “Trails through Daybreak 2” seems to be just a collection of individual elements rather than a greater whole…With some enhancements, it had the potential for a richer narrative experience beyond its current use of clichéd techniques.

In the context of Trails through Daybreak 2, battles share numerous similarities with their predecessor. Engage enemies in real-time, stun them before initiating Shard-activated turn-based combat. Target weaknesses using Arts, deploy Crafts to amplify damage, enhance your attacks to unlock S-Crafts for use, position yourself near allies to trigger follow-ups with the SCLM, and so on. Field battles also enable the application of Quick Arts and switching characters after dodging an enemy’s assault for a retaliatory strike.

This addition brings about a greater diversity, particularly when confronting less formidable opponents. Moreover, there are EX Chains, which allow characters to perform synchronized double-attacks using their Crafts. In summary, it’s an effective combat system, although the tactics may become monotonous at times, and the Quick Arts could be more impactful than they currently are.

In terms of appearance, some of the same visual problems are present in this version on PS5 as compared to its previous one. For instance, anti-aliasing at a distance appears somewhat blurry, and there’s a noticeable occurrence of pop-in. However, performance has been boosted overall, although occasional dips can be seen during intense S-Craft scenes. The art design remains strong, particularly the character models, and it’s accompanied by some high-quality music. The melancholic atmosphere while exploring Edith, the rhythmic tempo in the cityscape, and the violin notes during battles create a harmonious blend overall.

Despite offering a variety of engaging elements such as gameplay, characters, visuals, and additional content, Trail through Daybreak 2 seems to fall short of reaching its full potential. If you’re a devoted fan who has stayed tuned so far, despite the numerous recaps, you might find these aspects enjoyable. However, it could have delivered a much more impactful story, disregarding the questionable narrative devices employed.

This game was reviewed on the PS5.

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2025-02-07 17:43