Review: Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter (PS5) – This Is How You Remake a Classic RPG

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The Trails series is known for being a huge time commitment for players. With 13 interconnected games available as of this review, its depth is both a major appeal and a daunting challenge.

It’s a smart move for developer Falcom to completely remake the original Trails game. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is both an excellent starting point for new players and a fantastic reimagining of a beloved RPG.

Okay, so if you’ve played any of the other Trails games, starting Trails in the Sky feels *really* good. It’s like coming back to a comfy, familiar place after a long adventure. It’s a much more relaxed and charming game than some of the later ones, because the world of Trails wasn’t as huge and complicated back then.

It’s really refreshing to move away from the complex plots and huge casts of the recent Trails through Daybreak games and play something more focused on individual stories.

Although completely rebuilt with beautiful 3D graphics and many new gameplay features, 1st Chapter remains very true to the original game. It closely follows the original’s structure and tells the same story with all the familiar key moments.

The game has received a few small improvements. Added scenes help to clarify the story, and the script has been updated to more closely match the original Japanese version, without changing the game’s overall feel.

Overall, this is the Trails in the Sky experience fans know and love, updated with modern RPG features from Falcom.

The remake is noticeably longer than the original, primarily because the 3D world is much larger and conversations are more detailed. However, it’s not excessively long; a typical playthrough of *Trails in the Sky* takes around 45 hours, while *1st Chapter* takes about 60 hours to complete.

The original game came out on PC over 21 years ago, and the development team has likely changed a lot since then. However, it’s obvious the team working on 1st Chapter deeply respects and loves the original game.

This game is clearly made with a lot of passion. It’s evident in the details – from the lovingly recreated classic scenes, complete with clever camera work and exaggerated, funny expressions, to the towns and cities which perfectly capture their original feel while being beautifully brought to life in 3D.

Many players will find it amazing to revisit these beloved places, now completely reimagined. It’s incredible to see how the classic character designs have been transformed into stunning, detailed 3D models.

This is easily Falcom’s most visually impressive game yet. While Daybreak might have a larger world, the beautiful cel-shading in 1st Chapter gives it a uniquely lively look. Combined with a clean and well-designed interface, the game feels incredibly refined and polished overall.

This isn’t just a visual improvement; the remake also includes helpful features found in newer Trails games. For example, it now has a map with clear objective markers, so you won’t miss any optional quests or events – something that could be really frustrating in the original game.

The game’s combat combines the fast-paced action from Daybreak with the strategic team battles of Cold Steel. We believe this creates a really well-balanced and engaging battle system – one of the best in the series.

Unlike more recent titles, the first chapter simplifies combat, making it similar to the earlier Cold Steel games. During battles, you can move your characters around before choosing what they’ll do, which helps you position them to do the most damage with attacks that hit multiple enemies.

If you can throw an enemy off balance, your teammates can join the attack, earning you Brave Points. These points can then be used to unleash powerful, team-wide attacks.

Battles are exciting and fast-paced, striking a great balance between carefully managing your resources and taking chances to maximize your impact. Plus, the attacks look fantastic!

The system works best with a complete team, where everyone’s unique passive skills combine and create a powerful chain reaction, allowing you to easily defeat your opponents.

Considering everything, it’s disappointing that the game usually limits you to only a couple of characters in your group. You don’t get a complete team until near the very end, and that’s simply how the game was originally designed.

The story isn’t really at fault for this minor flaw. The plot of Trails in the Sky is already strong, filled with mystery and political intrigue. However, it’s the memorable and lovable characters that truly make the game special, and they still resonate with players today.

The game features two main characters, Estelle and Joshua, who are young adventurers trying to become full-fledged members of the Bracer Guild-a group similar to mercenaries. They have great chemistry, and their supporting allies each add unique and memorable personalities to the team.

The main weakness of the first chapter comes from how slowly the original game unfolds. Trails in the Sky can be quite slow-paced; it takes a long time for the main story to really get going. While the characters are engaging and often funny, some players might lose patience waiting for the plot to pick up.

Look, 1st Chapter isn’t a fast-paced game, so you really need to chill and let it build its world at its own pace. Once you do that, though, it’s surprisingly touching. And when things *finally* hit the fan at the end of a chapter, it’s usually epic – seriously, the boss fights are awesome and really deliver on the drama!

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2025-09-16 22:08