{"id":347476,"date":"2024-07-11T06:00:51","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T13:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/operationrainfall.com\/?p=347476"},"modified":"2024-07-11T04:49:55","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T11:49:55","slug":"review-the-legend-of-heroes-trails-through-daybreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/operationrainfall.com\/2024\/07\/11\/review-the-legend-of-heroes-trails-through-daybreak\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Title<\/th>\nThe Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Developer<\/th>\nNihon Falcom Corporation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Publisher<\/th>\nNIS America, Inc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Release Date<\/th>\nJuly 5th, 2024<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Genre<\/th>\nRPG<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Platform<\/th>\nNintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, PC<\/strong> (Steam<\/strong><\/a>, EGS, GOG)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Age Rating<\/th>\nESRB – T for Teen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Official Website<\/a><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

When one trail ends, another begins. <\/span>The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak<\/span><\/i> starts a brand new arc in the long-running <\/span>Trails <\/span><\/i>series, leaving behind the familiar territories of the Erebonian Empire and Crossbell State. This time around, the story takes place in the Republic of Calvard, one of the two Zemuria superpowers and a country which was previously mentioned in past games. With a fresh cast of characters and a new hybrid turn-based\/action battle system, <\/span>Trails through Daybreak<\/span><\/i> leaves a comfort zone established in the Erebonia arc, the <\/span>Cold Steel<\/span><\/i> games.\u00a0 From Rean to Van, was this new hero, cast of characters, and setting able to captivate me like the games that came before? Did the gamble with this new hybrid combat system pay off? Did <\/span>Trails through Daybreak <\/span><\/i>start the Calvard arc off with a bang, or did it fall short of expectations?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Trails<\/a><\/p>\n

In the seedy underbelly of Edith, Calvard\u2019s capital, a deal between two parties goes awry and a suitcase goes missing. Van Arkride is a spriggan, a fixer that takes on jobs that clients can\u2019t bring to the police or the Bracer Guild. One morning, Agn\u00e8s Claudel, an Aramis Academy student, knocks on the door of Arkride Solutions with a job for Van. She needs help in recovering a memento of her great-grandfather. Van accepts her request and after some conflict and tragedy, is able to recover the item Agnes was looking for. However, during the course of this request, Van unlocks a mysterious power and has a run-in with a sinister mafia group, Armata. He also learns that there are seven more items similar to the one Agnes recovered, collectively known as Geneses. With this new information, Van reluctantly takes Agnes under his wing, and searches for the remaining Geneses to prevent an ominous future predicted by Agnes\u2019 great-grandfather.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The story of Trails through Daybreak<\/em>\u00a0is mostly well done and I very much enjoyed it. It has that good mix of political intrigue, matters dealing in organized crime, fantastical elements, and enough mystery in the ongoing events to keep players guessing. The game also does not shy away from more mature and dark elements like racial discrimination, murder, drug dealing, and crimes against humanity. Mix in villains that have no redeemable features whatsoever, and you have one hell of a story. Honestly, I was shocked at the lengths Almata went to in their schemes. They make Heiyue and Ouroboros look like saints.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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In past games, you always had the POV of a bonafide hero. Whether it be Estelle, Lloyd, or Rean, you were almost always on the right side of the law, you did the right thing and the public looked favorably on you and the characters\u2019 way of life. The same can\u2019t be said of Van. Being a spriggan, Van tends to work in a gray area, and he is open to working with groups of ill repute such as jaegers and Ouroboros. Because of this, he tends to butt heads with more just groups, like the police and the Bracer Guild. He\u2019s not outright enemies with them, but they are wary of him. Unlike past main characters, Van is also an adult right from the get go. He\u2019s like a seasoned veteran at this point, so he has the ability to make more rational decisions. Combine that with his profession, and Van has more ways to fulfill requests, since he isn\u2019t bound by the law or any type of code. Spriggan requests are known as 4SPGs, and at major turning points of these requests, Van is sometimes offered two or three options. Each option can represent one of three alignments: Law, Gray, and Chaos. Van\u2019s affinity with a certain alignment will increase significantly based on the choice made, and this is reflected in the LGC meter. Each alignment can be leveled up to a max of 5, and the level of each alignment opens more options for Van to take in the main story. The choices Van makes in side 4SPGs can significantly affect its outcome, which I found to be a nice touch. I dislike choices that don\u2019t matter, so I appreciate how this was implemented. Unfortunately, the same can\u2019t be said for the main story, as it was clear that some choices I made at major points didn\u2019t really matter. I actually got a bit confused at how a certain late game event panned out because I felt it didn\u2019t make sense based on a previous choice I made. Despite this, overall, I really enjoyed the game\u2019s main story. There were some unanswered mysteries regarding the Geneses and Van\u2019s AI partner, Mare, but I\u2019m hoping more light is shed upon these in the sequel.<\/span><\/p>\n

As many may know, <\/span>Trails through Daybreak<\/span><\/i> is the eleventh mainline title in the <\/span>Trails<\/span><\/i> franchise. This may scare off newcomers from starting the series, especially this late in the timeline. I\u2019m here to assuage those fears. Despite being the latest game available for overseas players, I felt the story, overall, was very welcoming to newcomers. You could very much enjoy the game\u2019s story without prior knowledge of the series. At most, there may be some past events referenced, but others will eventually give a short explanation on what that event was so you won\u2019t feel lost. Characters from past games will also make an appearance, but you don\u2019t need to know about their past experiences to understand their role in the current story. If you want to read a little about what occurred in past games, there\u2019s an Archive section in the pause menu. Here, you can read backgrounds on each of the past games, but they don\u2019t give you any huge spoilers, so if you still wanted to play any of those games after reading, you could still do that without feeling like you ruined the surprise for yourself. There\u2019s also a nifty glossary available in the Archives section where newcomers can read up on terms needed to help understand the game\u2019s story that much more. I think they did as much as possible to be welcoming to new players, and I definitely appreciate those efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A story is made stronger by its characters and <\/span>Trails through Daybreak<\/span><\/i> is blessed with a fantastic starring cast. Van is the chief of Arkride Solutions. At first, he seems like a total bad boy. But as time progresses, you begin to see he\u2019s a big softy and truly cares about those close to him. He really looks out for his younger employees and tries to guide them as best he can. He also has a massive sweet tooth which others take advantage of to give him requests. Agn\u00e8s is Van\u2019s first employee and a student at Aramis Academy. Despite her youth, she has a good head on her shoulders and tries to keep the rest on the straight and narrow. She doesn\u2019t let the pressures of her family lineage get the better of her, and she really shows off how capable she can be as the story progresses. Feri is one of the youngest in the company and a jaeger with impeccable combat skills. While skilled in battle, she is very much ignorant in the way the rest of the world works, though she is willing to learn and expand her horizons. Her curiosity tends to make for some hilarious exchanges with other characters. Aaron, like Van, is a rebel and very perceptive. He goes at the beat of his own drum, loves to party, and cares a lot about his friends and hometown. He has no filter and really speaks his mind freely, willing to call people out when needed, and poke fun at Van\u2019s age. He also isn\u2019t afraid to make many dirty jokes and hit on women in front of the rest of the crew. Of all the employees, Aaron is probably the worst influence. Risette is arguably one of the most capable in the company. She\u2019s strong, intelligent, good with technology, and even good at secretarial work. Aaron likes to joke that she should be the boss of Arkride Solutions, and with good reason. Quatre is a youth prodigy and, like Risette, is great with technology. His technical savvy really helps the crew when it comes to the Orbal Network, and he gives the company more avenues to tackle work. He can be a bit shy when he has to hang with the rest of the boys though, especially at the public bath. Judith is a famous actress with one of the worst guarded secrets. She has a very fiery personality and has no problems speaking her mind, sometimes to her own detriment. Bergard is the oldest of the crew and one of its strongest. He commands the respect of many people, and due to his age and experiences, can impart lessons and much needed guidance to Van and the others. All of these contrasting personalities seem like a volatile mixture, but they actually work together quite well. They are very much like a family and they cover for each other\u2019s weaknesses. I enjoyed playing through the story that much more due to their chemistry and how each character worked and interacted with the other. Only having eight main party members was a benefit to the story, as well. It was easier to get attached to each character, and most of them got their own time to develop over the course of the story.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Trails<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the main cast that adds to the story, even the minor NPCs in Trails through Daybreak <\/em>added flavor to the world. Though they aren\u2019t as important as others like Nina Fenly and Saara, they still help bring the Calvard Republic to life. Lashkar is a young lad with dreams of becoming a bracer, all so he can protect his friend, Annie; San is a girl trying her best to live her life as free as she can, not bound by her Eastern lineage; Huck is an old man who loves playing mahjong and seems to be carefree, but he is also a capable businessman whom many go to for advice; Selma is a heartbroken girl who gets into running after her boyfriend breaks up with her for not being able to fit in a certain pair of pants; Seyla and Lulua are idols trying to make a breakthrough in the cutthroat music industry. These are just a couple of the NPCs you can talk to throughout your adventures in Calvard. I enjoyed going around and talking to every single one, checking to see how their life is progressing. It helped me develop an attachment to the cities and locals in the country, increasing my overall enjoyment of the main story. I highly recommend talking to NPCs when you can, it can really make the story that much better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Xipha activate! Read up on the combat and more on page 2 -><\/a><\/p>\n

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Trails through Daybreak<\/span><\/i> introduces a hybrid combat system, a departure from past games in the series. It consists of two styles of battle: Field Battles and Command Battles. Field Battles are a more action-oriented style of combat. You can perform regular attacks, charged attacks, and dodge rolls. You are limited in ways to deal damage in this style, as you do not have access to any Attack Arts or Crafts. From this mode, you can press the square button to immediately switch to Command Battles, the combat style most <\/span>Trails <\/span><\/i>fans are familiar with. Command Battles are turn-based affairs. Characters have a limited range of movement, but they have much more options to fight foes. Like past games, characters can perform regular attacks, defend, use items, use Crafts by expending Craft Points (CP), and utilize Arts (Attack and Support) by expending Energy Points (EP). New to this game are Shard Boosts (S-Boost), SCLMs (Shard. Circular. Linked. Metafield.), and Shard Skills. S-Boosts are limited time buffs which you can activate by pressing the L1 button. This can last a couple turns and the amount of turns increases based on the S-Boost level. These benefits can give temporary buffs such as increased attack power, increased evasion rate, and health point (HP) regeneration. Using an S-Boost expends one bar of the Boost Gauge. Using one bar gives a level 1 S-Boost, while using 2 bars gives a level 2 S-Boost. Unlike past games where you only needed 100 CP to use an S-Craft, you also need to be at S-Boost level 2 to use it. This applies to S-Breaks as well, the mechanic where you can use an S-Craft immediately. In order to use an S-Break, you would need 100 CP and at least two bars in the Boost Gauge. Using an S-Craft will increase the max Boost Gauge limit for that specific battle, up to a total of 9 bars, so using S-Crafts will give you future opportunities to spam consecutive S-Crafts. SCLMs are pretty similar to the Combat Links from the <\/span>Trails of Cold Steel <\/span><\/i>games. The difference is, these are not active 100% of the time and are dependent on the distance between characters. Once a character is close enough to another party member, a ring glow around the two characters. When the ring appears, you have access to two different types of features: SCLM Chain and SCLM Support. SCLM Chain allows party members to perform follow-up attacks after the controlled character performs a normal attack. SCLM Support power up the controlled character\u2019s Crafts or Arts. Shard Skills are percentage based abilities that give numerous boons to characters. These can add elements to attacks, increase the power of Attack Arts based on its element, allow characters to perform a follow up Shard Attack on enemies after using an Attack Art, and much more. The activation percentage can be increased by using an S-Boost. You can unlock new Shard Skills based on the quartz equipped in the Orbment menu. Each quartz adds a certain amount of element to the line it\u2019s inserted, and once a certain element amount is reached, you can unlock a new skill.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The combat system in Trails through <\/em><\/span>Daybreak <\/span><\/i>is pretty stellar. It was great to see how seamless the transition from Field to Command Battles was and vice versa. You just have to press the square button to start a Command Battle, and holding the circle button lets you go back to Field Battle. You can keep doing this as much as you want throughout the battle. The only time you can\u2019t do this is during important event battles or boss fights. It\u2019s impressive how Falcom was able to implement such a system. Command Battles are the meat of the gameplay, and you really had to utilize all features available to come out on top when facing tough foes. Field Battles, however, are a different story. While it was cool being able to switch back and forth between the battle types, I felt Field Battles were a bit too barebones to be considered a viable option in combat. Enemies felt very tanky, there weren\u2019t enough attack options, and it felt clunky to control at times. In order to heal, you\u2019d have to pause to use an item or healing Art, which really put an unnecessary stop in the combat flow. I mostly used Field Battles to stun the enemy and start a Command Battle with an advantage. I\u2019m not saying it needs to be as robust as Command Battles, but I do think it would benefit to add some Field Battle-exclusive Crafts and a type of quick menu that lets you access some healing items and healing Arts quickly. Other than those grievances, I did have fun with the game\u2019s combat.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I do have another complaint about the gameplay, and that is the omission of minigames. Coming from <\/span>Trails into Reverie<\/span><\/i> with its numerous minigames to a game that has none is pretty jarring. The fact that it did not have fishing, which has been a staple in every past <\/span>Trails<\/span><\/i> game, is pretty disappointing. I also think there was a missed opportunity to add a racing type minigame because of Van\u2019s skill with driving automobiles. You could watch movies (not a full one but a specific clip), but that\u2019s not really a minigame, it\u2019s just more dialog with some special images depending on the film. But, I did appreciate the movie dialog being fully voiced. While not a super important feature, I did find minigames a fun little break from the main story in past games. I hope they reimplement these in the game\u2019s sequel.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Trails through Daybreak<\/span><\/i> looks great, and the character models have greatly improved from past games, especially the main characters. They look so clean and pleasing to the eye, and their movement is much more natural and fluid. I felt the 3D models were a little clunky in their movement in past games, so this is a major improvement. You can really see the full extent of the models\u2019 movement in the game\u2019s full motion cutscenes, which are pretty epic. The switch to this new engine did wonders. The minor NPC models seem to be recycled from previous games, but they do the job well. As they say, don\u2019t fix what ain\u2019t broke. The main character designs are varied, unique and really showcase the characters\u2019 personalities and their culture. I personally really like the designs of Van, Feri, Grimcat, Shizuna, and Grendel. Van dresses like a true bad boy, but he doesn\u2019t overdress to the point of absurdity, he actually looks really cool. Feri\u2019s design showcases her Central Eastern roots and really stands out from others around her, it suits her to a tee. Grimcat is scantily clad, but her outfit also has a supernatural appeal to it, it\u2019s a nice combination of sexy and cool. Shizuna’s design combines the look of a silver-haired beauty with an outfit that mixes Eastern and modern aesthetics. Truly a design fitting of someone known as the Divine Blade of Silver. Now the Grendel is something otherworldly. It looks like something out of a <\/span>Super Sentai <\/span><\/i>series or <\/span>Karas<\/span><\/i>, it really speaks to my inner child. The enemy designs are equally as impressive with some terrifying monstrosities and imposing humans. Moving on from characters, let\u2019s talk about the setting designs. Each city in Calvard has its own unique culture and aesthetic, and it was interesting visiting each one. My personal favorites were the Eastern Quarter of Langport and the Hot Springs Village of Longlai. Both have Eastern architecture which I\u2019m a big fan of. I really have no complaints on the game\u2019s visual aspects.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Trails<\/a><\/p>\n

Like with past <\/span>Trails <\/span><\/i>games, Trails through <\/em><\/span>Daybreak<\/span><\/i> does not disappoint in the music department. From events to battles to just walking around town, each BGM fits the intended situation well. If I were to pick out tracks that stood out to me, I would say tracks like \u201cRise of the Grendel,\u201d \u201cIn the Dawn,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m Grimcats!,\u201d \u201cUnmitigated Evil,\u201d \u201cMarginal Crisis,\u201d \u201cWhat is Ahead of You\u201d did that, but the entire soundtrack is great. In fact, I liked it so much I already own the physical soundtrack. You really won\u2019t be disappointed in this department at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looks like there’s a 4SPG. Check out thoughts on localization, performance and conclusion on page 3 -><\/a><\/p>\n

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Trails through Daybreak<\/span><\/i>\u2019s localization is fantastic; I would say it\u2019s NISA\u2019s best effort since they took over the series\u2019 localization. Out of my entire playthrough, I only found two misspelled words, which is amazing considering the amount of text the game has. None of the dialog had me scratching my head or questioning its original intent. There were also no lines left untranslated. I was also impressed they kept some of these lines in the game, especially relating to Aaron. That man really has no filter, and he had no problems making statements that some would find offensive. Expletives, dirty jokes and sexual talk, nothing was off limits with him. The English voice acting is also well done and almost all the voice actors knocked it out of the park with their respective roles. I\u2019d also like to specifically point out Damien Haas, the voice actor for the game\u2019s protagonist, Van. He voiced him perfectly, nailing his dialog whether it be casual, comedic. or emotional. His work really got me more attached to Van as a character. The only voice work that slightly disappointed me was for Zin, and that\u2019s only because his original voice actor from the <\/span>Trails in the Sky <\/span><\/i>games did not return to voice him in Trails through <\/em><\/span>Daybreak<\/span><\/i>. Other than that, it was an amazing localization effort for this game.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Trails through Daybreak<\/span><\/i> performs very well on PC. I played a majority of the game at 4K resolution on the Ultra preset, and my rig was able to almost always keep a frame rate above 60 fps. There were some instances where the frame rate would drop below 60 into the upper 50s, but this wasn\u2019t common. I did notice a frame rate drop to 49 fps while in the dance practice room in Tharbad, and this may be due to the lighting conditions and the mirror reflections in that specific location. Other than that, it ran almost perfectly throughout my playthrough. The options lets you choose from five different presets: Performance, Console, Default, High, and Ultra. There are also a plethora of options to tweak for rendering quality, draw distance, and other features if you need to change anything to get it to run well on your rig. The game also runs like a dream on Steam Deck and it has a Verified Steam Deck compatibility. I played at least one and a half hours on the Performance preset, and it was able to stay at 60 fps even while in combat. It also looked pretty good visually on my Deck. In fact, if I didn\u2019t have my gaming desktop, I wouldn\u2019t mind playing the game entirely on Steam Deck. I tested out playing on Steam Deck at 80% battery life, and it ended up dropping to 35% after one and a half hours of play. You could probably lower the drain by decreasing the frame limit to 30 fps. This is a fantastic PC port and if you were on the fence because you were worried about how it would perform, either on desktop or Steam Deck, I hope this assuages your fears. It runs great.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Trails<\/a><\/p>\n

It took me 127 hours to complete the story of Trails through Daybreak<\/em> on hard difficulty while talking to every NPC, fighting almost every monster in front of me, and completing every 4SPG. Once you beat the game, you can play New Game+ to complete any achievements you may have missed, and you also unlock more outfits for your characters. If you lower the game\u2019s difficulty and just play through the main story without talking to the NPCs and doing any of the optional 4SPGs, you could definitely cut the playtime down. Just know that even if you do that, this game will most likely still be a time sink. If you want a shorter game or don\u2019t have the time to play a long adventure like this, this might not be the game for you. If time is no problem for you, then you won\u2019t be disappointed in the amount of content the game offers, even if there are no minigames.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak<\/span><\/i> is an outstanding RPG and an exciting start to the Calvard arc. It has a mature story that\u2019s accessible to newcomers, interesting characters, beautiful visuals, a stellar soundtrack, a unique hybrid combat system that caters to both action and turn-based fans, and an exceptional localization made with care and respect. Combine all these elements and you get an experience that is sure to grip you and not let go. It was so close to perfection, but the barebones Field Battle mode and lack of minigames held it back from that exclusive class. I highly recommend this game to long time <\/span>Trails <\/span><\/i>fans and even newcomers who love RPGs. This was an unforgettable experience and I\u2019m definitely looking forward to the next game in Van\u2019s story.<\/span><\/p>\n

Review Score<\/th><\/tr>
Overall<\/th>www.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.com<\/td><\/tr>
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