Few things are as important to the JRPG genre as world-building. The Trails series has some of the deepest lore in JRPG history, with many world events driving the state of the world of Zemuria forward in what feels like a never-ending conflict in the battle of good versus evil. While it may be difficult to jump into an already existing RPG series like this after “the train has left the station,” The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II continues Nihon Falcom’s new Calvard arc from the first title, and like a great anime series, Falcom picks up right where it left off.
First things first, it’s nearly impossible to play The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II without finishing the first. So if you’re someone who’s embroiled in the detective work of Van Arkride in the first entry, you should stop reading here. Not only is Trails Through Daybreak II chock-full of spoilers for the first title (starting almost immediately), but on occasion, it will infer that the player has played through the first adventure already, with moment callbacks mid-conversation.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II picks up right where the first one left off, and it’s almost necessary to play the first title to get everything right. Nihon Falcom deploys a small “previously on Trails Through Daybreak” segment, similar to Dragon Ball Z episodes, but this should be used as a refresher instead of a replacement for the player’s best experience (a small, minutes-long video accounts for 50-plus hours of events). The first entry is a better starting point.
“The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II has some of the finest writing I’ve experienced in a JRPG.”
For the uninitiated, Trails Through Daybreak II follows the very same Arkride Solutions from the first title, right after Van and Co. took down the mafia organization Almata, which was terrorizing the Calvard Republic before our heroes intervened. The leader of this organization is the Spriggan, Van Arkride, a mercenary for hire who completes tasks for payment and exudes main-protagonist energy. Think the Calvard Republic’s version of a Witcher, but less mutated.
Daybreak II follows a similar formula to the first: Van takes on some dirty or odd jobs around Calvard called 4SPGs, which play like filler episodes of an anime series that help the people of the world. These jobs are normally not fit for law enforcement due to the requester’s implication, so Van acts as a vigilante of sorts, working for himself (and Arkride Solutions).
In previous Trails series titles, the main character (looking at you, Lloyd and Rean) typically does things “for the greater good,” but Van acts like Devil May Cry’s Dante. He determines whether a job is the right fit for the team or not, and the player gets to make the selection after hearing key details. Jobs can range from hunting a big monster in the sewers to helping a reformed gangster cut ties with their former employer.
It’s nice to see a Trails protagonist set in this darker story, and overall I love the darker tone and direction of the Calvard Republic’s story. In this section of Zemuria, quest-giving characters are afraid of Calvard Republic law enforcement, which draws a sinister comparison to real-life events. Nihon Falcom does extraordinary work to make Calvard relatable in the best and worst ways—like the immigration-heavy tones present in the first Daybreak—which is a breath of fresh air.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II has some of the finest writing I’ve experienced in a JRPG. Like a fine-tuned anime, Daybreak II feels like a true second season when compared with the original. Side characters and main actors appear and know the party, rewarding a player who has played both games, and during these segments, small flashbacks jog the player’s memory.
All these characters are impeccably written, down to the relationships each character has with one another. Returning characters continue to develop with the story, as former orphan Feri Al-Fayed appears more confident in her decisions after the events of the first game, and further lore is explored in character interactions. Daybreak II’s characters have a heartbeat.
In one of the 4SPGs, I was tasked with hunting down a scam artist responsible for creating knock-off “tPhones.” The entire side quest was loaded with real-life connotations when being on the business end of a scam. The scammed requestee seemed embarrassed, and the scam artists themselves referred to each customer as “easy marks.” Even in this world, scam artists have a quota to fill, and the villains in the small side quest were more afraid of what would happen when they didn’t meet their quota than of the legal ramifications of what they were doing. This is a very “all sides considered” approach that steeps each quest in realism.
Like most other side quests in The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II, each one is filled with a scenario that can easily happen in real life, and focus is smartly placed on the characters and their emotions during each ordeal. Nihon Falcom makes it feel like the player is making a difference, instead of simply going from point A to point B in order to earn rewards. Daybreak II brings the substance.
When not fulfilling 4SPGs, the main narrative sees Arkride Solutions faced with a series of murders linked to the mysterious Oct-Genesis devices introduced in the first title from Agnes Claudel—who begins working for Arkride after Van agrees to help her search for them. Once the party confronts what is known as the “Crimson Beast” (basically the black-and-red version of Van’s Grendel), Van and co. must locate the shards of the mysterious 8th Genesis—the first seven being found in the first game—before they fall into the unknown adversary’s hands.
“Daybreak II’s characters have a heartbeat.”
It is also made apparent that the Genesis still have unexplored powers, even shifting time itself similar to how another JRPG, Radiant Historia, did. In certain parts of the title, Van and co. will meet their end against insurmountable odds, and the Genesis will return you to a part earlier in the story to make better decisions. This “safety net” feels a bit like a convenient cop-out to artificially extend story beats instead of a plot device like that in Radiant Historia. Each scene feels equipped with plot armour, cheapening the realism of other aspects of Trails Through Daybreak II.
The battle system in The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is a sight to behold. Nihon Falcom returns the hybrid open-world/turn-based battle system to an even better effect in the sequel, adding new features to the formula that enhances the experience. During overworld exploration, Van (or another playable character) can engage enemies and break their guard before deploying the turn-based system for an advantage in combat.
The turn-based combat deploys the clean, strategy-based approach from the first title but expands with Ex Chains. When delivering devastating blows to opponents, if you strategically meet the criteria for an Ex Chain, another character will come in and strike the enemy with a skill of their own or a basic attack, adding a layer of complexity to the battle.
“The battle system in The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is a sight to behold.”
The combat system outside the overworld is as exceptional as turn-based combat can be, with no two fights feeling the same. But the same cannot be said about the ARPG mechanics. Although a new Cross Charge feature allows the player to punish enemies after getting a “Perfect Dodge,” there’s not much else to do aside from dodge and slam the attack button between dodges. In a 40-plus-hour adventure, this becomes redundant after Act I.
The original equipment screen returns in The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II and is optimized for user experience. Equipping ability-enhancing Orbments feels remarkably like equipping Materia in Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, and you can even collect rare ones from surrounding shop merchants or side quests, adding value to everything Van does in Calvard. Xipha combat units can also be equipped to help a party loadout and open up each party member to every traditional party role. Van comes equipped with lightning-based attacks, but if that’s not your style, he can equip any other element and even be a master at support.
Each character can be built however you like, which gives the player full control. Shards and abilities can be properly synergized to create disastrous effects for adversaries, and figuring these out feels a lot like the Final Fantasy VIII junction system with how overpowered characters can become. It makes me wonder if Nihon Falcom is goading the player to break the game. This freedom is true roleplaying. The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II acts as another excellent season in fans’ favourite anime.
Spanning more than two decades of releases, Nihon Falcom continues to push its world of Zemuria in new directions and doesn’t miss a step with its world-building masterclass Trails series. Since both the Crossbell and Erebonia world arcs have come to a conclusion with Trails into Reverie, Trails Through Daybreak feels like an excellent entry ramp to the series—especially with the staggering amount of information held in the title’s glossary section. However, Trails Through Daybreak II likely requires the player to finish the entire first title to enjoy the second to its fullest. After all, you shouldn’t watch season two of an anime before the first.
