Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter

I love the Trails games, but my history with them is somewhat spotty. I was completely unaware of the series before reading a review of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel back in 2015. It sounded like something that would be right up my alley, so I picked the game up for PlayStation Vita and wound up spending over 100 hours working my way through its deep and rewarding storyline.

I excitedly picked up Cold Steel II a couple of years later, but when part III wasn’t released for Vita, I fell off the series. Looking at a current overview of the Trails games, I was kind of shocked to see that there have been five more games in the series between then and now. These are huge games, and I didn’t think developer Nihon Falcom would be able to crank them out as fast as they have.

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, which I’ve been playing on Nintendo Switch 2, is a full remake of the 2004 game The Legend of Heroes VI: Trails in the Sky. This was the first game in what eventually became known as the “Liberl Arc,” which consisted of three Trails in the Sky games (The Legend of Heroes/Trails games tend to arrive in trilogies). There is no disputing that this series is huge, with enough offshoots and sub-series that it rivals the Final Fantasy franchise in scope, and its continuation is a testament to its worldwide popularity.

However, if you aren’t familiar with the series and are wondering if Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a good place to jump onboard, the answer is an emphatic yes. You don’t need to know anything about the overarching franchise in order to understand and appreciate Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. Like Final Fantasy games, you don't need to play every title to appreciate individual games or arcs. This is the first introduction of this particular world and these characters, and the mechanics of the game will be very familiar to any fan of modern JRPGs. This is a series that regularly welcomes newcomers with open arms.

In fact, it seems as though the very point of this remake is to reintroduce the series to modern audiences, or at least to make this particular game more accessible. Trails in the Sky was originally an isometric pixel art RPG, looking like something that would have been at home on the PlayStation 2. The remake has completely reimagined that game in full 3D, using the anime-style art and battle system that I remember from my time with Trails of Cold Steel—though, obviously, working at a much higher resolution.

Trails in the Sky follows two young people, Estelle and her adopted brother Joshua. The siblings are new recruits to a guild known as the “Bracers,” which are essentially a mixture between police and mercenaries. The public at large can hire Bracers for a variety of duties, but the vibes here are all positive; Bracers aren’t going to rob banks or assassinate anyone. Instead, they function more as bodyguards and monster hunters, taking on missions to help make the populace safer.

When Estelle and Joshua’s legendary Bracer father goes missing on a mysterious mission, the two set out on a mission to find and rescue him, taking on side missions and gathering a veritable gang of allies along the way. As some of the biggest pleasures of these games are the deep, complex narrative and character development, I don’t want to spoil much beyond that. But prepare yourself for a long and twisting tale, told through top tier writing and some very solid voice acting. The characters here are lovable and unique; you might think you recognize certain anime/RPG archetypes here, but this game is too wise to deliver something that shallow. Expect laughs, thrills, and a few surprises that might throw you for a loop.

Speaking of surprises, newcomers to the Trails games might be surprised at just how deep and polished this experience is. The combat system is one of my favorites, feeling familiar but really cool and unique all at once. Enemies are openly visible in the world. You can just run right past them if you wish, and the game is tuned to let you know when you have outgrown a particular area. The amount of XP you get for a battle decreases significantly when you are over-leveled, signaling to players that it is time to move on.

If you do decide to engage the enemy, you have a couple of options. For weaker enemies, you can simply jam on the attack button and beat them down cowboy-style with whichever character you happen to be controlling. There are also a dodge and a power attack, but it doesn’t get much deeper than that. For more difficult monsters (or, occasionally, humans), you can tap a button and enter the turn-based combat system.

In turn-based combat, you have a few different options. You can rely on basic attacks, but they are kinda boring and sucky. Luckily, each character also comes equipped with character-specific skills, and you can also assign magic spells to each of your character using the materia-like Orbal system. The Orbal system has the player assigning color-coded quartz pieces into an “Orbal device” for each character. Over the course of the game, you get stronger versions of each type of quartz, which grant stat bonuses and specific spells.

Whether using skills or magic, you can easily see where your attack is going to land on the field of battle, and you have a certain amount of latitude to move yourself around as well. From there, it comes down to turn manipulation and luck to make sure you fire off your powerful attacks before enemies move out of the range of effect. Enemies are easily stunned, and doing so allow you to fire off a powerful multi-character combo, which is a lot of fun.

This might sound complex, but it is actually one of the more approachable systems I’ve encountered in JRPGs. New players should be able to master the system's intricacies within a battle or two, and there are always a few low-level baddies milling about if you want to practice. Beyond just battling for XP, Trails also offers a number of other ways to increase your stats, everything from a fun and simple cooking/crafting interface to upgradable gear.

The game offers a very large world to explore. While it isn't quite open, a liberal fast travel system allows you to zip instantly to any area you have already visited, giving the player the freedom to explore ahead or wait for the narrative to take them where they need to go. This is one of those games where it is wise to use your map and explore every nook and cranny of whatever area you are in; treasures are easily visible on the map, but if you are rushing, you could run right past some of the game's best gear.

I should mention that playing Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter on Switch 2 is something of a revelation. The game looks amazing, both in handheld and on my 60” television. This is a franchise that I’m accustomed to playing on a 4" screen, so seeing it blown out in high resolution is somewhat mind shattering. I continue to be impressed with Switch 2’s capabilities, particularly when rendering games with this sort of animation style. The visuals are crisp, clean, and delightful.

Trails in the Sky offers a fun and approachable entry point to this beloved franchise. If this review seems particularly aimed at newcomers, it’s because I have the full expectation that anyone that has already played any of these games is already on board for this one. If you know, you know. This is one of those series that should really be racking up Persona numbers among RPG fans, and it seems to me that this fabulous remake represents one more step in the right direction towards making that happen.