The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak
*Owners of the Japanese version of “The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak (Kuro no Kiseki)” will automatically receive English language support in an update scheduled for July 5, 2024.
After the war, Calvard is enjoying unprecedented economic prosperity. However, the public grows uncertain as the number of immigrants increases and political reform runs rampant. Follow Van, a young man and local spriggan, on a unique request that will prove more than he bargained for. Will the nation fall into chaos?
The AT (Action Time) battle system has been completely revamped, transitioning seamlessly from field battles to turn-based combat. The sixth-generation combat orbment, Xipha, offers a revolutionary combat experience unique to this iteration of the Trails series!
In addition, the Topic System allows players to gain an advantage in battle by using conversation topics as bargaining chips. These topics can be obtained by interacting with other characters throughout the city. The game also features the Alignment system, which allows players to change their character’s three unique attributes and influence characteristics such as their status, the forces they fight with (or against), and even how the story unfolds.
Dive into the dynamic adventure in Kuro no Kiseki!
About
The spriggan’s life is but one of many professions that has emerged from the Calvard Republic. Be it playing detective, negotiator, or bounty hunter, Van Arkride takes on the kind of work that can’t be taken to more legitimate sources. It could be something the police can’t handle, work that’s best left out of the public eye, or even a request from a criminal of organization in the underworld; so long as it pays and doesn’t cross too far over the gray line, he’ll accept near-any job that comes across his table.
The year is 1208. A prim-and-proper young lady dressed in the uniform of an esteemed academy visits a dilapidated, multi-tenant building in a downtown district of Edith, the nation’s capital. With a most dignified gaze, she looks upon the plague of the door before her. It reads: ‘ARKRIDE Solutions Office: Complicated Matters Only.’
Steeling herself, she knocks on the door three times.
“First thing in the morning…?” a relaxed yet surprisingly young voice grumbles with a yawn.
From the moment he opens the door to greet her, a new tale begins.
Key Features
The AT (Action Time) Battle system has been completely revamped, transitioning seamlessly from field battles to turn-based combat.
The sixth-generation combat orbment, Xipha, offers a revolutionary combat experience unique to this iteration of the Trails series!
In addition, the Topic System allows players to gain an advantage in battle by using conversation topics as bargaining chips. These topics can be obtained by interacting with other characters throughout the city.
The game also features the Alignment system, which allows players to change their character’s three unique attributes and influence characteristics such as their status, the forces they fight with (or against), and even how the story unfolds.
Game Discussion
Steam User 8
The soundtrack for this game is simply breathtaking. It does an amazing job of making you feel immersed, while also allowing you to understand other countries on the continent and significantly expanding the lore. Every single RPG enthusiast needs to experience the great Legend of Heroes games made by the masters at Nihon Falcom. Their games genuinely feel handmade, showcasing incredible care and detail. This franchise has undoubtedly cemented its place as my all-time favorite.
Steam User 7
I will split the review for Trails fans and casual JRPG players
If you're not a Trails fan... what are you doing here??? Go back and play the damn series from the beginning. Albeit this was clearly intended as a jump point into the series please, do yourself a favor and ignore every recommendation of "where to start?" other than Trails in the Sky 1, in this series EVERY game has many references or are strict sequels to previous games in the series.
If you're a Trails fan...
Ok, let's begin.
I have to be sincere, the story is BAD, most of the new characters are one dimensional/pastiche of previous characters and the music is -for the most part- forgettable. The only redeeming quality are the gameplay (it's a nice evolution) and the writing (it goes back to a slightly more mature tone, still not at the level of Trails in the Sky but one can dream).
And now the question I always want to have answered first: Does it advance the metaplot in any way? Nope. I know it's hard to rate a game that's the first part of an arc and we all know Falcom develops the arc in pairs.
Do I recommend the game then? Yes, to Trails fans. If you have enjoyed/suffered the 10 previous games then you will find here enough to like. I'm not expecting miracles here -I know it's a shonen- but we know this team can do it, we have seen the sparks before.
Steam User 7
Played both in English and 日本語版 (thus playtime)
I can't say enough how I'm glad I did know this beautiful seria, which cemented poor engrish of mine, but moreover, encouraged me to learn such a gracious language as moon-runes from Fairyland..
Reading all this connections/references to events and characters from previous entries, even after a bit of hiatus, 嬉しいです！
ファルコムが大好き！ でももっと素敵なこと、双方の想いとそうだ・・Devs love Their games, and it's so easy to fall into abyss of aspiration of them too!
だってまた会うわね、必ず！
Steam User 6
nothing better then waking up and booting up a trails game with a cup of coffee,
Steam User 4
The best entry in the Trails series since Sky SC. The story, the characters, the setting, and the visuals were all fantastic from start to finish. Soundtrack wasn't as good as past games, but still had enough bangers to keep me satisfied. Very strong start to Trails's fourth story arc.
Steam User 3
Heard a lot of people putting this game low in their tier list and I wasn't really fond of leaving an arc I spend hundred of hours behind me. So I started this game very cautiously.
But really I really loved it, would place it very very high on my own tier list.
This game is like it's own main character, it try really hard to tell you he's talking about the darkness in our society and in the human heart, acting like a cold cynical guy, but in reality, it have a strong softness that will warm your heart.
It's not like most jrpg where you play a shonen character, the young dude brave and full of conviction that will beat the evil of this world with the power of friendship. No, you play a damaged man that live through the darkness of society and his own soul and grudgingly end taking under his wings (as the game say it himself) a big litter of pup he had to guide through the reallity of the world and how the said litter of pup become loyal to the death to their mama chick
It's so soft and heartwarming and very needed in this darktime
Steam User 4
Took me a few chapters to get into it as much as previous Trails games, but by the end I couldn't wait to start Daybreak 2 the day after.
The UI/Menu's are such an incredible let down in this game coming from Cold Steel and Reverie though, glad they fixed a lot of it in Daybreak2.