Trails Through Daybreak Review

I recently played through and finished The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak! Read on for my review and experience with it, especially if you enjoy classic JRPG games! Spoiler: I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Table of Contents#

Introduction#

We got a switch when Tears of the Kingdom came out. It was my first game console since having a Nintendo Wii a long time ago. I grew up on JRPGs and adventure games like The Legend of Zelda series but didn’t have a lot of time or opportunity to play over the last decade. I’ve been enjoying some catch up time since acquiring the switch though, starting with Tears of the Kingdom, the remake of Link’s Awakening, Chained Echoes and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. One series I’ve heard a lot about was the Legend of Heroes series. It’s never really worked out to play them as they are spread across a number of different consoles and eras of video gaming. There are 21 games I think and many build lore, specific story points and key themes on each other so it’s been a bit of a struggle about how and when to jump in because not all of the games are even available on switch. Trails Through Daybreak is though and I read that it’s an “ok” jumping in point across a number of blogs and news articles because it’s the start of a new arc. So - I treated myself with Christmas money.

Is it a good entry point?#

I’ll start here: Is it a good entry point to the Legend of Heroes series? My non-expert answer is ”Yes!” I don’t feel like a struggled to understand the story or gameplay. I made it to the end and finished it without much in the way of problems. The primary playable characters and villains all seem to be new even if they have connections to past events and games and the story is contained, even if it references past games.

It’s not a perfect experience though. I did find myself referencing the Kiseki wiki at times when a topic or character was introduced that the player was clearly meant to know. There is one character in particular that I was left confused by until checking their wiki entry, as there was clearly deep integration into the series but little explanation in-game.

Personally, here I’d say, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” If this is where you can jump into the series - go ahead and do it!

The Game Itself#

As for the game itself - I really enjoyed my play through. I’m going to try and stay spoiler free but apologies in advance if I miss something you’d consider a spoiler.

The main character, Van, is probably one of my favorite “Main Characters” in a video game. He’s a bit morally gray but always focused on protecting those close to him. He’s experienced a lot of trauma but is trying not to let it get in the way to much. His major fault is not being great at letting others help him - he’s always in that protector mode. Oh and his job! He’s solves problems for people and get things done. He kind of reminds me of Olivia Pope from Scandal (but a lot less politics).

I’ve also never played a JRPG structured like it is. Instead of being a somewhat open land to explore, all of the events happen over a set of days. Days can have a morning, afternoon and/or evening (but they don’t always have these parts). There are main story events to attend to and optional “fixer” quests and events to connect with other characters. You have a certain number of potential slots to fill (but don’t have to use them all) but typically not enough slots to hit all of the optional events. Most of the action takes place in your primary city of residence but some of the chapters have you traveling to other cities (although the travel is automatic and not “open” so you can’t go back).

The fighting is predominantly turn-based. There is an option for action-based fighting but primarily only useful for weaker enemies and stunning harder enemies (if you have a charge attack available). It’s also nice that there is a range of difficulty settings so you can attune the game to your style or needs - from just wanting to enjoy the story all the way up to giving yourself an impossible time.

The Not-As-Good#

While I enjoyed most of my play through it did have disappointing moments. For one, near the beginning (before I found the Kiseki wikia) the lore I didn’t know was bringing me down a bit. They could have done a better job of making this an entry point I think by having a “New to Trails” mode that covered some things a bit more clearly (I know that isn’t exactly realistic and ultimately I still had a lot of fun with the game so don’t let this point get you down).

Some of the days dragged on to if you are playing with any sort of completionist mindset. You’ve got to see all the movies (that’s a thing), find all the gifts (also a thing), collect all the newspapers and recipes (yep - also something to do) and so on. Most side quests offer a good opportunity to expand the lore but some just left me scratching my head.

It also felt a bit sexist at times. The main character was actually great but surrounding characters seemed all about the patriarchy and chauvinism (which wasn’t a pleasant look). I’m glad the main character modeled a different path but felt like they could have left it out of the other characters as well.

I’d Give It 4 out of 5 Stars.#

That to me is where it sits. As I’ve said I enjoyed a lot of it! The not-as-good though makes it not as nice of a playthrough as my time with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 or Tears of the Kingdom. I guess maybe the best thing I can say in closing is that it makes me want to play the followup to see what happens to Van and his crew of misfit part-time employees!