Calvard Back in Conflict
The Trails series, a juggernaut of intricate worldbuilding and continuity, recently had a clean slate of sorts for the West with The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak. Finally moving on after seven games of Crossbell and Erebonia, players new and old were greeted by the land of Calvard, which featured a mostly new cast and a relatively self-contained narrative.
Now, we’re continuing our adventures in Calvard with The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II, a direct sequel with a more ominous premise. Following the main cast prevailing over the previous set of antagonists, Almata, a murder case now plagues the country.
Let’s hope Daybreak II provides more of a challenge.
A brutal crimson beast, eerily reminiscent of the transformed Grendel state the main character Van Arkride can become, is seemingly the culprit. Further, this scenario is somehow connected to the overarching goal from the prior game regarding the cast’s search for the Geneses.
In the preview build we played during PAX West 2024, we experienced one of the early dungeons with Van and the returning Elaine Auclair, who is set to play a more consistently integral role throughout this entry compared to the first Daybreak. The duo is investigating the case of a killed CID Special Ops unit, quickly prompting consequences of inescapable proportions.
New Gameplay Mechanics
On a gameplay level, Daybreak II continues the seamless turn-based and action systems from the previous entry, though there are some new implementations here. For instance, once you perform a perfect dodge during action combat, a new mechanic named Cross Charge will present itself. If you have characters in the wings, one can be swapped in and enact a charged attack during their arrival animation while also receiving a damage buff.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II is a direct sequel with a more ominous premise.
As for turn-based encounters, EX Chains is a new feature triggered by striking a stunned enemy. Afterward, linked party members can attack together with a considerable vicinity extending to other foes in range.
Generally speaking, using a Cross Charge to deplete an enemy’s stun gauge on the field will enable ample opportunity for an EX Chain at the start of the turn-based battle, ridding several enemies simultaneously. Additionally, offensive Arts can now be cast during action combat, which provides another option outside of physical or orbal strikes.
Combat Concerns
The battle system of the first Daybreak was far too easy, even on its hardest difficulty, so these new mechanics aren’t necessarily a net positive. While every Trails game could be broken apart difficulty-wise, they required you to understand how their combat intricacies work, unlike Daybreak.
Assuming the challenge level has been amped up, Cross Charge and EX Chains can be significant tools for enhancing this entry’s combat identity. On the other hand, carrying over the lack of required planning or strategy that doesn’t make players push the envelope can make these new systems feel tacked on or needless. Ultimately, let’s hope Daybreak II provides more of a challenge.
An Ambitious and Rapidly Approaching Release
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II is a pretty ambitious follow-up in plenty of ways, some of which we won’t mention here. However, the short time we spent with this English version shows that NISA is meeting fan expectations and putting resources into minimizing the wait time between releases. It’s definitely an exciting time to be a JRPG fan, and we’re glad to see so many thriving new games coming west.
Still, between the new combat features, an increased focus on side activities on minigames, and newly visitable locations, fans of the previous entry have more than enough to look forward to in The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II when it is released in early 2025 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
