The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II Review – My Beloved SIN

Trails through Daybreak was a welcome, if unpolished, resurgence for a series pushing an overarching narrative across ten games. The new setting, cast, and combat system made this new saga both a welcoming entry point for prospective fans and a much-needed refresher for veterans. Now, its sequel, Trails through Daybreak II, has already reached the West only half a year later.

With that being the case, the natural question is whether this direct continuation evolves the newly established precedents of the first Daybreak or if it stumbles more often than not. And, well, the answer to that general inquiry is more complicated than you would expect.

Story: A Multi-Layered Narrative with Highs and Lows

Following the events of Trails through Daybreak, protagonist Van Arkride has been mostly alone in his Spriggan work until news of a brutal serial murder case puts him on the suspect list. His ex-girlfriend, now a close ally and popular Bracer, Elaine Auclair, informs him of this conundrum, initiating a new goal to clear his name. Additionally, this battle for the truth coincides with the search for the remaining pieces of Agnès Claudel’s eighth Genesis, weaving a multi-layered narrative with multiple perspectives.

To be entirely candid, Trails through Daybreak II is the most conflicted I’ve felt about any game in this series because while it boasts outstanding highs, it suffers from some absolutely abysmal lows. Still, I’m getting a tad ahead of myself.

In Trails through Daybreak II, the plot is partially told via selectable routes that occur simultaneously. In the early hours, Van leaves Edith and entrusts his Spriggan business to two returning characters from Trails into Reverie: Swin and Nadia. This status quo isn’t the case for the whole game, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg regarding Daybreak II’s drastically different storytelling structure. There is also a brand-new narrative gimmick that reinforces the darker tone this entry tries to embrace.

This new concept unveiled in the prologue is akin to time travel. For reasons beyond the party’s comprehension, whether they die or some other tragedy strikes in the vicinity, they’re reverted to a previous spot in time via a flowchart you can view. Granted, there isn’t any actual choice in how this time travel methodology is utilized; it’s all purely required without genuine player input. There are a handful of times when you have to perform a different action to progress, but the map always tells you where to go outright, so it’s an illusion of choice.

Admittedly, this design choice alone isn’t a dealbreaker, especially since the time travel is used quite impactfully in a handful of instances. Sadly, it becomes a crutch to induce hollow character work. After the game’s hefty intermission equivalent, which is undeniably one of the best sections of the franchise, there’s a bizarre and baffling drop in writing quality. Put simply, characters that received minimal focus in the game’s first half or even from the previous entry are given mini-arcs, so to speak, and, for the most part, they either diminish already-present intrigue or come across as first drafts lacking necessary editing. Plus, for reasons beyond the scope of a general review, the time travel eventually lacks any tension it used to have in its beginning acts.

Unfortunately, the third act of Daybreak II is rushed wreckage that, save for one specific dynamic, fails to impart any fulfillment on a narrative or emotional level —it was an honest struggle to get through it without skipping scenes. What makes matters even stranger is how the finale directly following the third act is more up to the quality of the rest of the game’s highs. To say this is a shame is putting it mildly because the rest of Daybreak II borders on and even eclipses being phenomenal.

For instance, this sequel does a terrific job integrating Swin and Nadia, who are both essentially the other major protagonists besides Van. While they’re in Calvard for an undisclosed goal, they fit in with Daybreak’s other major players like Elaine and Agnès splendidly to the extent that I wished that more of the game had these unconventional groupings. Further, the search for Agnès’ eighth Genesis is a natural follow-up for the main cast, with a couple of well-handled subversions that elevate the stakes.

Moreover, the sidequests in Daybreak II are generally a step up from its predecessor. Despite the returning morality system kind of just being around for the hell of it, most of these scenarios are much more involved in scope and overall memorability. The NPC storylines are more engaging than ever, too, with both returning and new ones standing out as some of my favorites in the series. In particular, a new NPC in Act I appears consistently for the rest of the game, and her development was worthwhile to witness.

Another boon is this entry’s focus on worldbuilding, with rapid technological growth at its epicenter. Going from cars becoming commonplace back in the days of the Crossbell games to there now being publically available smartphones is a dramatic jump that’s given no shortage of attention, especially in the newspapers. Immigration conflicts and racial tensions are boldly embraced more than ever as well. Alongside a more curated selection of character-specific bonding events, the countless optional content heightens the signature realistically crafted depictions for which the Trails’ world is known.

Above all else, though, it’s worth emphasizing that Daybreak II is a massive jump from its predecessor in terms of connectivity to previous games. While the first Daybreak contained its own slew of references to the other titles, chiefly in its later hours, Daybreak II’s identity relies on them extensively from the get-go. Besides Swin and Nadia returning, several intrinsic narrative threads from other sagas are relevant here, making this sequel not ideally approachable to newer fans who have yet to experience Sky, Crossbell, and Cold Steel.

Occasionally, narrated lore recaps of topics the game resurges are provided, but they’re more like brief refresher courses that are not replacements for experiencing those stories in full. So, just keep that facet in mind if you jumped into this series from the first Daybreak.

Gameplay: A Monumental Step Up

In gameplay, Daybreak II is a monumental step up, being one of the most substantial jumps in quality I’ve ever seen. This sequel implements much-needed additions and refinements using the same basis as Daybreak I. In the previous game, I critiqued the lack of challenge, even on Nightmare difficulty, but the difficulty has stepped up here considerably. No longer can all field enemies be slain in action combat with little thought or consideration; they’re much more aggressive and boast notable defense before entering turn-based bouts. Only small fry are easily killable on the field, as it should be. Action combat on the field now boasts Quick Arts, another method of striking enemies to lower their break gauges. Honestly, this point feels underbaked, but it’s practical in specific circumstances.

On the other hand, two significant mechanical add-ons have joined the fray, inherently altering your combative approach. Firstly, if you Perfect Dodge enemy attacks on the field, you can perform a Cross Charge, essentially a damaging character swap where you take control of your chosen party member just as they perform their heavy strike. This implementation alone gives the field encounters an inestimable degree of substance, putting it leagues above what Daybreak I initiated. Entering the turn-based phases with advantages is more rewarding than ever — a unique gameplay feel is achieved here that feels sublime to actualize in practice.

And as if that weren’t enough, turn-based bouts now have EX Chains, a maneuver where stunned enemies can be dual-attacked by two characters, assuming they’re close enough to be tied by the SCLM link. This special strike greatly damages the targeted enemies and those nearby caught in the crossfire, making it a valuable tool. EX Chains ultimately ensure that the break gauges are more of a prominent factor to consider, giving more weight to each encounter.

Circling back to the increased difficulty, this also applies to the turn-based battles. Spamming shield spells isn’t the be-all and end-all anymore, at least on Nightmare. Unlike Daybreak I, buffs and offensive Arts are actually meaningful and often necessary to prevail. Thanks to these numerous inclusions and the fundamental re-balancing, customizing my Orbment setups for desired Shark Skills and Arts was an addictive, cathartic practice. In the first Daybreak, you could just put whatever Quartz you wanted without much consequence, so I’m glad to have seen that fault alleviated.

Märchen Garten: A Mixed Bag

There is one final facet of Daybreak II we’ve yet to discuss: the virtual world of Märchen Garten. Somewhat like the Reverie Corridor from Trails into Reverie, this continually modified dungeon lets you utilize slews of playable characters at your leisure. There are plot reasons for it being around, but it primarily serves gameplay-related purposes. To begin elaborating, traversing this dungeon’s floors grants a new resource for an in-game gacha-machine. Thankfully, your rewards are inconsequential, from cosmetics to minor equippable items. So, nothing crazy.

To be honest, I was mildly disappointed in the Märchen Garten’s layout. The floors are too compact and similar in structure with no standout variations, contrasting the more memorable room lineup of the Reverie Corridor. So, exploring multiple floors in one sitting can feel like a chore after a while.

Yet, the Märchen Garten houses other notable resources, like letting you upgrade character Crafts and play minigames. The former is a mixed bag since the percentage enhancements are usually too minor to really feel like they are of use. And the minigames, which are first accessed in reality, are a strange bunch. The new hacking and returning fishing minigames are terrific, being some of my favorites in the series. But the peculiar basketball minigame and the new card game, Seven Hearts, are pretty questionable. Seven Hearts, in particular, is probably the worst card game Falcom has crafted yet; it’s a tad too random and short for matches to feel thrilling or worth paying attention to, feeling like a needlessly contrived, and thereby worse, Blade from the first two Cold Steels. You can just spam buttons without looking and win around half the time.

For whatever reason, Märchen Garten has also infected reality with collectible shards you can use for the gacha. As minor as this feature is, I appreciated the crystals that appeared since they gave sufficient reason to explore the areas more thoroughly, including the newly locked treasure chests.

Presentation: Soundtrack, Localization, and Performance

Regarding its soundtrack, Daybreak II has rather heavy instrumentation that won’t be many fans’ jam; it loosely reminds me of Ys IX. Personally, I loved plenty of songs on the first listen that potentially elevated the soundtrack above the first Daybreak. The localization and editing work was also strong, but a decent number of lines in the prologue didn’t match the English voice-acting; I’m assuming that’ll be fixed by release. On PlayStation 5, performance was reasonably smooth, but hefty enemy numbers in the Garten did drop the framerate noticeably.

Conclusion: Ambitious but Flawed

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II is an unconventional sequel that will definitely not be everyone’s cup of tea. This ambitious outing suffers from a few colossal dips in writing quality that can’t be hand-waved aside due to horridly accelerated pacing and egregious character treatment.

Still, the times when the narrative and character moments shine are captivatingly brilliant, being near the series’ heights. Amid teases for the future and overt connections to the series’ past, Daybreak II impressively and boldly proclaims its identity. Further, the outstanding combat improvements make this entry one of the most enjoyable in the series. And when throwing in an extensive post-game and plenty of mini-games into the mix, fans will assuredly find pillars to enjoy here.