Trails Through Daybreak II Switch vs PS5 compared across visuals and performance

by Mikhail Madnani on 07 February, 2025

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II releases in the West for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam. Alongside our review, I have a few features covering the game across different platforms like I did for Ys X: Nordics. As someone who has played every Falcom Western release across all platforms, it has been interesting to see how certain games were handled externally for more platforms while newer ones are seeing Falcom port the games internally. In this Trails Through Daybreak II PS5 vs Switch vs PS4 console comparison, I'm going to cover how the game scales across consoles and also how it compares to the first game and Falcom's more-recent Ys X release.

Before getting to how Trails Through Daybreak II runs, I need to give you some context for Falcom's recent console releases. Trails Through Daybreak debuted in September 2021 on PS4 in Japan. It was released with a 30fps frame rate cap and was the first game on Falcom's newer engine. It was then patched to include an uncapped frame rate option that was clearly just for when played via backward compatibility on PS5 given how it ran on PS4 Pro. Almost a year after its PS4 debut, it got a native PS5 release that was higher resolution and had a 60fps frame rate target with faster loading.

It wasn't until last year that Trails Through Daybreak was ported to Switch, and it was done internally rather than through a third party publisher for another region. Trails Through Daybreak was the first big and modern Falcom game that was ported to Switch internally and the end result was mostly good, but it wasn't ideal.

Ys X: Nordics on the other hand, was released on PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch the same day in Japan back in September 2023 with all versions being handled by Falcom internally. I covered the console differences here, but it was a good experience on Switch, fantastic on PS5, and lacking on PS4.

Trails Through Daybreak II was released in Japan simultaneously on PS5 and PS4 in September 2022. This release didn't have any frame rate options for PS4 or PS4 Pro. The PS5 version also didn't run as well as Trails Through Daybreak did on PS5. This release was ported to Switch last year as well, soon after Trails Through Daybreak hit Switch in Japan. For the Western launch on February 14 (in 2025) Trails Through Daybreak II hits PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC simultaneously.

I brought up the games in that order because we saw Trails Through Daybreak followed by Ys X: Nordics and now have Trails Through Daybreak II releasing in the West. In Japan, Ys X followed both Trails Through Daybreak and Trails Through Daybreak II. With that context out of the way, Trails Through Daybreak II is a bit inconsistent on consoles. There also isn't a demo on Switch (or PC) and is only available on PS5 and PS4. Having played the Western and Japanese demos and now re-tested with the full retail build on PlayStation, I've found some interesting differences and issues across consoles.

Falcom clearly made some lighting and post-processing improvements to the engine and game, moving from Trails Through Daybreak to Trails Through Daybreak II. The comparison image below showcases how even the shadows are better in Trails Through Daybreak II compared to the first game on PS5 in this specific situation.

Note: The comparison image above is from the opening hours of the game. This has a Switch screenshot from when it has been played docked and a PS5 screenshot of the native PS5 version on my 1440p display. Both screenshots have been zoomed in and cropped to showcase the differences for those reading this article on a small screen.

Trails Through Daybreak II — PS5 vs Switch vs PS4 content and differences

As far as I can tell, there is no difference in content between platforms, including save data bonuses, but there are differences for resolution, frame rate, load times, and other visual elements. For those who are interested in the install sizes, Trails Through Daybreak II takes up 25.5GB for the PS4 version, 13.8GB for the Switch version, and 17.6GB for the PS5 version.

Note: The comparison image above uses the PS4 version running on PS5 and the native PS5 version both played on my 1440p monitor. The images have been cropped and zoomed in to showcase differences for those reading on a smaller screen.

Trails Through Daybreak II — PS5 vs Switch vs PS4 visuals

For the visual differences, how Trails Through Daybreak II differs from Trails Through Daybreak on Switch is something I need to highlight first. Trails Through Daybreak had a soft look, but it was overall a good experience on Switch all things considered. Trails Through Daybreak II seems to remove post-processing (like anti-aliasing) or dramatically reduce it to deliver a crisper, albeit less stable image. This causes Trails Through Daybreak II to feature more jagged edges and shimmering than the first game. As Falcom's second port to Switch using this engine, there are some notable changes.

Self-shadowing is a bit better with shadows in general being improved as you can see in the image above. The game also seems to look a bit more saturated or have color grading that I prefer compared to the first game.

Moving over to PS5 and PS4, the latter is higher resolution than Switch, but it looks soft on my 1440p display. The PS5 version on the other hand is crisp with a very stable image even during fast camera movement. The PS4 version, as you can see in the demo as well, suffers from some of the jagged edges and shimmering seen on Switch, but it isn't as bad.

Draw distance is one area where all versions are lacking in parts, but the Switch version suffers the most in how it handles very crowded locations. It feels like the draw distance for some distant objects like trees in the Riverside are similar for all consoles, but NPCs and other 3D elements on the road load in closer to the player on Switch compared to PS5.

Trails Through Daybreak II — PS5 vs Switch vs PS4 performance differences and frame rate

Trails Through Daybreak II on Switch targets 30fps, but it rarely holds a locked 30fps even in the early sections. Expect to have a more consistent experience in the smaller dungeon areas and closed locations. The outdoor portions suffer the most as expected. The PS4 version runs at an uncapped frame rate and it hits a locked 60fps when played on PS5 based on my testing. I wasn't able to test on my PS4 Pro for this comparison. The PS5 version targets 60fps and hits it quite a lot, but there are many areas where it runs lower or has hitching.

Trails Through Daybreak II — PS5 vs Switch vs PS4 load times

When checking the load times, I tested two different portions of the opening exiting and entering dungeons. The Switch version when leaving a dungeon to get back to the riverside took about 11.5 seconds to load when running off an SD card and about 10.5 seconds when running off the internal storage. For this same test case, the PS5 version took about 1.5 seconds and just was like a fade in and out. The PS4 version running from my external hard drive on PS5 took about 5 seconds for the same load. When retesting this running off my M2 SSD on my PS5, the PS4 version on PS5 (SSD) took about 4.5 seconds for the same load. This isn't really useful for those playing on a base PS4, but those who are considering playing the PS4 version on PS5 for the best performance will want to know how the load times compare.

Trails Through Daybreak II — PS5 vs Switch vs PS4

Right now, the best way to play Trails Through Daybreak II on console is playing the PS4 version on PS5 via backward compatibility if you want the best performing version. This is a notable visual downgrade though. The PS5 version played on a VRR display based on some light testing offers a better experience, but it isn't perfect. The PS5 version's improved image quality and faster load times will be worth the unstable performance in open areas given that it runs better and more consistently in dungeons and more closed areas.

I was surprised to see no locked 30fps option for the PS4 version as well considering how having a stable lower frame rate target is preferred by some over an uncapped frame rate that is rarely locked to its upper limit (unless you play on PS5).

One thing to note is that if you own a PlayStation Portal, the PS4 version's visual downgrades compared to PS5 will not be as noticeable, and it will deliver a locked 60fps experience which will feel better. The PlayStation Portal experience will vary for people, but if you have it working well on your setup (PS5 wired and 5Ghz Wi-Fi for the Portal being ideal), this is a great way to stream and play it on a handheld.

The Switch version's unstable visuals are definitely disappointing alongside the longer load times and frame rate issues even early on in the game. If you enjoyed Trails Through Daybreak on Switch, you will still see a downgrade here to how the game looks and feels, but performance isn't a lot worse. As Falcom's second game using this engine on Switch, I am disappointed that we don't really see technical improvements even after the long delay in the port. Hopefully whenever The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki -Farewell, O Zemuria- hits Switch, it fares better.