The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 Review

There aren’t many RPGs out there that I will shout from the mountaintops that everyone should play, but The Legend of Heroes: Trails series is one of them. This is a series that has soared to the lofty heights of my favorite franchises, standing alongside the likes of Final Fantasy, Tales, and Kingdom Hearts. It was a mere seven months ago that fellow Legend of Heroes fans got their first big taste of the Calvard region along with Van and the rest of the Arkride Solutions crew, kicking off the latest arc of this monolithic series. Now, the next chapter, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2, is on our doorstep, and it’s time to pick up our Xiphas and get to work.

Trails Through Daybreak 2 picks up two months after the dramatic conclusion of the first game, with the staff of Arkride Solutions separated and taking care of their own business, leaving Van to once again hold down the fort on his own. It isn’t long, however, before things go haywire and quickly escalate, with Van encountering one of the big-bads of Daybreak 2, the Crimson Grendel. Familiar faces return (from both the first Daybreak and earlier Trails games), and more surprises unfold. Playing through it, I can’t remember another Trails prologue that is quite as packed as this one, which I appreciate—I love it when a game throws me to the wolves right away.

The central plot this time revolves around Van and company tracking down the last of the eight Genesis devices, created by Agnes’ great-grandfather, Professor Epstein. This last device also seems to have a connection to the Crimson Grendel—a beast that has an eerie resemblance to Van’s Grendel form—and its accompanying red fairy. The story expands with its share of twists, turns, and intrigue, but at its core, Daybreak 2 is about obtaining the final Genesis and discovering the truth behind this other Grendel. As someone who admittedly wasn’t the biggest fan of the first Daybreak’s story (most of my issues were with its antagonists, the mafia group Almata), I enjoyed the sequel far more in this regard. However, I did find it lacking in new locations to explore, as the vast majority of your time is spent revisiting places from the previous game.

Trails characters have always been one of the shining highlights of the series, and nearly all of the cast from the first Daybreak returns in its sequel while also giving far more screen time to ancillary characters from the previous entry. Aaron remains one of my favorite characters of the Calvard arc, with some fantastic lines, some of which borderline on self-aware fourth-wall breaking, speaking thoughts that Trails fans worldwide can relate to. I loved spending more time with characters like Shizuna (aka the Divine Blade of Silver) and the two Dominions, Celis and Leon. Shizuna, in particular, won me over with her carefree, “I’m just doing this because why not” attitude, which is so distinctly different from her fellow Divine Blades. I can’t wait for future games to show her interacting with her more serious peers like Rean or Cassius. Daybreak 2 deepened my love for the characters I had already grown attached to, and it even improved my feelings toward characters like Agnes, whom I was rather unimpressed with in the previous game.

For players who have previously experienced Trails into Reverie (and if you haven’t, you should go back and play it), parts of Daybreak 2 will feel familiar, such as the game’s flow and even some recognizable Reverie characters. Much of Daybreak 2 is split into branching narratives where you will play as one group of characters in one location while another group is elsewhere. Unlike Reverie, though, you won’t be able to freely jump between groups as you wish. On the flip side, progression with one group won’t abruptly halt and force you to switch perspectives until you reach a certain point. Instead, you complete one act in full before jumping to the next, rather than being required to hop back and forth. As a fan of Reverie’s flow (minus the times the game forced me into another perspective), I prefer Daybreak 2’s method of letting me complete a story first before moving on. That being said, how some of these stories are presented is a mixed bag that may turn some players off.

The third act is perhaps the best example of this, with some of the highest highs and biggest reveals of the game, but also burdened by repetition and an overall sense that it drags on too long. Playing through this portion of Daybreak 2 took me back to when I was experiencing “that” part in the original Bravely Default on the 3DS. If you know, you know. Rest assured it doesn’t reach those heights of annoyance, but I still found myself skimming dialogue and just waiting for the next big fight to happen. Luckily, there are plenty of fun boss fights, but this section may feel like a narrative brickwall to some. If it had been maybe a half, or even a third, shorter in length or had been more creative in its use of Daybreak 2’s big plot device, it could have been something greater.

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A major plot thread introduced here is that the Genesis devices have the ability to send a person back in time if they die, allowing them to choose a better path that ensures their survival. In theory, I dig it—it’s a neat idea. However, it raises a ton of questions, like why this didn’t happen when Creil got nuked. Instead, it’s used to replay an event with nearly identical dialogue, except for one additional action that changes the outcome. There was no choice or problem-solving involved, which could have made it far more interesting. Instead, it boiled down to “choose the new option, do the thing, rewatch the scene where you lost, but this time you win instead.”

Now, imagine having to do this five or six times, and you start to see the problem, and this is a big part of what makes the third act feel so repetitive. If the game had given actual choices instead of the illusion of them, this mechanic could have been really neat and made you feel like your choices mattered and had consequences. Instead, it comes across as an overused trick to fill out the game time, which is disappointing. 

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When you need a break from the story, Trails Through Daybreak 2 offers a lovely grind outlet with the Marchen Garten. Similar to the Reverie Corridor, it provides a way to gain levels, special consumables, Quartz, and other various items while also earning Shards that can be redeemed for cosmetics, music tracks from previous games, and more. Marchen Garten is the ultimate grinding resource, and I love it.

New mechanics like Quick Arts, Cross Charge counters, and EX-Skills add depth to combat. EX-Skills, in particular, allow for powerful team-up attacks that feel immensely satisfying. Additionally, minigames like fishing, the card game Seven Hearts, and basketball provide fun diversions, though I found Seven Hearts inferior to Vantage Masters.

With Trails Through Daybreak 2’s release, Western fans are now only one game behind Japan—a feat that seemed impossible just a few years ago. Even with its faults, Daybreak 2 left me full of questions, theories, and eager anticipation for the next title in the Calvard arc. I adore this series and can’t wait to see where this trail leads me next.