Review of The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Dawn

You won’t want to miss Daybreak because of its luxurious sense of expanse and storyline that deftly balances the personal and the social.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak
Platform: PC, also on PlayStation 4/5, Switch
Developer: Nihon Falcom, PH3 GmbH
Publisher: NIS America, Inc.
Release date: July 9th, 2024
Price: $59.99 via digital download
Availability: Steam

Role-playing games are unquestionably intricate works of art that use exposition, graphics, and a compelling fighting system to achieve their goals. Long-running franchises, like as Nihon Falcom’s The Legend of Heroes, are even more amazing. This is where a patchwork of storylines have come together to create a complex web of lifetime friendships and global intrigue. Although the word “epic” is used a lot, this is among the best instances on the medium.

With a 35-year history, the franchise’s sense of breadth is still essentially unmatched. The true achievement is in how well-considered each entry feels, even though the character designs and battle systems may have changed over time. Personalities mature credibly, and it feels like Falcom unveils every new region of Zemuria without the contradictions and sudden tone shifts that can break immersion—a contrast to the frequently awkward reboots of many media brands. Other publishers and perhaps Hollywood studios may take a cue from this world’s cohesiveness.

Calvard: An Intricate Powerhouse

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak ultimately brings us inside the Republic of Calvard after a buildup that dates back to the Liberl arc. When it comes to setting, the scene is anything but dull, offering a plethora of unique towns and futuristic gadgets such as Xipha—futuristic flip phones with built-in AI—that make the ARCUS II seem positively antiquated.

However, Falcom offers more than just fanservice for science fiction. The economic prosperity of Calvard was enhanced by the Erebonian Empire’s reparations. As such, a sizable immigrant community has been drawn to the Republic by its way of life and legislative choices. As would be expected, not everyone is thrilled with the wave of new arrivals.

Even if Daybreak’s writing team mainly avoids discussing politics, it is nonetheless admirable that they included a significant, current issue. The end product is a script that sets the standard for modern role-playing games by being thoughtful without ever being forceful. There are also some incredibly fascinating concepts at play. The capital of Calvard has many advantages, like a thriving film industry and a top-notch transit system, but it also has a filthy underbelly controlled by mafiosos.

Taking care of the Mira

Undoubtedly, a diverse group of characters elevates Trails Through Daybreak. At twenty-four, the main character Van Arkride may have the same maturity and manner of speech as the Trails supporter who has most likely seen a few games. Undoubtedly, his fondness for confections guarantees that he is not the conventional hardboiled private investigator/mercenary archetype – and beneath the hardened façade lies a relatable conscience. However, he is a seasoned “Spriggan” who uses a complex moral compass to navigate Calvard and is far from the spotless behavior of most role-playing games.

Daybreak adopts a pulpy noir tone when 16-year-old Agnès Claudel pays a first visit to the Arkride Solutions Office. Van is reluctant to embark on the job at first, but he eventually agrees to assist Agnès in finding a stolen object that formerly belonged to her great-grandfather. Trails Through Daybreak’s stakes gradually rise, even if the primary plot takes almost eight hours to pick up steam. The game, like its predecessors, excels at going from a small-scale narrative to a larger-scale project connected to the highest levels of government.

The game’s Law Grey Chaos mechanic, which assesses your moral choices and divides Van into three alignments, is a noteworthy flaw, though. However, this only matters during 4SPG, the term used in the game to refer to side missions. Although task branching and a payoff are nice additions to the game’s penultimate chapter, this was more of a litmus test than a factor that could have an impact on the plot.

Calvard’s Extremely Contemporary Slang

Fortunately, the vibrant sequels of the game make up for any plot shortcomings. There are certain unquestionably outstanding characters in the game, even though Agnès doesn’t exactly live up to my expectations. Actress Judith Lanster is portrayed in a way that seems like a passionate parody of the movie business by Falcom. Although Feri Al-Fayed is a member of the elite Warriors of Kruga, at thirteen years old, her perspective on the world is limited by her inexperience.

Indeed, some may argue that the main characters are clichéd. However, Falcom’s ability to show how the many personalities complement one another still stands. Having said that, I do wish there had been voice acting for the entire game. The frequent transitions between written and spoken dialogue were painfully abrupt. The good thing is that NIS America has a really decent localization. Yes, there are instances of unnecessary subtitling on some English-language signage, and the cast occasionally speaks like a bunch of addicted internet users. But looking at the enormously long script overall, I can see that Daybreak was carefully thought out, so I’ll overlook the use of swear words like “asshat.”

Battle like Nep Nep

It is undeniably a clever move to add action-packed fighting to the conventional turn-based combat, which may appeal to gamers who dislike turn-taking. Real-time combat expedites encounters considerably, but it simplifies combat too much, limiting players to just attacking and dodging. It is undoubtedly far too basic to pilot a journey lasting more than sixty hours. Using Arts and Craft and returning to the series’ timeframe, the alternative allows you manipulate initiative in the hopes of snatching their critical hit reward.

The addition of a movement mechanism reminiscent to Hyperdimension Neptunia is among the more intriguing additions. Party members can roam freely in pre-designated areas here, and you can arrange them to deal the most damage. You will now receive bonuses when team members are next to each other because the ARCUS and Xipha have been replaced. Given that the bosses in the game will destroy a group of players grouped together, it goes without saying that you won’t employ link benefits to your advantage when facing them. Van can change into an armored assassin thanks to your support AI, but your Grendel form reminds me a lot of Neptunia’s Hard Drive Divinity (HDD) ability.

In summary

Nihon Falcom’s storytelling scalability is one of its more underestimated assets, and it is maintained in The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak. Yes, the expectedly lively banter amongst members of a diverse group and the traditional charms of a morally conflicted protagonist are present. However, the game abruptly switches to the political elite’s cunning plot, exposing a vile underbelly that stands in stark contrast to the technical diversion. Thirty-five years later, The Legend of Heroes franchise still has a lot to say, whether it’s about the love aspirations of an NPC or scathing social criticism.

The Heroes’ Legend: Paths Through Dawn
was examined on a PC using publisher-provided code.

Review Overview

Gameplay – 85%

Storytelling – 90%

Aesthetics – 80%

Content – 90%

Accessibility – 80%

Value – 80%

84%

VERY GOOD

Summary :The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak cast is a welcome change from the usual wholesome lead role-playing game, thanks to an engaging group of secondary characters and a protagonist who offers a unique perspective. Daybreak will be a contender for one of the best role-playing games of the year thanks to its excellent plot and performance, even though its incorporation of real-time combat and a mortality system isn’t without flaws.