We’re just a few weeks away from the release of the highly anticipated remake of Trails in the Sky, and to help make the wait shorter, Falcom and GungHo were kind enough to drop a demo. Longtime readers already know what we think about this JRPG series, so if you’re looking for our thoughts on this demo, here they are!
If you’re worried about whether a game like Trails in the Sky is the right choice for you, the demo for Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter should definitely help answer that question. The demo features the game’s entire prologue, spanning close to eight hours of total gameplay, and the best part is your progress can be transferred into the full game when it comes out, so it’s definitely not a waste of time.
The prologue not only sets the stage for the beginning of the game both with its characters and world-building, but it also gives players a solid taste of the game’s flow. You’ll be put on Bracer jobs before you know it, both optional and required, while also getting a hang of the game’s combat system which borrows a lot from the latest trio of Trails games.
If you don’t know about The Whereabouts of Light, you don’t know about your heartstrings being tugged at.
The game stars Estelle and Joshua Bright, two 16-year-olds beginning their careers as Bracers, investigation and combat specialists who operate outside of governmental control to keep the peace. The bulk of the work given to Bracers can be as easy as rescuing a cat from a tree, or being hired mercenaries or security escorts. Doing these jobs both raises their rank and progresses the story, and while a lot of the jobs are optional, they’re also essential for the game’s world building which now spans over 11 games in the west alone.
Combat in Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a combination of both action and turn-based styles, like they were with Trails through Daybreak, Trails through Daybreak II, and the upcoming Trails into the Horizon. In most situations, you’ll be able to run up at enemies and hack away, or use abilities exclusive to the character you’re controlling. From there, if you so choose, you can also hit square (on PS5) to go into turn-based mode for a more traditional method of play.
The main difference of note with 1st Chapter is it doesn’t seem like you’re able to use S-Crafts (ultimate abilities) to jump into turns that have an effect applied to them. For example, on the left side of the screen you see the turn order, and some turns have effects tied to them. So if you have an enemy about to attack you with a sure critical hit (marked by an “!” sign), in previous Trails games, you’d be able to use your S-Craft at that moment to steal the effect. It doesn’t look like you can do this anymore, and if you can, it just isn’t quite clear when you’re playing. When I’ve tried, while my S-Craft will interrupt the current turn, it didn’t seem to adopt the turn effect. This make battles longer and more difficult, so in all honesty, I just hope I’m playing wrong.
The biggest difference between 1st Chapter and the original is the use of the hybrid battle system that originated in Trails through Daybreak.
As a huge fan of the series, the biggest things I’m looking for is whether the presentation is up to snuff and if it solves some of the main issues I have with the other 3D games in the series, albeit small issues.
When it comes to the presentation, it’s absolutely fantastic. This is the best Trails has ever looked on any platform. Whether it’s Trails of Cold Steel, Trails of Cold Steel III, or Trails through Daybreak, which were all essentially visual milestone sin the series, Trails has always seemed to look like they’ve come from a generation behind and while I wouldn’t say it’s detriment since the art style is so good, I’d say it’s one of the reasons why the series is hardly mentioned up there with Final Fantasy or Persona, or even the likes of the Tales series. I would even go as far as saying 1st Chapter looks flawless–well, aside from the fact that sometimes we’ll see Estelle’s combat stick awkwardly layer above her pigtails.
Moving onto audio, which is huge for the series because the music is amazing and the series has brought on some real talent for its characters, it’s both superb and a tad disappointing. I absolutely love the updates to the soundtrack, so that’s the positive, but when it comes to the voice acting — I have no issues with the actual performance aspect of it, but my biggest complaint with the series’ 3D entries is that the voice dialog stops at random times. Unfortunately, 1st Chapter isn’t completely voiced either. The situations where people don’t talk aren’t as plentiful as they are in other games, but with it being my biggest gripe, it was definitely disappointing to see that we didn’t get a fully voiced game here. Don’t get me wrong, the reasoning is valid, but you still wish they hit on all cylinders.
Ah yes, the required missing cat sidequest.
This is a super minor thing, but there aren’t any chest messages either.
Putting it all together, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is definitely shaping up to be a superb remake that I believe people will adore the demo for. Here’s to hoping this is the game that finally gets the series the increased attention it deserves. The game is slated for a September 19 release on the PC, PlayStation 5, Switch, and Switch 2 (a digital-only $1 upgrade). The demo is available now for all those platforms as well, and to reiterate, save progress does transfer to the full game.
We’re just a few weeks away from the release of the highly anticipated remake of Trails in the Sky, and to help make the wait shorter, Falcom and GungHo were kind enough to drop a demo. Longtime readers already know…
We’re just a few weeks away from the release of the highly anticipated remake of Trails in the Sky, and to help make the wait shorter, Falcom and GungHo were kind enough to drop a demo. Longtime readers already know what we think about this JRPG series, so if you’re looking for our thoughts on this demo, here they are!
If you’re worried about whether a game like Trails in the Sky is the right choice for you, the demo for Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter should definitely help answer that question. The demo features the game’s entire prologue, spanning close to eight hours of total gameplay, and the best part is your progress can be transferred into the full game when it comes out, so it’s definitely not a waste of time.
The prologue not only sets the stage for the beginning of the game both with its characters and world-building, but it also gives players a solid taste of the game’s flow. You’ll be put on Bracer jobs before you know it, both optional and required, while also getting a hang of the game’s combat system which borrows a lot from the latest trio of Trails games.
If you don’t know about The Whereabouts of Light, you don’t know about your heartstrings being tugged at.
The game stars Estelle and Joshua Bright, two 16-year-olds beginning their careers as Bracers, investigation and combat specialists who operate outside of governmental control to keep the peace. The bulk of the work given to Bracers can be as easy as rescuing a cat from a tree, or being hired mercenaries or security escorts. Doing these jobs both raises their rank and progresses the story, and while a lot of the jobs are optional, they’re also essential for the game’s world building which now spans over 11 games in the west alone.
Combat in Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a combination of both action and turn-based styles, like they were with Trails through Daybreak, Trails through Daybreak II, and the upcoming Trails into the Horizon. In most situations, you’ll be able to run up at enemies and hack away, or use abilities exclusive to the character you’re controlling. From there, if you so choose, you can also hit square (on PS5) to go into turn-based mode for a more traditional method of play.
The main difference of note with 1st Chapter is it doesn’t seem like you’re able to use S-Crafts (ultimate abilities) to jump into turns that have an effect applied to them. For example, on the left side of the screen you see the turn order, and some turns have effects tied to them. So if you have an enemy about to attack you with a sure critical hit (marked by an “!” sign), in previous Trails games, you’d be able to use your S-Craft at that moment to steal the effect. It doesn’t look like you can do this anymore, and if you can, it just isn’t quite clear when you’re playing. When I’ve tried, while my S-Craft will interrupt the current turn, it didn’t seem to adopt the turn effect. This make battles longer and more difficult, so in all honesty, I just hope I’m playing wrong.
The biggest difference between 1st Chapter and the original is the use of the hybrid battle system that originated in Trails through Daybreak.
As a huge fan of the series, the biggest things I’m looking for is whether the presentation is up to snuff and if it solves some of the main issues I have with the other 3D games in the series, albeit small issues.
When it comes to the presentation, it’s absolutely fantastic. This is the best Trails has ever looked on any platform. Whether it’s Trails of Cold Steel, Trails of Cold Steel III, or Trails through Daybreak, which were all essentially visual milestone sin the series, Trails has always seemed to look like they’ve come from a generation behind and while I wouldn’t say it’s detriment since the art style is so good, I’d say it’s one of the reasons why the series is hardly mentioned up there with Final Fantasy or Persona, or even the likes of the Tales series. I would even go as far as saying 1st Chapter looks flawless–well, aside from the fact that sometimes we’ll see Estelle’s combat stick awkwardly layer above her pigtails.
Moving onto audio, which is huge for the series because the music is amazing and the series has brought on some real talent for its characters, it’s both superb and a tad disappointing. I absolutely love the updates to the soundtrack, so that’s the positive, but when it comes to the voice acting — I have no issues with the actual performance aspect of it, but my biggest complaint with the series’ 3D entries is that the voice dialog stops at random times. Unfortunately, 1st Chapter isn’t completely voiced either. The situations where people don’t talk aren’t as plentiful as they are in other games, but with it being my biggest gripe, it was definitely disappointing to see that we didn’t get a fully voiced game here. Don’t get me wrong, the reasoning is valid, but you still wish they hit on all cylinders.
Ah yes, the required missing cat sidequest.
This is a super minor thing, but there aren’t any chest messages either.
Putting it all together, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is definitely shaping up to be a superb remake that I believe people will adore the demo for. Here’s to hoping this is the game that finally gets the series the increased attention it deserves. The game is slated for a September 19 release on the PC, PlayStation 5, Switch, and Switch 2 (a digital-only $1 upgrade). The demo is available now for all those platforms as well, and to reiterate, save progress does transfer to the full game.
by Danreb Victorio
