When I first reviewed the first part of the Trails series, I was pretty much a beginner with only a few hours of play with the original project. The game left a positive impression on me, so I decided to continue familiarizing myself with the universe. However, at that moment I had no idea how deeply I would be drawn into the world of Samlia.
Since that article, I’ve played a few more games and recently completed Trails of Cold Steel IV, the ninth in the series. There’s still an epilogue to the first three “Fantasy Road” and a new “Kalvad”, but I’ve become a real fan. It’s no exaggeration to say that I can call Locus my favorite series, thanks to its great plot, cool characters, and incredible world development.
Therefore, I am more prepared for my review of Trails in the Sky Chapter 2 now that I have finished the original second part and really got into the series. In this article, I will share my impressions of the remake.
The first chapter of Trails in the Sky ends on a very touching note that will leave even the most hardened of players feeling emotionally charged. I admit, the ending moved me so much that I even watched it on YouTube after watching it and watched other streamers’ reactions. Yes, this might sound funny, and you might think I’m easily impressed, but this moment became the starting point for my decision: I wanted to keep playing.
The second part begins almost immediately after the end of the first part (just in case, I warn you about spoilers). Estelle woke up in bed and remembered what had happened before, including Joshua’s departure. She did not believe it until the end, although she knew in her heart that it was the truth. Her last hope is that he comes home early and is waiting there now. After arriving on the airship bound for her hometown, Estelle meets the traveling priest Kevin, who immediately realizes something is wrong with the girl and decides to escort her. Of course, she found no one there, which finally convinced her that Joshua was really gone.
A significant part of the second chapter of Trails in the Sky is devoted to Estelle setting out to find Joshua after extensive training. Despite its seemingly mediocre premise, the game excels exponentially in terms of storytelling, which is why the previous installment can only feel like a prologue to the real story. There are many more characters, events and emotional moments. However, the plot structure itself remains the same. You’ll still travel to different cities and solve seemingly unrelated problems, but in the end they form a whole.
The choice of partner in Locus has always been important to the narrative, but this particular section is particularly so. At the beginning, you decide who will accompany you for the important part of your journey: Agate or Sherezade. While this doesn’t change the plot itself, the dialogue and certain moments will become significantly different depending on who you choose. I played the original as Sherzad, and the remake as Agatha, so even playing it again gave me a lot of new impressions. Additionally, new characters join us regularly, but only four people are allowed in the team. Each of them has a different reaction to what’s going on, and choosing a specific one will often open up additional dialogue not only within the main plot, but also with passing NPCs.
Side quests shouldn’t be cancelled, either. They tell local stories related to specific people or places, allowing you to immerse yourself even more in the world of Zemuria. Additionally, the developers have added new “side effects” that reveal certain characters. Even the mediocre missions of slaying particularly dangerous monsters are worth completing because they provide interesting battles with bosses.
The thing about the remaster is that it enhances the already cool moments from the original game. The scene in Chapter 2 was surprising even with its simple graphics and 2D chibi models, but now it’s been exposed in all its glory thanks to the excellent production of the cutscenes. I’m a little jealous of those who are playing this game for the first time, but even I’m excited to see iconic moments in full 3D and beautiful graphics.
Trails in the Sky Chapter 2 is essentially the second half of a game. As the developer has stated many times, Trails in the Sky was originally conceived as a single project, but due to its size, the decision was made to split it into two projects. Although this decision was forced, a similar approach was maintained in subsequent arcs. This means complete reuse of assets, so we often have to travel to the same cities and locations. On the one hand, this is a clear disadvantage, but on the other hand, it also makes the developers frequently release new installments that mainly emphasize plot and characters. Therefore, the potential development of remakes of Trails from Zero and Trails of Azure should not be too difficult, as many of the assets from Trails of Cold Steel III-IV and Dream Journey are already presented in good quality.
There are no major changes to the combat system compared to the remake of the first game. Active combat is still just about killing weak monsters and weakening stronger enemies before starting turn-based combat. It’s still just as simple, but now also allows you to use points to launch combined attacks to deal with small items faster.
The main focus is still on the turn-based combat system, which is especially evident when fighting bosses, but it also doesn’t let you relax when fighting ordinary mobs. You have two types of abilities that cost different resources: some are unique to each character and cost CP, while some are dependent on installed quartz and cost EP. The former takes effect immediately, restoring CP when damage is dealt or received, and sometimes through other abilities. The latter requires casting time, and EP can be returned through potions. During your turn, you can move freely within a certain radius based on your MOV stat to find the right location to attack. Critical hits allow you to initiate cooperative attacks to deal more damage. Moreover, each character has its own super power, completely resetting the CP. I’m just telling you about the combat in general terms so as not to overwhelm you with unnecessary information, because the combat here is truly deep and fascinating.
Mature fishing comes in part two. Previously, we were always told that the protagonist Estelle is very keen on this activity, but that fishing is only allowed once during the mission, and only in the form of selecting an action option in a dialog box. The mini-games here are much more interesting than in The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC, and all you have to do is press the buttons at the right time. In the remake, you need to hold down the button while dragging left and right every now and then to prevent the fish from moving away.
My personal quibbles include the decoy system, which was rather bland in the original but has been retained in the remake without any major changes. In the Erebonia arc, they simplified it, leaving a decoy that you could simply buy. Here we need to defeat certain monsters to obtain the bait required for specific fish. In my opinion, this mechanic is boring and needs an overhaul, but I know a lot of fans will disagree with me.
Overall, just like Trails in the Sky Chapter 1, they tried to keep the game as close to the original as possible, aside from some quality of life improvements and a redesigned combat system. The remaster carefully shifts all locations but does not change them to accommodate the change in perspective from isometric to third-person view. The plot also remains the same, although you’ll notice differences in the dialogue as the English translation has been made closer to the Japanese version (according to the developers). Additionally, a ton of new dialogue has been added to the game that plays in the background while traveling.
If Trails in the Sky Chapter 1 was the reason I became familiar with the series, Trails in the Sky Chapter 2 allowed me to relive the already familiar story again, but now through the eyes of a true fan. I completely remember the main events of the original, get to know the characters and see how everything goes, but the remake is still able to give me new impressions thanks to modern graphics, great staging and extra dialogue. Now we can only hope that Falcom continues in the same spirit and one day we see remakes of other older parts of the series. In the meantime, I’m glad I had the chance to visit Liberl again and spend time with Estelle, Joshua, and the other characters who helped me really fall in love with Trails.