I lastly bought round to ending Trails within the Sky 1st Chapter, a remake of The Legend of Heroes: Trails within the Sky FC, a number of months in the past. This actually heightened my anticipation for its sequel, the aptly named Trails within the Sky 2nd Chapter, and given how the second sport picks up nearly instantly the place the primary ends, it is useful to have abundantly contemporary reminiscences of 1st Chapter. The proximity will also be a double-edged sword, as I’ve discovered that the similarities in construction, returning characters, and naturally the absence of a key protagonist to principally be detrimental to my expertise with 2nd Chapter. Do not get me incorrect: it is nonetheless an gratifying and intriguing RPG, nevertheless it suffers below the load of a close to good predecessor.
After a flashback to the top of the primary sport the place Estelle’s associate, Joshua, up and leaves her behind, 2nd Chapter begins correct with Estelle coaching at a mountain retreat to hone her abilities as a newly minted senior bracer, partnering with fellow bracer Anelace. Upon completion of their coaching, the pair head to the town of Grancel the place one of many sport’s bigger missions is assigned: monitoring down and uncovering the whereabouts of the covert Ouroboros group. From there, you’re given one in every of 2nd Chapter’s extra attention-grabbing decisions, whether or not to pair with Agate or Scherazard, who gamers might be very conversant in from the primary sport. I went with Agate for his rippling muscle tissue and Buster Sword lookalike, however going again and dabbling with selecting Schera, I used to be in a position to see that you simply’re handled to distinctive dialogue and conversations primarily based in your resolution. It’s a neat early-game conceit that provides some particular replay worth to an already full expertise.
One pairing that I’d sorely miss for 80 % of Trails within the Sky 2nd Chapter is that of Estelle and Joshua. The supporting forged is basically nice, particularly Olivier and his interactions with the remainder of the celebration–Schera specifically–however you develop so near Estelle and Joshua as companions in 1st Chapter that their separation blunts the narrative of 2nd Chapter to a point. I fully perceive that the sequel is supposed to be a hero’s journey or Bildungsroman, (journey of growth) for Estelle, however there’s one thing so particular in regards to the two of them collectively that I can’t assist however discover the primary half of 2nd Chapter to be a bit boring and undoubtedly lesser than the ultimate third particularly. It’s not a matter of “RPG good after 20 hours,” however in case you’re freshly off ending the primary sport, then the second feels a bit an excessive amount of like a runback.
2nd Chapter sees you visiting every of the main Liberl cities one after the opposite, which is strictly what Joshua and Estelle do on their journey to turn out to be senior bracers in 1st Chapter. Whereas the battles are nonetheless difficult and the fight system remains to be enjoyable to mess around with, the gathering of acquainted celebration members after which finishing duties for the respective bracer guilds is much too comparable a loop when evaluating the 2 video games. The inclusion of Ouroboros as a extra compelling group of villains helps push the story alongside, nevertheless it’s exhausting to remain dedicated to the little bit of wanting to lift your bracer rating through sidequests once we already did this in 2025.
What actually buoys the expertise is superb visuals and efficiency on Swap 2, together with devoted graphics and efficiency mode choices. The body price is regular all through the sport’s 50-plus hour runtime, and I solely encountered any form of glitch close to the top of the sport, with a number of cutscenes that didn’t load-in correctly, forcing me to take a look at an empty sky as dialogue continued to play out. The colourful colours and bigger than life bosses are fantastic to behold in each docked and handheld mode, with few compromises being made for enjoying portably. After all, you may as well carry over your save knowledge from 1st Chapter, which results in some good nods to your exploits from the primary sport with the parents you meet within the numerous cities.
Trails within the Sky 2nd Chapter really knocks it out of the park with bringing to life some main character moments, like these between bracer Agate and younger engineer Tita. Touching scenes between the 2 that showcase the bond that develops tug on the heartstrings and make me need to spend extra time with them. The sibling dynamic that grows between them provides to the appeal of the entire expertise, and its interactions like theirs that occur in quieter moments of the principle story that make The Legend of Heroes video games so memorable. There’s additionally the fixed womanizing of Olivier and jokes made at his expense about Schera and others consuming him below the desk that blend in some good levity among the many heavier story beats. I’d be remiss to not point out the sheer spectacle of the airships and creatures you encounter in 2nd Chapter’s latter half that make the viewing as gratifying because the enjoying of the sport.
I cherished the music in each the unique Trails within the Sky FC and the first Chapter remake, however the soundtrack for 2nd Chapter in all probability tops them each. There’s a music that performs early on within the sport that stopped me in my tracks, surpassing even my fondness for “The Whereabouts of Gentle.” It’s typically a sizzling subject amongst RPG followers about whether or not the unique soundtrack is best than that of a remake, however I’m personally comfortable to listen to new variations of songs I already fell in love with. The English voices are nice, too, and assist convey to life this prolonged RPG whereas making its most heartfelt moments all of the extra endearing.
Trails within the Sky 2nd Chapter is a considerably greater online game than its predecessor, so in case you’re open to an RPG that may simply take 60-100 hours, you’ll discover one right here that’s worthy of your time. I did discover the affect a bit muted in comparison with the tighter 1st Chapter and its concentrate on Joshua and Estelle as a pair, however Estelle herself does nicely to hold the sequel with the assistance of her acquainted comrades. Though 2nd Chapter doesn’t convey numerous new improvements, it runs exquisitely on Swap 2 in each configurations. Definitely, you’d need to play the primary sport beforehand, however while you’re prepared for extra Trails within the Sky, 2nd Chapter is a good follow-up to the virtually flawless 1st Chapter.
