The Turn Based Lovers reviewed Trails through Daybreak:

Trails through Daybreak Review – Is this the best time to start the series?

The Eleventh JRPG In The Long-Running Series
Where does a story go when it has finished a massive arc that spans multiple games over multiple years? In most cases, a somewhat new beginning is the way: with new characters and a new area, but still set in the same universe and with slight mentions of events that took place during that series arc; this is the same way the latest Legend of Heroes game, Trails through Daybreak, has gone.  
 
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is the eleventh game in the long-running The Legend of Heroes: Trails sub-series. Trails Through Daybreak is the start of a new arc in the Trails series and introduces players to the Calvard Republic, an area referred to in previous entries but never traveled to until now. Trails through Daybreak begins in an entirely new area, making it a great starting point for players who have always been interested in the series but are too scared because of how reliant the stories were on previous entries.

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Conclusion
Trails through Daybreak is another great game in the Trails series. If you are a gamer who has wanted to start this series, Daybreak is by far the best game for newbies as it begins in a new area, and there is no need to know much about the other games. Falcom has finally given gamers the perfect entry point to their twenty-year series, and if I am being honest, it may just be the best game in the series.

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RPG Site interviewed Toshihiro Kondo:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak & Ys X: Nordics Interview - A conversation with Toshihiro Kondo

Right before Anime Expo 2024, we were offered the chance to sit down with Nihon Falcom's president Toshihiro Kondo to discuss the recently released Trails through Daybreak, the upcoming localization for Ys X: Nordics, and much more. During our conversation we got to learn much more about some of the decisions that went into the latest entry in both series, and some of what inspired certain elements of each.

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Twisted Voxel reviewed The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak Review – A Fresh Start

The Legend of Heroes series is experiencing a resurgence, largely due to the increasing number of English localizations that are gradually making the entire franchise accessible to Western audiences. The latest entry to receive an official English localization is Trails Through Daybreak, marking a significant milestone as it introduces a whole new story arc.

Fans of the series are aware that it has been a considerable time since a new story arc was released. The series transitioned to modern platforms with The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, which featured a narrative interconnected across nearly a dozen games. These games took more than a decade to be released. Hence, the launch of Trails Through Daybreak is a notable event as it sets the stage for a new story with fresh characters and settings. This installment also comes with an updated game engine and significant gameplay changes.

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak serves as an excellent introduction for new players and a warmly received return for those familiar with the series. The game enhances its combat system with new adjustments, resulting in a more dynamic and thrilling battle experience. While it may not achieve the pinnacle of the franchise, it lays the groundwork for a promising start.

Score: 8.5/10

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak has been released on Steam:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak - Official Launch Trailer

Couchpotato spotted two reviews for The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak:

PC Gamer: Trails through Daybreak's cozy sense of place delivers more of what makes The Legend of Heroes RPGs great

RPG Site: The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak Review | Score: 7/10

Final Weapon reviewed The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak Review – A Brilliant, Must-Play RPG

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is the exciting start of a new tale in Zemuria, bringing players to the Calvard Republic after one of the most climactic arcs in the Trails series. Coincidentally, Trails through Daybreak is also the next phase of an overarching Trails story that continues to build and connect many pieces that have been teased for years. These threads are woven from the spriggan Van Arkride, a charismatic protagonist that quickly becomes one of the most memorable and relatable characters in the entire series. 

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is a Stellar, Must-Play RPG
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is an actual journey, and completionists will definitely get well over 100 hours out of this tremendous RPG. Falcom truly made a leap from Trails into Reverie to Trails through Daybreak in nearly every regard, ranging from the game’s vivid and clear graphics to the updated combat system. The game’s lively cast of characters, an amazing and dramatic English voice cast, the incredible score by Falcom Sound Team jdk, and well-written story cannot be understated as well. 

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GamingBolt reviewed The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak Review - The Final Verdict

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Couchpotato spotted two reviews of The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak:

IGN: The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak Review

RPGamer: The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak Review

Vive la République

After seven large games covering the full tribulations of Crossbell and Erebonia, it was about time that Nihon Falcom’s long-running The Legend of Heroes series injected some fresh blood. Fortunately, the developer has answered that call with aplomb, as The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak marks the start of the series’ next arc with proof that it is as strong as ever. Offering an incredibly welcome refresh for the series with its story, cast, and gameplay, the game is a delightful way to re-enrapture existing fans while being an excellent opportunity for newcomers to get on board.

Trails through Daybreak is set in Erebonia and Crossbell’s eastern neighbour, the Republic of Calvard, a couple of years after Trails into Reverie. The events of recent times have led Calvard to continue an era of unbridled prosperity and progress into perhaps becoming the continent of Zemuria’s leading superpower. However, there is still underlying strife with concerns that the good times may not last forever, political issues including racial tensions, and various factions vying to advance their own machinations.

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is an incredibly satisfying combination of familiarity and freshness in a rightfully much-loved series. There was a danger of things becoming stale, but Nihon Falcom has done its utmost to ensure its new main cast and setting are joined by enough adjustments to the series’ other elements to make the game appealing to loyal fans and newcomers alike. Van Arkride steps up as perhaps the series’ most entertaining protagonist so far, and with the strong backing of his supporting cast and new mechanics, the series has taken a hugely welcome step forward.

Score: 4.5/5

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Noisy Pixel reviewed The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak Review - 120 Hours Later, This is a Great JRPG

Gematsu reports that part 2 of The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak will be released in the west, too.

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Siliconera checked out The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak:

Preview: The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak Feels Like a Must-Play JRPG

If there are two JRPG series that captivate me more than any others, one of them is absolutely The Legend of Heroes. Ever since I first played the iconic Trails in the Sky, I adored almost every entry in this series. Fortunately, if my recent demo experience is anything to go by, Trails through Daybreak feels like another win for Falcom and NIS America.

If you didn’t know, a free Switch and PS4 demo is out right now for The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak. It comes with the ability to check out the prologue on Switch or all the way through the first chapter on PS4, with saves transferring to the full game. I checked out the latter for a quite hefty trial that lasted almost 10 hours.

While it may not be the best place to start the series as a newcomer, it is the closest in quite some time. Trails through Daybreak starts an entirely new arc in the previously unvisited nation of the Calvard Republic. Players take on the role of Van Arkride, a sort of charming rogue and morally gray version of a Bracer.

I already played all of Chapter 1 in Japanese while starting to learn the language, so it was fun to compare the localization. As always, the team is on point by including elements like great innuendos and timely jokes, though I will say the usually excellent English voice acting strangely feels like it took a dip in this installment. There are still some standouts, such as side character Marielle, but even some of the core cast may take some time to warm up to.

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Noisy Pixel checked out The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak Preview - A Refreshingly Ambitious Combat System

Gematsu reports that the English version of The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak will be released on July 5.

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The English version of The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak will be released next summer:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak - Announcement Trailer (Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, PC)

The Kiseki Nut checked out The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki - the first part of the Calvard arc:

Why You Should Be EXCITED For Kuro No Kiseki

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Why You Should Be EXCITED For Kuro No Kiseki

0:00 - Intro
1:24 - How I Played Kuro
2:08 - Can you start the Trails Series with Kuro?
3:14 - The Location
3:45 - Falcom's New Engine
5:34 - Combat
7:56 - Customisation
8:30 - OST
9:15 - Characters
11:50 - Connect Events
13:02 - Alignment System
13:40 - Narrative and Conclusion

It's no secret that I've moved away from Trails specific content in the past few months, but that's not due to a loss of love with the Series. And with Kuro no Kiseki releasing late last year, I was finally able to give it a go thanks to the generous and talented blokes over at the Zerofield team.

Kuro no Kiseki is the first game of the long awaiting Calvard arc, and is the 11th title in the mainline Series. It also acts as a soft reboot for the Trails Series in many ways, overhauling combat, utilising a new engine and introducing a new land.

So if you're trying to figure out if Kuro no Kiseki might be a good game to start in the Trails Series, if you're looking for which game to start with in the Trails Series or if you just want to know what Kuro no Kiseki is all about, then hopefully this video will give you what you need.

Nihon Falcom presents a new trailer for The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki:

The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki (literally "Trails in the Dark") is the eleventh installment in the main Trails series. It will be released in September 30, 2021 on PlayStation 4.

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 Setting

The game marks the second half of the Trails series, set in Calvard. The story is set in S.1208, a year after Hajimari no Kiseki. Thanks to postwar reparations, the multinational state of Calvard experiences unprecedented economic growth while continuously dealing with public unrest caused by immigration and the new president's radical reforms. In a corner of Edith, a young man working as a Spriggan receives a peculiar job that will result into something larger, affecting the entirety of the Republic.