It’s a must-have RPG series and you don’t know it! But rest assured, this is the best time to discover it

Game News It’s a must-have RPG series and you don’t know it! But rest assured, this is the best time to discover it

Obviously, the start of summer 2024 is a busy time for fans of Japanese video games. Between the release of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, and Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, there is clearly a lot to do. And yet, to add another layer, it was during this time that Falcom has decided to release the international English version of The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak, the latest installment in its flagship Trails series..

If this name does not mean anything to you, that is normal, the license is little known in our country and with its ten consecutive games it can be impressive, even daunting. And yet, Even though it is the eleventh episode of the saga, Daybreak is the best entry point into this important franchise of the modern JRPG that deserves more recognition. However, a presentation is necessary beforehand.

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The Trails series, the “MCU” of JRPG?

In contrast to major JRPG sagas like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest or Tales of, All episodes of the Trails saga, or Kiseki in Japanese, follow one another. And knowing that there are more than ten games spanning twenty years, it is enough to say that there is reason to be discouraged. Thus, the entire history of the series begins in 2004 with “The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky”, in which we follow the adventures of Estelle and Joshua Bright, two young people who aspire to become Bracers, a kind of mercenaries, in the kingdom of Liberl. Today, the saga consists of twelve main episodes, with the thirteenth, titled “The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki – Farewell, O Zemuria,” expected in Japan in September 2024.

With so many games to play and especially hundreds of hours to spend getting everything up to speed, suffice it to say that it can all be daunting. However, You should know that the series is divided into several storylines, each time offering a cast of new main characters, but also offering the opportunity to discover a new region of the continent of Zemuria where all the games take place. The Sky Trilogy is set in the Kingdom of Liberl, the Zero and Azure duology in the city of Crossbell, the Cold Steel quadrilogy in the Empire of Erebonia, with Reverie serving as a crossover for all of these games. Today, The series is set in the Calvard Republic arc, which began in 2021 with the Japanese release of Trails through Daybreak, which has just been published in English here.

20 years for the most popular niche RPG series

But how can a niche RPG series be so popular almost 20 years after its debut? When you look at the games’ graphics, there is something that can be off-putting at first glance. Obviously, the trail technology is several decades too lateWhile the first five titles featured 3D settings with 2D characters, Cold Steel’s 3D graphics are anything but impressive and are reminiscent of the PS3, or according to some malicious tongues even the PS2. While this may be true of the fact that Falcom is something of a studio that doesn’t benefit from AAA resources, this hasn’t stopped the series from gaining popularity over the years.. But how is that possible?

Since its beginnings, the Trails saga has benefited from the same qualities that made it famous. Firstly, Each game is the subject of a successful story with a strong and interesting political dimension, depicting events that have an impact on the entire content. From one game to the next, these events have concrete consequences for factions and other institutions, giving the feeling of being a spectator of a great story, hence the MCU aspect of it. All of this is all the more exciting to watch because the developers have managed to create lovable characters with an anime aesthetic that can even be found from one game to the next.just to please the fans. They are clearly the series’ greatest strength, but not the only one.

But especially Trails are great role-playing games because of their game mechanics. With its turn-based combat, we even find a tactical dimension with characters who have to stand on the ground to attack, in the style of “Live a Live”. As for the offensive part, The game features a magical system called Quartz, reminiscent of the Materia from Final Fantasy VII. Each fighter has his own unique techniques and ultimate attacks, which form the basis for sufficiently solid gameplay with a wide range of options to keep the clashes exciting. In addition, Each game brings new mechanics that are constantly evolving.

With that in mind, there is every reason to discover the series if you are a fan of RPGs. The problem is that it can be daunting 20 years and a decade before the end. However, The western release of Trails through Daybreak is a great way to fix this problem.

Daybreak, a good entry point for the saga?

After a 2021 release in Japan, thanks to the English translation, it will not be until 2024 before the whole world can discover Trails through Daybreak. As already mentioned, This is the first episode of the Republic of Calvard story arc and introduces us to the character of Van Arkride, a sprig who acts as both a detective and a negotiator or even a bounty hunterOne day, a young girl from a prestigious university in the country comes to him to entrust him with a mission that will mark the beginning of our adventure.

Against a backdrop like this, which blurs the geopolitical context of the continent, Trails through Daybreak is a great way to experience Falcom’s saga. By introducing new characters that are unrelated to those from previous games and a new region, everything is in place to ensure that new players and veterans alike are on the same level.Obviously, believers will have many more references than others and will grasp the overall context to benefit better. However, since this is a completely new adventure, everyone is in the same boat, which makes it all the more accessible.

Where Trails Through Daybreak can win over many new players is the combat system. The originality of this eleventh episode is that it offers both turn-based and real-time combat.. Before entering a battle instance, you can choose to defeat an enemy directly on the field, provided that it is of your level or weaker. And in the action RPG register, it is enough to say that Falcom are specialists, since they are the originators of the Ys seriesThis formula significantly revitalizes the franchise’s combat system and seems like an interesting path for the future of JRPGs in general.

You would have understood, Trails Through Daybreak offers an excellent opportunity to discover the Trails saga, a great RPG series that is unjustly little known here. And the good news is that NIS America has already confirmed that its sequel, Trails through Daybreak II, which will be released in Japan in 2022, will be available in English in early 2025. With this, we can imagine that Kai no Kiseki, the next installment in the saga, scheduled for September in Japan, will be available here more quickly as the license is getting closer and closer to its end…