It took me 10 hours to fully complete theTrails in the Sky 1st ChapterPrologue demo on Nightmare difficulty. By complete, I mean doing all subquests, cooking every recipe, buying all items, and yeah, exhausting every single NPC line whenever they had something new to say.
Since the release ofTrails in the Sky 1st Chapteris right around the corner and I plan to do a full review, I’ll use this preview to give my first impressions of the game, but without diving too deep into each mechanic because I intend to save that for my final text.
Still, even though I only played the game’s Prologue and haven’t seen everything it has to offer, I can already say with full confidence that it’s one of the bestJRPGsI’ve played this year. If you ever wanted to see what a 1:1 remake of an old game would look like while adding some quality-of-life features,Trails in the Sky 1st Chapteris a prime example.
A Well-Deserved Glow Up
First and foremost, what caught my attention was its visual presentation. Seeing those chibi models from the original in fully fledged 3D, with dedicated animations and voice acting, melted my heart. The game is colorful and beautiful, keeping the playful and vibrant tone of the classic. My main gripe is the English lip sync, which can feel off at times.
The soundtrack was also re-recorded in high definition, and you can choose between three modes: standard, customize, and original. Original replicates the classic style, and customization adds some symphonic instruments, which sounds good, but does not exactly fit the game’s atmosphere. Maybe I’ll use it in a future New Game+. Then, after picking Nightmare from five difficulty levels, I started the game.
As soon as Estelle said her first lines, I was dumbstruck by the writing. The lines, the delivery, god, even the laughs and interjections are essentially the same. Nihon Falcom said they would make the localization more faithful to the original text, and yes, there were some changes, like an iconic line from Estelle in the opening scenes. But aside from that, it’s all identical to a T, from main story dialogue to NPC banter.
Prime World-Building Returns
Trailsfans know it’s in the world-building thatthe franchise truly shines. Talking and observing NPCs living their lives and reacting to events as they unfold is impressive and contributes immensely to the game’s (all of them) lore. Rest assured, this feature remains intact here, from Alan’s mischief, Rolent’s airliner’s ticket seller, to Rianon’s mother playing matchmaker to her son.
Even veteran fans may have forgotten the story, and refreshing their memory with this remake is the greatest gift Nihon Falcom could have given them.
Some texts were trimmed down for better flow. I remember that one of the first subquests in the original game, one about fixing a lamp on the highway, was extremely wordy, with Freddy explaining in detail the mechanisms of the device. This time, the engineer was more succinct, just explaining how to fix it without going into the nitty-gritty of the technology.
For better or worse, Estelle and Joshua’s story remains the same. Personally, I don’t like how their relationship develops, but I know that’s a very personal take. I also know there are potential complaints from people who think that if you want the exact same game, you should just play the original.
That’s fair. But remember,Trails in the Skyis a 20-year-old game. Even veteran fans may have forgotten the story, and refreshing their memory with this remake is the greatest gift Nihon Falcom could have given them.
A Familiar Gameplay Style
WhileTrails in the Sky 1st Chapterstays extremely purist when it comes to its story and writing, the novelties and innovations are reserved for its gameplay. The remake uses the same battle system introduced inDaybreak, mixingaction with turn-based battles. My go-to tactic was to start by pummeling enemies on the field, stunning or chunking a good portion of their health, and then jumping into turn-battle with an advantage.
The remake uses the same battle system introduced inDaybreak, mixing action with turn-based battles.
The turn battle is the same old. There’s a timeline dictating the order of each fighter, and each character can move around the field, influencing the area of effect of some Crafts or Arts. However, there’s a new mechanic called Support Skills that trigger randomly during battle.
For instance, Joshua has Protect, and occasionally he’ll jump in front of an attack aimed at an ally while guarding, taking decreased damage. Estelle has Counter, which allows her to strike back at an enemy who hurts our friends. These are passive skills that bring more uniqueness to every party member, no matter how simple they feel in practice.
Like I said, I played on Nightmare difficulty, and I was put through the wringer constantly. The action battle system is quite doable in Nightmare, but main battles, such as bosses, monster extermination, or monster chests, are exclusively reserved for command-based battles, where my strategy was put to the test. If I didn’t use my entire arsenal, abusing buffs, debuffs, and enemies’ elemental weaknesses, I’d be stuck hitting the retry button endlessly.
Explore Liberl At Your Leisure
Luckily, there’s a generous High-Speed Mode, which I used extensively to grind quite a bit. Another godsend quality-of-life isthe fast travel systemand quest markers for main and side activities, and chests. Oh, so glorious. No more missing that elusive Carnelia Vol. 3 because it’s found with a guard at a faraway checkpoint. The minimap also tells you if an NPC has new dialogue, making life mucheasier for completionistswho want to consume everythingTrails in the Sky 1st Chapterhas to offer.
The cooking book is back, but with some extra incentives to engage with it. Now, every recipe has a first-time bonus, permanently increasing the party’s attributes. There are also peculiar dishes discovered when either Estelle or Joshua fumbles a recipe. I can confidently say every recipe is essential in Nightmare, especially those that heal while buffing a character’s attributes.
Apparently,Trails in the Sky 1st Chapterwill also have a sort of crafting system for upgrading equipment and Quartz. I didn’t have access to the system in the demo, but I got items whose descriptions hinted at it. I’m looking forward to seeing how this will impact the game’s progression and whether it will make my Nightmare experience a little less painful.
All in all, for me, the remake is perfect. I had never seen a modern reproduction of a game done in such an authentic and purist way. Aside from the graphical evolution and gameplay, Nihon Falcom has barely changed anything regarding the game’s presentation, like writing, event order, plot, and whatnot. I mean, at least in the Prologue.
Trails in the Skyfans will certainly adore this new entry in their beloved franchise, while newcomers will appreciate all the modernities and conveniences of a contemporary title. If you always wanted to dive into this expansive franchise with one of the biggest storylines in the gaming industry but never had the courage, well, the perfect opportunity has just arrived. It’s time to explore Liberl (again), my fellow bracer.
