Game Information

Game Title: The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak

Platforms:

• PC (Jul 5, 2024)
• PlayStation 4 (Jul 5, 2024)
• PlayStation 5 (Jul 5, 2024)
• Nintendo Switch (Jul 5, 2024)

Trailer:

Developers: Nihon Falcom, NIS America

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 88 average - 95% recommended - 20 reviews

Critic Reviews

ComingSoon.net - Tyler Treese - 8.5 / 10

Trails Through Daybreak is the strong start to a new chapter that The Legend of Heroes franchise needed.

Console Creatures - Matt Sowinski - Recommended

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is another hit in the beloved series, delivering a darker narrative, revamped combat, and an excellent cast of characters. It has a ton to offer to both new players and existing fans of the series.

Everyeye.it - Antonello Bello - Italian - 8.8 / 10

While not matching the epic nature of Trails of Cold Steel IV, which for its part had the advantage of being the final chapter of a painful and well-oiled tetralogy, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is configured as one of Nihon Falcom’s best recent productions.

Final Weapon - Raul Ochoa - 4.5 / 5

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak serves as a brilliant introduction to the Republic of Calvard, the setting for what appears to be the most exciting Trails story arc yet. Van Arkride explores the gray areas of Calvardian society alongside allies that are just as tough and driven. The game’s story is complemented by a revamped combat system that retains the identity of Trails, and there’s of plenty of improvements made that make this one of the best Trails games to date.

GameGrin - Mike Crewe - 9 / 10

A dark, more mature story, a great new cast of characters, and much improved turn-based action make Trails through Daybreak a fine addition to the franchise that’s accessible to fans and newcomers alike.

Hardcore Gamer - Jordan Helm - 4.5 / 5

Nihon Falcom needn’t have gone about overhauling things as radically as they have. But with a newfound energy and purpose to its real-time/turn-based hybrid of a premise, as well as a bountiful amount of new and returning mechanics to experiment with, Trails Through Daybreak is nothing less than another fantastic reinvention for what was already some of if not the best turn-based combat in any JRPG series. Aided on top by that familiar dedication to player customization, intriguing world-building and that ongoing desire to spend a bit longer in getting the most out of the systems on show. Countless entries later, Trails continues to prove itself as one of the most satisfying and engaging role-playing experiences available. It wasn’t exactly begging for such reinvention, but with The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak, Nihon Falcom’s opener to the Calvard arc is as close to perfect a new chapter, as you can possibly get.

IGN - George Yang - 8 / 10

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak’s new cast of characters, revamped battle system, and engaging story is exactly what the series needed to reach new heights.

IGN Italy - Alessandra Borgonovo - Italian - 7.5 / 10

An eleventh chapter that tries to revamp the series from a gameplay point of view, only partially succeeding.

Nintendo Life - Mitch Vogel - 8 / 10

Trails through Daybreak stands as another great entry in the storied Legend of Heroes series, making the most of its new setting with its memorable characters and engaging turn-based combat. Though it’s held back a bit by things like the awkward introduction of action-based combat and some irritating quirks (and nearly unreadable text in portable mode), this is still an entry that we would strongly recommend to both series fans and, yes, newcomers, too. Trails through Daybreak is a strong inaugural outing, offering another fresh start for this franchise; we’d suggest you give it a shot.

NintendoWorldReport - Jordan Rudek - 9 / 10

Van is a charming and vocal protagonist who gives as good as he gets, and rest assured, he isn’t shy about giving a loving head patting when the opportunity arises. Those who have played earlier Trails games will enjoy the returning characters, mentions, and nods to earlier events and people, but even if you’re an RPG player unfamiliar with the Trails games, you’ll find plenty of reasons to sink your teeth into this latest one. It’s no surprise that the hero of Daybreak has a proclivity towards indulging in cakes and pastries; he happens to star in one hell of a sweet adventure.

NookGaming - Rob MacIntosh - 8 / 10

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak made for a rather enjoyable playthrough that was hard carried by its main party and how fun combat was. I also like that it trims some of the fat that had begun building with the bloated previous arc. This is one of the best put-together Trails games in a long time, complete with some solid cutscene choreography and a near-seamless feeling of play in between combat and cutscenes.

PSX Brasil - Thiago de Alencar Moura - Portuguese - 90 / 100

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is a darker and more interesting take on one of the best JRPG franchises of all time. The gameplay additions enrich the experience, but what really makes it so remarkable is the excellent cast and storytelling that lives up to the series’ fame.

RPGamer - Alex Fuller - 4.5 / 5

Offering an incredibly welcome refresh for the series with its story, cast, and gameplay, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is a delightful way to re-enrapture existing fans while being an excellent opportunity for newcomers to get on board.

Siliconera - Cory Dinkel - 10 / 10

Trails through Daybreak is a triumph for both long-time fans and newcomers to the series. For veterans, it builds upon and expands nearly every aspect that makes the series great, from its intricate storytelling to its deep character development and strategic gameplay. For new players, while it’s a challenge to dive into such a complex series, the game makes a commendable effort to provide an accessible starting point into the rich world and lore without feeling overwhelmed.

Spaziogames - Gianluca Arena - Italian - 7.5 / 10

Trails through Daybreak marks the first time Falcom takes a bet with its franchise, changing its combat system to a degree and some of its gameplay mechanics. The changes are all good for newcomers, which will find an ideal entry point here, but are not so for the longtime fans, who could dislike the action-focused shift and the decrease in the overall level of challenge.

The Games Machine - Danilo Dellafrana - Italian - 8 / 10

Trails Through Daybreak is a rather classic role-playing game and will delight Nihon Falcom fans, if only to inaugurate yet another narrative strand in a now endless dynasty. The combat system isn’t quite as polished as the one seen in Trails of Cold Steel, however, and the plot likes to keep the pace a bit too slow, but as a start there’s nothing to complain too much about, thanks also to the charisma of a protagonist like Van and an intriguing game world as only Falcom is capable of creating.

The Outerhaven Productions - Scott Adams - 5 / 5

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak gives us a new area of Zemuria and a lot of new characters to love. Van Arkride is a great character and I hope to see more of him going forward.

TheSixthAxis - Miguel Moran - 9 / 10

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is the spark that this series needed, and an incredible new chapter for such an iconic franchise. The shift in tone for the story and the addictive dual-mode combat had me hooked from beginning to end. If you play any game in this series, make it this one.

Twinfinite - Cameron Waldrop - 5 / 5

Though I will always have a soft spot for the Cold Steel games, Trails Through Daybreak arrives as the new best game of the series. Between giving a more mature protagonist and redefining the combat, the Calvard arc starts with its best foot forward. The fact that things have already become this hectic with the very first game means we’re looking at probably the craziest arc to date. Sadly, these take a bit of time to localize, and we’ll be two behind in September, but I will be right there when the next one hits.

VGChartz - Thomas Froehlicher - 8.5 / 10

Although it only partially fixes Falcom’s woes in terms of story pacing, Trails Through Daybreak is nonetheless a journey full of wonders.