An incredibly deep RPG with a massive story and roots in over a dozen previous entries
I on’t know how the dev team does it. They had an Ys game come out a couple months ago, and then this latest Trails game just released this month. It feels like they put out a new game every year, alternating between mammoth RPGs known for scripts that are essentially millions of words long. I don’t know what kind of magic they’re working, because at that breakneck pace we’d think that the quality would dip.
But it doesn’t! Trails Through Daybreak II proves it: whatever you’re doing, keep it up, because these RPGs are still amazing every time.
This latest game in the Trails saga is perhaps a little difficult to recommend, not for its meticulous gameplay or its storytelling or its visuals, but really only because there’s plenty of prior knowledge that’s needed to understand what’s going on. There is a lot of history here, at least decades worth, that can at times be crucial to understanding the game. The game *can* be taken on its own, and gamers new to the series will be able to get something out of it, but even at that rate it’s probably best to sift through a wikipedia entry or a video recap or two before really jumping in.
Anyways, for this game specifically, there’s a lot of wonderful stuff that the developers have crafted. It’s a game that can be played as action or turn-oriented. As an action game we focus much more on direct combat, but if we flip towards turn-based then the game takes up more of a tactics or strategy angle. The turn-based side has us moving on a sort of modified grid and utilizing different abilities, but if we just want to blast through areas and enemies then the action mode is ready to go. It really does offer two levels of accessibility without breaking the game, because we can approach it however we want without feeling like it’s being affected negatively.
Story structure-wise this game has a lot more sidequests to keep us occupied. The first Daybreak game was fairly linear, so the addition of more to do is definitely welcome. It really touches on the history of the series, which is, frankly, what this series really is: it’s self-referential and requires really being into the whole thing as an investment. Characters from games early in the series can pop up here, and yet they feel right at home. The geopolitical conflicts, the warring nations, the time skips and the kingdoms… That level of understanding by the developers and lore keepers is astounding and worthy of acclaim.
Trails Through Daybreak II is a great game. It will engage with a deep story, really fun gameplay, and terrific characters. It may be a bit much for new players from a background standpoint, but that’s alleviated the longer we’re in the game’s world and meeting its huge cast. It’s worth diving in even if just to see and experience a true RPG saga.
This review is based on a Steam code sent to SideQuesting by the publisher. It originally appeared on The SideQuest Live for February 17, 2025. Images and video courtesy publisher.
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