Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Review

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Let me start by saying that Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter remake is a perfect game – a 10/10, and honestly, the most enthusiastic perfect score I’ve ever given. I want to dive into why, focusing on its fantastic storytelling, game design, and how it makes you truly care about the characters. I’ll be sharing a lot of my thoughts, but if you just want the score, there it is. Now, let’s talk about what makes Trails so incredibly good.

I finally jumped into the *Trails* series with *Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter*, which is a remake of the original *Trails in the Sky FC* from 2004. It’s had a few releases over the years, but this remake felt like the perfect place to start, and I’m completely new to the whole franchise. Honestly, the scope of the series always intimidated me – thirteen games, roughly 1000 hours of playtime if you don’t even count the spin-offs or the older *Legend of Heroes* titles! My friends are huge fans, and I always figured it was too big of a commitment to get into. But after playing this *Trails 1st* remake, I have to admit, I was totally wrong. It’s completely hooked me!

Okay, so I’m new to this series too, but it all kicks off with Estelle and Joshua, who are the kids of this super famous hero. They’re trying to become Bracers – basically, they’re like local heroes who take on jobs to help people. As they travel around, they meet a ton of really cool characters, get caught up in some seriously shady stuff, have a lot of heartwarming moments, and end up saving the day. It *sounds* like a typical RPG story, but honestly, the way the story is told and how the world is built is just incredible – it’s some of the best storytelling I’ve ever seen!

The best way to describe this game is that it feels a lot like a *Dragon Quest* title – and that’s high praise! It’s not so much the overall mood, though there are similarities, but the feeling of embarking on an adventure. The main characters aren’t heroes destined to save the world; they’re just kids starting out on a path to become stronger adventurers. While there are mysteries – like a missing plane and a father who’s suddenly disappeared – the core idea is about them exploring and growing as they learn to protect the world around them.

Beyond the main characters, Estelle and Joshua, the game features a fantastic cast of supporting characters, like the grumpy Agate and annoying Olivier. Everyone has their own reasons for aiding – or hindering – the Brights, and they all fit seamlessly into the overall story. Characters join and leave the party as needed, giving them all a chance to stand out. This is one of the first games in a while where I genuinely enjoyed every character and didn’t find myself wanting any of them to appear less.

The characters in the game feel remarkably connected, even outside of what the story requires. For example, Kloe and Zin, who barely interact until the very end, trade playful banter like old friends. Olivier seamlessly interacts with Scherazard and Aina, but also has easy conversations with Agate. This really makes the supporting cast feel like a cohesive group, despite their differing goals and personalities. And that’s just the beginning – you’ll meet tons of other memorable characters as you explore Liberl.

Throughout the game, you’ll find plenty to do between the main story missions. As you play, green and blue icons will appear on your map, marking side quests and activities. While some of these are simple tasks like collecting items or defeating enemies, others offer little stories that expand on the characters’ backgrounds. A good example is helping Tita create and improve an invention to send to her family. This blend of exciting adventures and everyday tasks really captures what it means to be a Bracer.

I really appreciate how this game encourages you to explore and actually *talk* to people. It’s not just about rushing through the main story. After anything big happens in the game, NPCs actually *react* – they have new things to say that reflect what’s changed in the world. It’s a small thing, but it makes the world feel so much more alive and believable. The dialogue isn’t always amazing, but it’s clear the developers really put a lot of effort into making the world feel detailed and responsive, and you don’t see that very often.

It’s hard to talk about the story and world without giving away key details, and I want to avoid spoiling it for anyone who’s going in as blind as I was. I played the remake knowing as little as possible, and I want others to have that same experience. So, let’s move on to the gameplay. Before playing, I checked out the Prologue in the original *Trails FC* to understand the combat and how it’s evolved in the remake. Overall, the changes Falcom made are excellent.

The remake features two combat styles: Quick and Tactical. Quick combat is similar to what you’d find in most action games – it includes light and heavy attacks, dodging, and a special Burst Attack. It was specifically created to help you quickly defeat regular, weaker enemies without needing to switch to Tactical mode.

Most standard battles and boss fights use a turn-based combat system. You’ll see a timeline showing the order of turns, and you can change that order using special abilities – like delaying enemies or speeding up your team, similar to the battle system in *Final Fantasy X*. The game includes familiar RPG elements like elemental strengths and weaknesses, status effects, and buffs and debuffs. What sets the combat apart is how the pace of battle impacts your ability to manipulate the turn order.

Here’s how I handled a tough fight: One of my characters used an ability that builds up a ‘stun’ meter. It didn’t fully stun the enemy, who was about to unleash a powerful attack, but it *did* earn enough points to activate a special, high-damage ability. Using this ability instantly moved my character to the front of the turn order, interrupting the enemy’s attack. This filled the stun meter, finally stunning the enemy and stopping their dangerous spell. Then, I was able to follow up with a series of guaranteed critical hits, finishing off the enemy and winning the battle.

Simply collecting resources isn’t enough to win; you need to understand how the turn order and special effects work and use them to your advantage. The game also features a random bonus system that gives both you and enemies temporary buffs. Certain abilities let you steal these bonuses and apply them to your next turn, so paying close attention and grabbing them when you can is incredibly powerful. By the end of a boss fight, skillfully manipulating the turn order and bonus system felt amazing – there’s nothing quite like stealing and stacking bonuses, then unleashing them with a powerful attack to wipe out enemies.

Pay attention to where your allies and enemies are on the battlefield. Some attacks deal extra damage if you approach from the side or behind, and many abilities only affect a specific area. If you’re not careful about positioning, your spells might miss completely.

Orbments are key to how well the combat system works. Players familiar with the *Trails* series will recognize them, but for newcomers, they’re similar to the Materia system in *Final Fantasy VII*. You equip up to six Orbments, and each one boosts your stats (like HP or attack power), adds special effects (such as a higher chance of being targeted or inflicting status ailments), and unlocks spells. The more Orbments of a certain element you use, the more powerful that character’s spells of that element become.

Because you have a limited number of slots for equipping abilities, you really have to plan out each character’s role. I built my Estelle to focus on strength, so I gave her orbments that boosted attack power, hit rate, and critical hits. Joshua, being naturally fast, felt better as a more versatile character – I equipped him with a mix of healing and status effect spells. Each character has unique abilities that suggest a certain playstyle, but there’s still room to customize them. For example, Agate is strongest as a powerful attacker, but you can also equip him to be a decent tank with the right setup.

Besides simply buying or discovering orbments, you can also improve older ones by combining them with a rare material. This lets you recycle less powerful orbments instead of having to buy new ones with Sepith, significantly reducing or even eliminating the need for repetitive gameplay. I don’t know how this compares to the original game, but I found this system to be a great way to manage my Sepith and avoid tedious grinding.

A particularly helpful feature is that when a party member leaves, all their equipment and accessories automatically go back into your inventory. The game sometimes lets you manage equipment for two parties at once, even if some characters aren’t currently with you. This is a big improvement over *Trails from Zero*, where you couldn’t change gear for characters who weren’t in your active party – a frustrating issue, especially for new players struggling with a difficult boss.

The way your character grows stronger in the game comes from several connected systems. As you level up-reaching around level 50 in your first playthrough-you’ll naturally gain improved stats. You can also find and equip gear, including versatile accessories, and collect special items called “droplets” that permanently boost your abilities. Cooking new meals also provides lasting stat improvements. This all ties into the typical player experience of visiting towns: checking shops for better gear, upgrading what you have, and searching for new recipes. The game rewards you for exploring and being thorough, and it’s very satisfying.

The game’s music and voice acting are excellent. My only real issue is with the soundtrack’s repetition. While the characters Estelle and Joshua sound like believable teenagers – even Joshua, who is surprisingly mature thanks to Johnny Yong Bosch’s performance – I wished there had been more musical variety. Exploring the same areas with the same background music towards the end of the game became a bit tiresome, although the exciting and upbeat dungeon themes helped to balance things out. The music itself, featuring remixes of tracks from *Trails FC*, was fantastic overall.

I have to rave about the way the cutscenes are directed in this game. There’s one scene from *Dragon Quest X Version 2: The Sleeping Hero and the Guiding Ally* that always comes to mind when I think of great video game cutscenes: a duel between Anlucia and her brother. Even for a game that’s almost 15 years old, the camera work during that fight is incredible, smoothly tracking Anlucia as she moves around her opponent. This game has several cutscenes that capture that same impressive feeling, especially the sword fight between Kloe and Estelle during the stage play in Chapter 2. It was so intense I actually held my breath the entire time and had to pause to catch it afterward.

Trails 1st is a truly exceptional RPG – one I wholeheartedly recommend. It’s a perfect starting point for anyone new to the genre, and offers a brilliant RPG experience even for seasoned players. Everything about the game – the world, the characters, and how you progress – feels incredibly smooth and well-designed. It’s rare to see a remake done so well, and as someone new to the series, I’m completely hooked and excited to see what happens next. Now, the wait begins for the remake of Trails 2nd! I might explore some of the earlier Legend of Heroes games in the meantime.

10

We tested Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter on PC. It’s also playable on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.

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2025-09-19 06:58