izigame.me

Port is good. It's definitely the most divisive game in the series, with its usage of time as a narrative device and its overall plot impact being similar to Trails in the Sky the 3rd and Reverie. But let's be real, its the 12th game in a continuous and chronological story, if you're in this deep by now you don't need a review telling you to buy the game. It's more Trails, arguably the best Jrpg series of all time? Just buy it already....
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If you have no idea what this series is and where to start this is the order:
Liberl Arc:
1. Trails in the Sky FC (First Chapter, remake coming in few months. I would honestly play the OG version first and the remake of it way down the line. Otherwise you'll be waiting for years of remakes just to catch up. It has aged very well.)
2. Trails in the Sky SC (Second Chapter)
3. Trails in the Sky the 3rd (a bridge game to the next arc)
Crossbell Arc:
4. Trails from Zero
5. Trails to Azure
Erebonia Arc:
6. Trails of Cold Steel I
7. Trails of Cold Steel II
8. Trails of Cold Steel III
9. Trails of Cold Steel IV
End of Western Zemuria arcs:
10.1 Read the III & IX Short story either in game or online via the official website.
10. Trails Through Reverie (Think of it like the third Crossbell game and the 5th Cold steel game)
Calvard Arc (ongoing):
11. Trails through Daybreak
12. Trails through Daybreak II (You are here)
Some people say you can start anywhere as long as its the first game of an arc, but I HIGHLY recommend against it. Follow the order. You'll have a ok time if you don't, but it's a chronological and continuous series, and entire plot points and character reveals/developments will constantly go over your head. Also, the older games are lowkey the best and most important ones to this day so.
Why get into Trails?
Trails is a one-of-a-kind JRPG series which has an easy spot in the conversation for best JRPG series of all time. Often described as the One Piece of JRPGs, the world building and overarching plot is on a scale never before seen in the genre. In fact, there is nothing like it elsewhere on the market.
It doesn't just boil down to a cameo every now and then, the world is living. Political events from one arc directly result in the plot of the next. You get to see technology advance from game to game, from the invention of the airship to the smartphone. The technological progress then directly ties into the evolution of the series' combat systems, making each game feel new and fresh, yet familiar at the same time. With each game comes another layer of the complex story puzzle answered, whether that's through learning the history of the continent, a major character reveal/twist, or uncovering the motivations of secret organizations around the world.
It's not just the main story that has crazy world building though. If you interact with them enough, you'll find that every single random voiceless NPC has their own story, constantly progressing as the main story does. From a one-off moment of a boy nervously confessing his feelings to a girl in the first game, to then having an entire side quest about finding their missing wedding ring two games later. A group of delinquents terrorizing the slums in one arc can be found having some beers in suits reminiscing about their juvenile days in another. These aren't random or sudden either, you can see the npc's stories slowly expand with each new dialogue that unlocks after a big story moment. The newlyweds on their honeymoon, and the delinquents nervous about applying to their first jobs for example. Throughout the first arc you can find chapters of an optional novel series to read for fun in your journal. Good enough as a read on its own, but what if I told you those books contain the backstories of two major characters you get introduced to 9 games later?
The series is a huge investment, and honestly not for everyone due to its slow and verbose nature. However, if you really sit down and pay attention to the deeply interconnected narrative and world, ignoring the occasional cringe anime trope (looking at you cold steel arc....), you'll find the best long-form story and world in the entire JRPG genre. The music and voice acting (Japanese) is 10/10 too. I've spoken to plenty of fans who fell into a huge gaming slump after catching up and having to wait for the next game in the series, simply because there's just nothing else out there like it haha. I can't recommend the series from the beginning enough for big JRPG fans.