// KOTAKU — GAMING
Trails In The Sky 2nd Chapter: The Kotaku Review
It sometimes feels like two out of every three new games announced are remasters or remakes. Hurry now to buy the Gold Edition! It’s hard not to roll your eyes. But every now and then someone does it right. Every now and then it makes sense. I’m never going to tell you that the remakes of Trails in the Sky and its sequel are better than the originals. But with the release of the second chapter’s remake, which improves on a few key mistakes that the first half let slide, I do think they make sense. Falcom has extended its hand in invitation. You’d be a fool not to take it.
Of course, some of you accepted the invitation ages ago. The Trails series has been around for over 20 years, weaving a meticulous and constantly evolving story packed with great characters and what I’d suggest is flat-out the best world-building in all of video games. The fictional world of Zemuria isn’t simply appealing and vibrant. It is also solid as a rock and as knowable as that scar on your left hand you got fishing when you were twelve. No one else is doing it quite like Falcom, which had the juice right from the start. That explains why these remakes make sense. Trails in the Sky SC’s remake doesn’t radically change too much from the first game’s remake which was released last year. There are no real shifts to the gameplay or grand twists to the proceedings. It’s simply the continuation of a story. Trails in the Sky ends in one of the most famous cliffhangers in the genre’s history. It would be weird if Falcom only released a remake of the first half! And so, just as it’s nearly impossible to separate protagonists Estelle and Joshua Bright from each other, you can’t entirely disentangle Trails in the Sky SC from the first game.
Vibrant art style shows Liberl from a fresh angle, localization fixes are a welcome improvement from the first game, these games make it really easy to leap into an amazing series
Combat lacks some of the current story arc’s fun extras, sometimes there’s a bit of hand holding, needed even more Kevin Graham
PC (Steam), PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2
Final playtime was about 80 hours with some mira to spare. My bracer rank was B+
That’s not to say there’s no difference here. These games are made on tight budgets and at a fast pace, and the first remake had problems, some of which were actually a real bitch. It played well, taking the original 2004 game’s turn-based battles and making them align more with the hybrid action system that the series’ modern titles use. That worked out nicely and made for a game that was snappy to play and whose bright, cel-shaded world was a delight to explore. However, this came side-by-side with localization woes and other misfires that left a bad taste in my mouth. In a series where story is everything, the first remake stumbled over important terminology and sometimes didn’t quite get character voices right. Things were a little off. Trails in the Sky SC hasn’t rid itself of all problems, but there’s been a great effort to make sure that prior issues, particularly localization mistakes, have been dealt with. As a result, when updates to address the first game’s issues are also taken into account, Falcom has produced a pair of remakes that fulfill two important criteria. The first is that they respect their world. These remakes are in conversation with the original games. Their adjustments and changes are transformational without snidely suggesting that the source material is something to be “fixed.” They feel largely respectful.
More importantly, especially with the completion of Sky SC’s remake, these games provide an easy onramp to the wider series. For people who have slept on these games or not really known the best way to start, here’s your answer. Old fans might groan and insist that the original games never really went anywhere, and that is true enough. However, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. The Trails in the Sky remakes operate on that princi