The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak Review

thesixthaxis.com:

For years, telling friends about The Legend of Heroes games has felt less like recommending a cool new RPG and more like assigning Summer homework. Hyping up a game in this franchise comes with the caveat that you need to play every entry in order so you can fully understand the story, but when you’re talking about over a dozen 80+ hour JRPGs, that isn’t an easy ask. It’s why I’ve been so excited for The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak to get an English release, and so frustrated that it’s taken so many years for it to happen. In a world where games that were once niche Japan-only titles now get synchronised global releases, the delayed release of this new entry point in a long-running franchise has likely lost much of its momentum for a potential global audience. That isn’t fair at all, when this is one of the most engaging and enjoyable new JRPGs I’ve ever played.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak takes place in the Republic of Calvard, a country far east from the main locales from the last handful of The Legend of Heroes games. You won’t be expected to know what happened in previous games, who their protagonists were, or what the dozens of characters in those games may or may not be up to when you start this one.

You’re given a clean slate in the form of new series lead Van Arkride, who works a day-job as a humble Spriggan. Essentially, he’s Columbo with a license to kill – clients come to him looking for a detective, a bounty hunter, or a combo of the two. When a young girl by the name of Agnes Claudel comes to him seeking help in tracking down seven mementos from her great-grandfather, Van ends up taking her in as an assistant and the two of them set off on a conspiracy-unfurling journey through the seedy city of Edith and beyond.

Typically, protagonists in The Legend of Heroes live up to that “hero” moniker, with a lot of them being plucky young swordsmen with a lawful moral compass and plenty to learn about the dark secrets of their world.