Trails through Daybreak 2 Review (PS5) | Push Square
Taking place mere months after the events of Trails through Daybreak, its sequel — simply titled Trails through Daybreak 2 here in the west — often feels like a character-driven epilogue rather than a full-blown follow-up.
The first Daybreak told a complete tale; the kind of storyline that Falcom usually splits across two games. Sure, Van and the gang's initial adventure left various questions unanswered, but structurally, it was robust. It had a clear beginning, middle, and end, to the point where it almost felt like a standalone thing, with the saga's broader storylines set to be addressed in later games.
Daybreak 2 is not one of those later games. Instead of taking the overarching narrative and running with it, it attempts to build upon plot points exclusive to its predecessor — plot points that, arguably, didn't need to be brought back into focus.
The story will inevitably disappoint some fans. As alluded, Daybreak 2 leans on its large cast of characters, using their development to offset narrative beats that can seem either convoluted or repurposed. And to be fair, much of the character development is worthwhile and interesting.
To its benefit, the game splits its story between different groups of heroes — just like in Trails into Reverie. This allows the plot to be unfurled from separate perspectives, while also giving important characters more room to properly express themselves.
If you're okay with Daybreak 2's lack of significant, overall narrative progression, then there's actually a lot to like about its more personal threads. In that sense, the sequel ends up being a great companion piece to the original Daybreak — but again, your expectations need to be kept in check.
And that also applies to the reuse of… well, just about everything from the first game. Both visually and mechanically, Daybreak 2 could quite easily be mistaken for its predecessor. Outside of some admittedly huge new environments, the sequel is more than happy to recycle as much stuff as
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