Trails through Daybreak Is Set to Push Falcom's Fantastic RPG Series Forward | Push Square

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It seems to be a universal rule that whenever we write about the Trails games, there's at least one person in the comments asking where they should begin with Falcom's long-running RPG series. Naturally, the ideal answer to this query is «with the first game», but not everyone has the time — or patience — to play through at least eight Trails titles in order to catch up on the overarching narrative.

Fortunately, if you're itching to board the Trails train but you've just never known how to take that first step, we think a fantastic entry point is fast approaching. It's called Trails through Daybreak, and it marks the beginning of the series' latest saga (which is already three games deep in Japan).

The first title in a fresh Trails story arch is usually stuffed with new characters, and provides a new perspective in terms of setting, world-building, and plot points. Daybreak in particular takes place in a previously unexplored nation called Calvard, and it's full of new faces. What's more, it's running on Falcom's most recent game engine, and its gameplay systems — including its fast-paced, turn-based combat — have been overhauled to a large extent.

For onlookers here in the West, this could be the perfect time to finally dive in.

Just last week, we got to sit down and watch Trails through Daybreak in action, fully localised ahead of its 5th July release date — and it's fair to say that we're really looking forward to playing this one ourselves. Based on what we saw, this is very much an evolution of Falcom's storied franchise, both in terms of overall presentation and established mechanics.

The demo we were shown covered a fairly early part of the adventure, in which main character Van — a mercenary of sorts — is contracted to rummage through an abandoned city district. We were spared a lot of the story details in an effort to avoid spoilers, but it largely felt like your typical Trails setup. Explore a new location, meet a new character or two, and then run through