One of the longest-lasting debates in the gaming community is about how a developer should handle a remake. Should the studio respect everything from the original, just modernizing graphics and some quality-of-life features? Or does it need to adapt some systems, adjusting them for present-day audiences while tweaking the script for the same reasons? Or maybe a remake entails so many changes that people start questioning whether the new work shouldn’t be considered a reboot or an entirely new game.
I love remakes and remasters. They give me the chance to play a game from the past and understand why it was cherished back then. Another thing I enjoy even more is playing the original game and then the remake, to see what’s been changed, added, and sometimes, enhanced. That’s precisely what I did with Trails in the Sky.
I consider myself a JRPG enthusiast. I have played over 200 of them and have under my belt 90 platinum trophies, mostly from JRPGs. However, until this year, I had yet to jump into the Trails series. The reason is one you know well enough. With 13 interconnected games, it felt like a daunting endeavor (and it still does).
So, when the remake was announced, I found the perfect excuse to finally start my journey. I played Trails in the Sky and Trails in the Sky SC this year, got 100% of the achievements on Steam, was blown away by the world-building and the NPCs’ refreshing dialogue at every turn, and fell in love with the genius musician and lover of love, Olivier Lenheim.
That’s why, when I had the opportunity to play Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, it’s all I did during this past week. Now, after 83 hours, almost a platinum (I missed two chests, goddamn!) and after talking to every possible NPC, I feel ready to share a few words about this game and why I think any JRPG fan should, for the love of Aidios, give Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter a shot.
A Slice-of-Life Introduction
The first thing I need to say is that the script of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, compared to the original, is practically the same. There were some changes, according to Falcom, which are more faithful to the original script, but nothing that influences or alters the plot.
The story takes place in Liberl, a kingdom southwest of the continent of Zemuria. We play as Estelle and Joshua Bright, two junior Bracers — specialists that protect Liberl — who wander through the kingdom’s five major cities, taking on all sorts of missions and, of course, getting involved in a bigger conflict that threatens all of Liberl.
The story begins right after Cassius, Estelle’s father, arrives home with an injured Joshua. Five years later, Estelle and Joshua, now 16, take the exam to become official bracers. Meanwhile, their father, a senior bracer, departs on a mission. Thus begins the journey of the two through the kingdom of Liberl.
The opening minutes, or hours depending on the player, already set the pace of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. There’s a lore dump right in the first scenes, along with a very homey, slice-of-life dynamic between Estelle, Joshua, and other characters. This structure is repeated throughout the entire game.
Yes, the two protagonists will introduce themselves every time they meet someone new, and Estelle will constantly show her cluelessness about Liberl’s affairs while Joshua thoroughly explains them to her and, consequently, to the player.
As a JRPG player and someone familiar with the original, I was already prepared and numbed to this storytelling. I like to take my time, get to know the characters and the world of a game before diving into its struggles and conflicts. Otherwise, I might not care for the plot, and the whole impact of someone threatening the status quo would just be brushed aside. On the other hand, I get those who don’t have the patience for the extremely slow, but endearing, pacing of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter.
In Trails, NPCs don’t act like mere background characters or extras. They feel alive, existing in the world despite the player, not for the player.
While the plot takes a few hours to pick up and only really starts unraveling midway through the game, there’s another element that grabs you early on: the world-building. Once Estelle and Joshua become bracers, subquests open up. Their objectives are the usual ones, like killing a monster here or fetching an item there. However, their execution is one of the reasons that make the Trails series an immaculate reference in world-building.
All subquests are excessively detailed, whether it’s fixing a broken lamp post or gathering ingredients for a new recipe. There’s an excellent reason for that. In Trails, NPCs don’t act like mere background characters or extras. They feel alive, existing in the world despite the player, not for the player. Apart from a handful of them, most NPCs have names, routines, and lives. After each main quest event, these characters react and keep on living, not only refreshing their dialogues but also moving between towns.
NPCs Pulse With The World
In Rolent, the starting city, I met a couple named Seguaro and Edel. The husband is on a pilgrimage, visiting all the churches in Liberl, while his wife Edel is on a relentless shopping spree. I encountered them in every city I visited, and at every turn, they had new dialogues, allowing me to track their progress. For plot reasons, we were stuck in Bose for a while, and so were they. When they were able to resume their trip, I felt proud knowing I had contributed to it.
This dynamism and interaction extend to everyone. Yes, every single NPC you can interact with. Some have smaller, forgettable lines, while others get directly involved in the plot. It’s mesmerizing, wild, maybe too ambitious to feel real, but it works.
My only caveat is that, while Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter now points out when an NPC has new dialogue, it can feel overwhelming. I’d make a round around the city, talk to everyone, then advance a cutscene in the main quest, and all NPCs would refresh, boasting new lines.
I wish Falcom had either trimmed or merged dialogues so it didn’t feel like such a chore. I wanted to know if Fey would go back to her ex-boyfriend or try her luck with her coworker, or if Clive would accept the engineering job at Zeiss. But for that, I had to constantly be there with them, dedicating myself and giving them my time. My main gripe is that most NPC character models are repeated, and the only way to tell one old man from another is by their name.
A Tight-Knit Plot
Talking to NPCs naturally reveals more about the world and can even foreshadow future events. As I said, in the opening chapters, the story is still developing, and it’s unclear what threat Estelle and Joshua will face, if any. But as the plot unfolds, the pieces start falling into place. This care and attention in the writing is reflected in every moment of Trails. Don’t expect megalomaniac villains whose only drive is world destruction. There’s always a palpable reason behind it.
Even within an organization, you’ll see some NPCs don’t share its ideology or actions, reinforcing the notion that the world has a beating heart. And it all adds up. The world feels increasingly organic, shaping my experience with the main story. By the time the conflict started unfolding, I was so immersed in that world, so attached to Liberl and its people, that it felt like I belonged there. I wasn’t just playing, I was following those people’s lives.
Trails in the Sky has a narrative bravery that very few games have. There’s no rush in its pacing. The game wants you to fall in love with the world before caring about any greater threat. And when that threat shows up, it carries weight. Because it’s not an abstract or merely playful danger.
Trails in the Sky has a narrative bravery that very few games have. There’s no rush in its pacing. The game wants you to fall in love with the world before caring about any greater threat.
It’s a threat against those NPCs I saw arguing, reconciling, working, cooking, living… against that world I saw functioning. I know I sound overly romantic here, and maybe I am, since I can’t even remember the names of 80% of the NPCs. But it was such a striking feature that I’d honestly love to see other RPGs drawing inspiration from it.
All-Star Cast
All of this is only possible because the characters are incredibly authentic and charismatic, carrying the plot’s sluggishness on their backs. Most of the time, we play with Estelle and Joshua, while other party members come and go depending on the region. Estelle is energetic, a bit too naive, but adorable. She’s all heart, no reason.
She only avoids running headfirst into embarrassing situations because we have Joshua, the rational half of the duo. Joshua is mysterious, since neither we nor Estelle knows about his past before joining the Bright family. He’s brilliant, analytical, worryingly manipulative, yet vulnerable to any of Estelle’s requests, no matter how unusual. To sum them up in a cliché, Estelle is the light, the sun, while Joshua is the night, the moon.
This contrast creates a very intriguing dynamic between the two, and just like with the NPC interactions, it feels genuine and convincing. When the story starts getting a bit repetitive with just them, new characters join the party and freshen things up. I enjoyed every single party member because each one really added something.
Still, if I had to pick a favorite, it’s Olivier. The character was already amazing, but became even better with Matthew Mercer’s voice acting. His personality, dialogues, and behavior were so invigorating that I constantly wanted this genius traveling musician by my side.
As Estelle and Joshua travel from city to city, solving regional problems and meeting new people, the main story also develops. Its conclusion is wonderful, and the final scene is one of the best I’ve ever seen in a JRPG.
However, a huge disclaimer here. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is literally that, the first chapter of a story that was supposed to be a single one, but was split into two because it got too big. The second Trails begins a day after the first ends. While I was satisfied with the conclusion of the 1st Chapter (and well, I already know what happens next), I imagine some players may be left with a sour taste.
There’s a reason why Trails belongs to a niche, even among JRPG fans. The main story takes a long time to kick in, but when it does, it doesn’t stop, with revelation after revelation. What carried me through the slower parts was the NPC interactions, learning more about the world, the relationship between the protagonists, and my curiosity about where the game would take me.
I recognize that Trails in the Sky is not for everyone. But if you’re someone who appreciates a good story, likes to get involved and learn more about a game’s universe, and has the patience and resilience to endure a slow-paced start and development, then it’s time to embark on an adventure alongside Estelle and Joshua.
Old And New Mixed Together
One of the ways Falcom adapted the remake to make it more palatable for modern audiences was by changing its gameplay, more specifically the combat. The original Trails in the Sky was turn-based, while the remake mixes action and turn-based elements, as seen in Trails through Daybreak and even Metaphor: ReFantazio for a more recent comparison.
We see enemies on the field and can beat them down with quick combos and Crafts. There isn’t much variety in each character’s attacks, indicating that the focus isn’t on real-time combat. But it still works really well, it’s super fluid and responsive, as expected from the developers of Ys.
If it takes too long to finish an enemy in the field, pressing a button shifts the dynamic, immediately starting a command-based battle. The transition is so seamless, both in and out of battle, that I already feel spoiled for future JRPGs. Plus, if you switch to turn-based battle while the enemy is stunned in the field, you get an opening advantage.
The traditional combat works as expected. A timeline dictates each character’s order, and when it’s ours, we can attack, use Crafts, characters’ special abilities, or Arts, the magic system. The gameplay was revamped from the ground up, but it keeps the same essence as the classic.
We can move characters around the field, which dictates some area of effect attacks from both allies and enemies. There are also some gimmicks on the timeline, such as critical hits or HP recovery, all of which are manipulable. Regarding novelties, we have support abilities that trigger passively in battles, the Overdrive, an aura that boosts characters’ attributes, and Chain Attacks.
I played Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter entirely on Nightmare difficulty, which made me carefully ponder every move instead of brute-forcing everything. Attacking enemy weaknesses, using buffs and debuffs, and even gambling a critical to unleash a Chain Attack, everything was valid, functional, and worked spectacularly. I literally used every single Art at least once because they’re all effective. It’s marvelous.
New Crafts unlock as you level up, while Arts depend on equipment. Each character has an Orbment, a device with slots to insert Quartz. Each Quartz increases stats, grants new statuses, and represents an elemental level. Depending on how many elemental levels are connected in the Orbment, we unlock new Arts. The game explains it better than I do, but just know it’s a creative system that perfectly fits the combat.
The action combat is ideal for bulldozing enemies while exploring the vast fields of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. Now, every map is interconnected, with the exceptions being dungeons and buildings. They’re sprawling, filled with enemies, rewarding chests, and youthful dreams. If you don’t want to engage with enemies, it’s easy to ignore them. There’s also a high-speed mode that bizarrely works well even in real-time.
However, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter wears its classic battle style on its sleeve, represented by boss battles. These are strictly turn-based, so you’ll inevitably need to engage with the systems in a more strategic and paced way.
Since I enjoy exploring and engaging in various side activities, I might have become stronger than expected, to the point where I never struggled, even when facing Lt. Lorence in Nightmare. My characters were so fast and the enemy so debuffed that I acted multiple times before him, and when he tried to act, Earth Wall came to the rescue.
All in all, the revamped combat of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is terrific and will please both longtime fans and new players. It amazes me how Falcom managed to create a perfect mix of everything it’s learned over the years, refining and enhancing what was already good to deliver an excellent result.
The Most Beautiful Trails Ever
One of the most anticipated aspects of a remake is revamped visuals. While remasters usually slap a filter over the old image or scale it up to Full HD or 4K, remakes rebuild the graphics from the ground up. Luckily, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter does this with care, presenting not only a stunning game but also the most beautiful one Falcom has ever made.
The graphics are colorful, whimsical, full of personality, and represent all of Liberl and its regions well. The characters also look amazing in their full 3D glory, and cutscenes are better than ever, especially the action ones – though there aren’t many of those. The highlight goes to the combat, where every Arts and Crafts effect is a spectacle, strengthening each character’s individuality.
Surprisingly enough, the JRPG doesn’t feature performance or quality modes on PS5. In fact, the only additional mode it has is High Frame Rate Mode, which lets the game run up to 120 FPS, depending on your monitor.
And by the blessing of Aidios, I can proudly say I had zero performance issues or bugs. Not even a teeny-tiny FPS drop in my entire 80-hour journey. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is flawlessly optimized for PS5, and I bet it’ll be the same on other platforms too.
Another highlight is the soundtrack and audio design. To be fair, I never thought the Trails in the Sky soundtrack was a masterpiece. They’re ambient, complement the environments well, but none that I’d add to my Spotify. There are one or two bangers, like “Silver Will”, but overall, they’re fine. The background music comes in three formats, original, standard, or arranged, with the latter nicely polishing the production.
The most significant addition is that many characters and scenes are now voiced. This extra care adds more personality to the characters and helped me feel closer to them, especially when Matthew Mercer began to sing. I almost cried.
There were some awkward choices in voice direction, though. For example, lip sync is sometimes inconsistent, and there are interactions where only one character has a voice, while Estelle and Joshua are just text. It helps when a character is being introduced to understand their tone, but it’s still odd and distracting. They’re rare occasions, but always awkward.
Yet, ultimately, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more faithful JRPG remake to this day. 1st Chapter enhances what was already good, adapts its systems for the present day, addresses feedback on what was annoying (like adding fast travel to minimize backtracking), and wraps everything up in a beautiful and pleasant visual presentation. If you’ve never had the chance to jump into the Trails franchise, the ideal opportunity just showed up. Trails in the 1st Chapter has just become the perfect entry point for the series.
Closing Comments:
Back in the day, Trails in the Sky hinged on its story and world-building to make up for its other lacking characteristics. Twenty years later, Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter not only brings back the full heart of what made the original a classic, but it can now stand tall beside any other heavyweight JRPG. The visual presentation is beautiful, the mix between real-time and turn-based battles is a blast, and the quality-of-life additions adhere to present-day audiences. I can confidently say that Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter is a quintessential JRPG that should be cherished by every fan of the genre.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
