The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC

Man. What a phenomenal game. I played through First Chapter (original) thinking it was an incredible gaming and storytelling experience. One of the best I've played, in fact. Worthy of my time, energy, and emotional investment. Little did I know just how much Second Chapter would dwarf every single one of these opinions and feelings and beliefs I had about the series. While I never doubted it, I should've expected it. Because what a PHENOMENAL game. One of the most beautiful portrayals of newfound love, kindling bonds, and character development in a JRPG I've played. The interactions--while being anime--still felt so real and natural. Beautiful writing. One of the best worlds in a game universe I've played. There's so much to explore, question, and discover. It's "standard" for the most part, but with some fundamental refinements that make it so innately intriguing and fresh. It's got the depth of an ocean, and the wealth of "seven treasures". The standard villain organization trope is one I love and will always fall in love with. And here, I love the way they told the stories and the perspectives of the villains themselves. I hope to see more of them--in particular a certain fool, a dancer, and a master. I also cannot wait to see more of the "Blood and Iron Chancellor", and the return of a certain bard. I can't bring myself to say it's the best or my favorite game of all time, as much as I'm trying to convince myself to. But it's certainly of a quality that merits the comparison, and is truly one of the best ongoing story experiences in gaming. I genuinely cannot wait to start Third Chapter. 2026 is unfortunately entirely reserved for Trails games now.

Very much an improvement from the first game. The new chain mechanic and craft upgrades help keep crafts relevant compared to arts and encourage using CP on things other than S-Crafts. The game also opens up party selection significantly, giving you more control over how you strategise. Whilst the story was overall just as entertaining as the first game and I did appreciate most of the cast (new and returning alike), I'm not as much a fan of the main villains in this entry. The Society of Ouroboros are a bit too over the top and hammy for my taste. I like how the game recontextualises the locations from the previous game, adding various dungeons and small new areas around the existing world map, and placing a whole new set of quests to complete in areas you would have already explored in FC. A number of these new quests even relate to ones you may have completed in FC, containing additional dialogue and rewards for those that played the previous game. This attention to detail can also be seen in how there are so many different sets of dialogue to account for both which characters you currently have in your party and for completing sections in different orders, enhancing verisimilitude. If you can't tell already, I highly recommend this game. Just be sure to play FC first.

This. This is the most excited I’ve ever been playing a video game. It’s a bit of a slow start, but the second half of the game is just. Perfect. So much to unpack. So many times, I was cheering from my seat. I haven’t cried playing a video game in years. The character development, the political drama… It’s peak. It’s peak. It’s peak. Estelle. Joshua. Loewe. Kloe. Olivier. Renne. Agate. Cassius. Kevin. It’s just so peak. Play it. I am no longer asking.