There’s a reason people call The Legend of Heroes series one of the most ambitious RPG sagas ever made. Spanning multiple arcs, continents, and generations of characters, it’s a series that has been quietly building one of gaming’s richest interconnected universes for over two decades. Between Trails in the Sky, Trails of Cold Steel, Trails into Reverie, and now Trails through Daybreak, Falcom has created a world that feels alive, evolving with every entry. The only problem? It’s always been really hard to know where to start.
That’s why Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter feels like such a big deal. It’s not just a remake, it’s a reset button. It takes us back to where the story truly began, back to Estelle and Joshua’s first steps across Liberl Kingdom, but rebuilt from the ground up for a modern audience. And it’s not only an excellent remake, it’s the perfect way to jump into the Trails series.
I’ve played enough remakes to be wary of ones that “reimagine” the original too much. Some chase modern trends at the expense of what made the original special. Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter doesn’t do that. It’s faithful in the best possible way, modernising the experience without losing its heart.
The writing, pacing, and spirit of the original 2004 release are intact, but everything around them has been elevated. Character models are fully realized in 3D, voice performances breathe new life into every line, and the presentation finally matches the emotional depth that Trails has always been known for. It feels like Falcom and the remake team treated the source material with genuine care, asking not “what can we change?” but “how can we make what’s already great even better?”
The story still centers on Estelle Bright and her adopted brother Joshua, two young Bracers, essentially licensed adventurers who help people and maintain peace throughout Liberl. Their journey begins humbly, as they take on odd jobs and simple missions to earn their Bracer ranks, but soon spirals into something far more political and dangerous.
What I’ve always appreciated about Trails in the Sky is its balance of warmth and tension. It’s a story about exploration, friendship, and growing up, but it’s also a slow-burn political drama filled with conspiracies, military intrigue, and unexpected emotional punches. Traveling across the kingdom feels like a true adventure. Every town, every NPC, has a purpose. It’s not just window dressing, it’s really a world that feels lived in.
The most obvious change when you first start playing is the camera. Gone is the old isometric view, the remake shifts the perspective down, placing the camera just behind Estelle and Joshua. The world instantly feels more alive, more connected, more personal and much more modern.
This new 3D presentation puts the remake in line with recent Trails entries like Trails through Daybreak. It’s cinematic, and it makes the journey across Liberl feel fresh again. Towns are bustling with detail, fields stretch into the distance, and character animations have been fully redone. It’s exactly how I remember imagining the world when I first played the original, only now, it’s real on screen.
The combat system has also been completely overhauled, adopting mechanics from Daybreak. You can now seamlessly switch between real-time action and a more traditional turn-based mode.
For me, this hybrid approach nails the balance between accessibility and strategy. When facing smaller enemy groups, I often stuck with real-time action, hacking and slashing my way through mobs quickly. But when I hit tougher encounters, bosses or enemy groups with more complex behaviors, I’d switch into the classic turn-based system to plan my moves. It’s smooth, intuitive, and smartly designed.
Follow-up attacks are a new addition too, letting characters chain hits together when positioned correctly or after breaking enemy defenses. It’s not just a flashy gimmick, it genuinely adds tactical depth and flow. And because you don’t have to drop into a separate battle screen for every fight, the pacing feels faster and more fluid, keeping exploration and combat tightly connected.
Simply put, Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter looks fantastic. Falcom’s world design has always leaned more on charm and atmosphere than raw graphical power, but this remake feels like a perfect blend of both. The updated art direction gives Liberl a painterly warmth, and every location is drenched in color and personality. The lighting, textures, and particle effects all pop on the PS5’s hardware, and the game runs beautifully. Every area feels alive and newly realized. It’s a true modernization that still captures the soul of the original’s 2D art.
The newly recorded English and Japanese voiceovers make a massive difference. Stephanie Sheh’s take on Estelle took me a little while to warm up to, she plays her with a slightly more energetic, playful edge, but by the end, I couldn’t imagine anyone else in the role. Johnny Yong Bosch, as always, nails it as Joshua, giving him the quiet, conflicted charm that defines his character.
Even the side characters, of which Trails in the Sky has a lot, are given more life thanks to the expanded voice work. From fellow Bracers to local townsfolk, everyone feels more distinct and memorable.
That said, I do wish the game had fully committed to being entirely voiced. There are moments where the dialogue just drops off mid-conversation, reverting to text-only exchanges. It’s jarring, especially since the voice acting is so strong when it’s present. Hopefully, future games, if they get the remake treatment too, might expand the voiced sections even further.
The localization has also been redone from scratch, still faithful to the original’s tone but closer to what was intended in the Japanese release. If you’ve memorized the original script from the PSP version, you’ll notice small changes, certain lines flow more naturally now, and the humor lands a bit better. It’s subtle work, but it shows respect both for long-time fans and for newcomers experiencing this world for the first time. It feels authentic, never like it’s trying to rewrite what came before.
One of Falcom’s biggest strengths has always been its music, and the Trails in the Sky remake carries that tradition forward beautifully. Every track feels freshly alive thanks to new arrangements. Whether it’s the energetic battle themes, the tranquil town melodies, or the tear-jerking emotional pieces during the game’s climaxes, the soundtrack always hits exactly where it should.
Even better, you can toggle between the new arrangements and the original OST. I spent most of my playthrough with the new soundtrack on, but switching back for nostalgia’s sake was a nice touch. Considering you’ll easily spend 60+ hours exploring this game, it’s great to have such consistently strong music accompanying you.
When it comes to the downsides, there aren’t many, honestly. Aside from the incomplete voice coverage, some animations, especially facial ones, can still look a bit stiff compared to fully AAA productions. And while I personally enjoy the slower pace of Trails in the Sky, new players used to flashier, more cinematic JRPGs might find its storytelling rhythm a little methodical at first.
But that’s also kind of the point, this series takes its time. It builds its characters, its politics, its mysteries layer by layer. Once you’re hooked, you’ll understand why so many fans have stuck with it for decades.
Final Thoughts
Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter isn’t just a remake, it’s a celebration of everything that makes the Trails series special. It’s welcoming to newcomers, rewarding for longtime fans, and filled with heart at every turn. From its faithful storytelling to its refreshed visuals and cleverly modernized combat, this remake does exactly what it should: it preserves the magic of the original while making it shine brighter than ever. If you’ve ever looked at the Trails series and thought, “I don’t know where to start,” this is your answer.
A PS5 review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
If you want to see more content like this and never miss one of our frequent gaming and anime giveaways come and Follow Ani-Game on Twitter.
9
- + A really well handled and respectful remake
- + The modern combat system really helps the gameplay flow
- + Great story and characters
- + Amazing soundtrack
- - Would have loved if it was fully voiced
- - Story pacing still takes some time to really ramp up
