Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Review

The Legend of Heroes fans have had it good for a long time now, with consistently great entries into the Trails franchise releasing fairly frequently. But it all started with one game, released over 20 years ago for PC. Now, developer Falcom has returned to this title for a full-on remake: Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. Is this a faithful retelling of Estelle and Joshua’s first adventure, or is this a poor imitation that fails to capture the charm of the original?

The story remains practically untouched compared to the original, although it does expand on more of the dialogue sequences thanks to a rewrite of the script to be more faithful to the Japanese version. If you’re a newcomer to the series, then this is the perfect starting point, seeing as the Sky trilogy precedes the Zero/Azure and Cold Steel titles.

1st Chapter centres around our two main protagonists: Estelle Bright and her adoptive brother, Joshua. Upon joining the Bracer Guild (an organisation tasked with protecting and serving the citizens of Liberl) as Junior Bracers, the two journey across the kingdom in hopes of reaching Senior status. Things start out simple for the pair: slay a few low-level monsters, rescue a missing cat, and so on. When their father, Cassius, goes missing, the pair and their band of party members recruited along the way hope to uncover the truth behind his disappearance.

With this being a Trails game, you best believe the story takes on many twists and turns, featuring uptight military organisations, shady characters, and mysterious groups scheming the end of the world. Overall, it’s the same engaging, rich narrative fans of the original version know and love. It can feel like a slow burn at times, particularly when entering a new town and building a reputation with the local Guild branch, but these calmer moments do a fantastic job in fleshing out the characters and the world-building.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that this is Falcom’s best-looking title to date. Whilst Trails in the Sky FC was viewed from an isometric viewpoint, with sprites roaming around pre-rendered environments, 1st Chapter gives everything a modern overhaul. I’ll always have a soft spot for the original's aesthetics, but 1st Chapter gives players a chance to view Liberl in full 3D for the first time ever. Exploring towns like Grancel and Ruan feels familiar yet completely new thanks to the updated graphics engine, and the world as a whole is much more alive because of it.

This is just as true when it comes to the characters themselves. Animations — especially in battles — are fluid and help give emphasis during dialogue sequences. Every area and character design is vibrant and full of personality, and as I said, I’ll always love how the original games look, but this gave me a similar feeling to when I played Final Fantasy VII Remake for the first time.

The newly remixed soundtrack does a wonderful job in making the game sound on par with the new look of the game, although purists do have the option to swap to the Evo or original versions if they so wish. When it comes to voice acting, almost every scene is now fully voiced! There are a few occasions when dialogue will be text only, and the lip-synching doesn’t always match up to what’s being said, but hearing so many characters speaking for the first time was a true delight.

Gameplay, like most RPGs, is split into two distinct sections: exploration and combat. Travelling around Liberl will take you to all sorts of places, from small hamlets and lakeside inns, to murky dungeons and mysterious ruins. Visiting Bracer Guilds allows Estelle and company to pick up quests, with the new fast travel system helping to reduce the amount of backtracking tedium should you decide to complete everything the game has to offer.

Where 1st Chapter truly shines, though, is in its combat system. Similar to the more recent Daybreak entries, you have the choice of taking on foes found in the overworld in turn-based or real-time combat. The real-time encounters (or Quick Battles, as they’re called in-game) allow the characters to use a series of quick combos and certain Crafts in order to dispatch enemies. You won’t deal as much damage or have your full range of Art and Craft moves, but it speeds things along when facing off against weaker adversaries. That said, you can switch to the slower, more methodical system at the push of a button, resulting in a seamless transition to the more traditional turn-based combat.

Turn-based battles are where the more advanced mechanics are at, and are best used for tougher opponents or for planning ahead. Working similarly to how the franchise's combat always has, the protagonists and their opposition will take turns dishing out damage, defending, healing, and so on. A bar on the left-hand side of the screen dictates the turn order, with certain attacks pushing characters up and down the queue, as well as adding random buffs such as health recovery or Arts costing zero EP to use that turn. The Trails series has always had great turn-based mechanics, and that's no different here. This isn’t a complete overhaul and feels very familiar, but why change what isn’t broken?

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a superb remake of one of the finest RPGs I’ve ever played. A beautiful recreation that loses none of the charm of the original, and is one of Falcom’s best games to date. Whilst the narrative takes a while to really get going, this is undoubtedly still a wonderful journey worth experiencing. Fingers crossed for 2nd Chapter soon!