Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a captivating JRPG that I managed to complete without ever feeling like quitting. That said, there is an overwhelming amount of dialogue—much of it feeling empty or disconnected from the main narrative—to the point where I ended up skimming through most of the NPC chatter and casual banter.

The remake shines in its presentation. The art direction and soundtrack are beautiful, and the combat system is engaging and strategic. I played on normal difficulty and found the main story to be reasonably challenging without requiring any grinding, although I did complete most of the side quests.

This game leans heavily into classic anime tropes, so go in with that expectation. There are plenty of eye-roll-worthy, trope-heavy scenes, and I often felt like the game wasn’t really aimed at a 30+ player like myself. During many of these moments, I genuinely questioned why I was still playing. However, despite this, the game is filled with enjoyable elements that kept me going until the end.

While I didn’t enjoy the constant micro-level chatter and slice-of-life storytelling, I did enjoy the macro-level narrative. The broader story, world-building, and setting are strong enough that I believe this game does an excellent job of setting the stage for the rest of the Trails series. The slice-of-life elements can largely be ignored without harming your understanding or enjoyment of the world, which is why I’m willing to give Second Chapter a chance.

Overall, I’d give this game an 8/10. It’s not the “masterpiece” many claim it to be, but as a remake of the game that originally launched the Trails franchise, it does a very solid job of modernizing the experience while successfully laying the foundation for everything that follows.

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a captivating JRPG that I managed to complete without ever feeling like quitting. That said, there is an overwhelming amount of dialogue—much of it feeling empty or disconnected from the main narrative—to the point where I ended up skimming through most of the NPC chatter and casual banter. The remake shines in its presentation. The art direction and soundtrack are beautiful, and the combat system is engaging and strategic. I played on normal difficulty and found the main story to be reasonably challenging without requiring any grinding, although I did complete most of the side quests. This game leans heavily into classic anime tropes, so go in with that expectation. There are plenty of eye-roll-worthy, trope-heavy scenes, and I often felt like the game wasn’t really aimed at a 30+ player like myself. During many of these moments, I genuinely questioned why I was still playing. However, despite this, the game is filled with enjoyable elements that kept me going until the end. While I didn’t enjoy the constant micro-level chatter and slice-of-life storytelling, I did enjoy the macro-level narrative. The broader story, world-building, and setting are strong enough that I believe this game does an excellent job of setting the stage for the rest of the Trails series. The slice-of-life elements can largely be ignored without harming your understanding or enjoyment of the world, which is why I’m willing to give Second Chapter a chance. Overall, I’d give this game an 8/10. It’s not the “masterpiece” many claim it to be, but as a remake of the game that originally launched the Trails franchise, it does a very solid job of modernizing the experience while successfully laying the foundation for everything that follows.