#Trails through Daybreak II

[shezgaming]

[rehncohro]

The games I'm looking forward to the most next year.

[trails-inthe-sky]

Really, NISA? I can add 7954 more items to my cart?

[satoshi-mochida]

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II coming west in early 2025 - Gematsu

NIS America will release The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG in early 2025 in the west, the publisher announced.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II is currently available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch in Japan and Asia, as well as PC via Steam in Asia.

Here is an overview of the game, via NIS America:

[Possible spoilers for Trails through Daybreak 1]

About

No longer threatened by the mafia organization Almata, the people of Calvard have returned to their peaceful lives. But one day, a shocking series of murders involving a mysterious crimson beast sets the wheels of fate in motion once again. Various factions spring into action – both those who abide by the law to uncover the truth and those looking to capitalize on any new developments wherever possible, no matter how sinister. With chaos once again looming on the horizon, the spriggan Van Arkride receives an unexpected visitor, prompting his own investigation. Who is behind the murders, and what is their goal? The sands of time bring old and new faces together for this thrilling second installment in the Trails through Daybreak saga.

Story

Year 1209 of the Septian Calendar. The threat posed by Almata has passed. Peace has finally returned to Calvard. And, for a time, that peace goes uninterrupted—until a CID special forces unit is slaughtered by an unknown assailant. With authorities working to contain the situation, criminal forces take the chance to make their own moves. Meanwhile, a spriggan by the name of Van Arkride begins his own investigation—after prompting from an unexpected visitor. Who could be responsible for this massacre? What was their objective? And how does it all relate to Agnes’ search for the eighth Genesis? A crimson beast’s roar. A chance meeting with a boy and girl, both embroiled in a mysterious search. These are the circumstances that lure Arkride Solutions down the trail of an inescapable fate.

System

Battle System – The game builds on the seamless transition between field battles and command battles introduced in the previous game with new mechanics that can be used in both: Cross Charge & EX Chains! Mastering the use of these two combo mechanics can provide you with overwhelming firepower to use against your opponents.

Cross Charge – If you manage to Perfect Dodge an enemy’s attack during a field battle, the Cross Charge icon will appear! Pushing the correct button while the icon is on-screen will swap in another party member, who will simultaneously execute a charge attack on your foe! As a bonus, the party member that you swap in will have enhanced attack power for a period of time.

EX Chains – EX Chains can be activated by fulfilling specific conditions during command battles. Once these conditions have been met, using a craft or normal attack against a stunned enemy will automatically activate an EX Chain! This allows party members with SCLM activated to launch a simultaneous attack that will also impact nearby enemies, dealing massive damage.

Choose Your Chapters – Van and his collaborators will not always travel together during the events of Trails through Daybreak II. At times, some of the group may split off in order to take care of tasks in different areas of Calvard concurrently. Because of this, each act contains multiple chapters you can play in any order. Progress the story in the order you choose! Each chapter features a different cast of characters as we see their side of the act’s story play out. Once you’ve completed your chosen chapter, the next one will start up automatically.

Unique Missions – Certain chapters will feature missions that utilize the unique skillsets of the characters in that chapter’s party. For example, directly controlling the holo core AI, Mare, to hack the orbal network, or using Swin to silently tail a suspicious individual.

Characters

Van Arkride – The man at the head of Arkride Solutions. A lover of sweets, saunas, and orbal cars. Due to his job as a spriggan, Van has a tendency to take on legally-questionable jobs. However, the fact that he occasionally walks on the edge of the law does not preclude him from doing good by others—as is evidenced by his numerous personal contacts. While tracking down the Oct-Geneses at Agnes’ request, Van developed the ability to transform into an armored form known as the Grendel with the help of Mare, the holo core installed within his combat orbment. It was with this new ability that he was able to fend off the mafia group known as Almata. Having once terrorized the entirety of the Republic, Almata was eventually brought to its knees by the Arkride Solutions team during the fight for the Oct-Geneses. Upon the quelling of this threat, however, they decided to temporarily go their separate ways. Now left to himself in a less-than- lively office, Van is free to return to his lone-wolf lifestyle once more.

Agnes Claudel – A first-year at the prestigious Aramis Academy who currently serves on its Student Council. Despite her polite manner of speaking and at times meek demeanor, Agnes has shown great strength and determination while employed at Arkride Solutions—especially when facing off against the seedy underbelly of society. Agnes first met Van while searching for eight prototype orbments known as the Oct-Geneses, which she inherited from her great-grandfather. As thanks for taking on her request, she began working as one of Arkride Solution’s part-time assistants. At present, Agnes has recovered seven of the eight Geneses. Unfortunately, while continuing her search for the last remaining Genesis, she’s had no choice but to also divide her time between preparing for the Aramis Academy Festival and periodically helping out around Arkride Solutions. Regarding her relationship with Van, she both respects and admires him as her employer. However, she seems to be harboring some more amorous feelings for him as well…

Elaine Auclair – An A-rank bracer affiliated with the Calvard branch of the Bracer Guild. She is occasionally referred to by the moniker “Beauty’s Blade.” Due to her dignified beauty and masterful skill with a sword, Elaine tends to catch the eye of the media more often than not. Unfortunately, this also leads to talent agencies offering her contracts for modeling and acting—she always declines. Outside of being the poster girl for the Bracer Guild, Elaine has no present interest in joining the world of entertainment. During her high school years, she enjoyed a brief and fleeting romance with Van before he suddenly vanished without so much as a word. It was only recently, after seven years, that the two were able to reunite. Although their lingering feelings for each other have left their current relationship a bit tense, their time fighting Almata together was able to strengthen their bond once more. Some time after the events involving Almata and the Oct-Geneses, Elaine received word that the Central Intelligence Department’s elite Gamma Squad had been brutally murdered by an unknown assailant, and that a ‘crimson’ monster was spotted at the scene of the crime…

World

The Republic of Calvard – A large country located in the central region of the Zemurian continent. Its current leader is President Roy Gramheart. Due to the unfortunate circumstances created by the desertification of eastern Zemuria, Calvard has a substantial history of receiving both immigrants and refugees. The resulting mixture of cultures and ethnicities has made the country into something of a melting pot. One hundred years ago, Calvard was under the heel of its monarchal rulers. It was only after Sheena Dirke and her compatriots brought about a democratic revolution that the nation was transformed into a democratic republic. Though in constant conflict with Erebonia over the control of bordering regions, Calvard has recently been on the receiving end of reparations from the empire following the Battle of Jormungandr. These reparations enabled Calvard to enter a period of rapid growth and development, leading to its eventual overtake of Erebonia as the most powerful nation on the continent. Regarding the region’s recreational interests, recent technological advancements in orbal vehicles and filmmaking have caused a boom in both the motorsports and orbal cinema industries.

Messeldam – A moderate-sized city located in the north of Calvard. Due to its long-standing role as one of the Northern Sea’s major trading ports, Messeldam was often tasked during the days of monarchal rule with the delivery of imports to the capital of Oracion—along with fresh seafood, of course. Although the port remains active to this day, developments in airship technology have greatly diminished its significance. The city itself, however, remains an important gateway to Remiferia and its surrounding nations. Unlike Langport, Messeldam possesses very few tourist destinations. That being said, the townscape’s architecture tends to be quite popular with visitors, as its design has seen little change in the past century. The city’s Eastern and Central Eastern populations are fairly meager due to its geographical location. As such, it lacks a community that values cultural traditionalism. This has, fortunately, been a boon for Messeldam, as new art movements and customs are accepted with relative ease. It was this very attitude that led to the city serving as the venue for the Orbal Film Festival for a number of years, until its relocation to Tharbad in 1208.

Watch the western announcement trailer and a Trails series overview trailer below. View a set of screenshots at the gallery. Visit the official website here.

Western Announce Trailer

Trails Series Overview Trailer

[they-have-the-same-va]

Fie Claussell from the The Legend of Heroes series shares a voice actress with Amy from Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet - in both English and Japanese.

Voiced by Cassandra Lee Morris and Hisako Kanemoto

[fostersffff]

Feels kinda nuts to be actually caught up* with Trails for the first time since like 2018, especially I filled in everything I was missing between January and now.

So: Trails through Daybreak! Really good video game! Feels very much like Trails from Zero 2 in a lot of ways, largely in its story, which is something I feel like anyone who has played both would go "no duh". I absolutely love the iteration upon the combat system to make it more action oriented, and in general the minute-to-minute gameplay feels like it trucks along at a good pace.

Biggest problem is that it feels like the game that has the most filler, because that finale is just... not great. I griped about how long the post-game true actual finale of Trails into Reverie, but it didn't feel quite as "do that thing you just did again, with all the same characters, but really slowly", which just sucks, straight up, and that's how I'm coming away from the game.

Ultimately, I have reason to believe that for as much as I felt Azure was an improvement on Zero, Daybreak II will be a similar improvement on Daybreak, with my only concern being how much there is. That, and hoping it's a bit more evenly paced than Azure.

[himmelschenk]

Falcombros we won

[elmundotech]

Japanese Game Sales: Week of July 22-28, 2024

Konami's Powerful Pro Baseball 2024-2025 maintained its first-place position in Japanese game sales for the week of July 22-28, 2024, while five new titles made their debut.

Konami’s Powerful Pro Baseball 2024-2025 maintained its first-place position in Japanese game sales for the week of July 22-28, 2024, while five new titles made their debut, including One Piece Odyssey Deluxe Edition, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II, Reynatis, Disgaea 7 Complete, and Natsuzora no Monologue: Another Memory. One Piece Odyssey Deluxe Edition includes the main game…

[g4zdtechtv]

Cinematech's Trailer Park - The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II (Multiplatform)

A crimson beast’s roar. A chance meeting with a boy and girl, both embroiled in a mysterious search. These are the circumstances that lure Arkride Solutions down the trail of an inescapable fate.

[operationrainfall]

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II Announced

NIS America has announced that they’ll be bringing The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II to the West sometime in early 2025. A more specific release date has not yet been announced at this time. The game will be available for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store and GOG. Feel free to check out the announcement trailer down below and read some more about the…

[professoricepick]

Speculation on: Falcom ~ Anime Expo 2024 Special

Okay, so I know I made a biiiiiig deal last time about holding off on another one of these articles until we’re well into summer. Sadly, things didn’t work out quite the way I wanted them to. I was originally hoping that I could fold this into the upcoming CS3 journal… but that’s going to make its debut later than I originally intended. That being said, given just how much has changed since…

[meugamer]

Anime Expo: trará possível data de lançamento The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II

A Gematsu relatou um possível vazamento na PSN sobre a data de lançamento de The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II no Ocidente. A NIS America comunicou, por meio de sua assessoria, que estará presente com um painel no Anime Expo, que ocorre na próxima semana, de 4 a 7 de julho, em Los Angeles. Algumas de suas principais franquias terão demos jogáveis e cosplayers convidados…

[dragaorpg]

The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki - Farewell, O Zemuria recebe vídeo de abertura

A Falcom lançou o filme de abertura de The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki – Farewell, O Zemuria, que apresenta a música tema “Shiroi Sekai” da Falcom jdk BAND. The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki – Farewell, O Zemuria será lançado para PlayStation 5 e PlayStation 4 em 26 de setembro no Japão. O título é sequência de The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II que foi lançado em 2022 no…

[satoshi-mochida]

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II coming to Switch on July 25 in Japan

From Gematsu

Falcom will release The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II for Switch on July 25 in Japan for 4,800 yen, the company announced.

The Switch version will feature various optimizations surrounding functionality and controls, as well as a “High Speed Mode” and “Archive” feature. Players can set individual speed settings for field and command battles, and the Archive provides information such as character introductions, a series glossary, and a pre-story that looks back on the events of the first game.

First-print physical copies of the Switch version will include “The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II Triple Contents Set,” which features the “Van’s Exclusive Mishy Suit,” “Holow Core Voice [R.A. Monitoring Target],” and “The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Background Music Set.”

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II first launched for PlayStation 4 on September 29, 2022 in Japan and October 27, 2022 in Asia, followed by PC via Steam in Korean and Traditional Chinese on January 25, 2023.

Here is an overview of the game, via Asian publisher Clouded Leopard Entertainment:

About

The latest chapter in the Trails saga is finally here! The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki II -CRIMSON SiN- features a streamlined version of the battle system from its predecessor, which swiftly and seamlessly transitions from field battles to command-based turn battles, as well as the LGC Alignment system, which allows players to change their character’s three unique attributes (Law, Gray, and Chaos) according to their playstyle, influencing their status, the forces they fight with or against, and even how the plot unfolds! Furthermore, The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki II -CRIMSON SiN- is loaded with unique content, including a variety of new challenges throughout the Republic of Calvard.

Prologue

S.1209. After the threat of the mafia organization Armata was gone, the Republic of Calvard regained its former peace. But one day, in a corner of Edith City, a bizarre incident occurs in which a CID (Central Intelligence Department) special operations squad was found slaughtered. The Calvard Police and Bracer Guild begin investigating the matter. But sensing that a new time of chaos may come, underground factions also start making moves. Meanwhile, Spriggan Van Arkride also begins his investigation, kickstarted by a visit from an unexpected someone. Who is the culprit behind the massacre? Why did they do it? And what will happen to Agnes, who is searching for the Eighth Genesis, the last legacy of her great grandfather? The brutish roar of a crimson beast, and an encounter with a young boy and girl seeking “something” will lead them down a “Trail” that they cannot escape.

View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

[whatsabriard]

i. “There’s always time for recreation.” Jonathan supposed Jennifer’s choice of a flannel nightgown made sense, with the chilled desert nights. But the long sleeves and high neck didn’t really suit his purposes. He wanted skin against his palms and when he ran his hands up her thighs, he was pleased to find no cotton underthings barring his way. 

Jennifer’s chuckle was a victorious purr when he pulled the offending nightgown up and lobbed it into the far corner of their room. 

“Darling, what if I get cold?” Jennifer scolded, even as he burned a trail of kisses across her navel. 

ii. Jennifer did not get cold that night. 

As he had many times before, and as he would no doubt do for many many more nights to come, Jonathan more that succeeded in keeping her hot until near daybreak. The sun crept through the lace curtains to find her sprawled, limp and loose, across the quilt. Perspiration cooled on her skin and Jennifer idly wondered, through the haze, if she would even be able to ride today. 

She swept her hand across the bed and encountered Jonathan’s bare chest. She scraped her nails over his nipple as she fell into sleep.

[fostersffff]

Seeing rounds of people respond to NISA saying Trails through Daybreak is a great place to jump into the franchise with "NOOO! IT'S BY NO MEANS A GREAT PLACE TO START!!! WHAT ARE YOU SAAAYING!?!?! IT'S THE 11TH GAME IN A SERIES WITH A CONTINUOUS STORY!!!"

Listen: I understood when it was laughing at how Trails of Cold Steel III was advertised by NISA as "a great place to start", but everyone needs fuckin' relax here. If someone who has never played a Trails game sees Trails through Daybreak and thinks "wow, that's cool!", they are statistically unlikely to go "but before I check out this brand new thing I've never seen before, I will play 10 other RPGs first to make sure I have complete context, including a game that is literally older now than the first Dragon Quest was at the time of its original release". And if people keep saying "NO NO THESE GAMES CAN'T BE PLAYED WITHOUT THE FULL CONTEXT TO APPRECIATE EVER MINUTE DETAIL YOU NEED THOSE 10 OTHER RPGS!!!" they're much more likely to go "oh, nevermind then".

Like, as someone who played Cold Steel I and II before circling back to Sky and proceeding straight through from there, there were moments where I surely missed the impact of some characters showing up, or was a little confused about the why or how other things were happening. Not knowing that the weapon that deleted Garrelia Fortress was one of three giant robots didn't make that game unintelligable; if anything, it made the sudden appearance of the Panzer Soldats at the very end even more surprising. Yeah, I had no idea in what context Lloyd and Rixia showed up at the end of Cold Steel II, but the game just tells you "hey here's who these characters are" and I went "well, ok".

It is so much easier to entice people to get into a thing if they try the new hotness, and then go "woah, there's even more stuff in this series I can check out!?"

Or maybe they don't and just go forward from there, and that's fine too. Just don't actively tell people they gotta do like 800 hours of what will feel like homework to them before doing the thing they actually want to do.