The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
80
Metacritic
97
Steam
89.148
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$19.49
Release date
29 October 2015
Developers
Steam reviews score
Total
97 (2 624 votes)
Recent
100 (28 votes)

Picking up shortly after The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, Estelle travels across Liberl in search of Joshua. The journey involves more than seeking loved ones, however, as the Bracer Guild also tasks her with unraveling the mysteries behind the newly unveiled Society of Ouroboros.

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows XP
  • Processor: Pentium III 550 MHz
  • Memory: 512 MB RAM
  • Graphics: 32 MB VRAM, 3D accelerator compatible w/ DirectX 9.0c
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Storage: 4 GB available space
  • Sound Card: Compatible with DirectX 9.0c
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Reviews
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ponsey
ponsey

only thing i would change about this game would be to make it so estelle and joshua didn't both call cassius dad its kinda weird if you think about it too much

GingerNinja826
GingerNinja826

If you're looking for a fun turn-based rpg with an incredible story, look no further.

Just be careful, you will absolutely get sucked in to the Trails universe.

Actually, don't be careful. Get sucked in. You won't regret it

Freya
Freya

I've only played about 15 or so hours at the time of writing this, but I'm happy with the game. This game is certainly worth buying especially if you've bought the previous game. It's nice to see some old faces as well as some new ones as well. I hope to keep playing for as long as I possibly can when I get the time to.

Mythic_BeoWulf
Mythic_BeoWulf

Not even finished yet at this point but 30 hours in I've been hooked at start and especially after the cliffhanger from the previous game. Play the first game before this one. The entire series is amazing. Easy recommend for fellow JRPG lovers

Misfit
Misfit

Boggled down a bit by old JRPG mechanics and slow pacing at times, but otherwise a must play masterpiece. Sky SC masquerades as a typical JRPG story featuring a motley group of heroes taking down the big bad, but at its core is really just a simple love story. Considering how this is the first arc of a very long ongoing series of games, I think it's brilliant how they grabbed players into the world with Sky's own unique self-contained plot, while still introducing the audience to the wonderful world of Zemuria.

Sora Wo Miagete (空を見上げて)

plchung
plchung

Both the story and the gameplay is great. I do hope that they can re-make this game with modern graphics and voice backing.

NightHawk8P
NightHawk8P

What a fantastic, enjoyable experience. There is a lot to love between Trails in the Sky 1 + 2. The characters, story, orbment/quartz system, combat, the bracer guild... this game has a lot of good in it.

I definitely have a laundry list of small quibbles with it, but they're all minor. Easily at least an 8/10. It was a very enjoyable experience. Would definitely recommend.

Isaiah
Isaiah

Play the first chapter before playing this one as this is a direct continuation. The plot is more lackluster than the first one, but the game answers almost all of the questions left open from the first game. It's worth playing if you liked the first game.

GARcher
GARcher

Hoshi no Arika is stuck in my head even harder now

九羅師 K
九羅師 K

Legend of heroes lover will like it.

BlackStarGabusGaben
BlackStarGabusGaben

Pretty much similar to Trails in the Sky FC (because the game was so huge, it was split into 3 parts, hence SC standing for Second Chapter, hence why it's very similar to FC)

This is a very good jRPG game that offers very challenging gameplay with an engaging story, helped by excellent characters, dialogue and excellent music, as well as well executed visual placing that still holds up despite the Trails in the Sky SC's age.

Even Despite questionable gameplay design choices (even with, again, the game's age taken into account) and the story a few times being a bit too twee, this is highly recommended if you enjoyed the firs (of course, if you didn't like FC, there's no way you're liking SC.)

Rating: 8/10

Forinil
Forinil

Like its predecessor, one of a few games I finished more than once. In my opinion, it's even better than the first chapter as the player finally gets to confront the mastermind behind the events of the last game - and gets a lot of character development for every playable character and many NPCs.

Also like its predecessor, I finished it without a problem on my Steam Deck, despite it being supposedly unsupported. Even that annoying bug in the final chapter of the game, which makes it impossible to proceed using a controller, is not a problem - Steam Deck allows for changing the controller mappings on the fly, so all I had to do is to switch to mouse-emulation one for a couple seconds to get past the broken dialogue option.

Eisen
Eisen

My thoughts on this game are complicated. On one hand, the highs this game reaches far surpass anything from FC. On the other, the story can drag a bit too much in some parts for my liking. Overall, I still highly recommend it, though do be warned. Playing this directly after clearing FC is not advised.

JunoLK
JunoLK

please, please play this game
(and the first. don't forget that one)

Dr.Doctor
Dr.Doctor

Wow, the writing is so much fun. KUDOS TO THE TRANSLATION TEAM. Your cries of suffering from taking on this monumental translation task have been heard (from treasure boxes)!!!

Memento
Memento

This is the greatest game ive ever played

bryansutton321
bryansutton321

The story is pure Greatness!!! The battle system is pretty good to, I love this series.

averagekid18
averagekid18

You know what they say,"It's about the journey, not the destination."

<D-X>DarkDragoonX
<D-X>Dar…

Great series so far. Loving the story.

Kevmon1234
Kevmon1234

I love the story in the Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (start at FC/first chapter, then SC/second chapter, then the 3rd). The music in the game is pretty good too.

SpinBotter [BROKEN]
SpinBotter [BROKEN]

I bet this is the best game of the trilogy. While the graphic surely isn't new, this game brings new mechanics to the gameplay and it's a really well-thought sequel to the previous game.

Horogium
Horogium

amazing sequel even better than the first game, great soundtrack and great characters definitely worth a play

Ragulliom
Ragulliom

Trails in the Sky SC: The Society Strikes Back

Sharkkasm
Sharkkasm

What if you
Wanted to one shot my entire party

But Kevin said:
I HOLD IN MY HAND THE CHALICE, MAY IT'S HOLIEST OF LIGHTS ACT AS OUR SHIELD

Ryucothea
Ryucothea

one of the best JRPG I have ever played

watnic
watnic

Best writing in a JRPG that I have ever seen

Cheddar Goblin
Cheddar Goblin

I don't think a game has ever made me smile and cry this much.

Toon663
Toon663

It's very good. 2nd Game in the Trilogy, with a slow to start story that continues to get better.

dagriefaa
dagriefaa

See my review for Trails in the Sky FC.
It's not like the sequel is suddenly worse or something.

T[OB]ias
T[OB]ias

One of the best story telling I've ever seen in a video game. I've grown so fond of the characters in the first game. If you've finished the first game, you shouldn't need convincing to play this and I highly recommend you
read every single peace of dialog in the game. Making it very long and not super action packed but oh so story rich!

sheyner
sheyner

So I just finished the game and I may be the happiest man alive with eyes full of tears.
Trails in the sky and trails in the sky sc are among few games that made me THIS emotional and invested in characters.
The game does what it need to do and, may I say, does it gracefully.
Some of the most ineresting characters I've met.
Great soundtarck, that amplifies all events.
Remarkably written story.
Carefully builded world.
Heartwarming character relationships and interactions that interwine between each other and make a grander plot.
As jrpg Trails in the sky are very friendly and welcoming, even if you didn't play any game of the genre.
I hope many more people will discover this gem of a game. Trust me, you will get involved very fast and you will love it for one or another aspect.
I guess 10/10, would definetly fall in love with it again.

Aubeary
Aubeary

Masterpiece of a game. Great way to finish the story after FC. The combat upgrades go a long way in keeping the experience fresh as well.

Dread Mirror
Dread Mirror

A perfect sequel?

If you enjoyed the first game then getting the Second Chapter is pretty much mandatory since it's an improvement in basically every possible aspect.

+

+ Camera on open fields is a bit further away so the visibility is better.
+ More combat possibilities due to the existence of the upgraded orbments that allow the usage of 2nd and 3rd grade quartz.
+ Music library got expanded as well. There are some known themes since the game still takes place in Liberl, so you'll be visiting the towns from the first game, but there are some new compositions and they're amazing.
+ The game now has a party switching system, so you can take on missions whoever you like and it's like that throughout most of the game. Now, the best part about this is: Dialogues actually change depending on who you currently have in your party. The changes aren't that significant, but the fact that developers didn't mute secondary characters in the important events deserves recognition. Actually, even calling them "secondary" characters feels unfair because they all feel alive.
+ The writing in this game, good god. Second Chapter is a direct continuation of the first game and it's pretty crazy how many connections there are between the two games. It feels like the developers created the whole story even before releasing the first game, everything is connected in such a perfect way that I simply refuse to believe they winged it. There's just no way.

-

- However, here's my very (and I mean very) subjective worry about the Trails In The Sky as a whole. The story, the characters and the writing, everything is so good that paradoxically it makes me anxious. Here's the thing about the characters for example: The antagonists in the Second Chapter, the members of Ouroboros, were actually the weakest part of the whole game in my opinion, which is just weird because the whole game is about them. They gave off the typical "Hurr durr I'm a bad person so I need to do bad things hurr durr." vibe. Sure, they have a common goal but as individual characters they lack depth when you compare them to the protagonists. The reason why I still absolutely loved this game is because I'm willing to give the developers the benefit of the doubt and I expect the enforcers backstories to unfold in the later entries of the series. Which is scary if you really think about it, because if they don't, I will be really disappointed. The game is consistently amazing so every shortcoming will hurt twice as hard. And that's my biggest worry. I'm simply worrying about the drop in quality, in the character development and worldbuilding departments. It's the: "The higher they fly, the harder they fall" situation.

I loved Second Chapter even despite that one scary thought floating in my mind. Trails In The Sky is a series that reminds me why I fell in love with jRPG's in the first place and it's just the second game out of like what... twelve? Bruh.

And so, the journey continues.

controvi
controvi

After having played Trails of Cold Steel 1, 2 and started with 3, I felt like I was missing history in this world.
I wanted to know more.
So I went back and started Trails In The Sky First Chapter. Finished that and couldn't stop there.
I went directly into this game and I can not overstate how good it is.

So for starters, just like the first chapter the game is a bit of a slowburner.
And don't get me wrong, being a slowburner in this case makes a lot of sense and makes the game that much better.

The game goes on right were FC left off. Estelle having to deal with Joshua leaving.
With the mindset to get him back at her side once more, she sets out with familiar characters from the first game to seek Joshua out.
Of course she is a Bracer and has her duties in that regard and through many things happening in the world that seem unrelated at times, you find out Ouroboros isn't done with Liberl yet.

The game does nothing new or different from the first game, aside from some small gameplay mechanics like the orbment tiers.
You can now upgrade your orbment slots which means you can insert higher tier Quartz.

But apart from that, the style, setting, story telling the game plays exactly the same as the first one.
This however, is also definitely not a bad thing as the games does a great job keeping you invested in the game without jumping to completely different gameplay from 1 game to another. This makes it far more easy to jump in to this game straight away from the first game.

Story wise the game shines like little other games have done for me.
The characters are really good and for such a large cast of supporting characters they all feel different and all have their own history. The further you progress through the game, the more you learn about them and Estelle's own history.

You visit all the places throughout Liberl and meet almost all the characters from the first game again in one way or another.
Much like the first game the story is cut into different section which all have their own little plot that eventually move into the bigger picture. The tensions rise with each chapter as, I at least, started to feel more and more foreboding of something really bad happening towards the end.

One thing I want to give special attention to, is the world building.
They way the creators of the story have made this world full of history is an art form in and of it self.
The way the politics works and how you can hear and read up on its history with the other countries surrounding Liberl.
The way each region of the Liberl has its own setting and vibe. The queen and how she got there. The way the game keeps hinting to Ancient Zemurian civilisation and how not much is know about it.

When you play this game and read up on all the lore, or even if you don't and just follow the main story, you will feel like there really is a world out there. That the world in the game isn't just about the main characters but also filled with other things happening.

One of the things I really like about this game, is that the Bracer guild isn't just you.
In the first game this also happened and it isn't different here.
You walk into the guild building and talk to the receptionist. During your talk you might hear of that some other bracers have solved some issues that that branch of the guild was having.
Or you walk into a guild and some bracer friends from another party walk out, telling you they are off to fight some monster.
Sometimes they even have valuable info on stuff related tot he main story that they are helping out with in different parts of the country.
Those things make it that you don't feel alone. In this game I feel like I am not doing all the work alone. And that makes the story that much more believable.

Which is the main thing this opinion/review is about.
The game world is believable!
The way npc's talk before and after certain story points makes it look like the npc's know the world is a little different now. instead of repeating the same phrase from minute 1 to the end credits.
The supporting characters are not waiting for you, but instead you often hear or see them doing stuff on their own to help find out what is going on and keep the country safe.
They enemies don't sit still and there is hardly any "last minute save" going on. Sure it is a heroes story but you feel you are hardly strong enough to do anything to the Enforcers during the game.

For anyone who can enjoyed the first game, this game continues to build on the story and expands the world to the Trails series.

NOTE:
I have played the first 2 games of Trails of Cold Steel so I have had hints at what has happened in Liberl so I am waiting for that moment.
Which ups the tension even more.

Darrell231
Darrell231

Still the best game in the series even ten games in. Estelle is the best.

kilimaro
kilimaro

The sequel to Trails in the Sky feels enough like playing the second half of a game that it's exciting and it also feels enough like its own different game that you won't get bored. Although we're treading over all of the same ground as in the first game and thus robbed of the sense of charm and discovery of Estelle and Joshua's bracer training, what we get instead is the unfolding of a mystery and the growth of Estelle and her friends from the first game as characters. Play it with a guide! The 100% experience is worth it.

Some things are lost a bit in the sequel. This game doesn't quite have the same "talk to every NPC in town after you finish every mission!" vibrancy to the world as its predecessor did - though there are a few characters who are going on arcs through the whole game and even who have been on the same arc since the first game. The battle system is just similar enough that it would get really tedious to have a second game of it. You can sidestep this feeling in a big way by playing most random world battles with fast-forward activated. I found it relaxing to be able to speed through combat while on the way in between story scenes.

Asakura
Asakura

Most OP spell on the game: Earth Wall!

It's very very good game, get it!

Liham
Liham

Don't forget there is a patch for the voices from the evolution version !

Cyka
Cyka

Clock up Ex is your best friend in nightmare mode.

cosycerise
cosycerise

Trails in the Sky and Trails in the Sky SC - as a pair - are one of my favourite stories packaged into a video game, period.

I grew up in, arguably, the golden age of JRPGs coming to the West: FFVI, FFVII, Xenogears, Lunar: SSSC, Tales of Destiny, Suikoden I and II, just to name a few -- and I can definitively say that if I had played these games when I was first becoming a JRPG fan, these Trails games would've ranked top of my list for years and years after.

Now? Easily in my top 5 favourite video games. It's got everything I want in a JRPG: endearing characters, great story, lore, and worldbuilding, engaging combat, wonderful writing...

If you're a JRPG fan and have never played either of these games, do yourself a favour and grab them. If you're fortunate enough to get them on sale, for the game time each can give you, they're an absolute steal.

Modeus
Modeus

amazing game, amazing story. it's a must play.

Dranzah
Dranzah

Like the predecessor, nice JRPG.

MenjoBleeko
MenjoBleeko

Good, engaging story. Fun battle mechanics. Appropriate difficulty. Give it a shot if you like JRPGs - but start with the first one, as the stories are directly interrelated.

Lewis
Lewis

One of the best JRPGs of all time.

shinychespinthe
shinychespinthe

Loved this game and if you need a good RPG to take up your time this is the game. Play the first game though it's also absolutley amazing.

daredevil1460
daredevil1460

If you liked the first, then it's kind of a no-brainer to play this one.
Having played all of Cold Steel, I absolutely had to go back and do the Sky arc.
It's a slow burn, but if you've made it to SC then you already know, but trust me it's worth it.

RedBen
RedBen

Love the Trails series. This PC port is DOG CRAP. I've had nothing but problems with save files not working correctly, game resolution not displaying correctly. Game always crashing. This has got to be the WORST port over to PC I have ever experienced. I wish I could get a refund for this buggy mess of a game.

natsuxmeredy
natsuxmeredy

I love the power/magic/battle system in this game.

Juna S. Bright
Juna S. Bright

A fantastic sequel to the first game with a banging soundtrack.

DAY Vinci
DAY Vinci

one of the best game everrrrr!!!
Play Estelle game guys

Thank you Earth Wall and Clock up Ex

sirkennith
sirkennith

this is a good rpg very good story line I love this game it not boring 'just a fun game.

Cezille
Cezille

I'll try to be spoiler free! I'll be talking about my experience and how this made me feel.

ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND. I played the first game in a PSP many years ago, and waited for the third part to come out before buying this and the 3rd Chapter. And if you've played the first, this part is absolutely a must-play, if only to find out what happened to Estelle afterward (the story starts right after the ending of the first). Will she find Joshua and bring him back?

The music is mostly borrowed from the first, as well as many of the maps. You'll see The Towers again. The scenery will be familiar, but there are several new faces. There's a lot of looking back, into the pasts of not just Estelle and her friends, but also into some history. Pretty deep history, touching a bit on the relationships of the countries surrounding Liberl. AND MORE. There's still so much more to uncover.

ALSO FISHING. I didn't like that part as much. But what is a JRPG without it.

The battle system has a bit of an update too. Despite it being... rather tactical in nature (I fear tactics games because FFT whipped my a$s), it's (still!) fun and easy to understand. Almost too simple, but I like that. A bit of orbment and spell management, but nothing too complicated.

If the FC's ending left me bawling my eyes out, this left me feeling VERY satisfied. There are still some remaining Loose Ends, but it seems like Estelle's journey has probably come to a good close. So many feels. After a good sleep I think I'll tackle 3C right away lol.

℞𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚗♱ ▵
℞𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚗♱ ▵

Super boring so far, I liked the previous game although it was a little tedious.
This sequel is more of the same, there are few changes in the mechanics and it is filled with pointless chit-chat as much as the previous game, but for some reason I had a harder time dealing with it than before.
I think most people like it because the invested +40 hours in the previous game and they want to see how it ends. I might finish it later, but who knows.

marshi1981
marshi1981

Simply one of the most important and greatest JRPG's I've ever played.
The prior game to this story, Trails In The Sky first chapter is a great game, but even the biggest fan will tell you it's very slow, very "quaint" and the story only really begins to kick off into anything remarkable in the final act.
However, what it did was build a base for a world and characters that truly come to life in this game, the second chapter (SC from now on).
SC really is the second, much better, much larger scaled and more epic scaled half of the Trails in the Sky story. Yes there is a third Sky game but that feels much more like a sequel than this game does. SC in many ways IS the latter half of the first part of the Trails saga, one still going on now nearly 20 years later (See Trails of Cold Steel or the upcoming Trails From Zero).
The story is fantastic, gripping, incredibly emotional in places and so well written to boot. It has some of fiction's finest characters in my opinion and I feel the graphics, whilst simple, have a retro charm to them you rarely see nowadays.
The battle system is turn based, with some neat mechanics that enable you to change up the order you fight in to give you a chance. It takes elements from stalwarts like FFVII and FFX to make something that is still highly playable and fun, with a good amount of challenge that, again, seem missing from many mainstream JRPG's lately.
The music. Oh the MUSIC. Just youtube Soundteam JDK and thank me later.

Overall I highly recommend Trails In The Sky SC to anyone with even a passing interest in JRPG's and especially those who miss turn based battle systems or how the PS1 era JRPG's used to play.

I never score games because I feel you should make up your own mind on how good a game is, but if I had to, this would get a solid 9/10 from me.

Phoenix
Phoenix

Still here because of Cold Steel

Qoros
Qoros

Fully detailed story driven classic JRPG 5/5

Hikarii
Hikarii

At this point, its a crime that there isn't a game about Cassius. Dude's a legend.
anyway this was amazing from the start to the finish 10/10!!
onto the third!

SmashMaster
SmashMaster

Obviously, play the first Trails in the Sky game before this. If you finished that and liked it, you'll like this one too.

Squashyhex
Squashyhex

Second Chapter (took me far too long to realise that's what SC meant!) in the Trails in the Sky series, continues directly on from where you left off in the first game, and really builds on all the characters you've come to meet in the first game, both major and minor. The sheer amount of references to the first game for minor characters is astounding, the world building put into this series is just incredible.

Combat plays pretty much identically to the first game, you get to carry across your save and character level, so no stats reset here! But you will need to start again collecting orbments.

Glad to see they managed to keep up the quippy chests from the first game too, always check them a second time ;)

Babylon Redeemer
Babylon Redeemer

The more i play of this series the more i like it! I should have started up sooner.

I did encounter a minor bug with the dynamic text but there were solutions online to be found so no major deal.

Lewis W
Lewis W

TLDR: if you played the first game you don't need to read any review and you should have installed this one already or you will be in a hurry to do it. If you did not play the first one, go there and come back to buy that one as soon as you know you are hooked.

Things to love:

    • World building (all characters, even the most insignificant, have names, stories that you can follow, some are there to be loved, others to be hated, others you can understand and others will make no sense to you but only because they are well built and it's assumed that the player is intelligent)
    • The turn based combat is well made enough that don't just select items from a menu. You have to consider your position, different options depending on enemies and the situation. Attacks, Magic and martial arts are 3 different categories with their own characteristics and uses.
    • The games can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be because it's well balanced with your EXP points adjusting to make sure you are at the expected levels all the time, plus it's very possible to make "broken builds" or to give yourself challenges.

Things to consider (might be positive or negative for you):

    • The first trilogy is old school in the sense that you don't have any arrows or obvious indications as to where to go and what to do. You can very easily miss most of the content without realising it.
    • In combat, luck can have a lot of impact and sometimes you might lose because there was really nothing you could have done to win. It's not most of the time, but unless you are very careful it will happen to you. But even there, the game asks you if you want to quickly retry (without losing progress or having to waste time redoing anything) or even if you want to retry AND to weaken the enemies (some boss you might want to do that).
    • The 10+ games are clearly made for specific players and they are not trying one bit to please people at large. It means that if you are not a fan of JRPGs that one will not try to change your mind. Same thing if you are hoping that they will follow the trend of Final Fantasy in the graphics department.
    • There is A LOT to get to know and that can even easily be missed that can make you enjoy and get to know more about everything. The number of games is the least to worry about. But it's all worth it.
    • Making the previous point even more important: all the games stories are slow to build up. It's all worth it but expect the first game to be an introduction of 40+ hours and the next to be where it starts for real. Yeah that also means if you know you enjoy the game buy the next one before you finish it and install it because you will want to continue right as you finish the first one. No joke. I honestly would have felt really mad playing the first and having to wait for the years it took to get the second. Nothing against anyone, it's just a characteristic of those games.

Specific for that title:

    • There are things that did not age well, like controlling the menus. It gets fixed quickly in the following titles.
    • The next games get only better and better in graphics and features.
    • There is no voice acting for any of the story, only in combat.
    • This title has some of my favorite music, like the antagonists theme.
    • This is where the action starts for real and you know right there if you will want to play all the other games after this one.
    • It's more like part 2 of the same game. It's something that happens a lot in the following games. One to start, the next to complete the story.

eviltwin
eviltwin

One of my favorite RPGs ever. Fantastic story with tons of detail and love put into every corner of the world. The combat system is much improved over the first game, starting from the baseline of where the characters were at the end of FC and building on it from there. This is the game that made me fall in love with this brilliant series.

k3vblo
k3vblo

A little bit formulaic, but the characters are so good that ultimately it doesn't matter.

galaxyofgover
galaxyofgover

This game made me weep openly several times. 10/10 would cry again.

Xitomz
Xitomz

Amazing sequel of Trails in the Sky. A JRPG masterpiece.

𝐾𝑒𝑟𝑛
𝐾𝑒𝑟𝑛

play it on nightmare first run if you want to kick your bad habits from cold steel like me

tjc
tjc

Great 2nd entry to the Liberl arc. World-building on point. Estelle best MC. Kloe best royal. Tita and Renne best kids. Looking forward to the 3rd entry.

June
June

Max BP, after so long, my a-rank file is complete. welp, on to the next terrifyingly long trails game own. Cold Steel 3 here I come!

P.S. Weissmen is the worst.

PK ShyGuy
PK ShyGuy

Man, it'd probably be more reasonable to let my opinion settle before making a bold statement, but this series hasn't consumed my mind over the past several months for nothing. I spent a good 90 hours on Trails in the Sky SC only to come out thinking "yeah, this is one of the best games I ever played."

I've barely scratched the surface of this series yet and I'm both amazed at how I simultaneously feel like I've already found an absolute peak story and that there's still so much more to uncover in this series' lore. The world feels incredibly fleshed out thanks to the abundance of flavor text and dialogue but it never feels like every answer is just given to you as there are always hints of bigger, more sinister events taking place behind the scenes. Even though Trails is often seen as a slow burn, I never found myself bored with the story as I found it interesting to let my mind wander and guess where the story will go and I can't say I've experienced many games that strike such a rich balance.

The stakes of the story in SC are much higher than that of the first game and that game's set of already established characters are all given time to shine in some of their most emotional and badass moments yet. It definitely helped that most of the characters were likeable from the get-go but now they feel far more fleshed out with backstories being explored and development taking place throughout the story. I don't want to give too many details for the sake of spoilers but I'll let you know that this game left me speechless more than once. And that doesn't even get into Estelle and Joshua's relationship which was a huge emotional Rollercoaster throughout the game and led to some of the absolute peak of JRPG writing if I've ever seen it.

I am slightly disappointed that they mainly reused locations from the first chapter as I liked the new location the game starts out in, but I never found this to be a major hindrance as the aforementioned world-building gives each location enough depth to feel like fully realized settings and the new dungeons revealed in these previous locations contributes to the sense of mystery in this world. The combat similarly went through little change though I found it significantly more addicting this time around, but maybe that's because I actually made stuff resembling character builds and liked playing with the new arts/orbments. I'm almost inclined to do a second playthrough to experiment with more combinations, which rarely happens with RPGs for me.

Either way, I have no clue why it took me so long to try the Trails series. It doesn't really revolutionize the genre but the concepts, mechanics and storytelling are so well executed that I find it hard to call this game anything less than a masterpiece.

CAAZ13
CAAZ13

10 of 10 excellent game, Am I the only one Who cried when the ark was destroyed? my hearth couldnt stand the lost of that relic T_T

Jewell
Jewell

This game has a chest that condones you to unalive someone in the first 5 hours so that's how you know it's a good game.

Pinkspring
Pinkspring

I have the most advanced PC on the planet with the newest graphics card, and I now have 60 hours in a 20 year old game for the PsP.

Why?

IT IS THAT GOOD

YES I RECOMMEND IT

Tex
Tex

Great game and story with a great payoff especially after the first entry. Definitely worth the experience.

rshuler61
rshuler61

great game for those familiar with the series

Knight Sprite
Knight Sprite

Still better than Final Fantasy

Hart
Hart

So if you haven't played the first game don't play this game. If you have played the first game, then play this game. SC is mechanically almost identical with some minor improvements. In terms of story it wraps up the main narrative of the trilogy and while I still think it's weaker than the 3rd, I believe it's a step up from the last game so if you played the first game and are looking for more then this is perfect for you.

Jared
Jared

This is a massive improvement over the first game. While I didn't hate the first game it too frequently felt uneventful to the previous LoH titles I played (Tears of Vermilion and Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch); and I never felt the excuses of "world building" and "slow burn" were justified. I also found the combat to be very boring until the later quarter of the game.

That said, Trails in the Sky SC opens up hitting the ground running and doesn't stop. I didn't have any issues with the pacing, the combat was significantly better, and most if not all of the plot set-ups from the first game had great conclusions to them. I was also not bothered by the fact that you're in the same exact world as before with little to no real changes made. If any thing it made me feel like I was continuing the adventure instead of starting another. If I didn't have the 3rd game available to play I likely would have quickly started New Game + after beating it. Very satisfied with this game, and I have no issue recommended it.

Traias
Traias

the story get much interesting in this chapter

NiteZ
NiteZ

10/10, not even gonna leave a full review here, just play the damn game it's worth it I swear this on my life

TheTrailerArcanaVII
TheTrailerArcanaVII

trails is sexeh series; must play

CapnNoahJoJo03
CapnNoahJoJo03

Just beat the game, and oh man what a ride Trails in the Sky has been so far. I'm only gonna write one review for the first two trails games because I consider them to basically just be one big game. So, my first and biggest praise of trails is the world building. This is literally One Piece levels of buildup, with a really interesting world with lots of crazy history and unknown mysteries, and tons of really interesting characters we know frighteningly little about (like the Chancellor of Iron and Blood or "The Grandmaster"). The more central characters are all very likeable, each with their own defined personalities and amazing character development in many cases. The humor is also some of the best I've seen in a jrpg, and in particular I loved the chest messages and Olivier. The music is excellent, the combat is surprisingly in depth and interesting, and overall it's just a fantastic overall experience. It can be pretty slow, especially the first game, and no jrpg is complete without a couple tedious or frustrating sections, but I promise it's worth it. Next paycheck I'll be dropping the $111 on all the Trails of Cold Steel games cuz I'm in this til the very end!

Party_Joey
Party_Joey

This game was really good; just as good as the first. Despite using the same map as the first game, it still felt fresh and new as you were in the same places for different reasons. It builds off of the first game with a more user-friendly UI, better side quests, and a more expansive skill and battle system. The side quests in particular were great for me. When I play games, I don't often find myself doing side quests, however that was not the case with this game. It goes beyond just being kill or fetch quests, and ties characters from the last game and character moments within the party to them; it makes you feel as if you're actually making a difference, and that the world would not be the same had you ignored it. This feeling made me travel around Liberl extensively for side quests; something I would absolutely not be doing in other games. My only real annoyance with this game was that the final boss was pretty awful. The boss before it was much more difficult and fun, so the actual final boss being a brick wall that will pretty much not put you in any significant danger really hurts. I would have preferred if the second last boss remained the final boss, and the actual final boss was just a cutscene instead. It was just dragged out for way too long, and really hurt the quality of the ending for me.

MATTYUCK
MATTYUCK

you can play blackjack and it has olivier whats more to say

elmariachi88
elmariachi88

first off. a masterpiece. great storytelling, great character, great music, endearing artstyle and pretty good gameplay. buy this game and the game before this. you will not regret it.

i started playing trails series with cold steel for around 10 hours in. and i dont know how to describe it but i feel like something is missing. so i kind of lose interest and stopped playing.

THEN i realized its actually a series that spans from multiple arc, each of the story kinda tied to one another. so on a steam sale one day i decided to buy and play trails in the sky. Loved it. but that game was just a GIANT introduction.

from the very 1st chapter of sky SC, the story immediately grips you. moment after moment on each chapter makes me wanted more. the story never get boring ALL the way through the end which has a satisfying conclusion. not gonna talk more cause it'll be spoilers.

POINT IS, BUY THIS GAME ITS GREAT!

looking forward t play the other trails game, and eventually jump back to cold steel and beyond