Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter Review

When I complete a video game, I usually need to take a day or two to process my feelings about it. With Final Fantasy XIV, for example, finishing any of its new expansions will require me a few days of mental rebooting (alongside getting ready for raids or whatever), but generally during that period of time, I cannot think of starting or playing another game at all. My brain simply doesn't allow me to move on, even within the same series, until I feel fulfilled with my emotions — thinking over the game design, revisiting key story sections, or re-examining any loose threads in a story's plot. It is extremely rare for me to feel completely cathartic immediately after completing a game, and even rarer still for me to want to move on right away to the next title in a series. 

Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter was so good that I immediately purchased Trails in the Sky the 3rd, because developer Nihon Falcom has fully won me over with their back-to-back home runs with these remakes.

If you haven't played the original Trails in the Sky trilogy, and were wondering if the remakes are worth getting into, yes, they very much are. I have cried, cheered, and lost my mind in anger at some of the story revelations in this game, so I highly recommend you experience it for yourself.

I reviewed Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter  and most of what I talked about with regards to battle systems, RPG progression, and so on applies here as well. Trails 2nd Chapter adheres to the adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Only a handful of system adjustments are made so the game feels like a natural progression from Trails 1st Chapter.

After playing Trails 1st Chapter, I decided to not play the original second chapter of Sky, instead keeping myself fresh to enjoy the story as told to me via its remake. I was strong enough to wait the many months between the first and second remakes. I was not strong enough to do it again, and immediately bought the original release of Trails in the Sky the 3rd after completing this game.

Much of that is owed to the masterful storytelling and writing Falcom has displayed throughout both remakes. Trails 2nd Chapter is every bit as thorough and detailed as the first chapter, with things like NPCs gaining new dialogue options after nearly every major story beat or new, interesting characters appearing and entangling themselves in the web of deceit plaguing Liberl, but written in a way that naturally escalates from the foundations of the first chapter.

Estelle's newfound romantic feelings for Joshua often come into conflict with her duties as a Bracer, and watching her go through the trials and tribulations of young adulthood alongside protecting her home and saving the world was emotionally fulfilling.

While the writing is fantastic, of course, the story hit home much harder with all of the stellar voice work as well. Hearing Brianna Knickerbocker's Tita voice tear up with sadness and rage over a key story sequence with Agate had me tearing up as well, just as an example — in fact, hats off to all of the voice actors, who probably induced some tears from me at one point or another.

While the story takes great pains to neatly wrap up most, but not all, plot threads, the path to the finale isn't so neat and tidy. There are plenty of side quests to flesh out the nation of Liberl, alongside activities, like cooking and fishing, to boost your stats and get some extra items.

Backtracking through terrain you've already gone through is, unfortunately, still a chore, but one made much easier with the assistance of the High-Speed Mode. A handful of quests do have you revisiting areas repeatedly, and being able to speed the trip up by fast-forwarding through the monster-infested areas is definitely handy. 

However, even with High-Speed Mode, it didn't help the fact that the areas being revisited were the exact same areas as they were in Trails 1st Chapter. In a later chapter, a major event occurs that causes many areas to undergo some sort of environmental change — stronger monsters, downed airships, and so on — but prior to that, the world is the same as it ever was, despite the time since the events of the first game. While I understand that not a lot can be done to make, say, the cave between Zeiss and Ruan that much different, some changes would have been welcome to avoid some tedium. 

This is a minor nitpick, however, as the new areas you do eventually visit are both visually delightful and narratively interesting. New changes of scenery at some parts of the plot do a lot to spice up the environmental design relative to what players saw in Trails 1st Chapter. There's a proper escalation to it all.

I must also give props to the cutscene direction and animation teams. Seeing some animated sequences of key moments for the first time in this remake of Trails 2nd Chapter was genuinely jaw-dropping stuff. 

The musical score is still excellent, with many tracks returning from Trails 1st Chapter. While it can be irritating to hear "Rock on the Road" for the umpteenth time as you make your way through mountainous terrain, it does get balanced out by hearing tracks like "Silver Will" or "Hollow Light of the Sealed Land" utilized elegantly.

I can gush as much as I want about the cutscenes, the story, the music, how the game fluidly transitions from combat to story to fishing and more, but honestly the game just left me fulfilled. Trails 2nd Chapter gave me everything I needed to feel like I had a great time with the region of Liberl.

I got to watch characters like Estelle and Joshua grow, not just as adults but as love interests. I witnessed an entire ensemble filled with old and new characters operate together to make something magical — everything fantastical and silly and serious and emotional, all collected neatly into one of the most enjoyable RPG experiences I've ever had.

I love both of the Trails in the Sky remakes dearly, and Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter left me feeling fulfilled, completely. As a newcomer to the Trails series experiencing them through the first time with these new remakes, their story, characters, and gameplay systems helped me understand why people love and swear by this long-running RPG series. What hasn't got me feeling fulfilled is how much time and money I'll have to spend on the rest of the Trails series if I want to catch up. Right now, Falcom has got me hooked, and I can't wait for more remakes any longer. If you need me, I'll be trying to ignore my bank statement while exploring the rest of Zemuria.