Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Exceeded My High Expectations
1st Chapter sets a fine example for remakes.
Remakes can be a contentious thing among fans. Stray too far from the original, and you risk ruining what fans once loved about it, but sticking too closely can leave them feeling outdated. It's a rare remake that walks the fine line between this, yet Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter does so with incredible grace.
There's no denying that Trails is one of the biggest commitments in modern gaming, given that it spans 13 main RPGs across four major arcs, several spin-offs and now, a remake. Kicking this all off back in 2004? The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. While it didn't get localised in the West until 2011, Nihon Falcom hit the ground running, and that's only grown ever since.
However, until now at least, the Sky trilogy had always been a noticeable absence on modern consoles compared to its predecessors. It's only readily accessible on PC these days. Some retroactive gap-filling by NIS America elsewhere made this absence more apparent, all while Nihon Falcom teased its interest in bringing it back for modern platforms.
Given how Zero and Azure got direct ports, I expected the Sky Trilogy would get the same treatment. A full remake was genuinely surprising, and a year since that announcement, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is finally here. Yet, despite my love for these games, I worried this might feel like a step back after playing more recent entries, namely Trails Through Daybreak and its sequel.
When a series gradually evolves with this many entries, returning to the start risks feeling like a step back. Certain gameplay features you've become accustomed to might not be present, and I worried Trails in the Sky might suffer from this same issue. As a big series fan, my expectations were already high, and 22 hours later with 1st Chapter, I'm thrilled to say I had nothing to be concerned about.
What's here is an incredibly faithful remake that still modernizes the Trails in the Sky exactly where it counts, delivering a 3D version of this story with gorgeous visuals - I've never seen a better-looking Falcom game. That's before getting into the quality-of-life upgrades, too. Optional events and collectable items that could be easily missed in the past are now clearly marked, and the UI is much cleaner.
Relatable on both counts
Having reached the third chapter, its compelling storyline has been recreated as closely as you could hope for; no excess filler or sudden divergences like we've seen in Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth. Estelle remains one of the best protagonists in this series, and there's such a fantastic group of personalities across this cast. All while delivering that first-class world-building I've come to expect from this series.
Much like Daybreak, 1st Chapter also utilises a hybrid combat system that's a fitting evolution on before. Whereas the original Sky trilogy exclusively uses turn-based battles, 1st Chapter lets you swap between that or an action RPG approach, where you can fight monsters in real-time on the field - bosses and major fights excluded. It's perfectly balanced without taking away the original's spirit.
It's been a few years since playing the original RPGs, and I couldn't be happier that Trails in the Sky is precisely how I remember it with 1st Chapter. Providing it sticks the landing, this is some of Nihon Falcom's best work yet and a shining example of how to modernize an older game. With a Second Chapter remake also confirmed, I cannot wait to see how this continues.
For more of my Trails thoughts, you can find my previous feature on the series music below.
Henry Stockdale
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