Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter PS5 Review. It’s been a year since the Remake of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter set a standard for the Legend of Heroes franchise. One of the best RPGs of last year gets its sequel with 2nd Chapter, and it’s just as good, if not better, than its predecessor. GungHo takes all the great things from 1st Chapter, improves on them, addresses issues, and adds even more quality-of-life features.
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter PS5 Review
A Tale For The Ages
2nd Chapter takes place right after the events of 1st Chapter as Estelle heads off to become an even better bracer while investigating the mysterious organization known as Oroborous. I won’t delve into the game’s story too much so as not to spoil the events of the first game and 2nd Chapter.
The cast from the first game returns from Agate to Tita. The fantastic characters are among the standouts of the game and the franchise. Once again, you switch between party members as events unfold, which has become a staple of the franchise. Players who joined the franchise after the Sky trilogy or even the Cold Steel series will also recognize characters who appeared later, such as Renee as a child and even Walter, known to fans as the Direwolf.
There is a lot to love about the world and characters, and the game’s writing is as strong as ever. The game’s new translation and additional scenes build context for events while also adding plenty of emotional turmoil, and the 2nd Chapter has a lot of it. The 2nd Chapter’s story is much stronger and darker, with a more mature theme, and it deals with many more themes.
Don’t Fix What Isn’t Broken
As far as combat goes, not much has really changed between the 1st and 2nd chapters. You can still attack enemies in a more action-based combat system, doing damage and breaking them before jumping into the more traditional turn-based combat.
Turn-based combat sees you choose from Craft Attacks, Arts Attacks, or your standard basic attack, defend, or item use. Your Craft attacks rely on your Craft Points and what you’ll be using the majority of the time. These attacks can knock enemies down, delay their attack, and even break them, allowing you to pull off a follow-up attack or a team attack that uses Break Point.
Arts still take time to cast, and you can be interrupted by enemies in the middle of casting an Art. Arts matter because they can exploit an enemy’s weakness to various elements.
Though combat is largely unchanged, it has received a few tweaks. Animations and animation effects have been improved. Utilizing the same attacks and crafts you used in the 1st Chapter, you’ll find some new effects and animations.
The game’s difficulty has also been improved. 1st Chapter had a lot of difficulty spikes. Even turning the difficulty down to easy, people still had trouble with a lot of the game’s encounters. 2nd Chapter’s difficulty has been better balanced this time, allowing everyone to really enjoy the great combat the franchise has become known for.
Quality Of Life Improvements Through Combat and Exploration
As you explore, you’ll recognize a lot of the locations from 1st Chapter. Though there are plenty of new places to visit, a lot of 2nd Chapter takes place in Liberl. The same location the 1st Chapter took place in, so you’ll trek through a lot of familiar ground.
Like the game’s combat, exploring has also gotten some tweaks. Enemies now hide in breakable vases and crates that can surprise you when smashed. Some crates and material stones take multiple strikes to break, now providing even more rewards with each strike.
Facing off and defeating enemies in the game’s action combat is easier now, as most enemies aren’t damage-spongy. Some enemies can also trap you in a fog or swarm, forcing you to smash the dodge button to try and break out as other enemies are attacking you.
Plenty Of Side-Missions That Lack Depth
2nd Chapter’s side missions haven’t been improved. Most of them are fetch quests that have you find specific items or hunt down monsters. They’re still worth doing as they help improve your Bracer Rank to earn powerful Quartz.
Some new activities, like fishing, have been introduced, allowing you to complete fishing challenges and acquire fish to cook meals. Cooking has also improved, now providing permanent stat boosts for the party when you cook a new dish for the first time.
Dungeons have also gotten an improvement. The dungeons are more detailed this time around, with more puzzles to solve and contraptions to activate to open new paths and secrets. They also take much longer to get through, with much better rewards.
Gorgeous Anime Visuals With A Stellar Cast And Soundtrack
The Orbel system has been a staple in the franchise from the first game, The Trails in the Sky, to the last release, Trails through Daybreak. Sadly, not much has changed here either. The Orbel system still sees you place Quartz into slots that unlock Arts for you to use. You can upgrade each slot one more time to socket even more powerful Quartz.
Visually, the game is just as striking as it was with 1st Chapter. The character models look great, and the monster designs are fantastic. The game features many more action-packed cutscenes. Combat effects shine through, and each attack looks like a cinematic finishing move.
Voice acting is once again top-notch, with everyone returning to reprise their roles from the franchise. The cast delivers an emotional story brilliantly. The soundtrack is also just as strong as it was in 1st Chapter, but it also has a lot of the same tunes present in the towns and fields you explore from the first game.
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter continues the fantastic remake of the Trails in the Sky trilogy. Though not much has changed, the quality-of-life improvements are welcome. The game’s story is incredible and should be experienced by every JRPG fan, and once again, 2nd Chapter delivers one of the best combat systems on the market.
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter releases on September 17th, 2026, on PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2
Review code kindly provided by PR