The Trails series is no stranger to evolution. Since its 2004 debut, the games have undergone multiple engine changes, gradually shifting from nostalgic sprite work to full-on cinematic 3D action. When also considering the franchise’s impressive consistency, boasting 13 mainline entries across 20 years, the clear growth and inherent change developer Nihon Falcom has embraced has been nothing short of monumental.
I remember, way back in 2017, when Trails of Cold Steel III was first released, how dramatic the shift had been. Moving on from the first 3D entries seen in Cold Steel I and II, which were limited by PlayStation Vita hardware, Cold Steel III was a gargantuan jump that initially landed on PlayStation 4. Needless to say, character models, lighting, textures, resolution, and practically every facet you can ponder received a substantial facelift. It was during this game’s reveal that I first began to actively think about how the series’ origins would look in a modernized style.
Trails in the Sky Remake: From Fantasy to Reality
Of course, given how Falcom isn’t exactly a AAA developer, such a notion was more of a dream than anything else; a wondrous fantasy to dwell on occasionally. Yet, this apparent fantasy has been actualized in the form of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, a from-the-ground-up remake of the very first game in the series. Arriving alongside the still ongoing Calvard arc seen in the Daybreak saga, which featured a notable shift in engines, Falcom decided that the Sky remake should follow in its footsteps.
Besides vaster locations and enhanced visuals, the most evident of these incorporations resides in the presence of both action and turn-based combat. Naturally, this is a pretty drastic change from the only turn-based implementations seen in every game up until the first Trails through Daybreak. So, all in all, there has been no shortage of speculation and anxiety for the Sky remake from dedicated fans, and I’ve been no different. While I’m not a diehard fan of this specific saga like many others, I do still have an intense over-decade-long attachment to its compact world that I feel genuinely protective of.
All of this hype and build-up has finally led to the game’s release just next month. Yet, before its simultaneous worldwide launch, marking the first-ever time both Western and Japanese fans can enjoy a new Trails release together, a generous free demo has made its way to digital stores. Featuring the entirety of Sky FC’s rather lengthy prologue, this extensive trial provides more than enough opportunity for newcomers to see if this series is for them, and whether veteran fans are open to the changes in place.
Having had the chance to play through this expansive demo myself, I am wholeheartedly and unabashedly significantly more compelled by what Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter has in store, as it easily has the potential to be one of the strongest, most polished, and approachable entries in this multifaceted goliath of an overarching franchise.
A Faithful and Expanded Recreation of Rolent
What’s immediately most evident in the early hours of this remake is how it absolutely isn’t cutting corners in its recreation of the original Sky FC. Back in the day, some others and I wished that both FC and its direct sequel, SC, would be remade into one title. This is because, unlike the third entry of the trilogy, the first two titles are clearly two halves of a bigger whole. However, that’s not what’s happening here, and in retrospect, I’m indescribably glad we’re going through this on a single game-by-game basis.
There’s a lofty sense of comfort featured in the starting town of Rolent, doing a splendid job at setting up the evolving status quo of protagonists Estelle and Joshua Bright. In a potential alternate reality where the conjoined remake hope came to fruition, these opening moments would not have been as gradually developed as they are.
Throughout the past 10+ years, I’ve fantasized over how Rolent would appear in a modern engine, and its depiction in Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter does not disappoint. Between the immaculate homeliness of the Bright family home and the suburban layout of the town proper, the ambiance here is wholly distinct while still staying true to the intentions of the original game’s portrayals.
I spent an embarrassing accumulation of time gazing at the surrounding vicinity from the town’s centerpiece clock tower and internalizing the authentic scale of the sights here. Seeing the nearby tower and mine in this new art style was pleasingly jarring, with the former made immensely better thanks to mini-maps and fast-travel now being available, a great change from the original. I was also surprised by a couple of new additions, such as findable items encouraging careful examination. I’m quite looking forward to exploring the towns of the title’s first and second chapters, which are arguably my least favorite hubs in the series due to their lack of standout designs. Seeing them remade in this style will undoubtedly make them vastly more memorable than the default top-down presentation.
Modernized Gameplay: Blending Daybreak’s Action with Sky’s Roots
From a gameplay perspective, Sky 1st Chapter has the same building blocks as Trails through Daybreak in that there’s seamlessness, to an extent, when navigating exteriors. Additionally, action combat is implemented by the use of combos, timed dodging, on-the-fly character switching, and abilities known as Crafts, with rapid transitions into turn-based bouts via a simple button press.
There’s even a BP-adjacent akin to the Cold Steel titles, where unleashing critical hits, follow-up attacks, and the like fills a numeric meter for grander maneuvers, as well as a wholly reimagined Overdrive mechanic that boosts abilities mid-battle. Plus, the in-game achievement system from the Crossbell duology and Daybreak has made its way here, promising a transparent and consistent reward loop. The flow here, even in just the prologue, is already remarkably addictive, and I’m thrilled to see how it will all coalesce with even more party members in the later hours.
Given my experience with these games, I chose to play this demo on Nightmare, the most challenging difficulty level available from the get-go. Nightmare’s challenge varies pretty significantly across the Trails series. In the previous versions of Sky, which added Nightmare after their initial Japan-only PC releases, Nightmare was an arduous task if you were not on New Game Plus. Then, the Crossbell duology was balanced enough for Nightmare to be relatively fair. Afterwards, Cold Steel’s and Daybreak I’s gameplay systems were almost humorously easy to break apart, making the difficulty practically nonexistent at a point. Reverie and Daybreak II have felt the most balanced in their Nightmare iterations, and Sky 1st Chapter has the capability of joining that league.
The boss battles of this demo can really put you on the ropes if your equipment isn’t updated on Nightmare, resulting in near one-hit KOs from powerful, telegraphed attacks that aren’t mitigated in time. This constant danger makes the familiar cooking and Orbment systems vital to master. Both work as the original Sky did in that recipes are learned by eating the countless foods you find, and the Orbments use the original Sepith value iteration as the component, leading to learning new Arts or spells. So, several foundations of Sky’s origins have returned, ensuring that this isn’t just a copy-paste of Daybreak’s gameplay systems.
Other aspects of note include 120 FPS support, at least on PS5, customizable speed thresholds for the returning turbo mode, remappable controls on console, selectable soundtrack types between the original, Vita Evolution, and new versions, as well as a suite of other granular toggles. On an offhanded note, one concern I have regards the English voice direction for the real-time cutscenes. While the text-box events are communicated strongly, there’s a stiltedness to how lines are delivered otherwise, which I hope will improve as the story progresses.
Final Thoughts and Release Date
Like many fans, I was paradoxically skeptical yet thrilled for Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. I was unsure about how the original game’s systems, storytelling, and characters would be revisited in a full remake, particularly whether it would be a needless complete 1:1 or something entirely different. However, based on the ten hours I spent in this prologue, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter seems to strike a masterful middle-ground, where the origins of the series are given utmost respect while also paving a path forward using the series’ latest features. This balanced ambition has struck a chord with me, and I expect it will for countless others.
Thankfully, we don’t have to wait too long, as Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter will be released worldwide on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on September 19, 2025. Demo completion progress can carry over to the full game
