The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 Review

The idea of a multiverse fits well in video games. Games like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Bioshock Infinite used it in creative ways. The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 also explores this idea, but the results are mixed. The story can feel slow at times, but the game makes up for it with great character development and better combat. It’s not perfect, but still a good sequel in the popular Trails series.

The game starts shortly after the first Daybreak. Van Akride and his friend Elaine fight a strange red monster—and lose. But Van’s assistant Agnes uses a time rewind to save them. This introduces the game’s time-travel feature in a fun way. However, unlike games like Zero Escape that use the multiverse to tell deep emotional stories, Daybreak 2 mostly uses it to escape tough situations, which feels less meaningful.

In our earlier review of Trails Through Daybreak (2024), we said it was a great new start for the series. It had a new cast, better combat, and a strong story full of drama. The real-time combat needed some work, but overall, it was a big improvement.

Daybreak 2, however, struggles with pacing. The story lasts around 60 hours, but the main mystery often gets lost. Van keeps dying in different timelines, sometimes in silly ways like walking into explosions. This becomes tiring, and the time travel in Chapter 3 makes the story feel uneven.

Even with these issues, the game has strong character moments. For example, Quatre faces his troubled past, and Feri finds her confidence after being pushed away by her family. These moments don’t always move the main story, but they are touching and memorable.

Daybreak 2 feels like the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 of the series—less about the big plot, more about the characters. And for fans of the Trails series, that’s still something special.

Daybreak 2 Manages Its Large Cast With Smart Choices

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 does a great job handling its growing list of characters. Some side characters from previous games are now full party members, which helps make the story feel fresh. You’ll also see returning faces like Swin and Nadia from Trails into Reverie—this time with fully developed stories that wrap up their arcs nicely.

The game’s story structure even borrows a smart idea from Reverie. The first two chapters follow two separate story paths: one with Van and the other with Swin and Nadia. This split works really well and gives each character time to shine without making things confusing.

There’s also a unique optional mode called the Marchen Garten, which is similar to Reverie’s Corridor. It brings together characters from both story routes to fight through a randomized dungeon with a boss at the end. It’s a fun challenge, and you’re rewarded with skill points to upgrade your attacks and unlock cool extras like costumes—all without microtransactions. Everything is earned by playing the game.

Rich Side Quests That Build the World

If you love side quests, Daybreak 2 delivers. Like other Trails games, the side missions here are packed with worldbuilding and good rewards. One standout quest involves a company losing workers to a competitor offering better pay. What starts as a simple mystery turns into a serious look at Calvard’s multicultural history and even leads to uncovering a human trafficking operation. It’s moments like these that show Van’s strong sense of justice—even though he doesn’t always follow the rules, he knows when to do the right thing.

LGC System Returns, But Feels Less Impactful

The LGC alignment system—Law, Gray, and Chaos—also makes a return. Based on your choices, Van’s morality shifts. For example, after a quest, you might choose to send someone to a hospital (Law) or an underground clinic (Gray or Chaos). However, unlike the first game where your alignment affected which allies joined you, in Daybreak 2 these choices don’t change the story. So, while it’s a nice touch, it feels less meaningful this time around.

Real-Time Combat Feels Better in Daybreak 2

The first Daybreak mixed real-time action with traditional turn-based battles, similar to Ys or even Metaphor: ReFantazio. But the real-time part was a bit basic. Thankfully, Daybreak 2 improves on this with new mechanics.

Now, when you stun an enemy, you can trigger a special Ex-Chain attack between two characters for a quick and flashy finish. You can also dodge an attack at the last second to switch characters and land a guaranteed stun. While turn-based combat is still the core of the system, these new features make the action sections more fun and dynamic—like a satisfying warm-up before the main event.

Trails Through Daybreak 2 is a strong sequel that improves gameplay and deepens its characters, even if the story pacing and moral choices aren’t quite as impactful as before. If you’re a fan of the series—or just love RPGs with rich worlds and great characters—it’s worth checking out.

Daybreak 2 Keeps the Combat Fun and Fresh

In Daybreak 2, battles are turn-based with a timeline system that adds strategy. Bonuses like critical hits and zero-arts appear on the timeline, and you can plan your moves around them. For example, you can delay a boss’s attack or freeze it to waste its critical hit. Learning how to manage the timeline is key to winning tougher battles.

Positioning your characters also matters. For instance, Aaron’s Falcon Talon does more damage when attacking from behind, but it can also inflict status effects like Seal even when not in the perfect spot. These small details make combat more interesting.

The customization system is similar to the first game but offers plenty of options. You can slot Quartz into different categories to unlock abilities. Experimenting with different Quartz combinations helps make your characters stronger as the game progresses.

Bonding events (Connections) return, letting Van interact with his allies and learn more about them. These events add depth to the characters and expand the story.

Minigames are back, and the fishing minigame has improved. Instead of button-mashing, you just time your button presses to catch fish, which makes it more fun. Some other minigames, like the card game and basketball mini-game, aren’t as exciting, and the “tailing” minigame can get repetitive.

Daybreak 2 offers engaging combat, great customization, and interesting character interactions, although some minigames could be better.

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Pros and Cons of The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2

Pros	Cons
🌟 Strong character development with memorable moments.	⏳ Story pacing can be slow and uneven at times.
⚔️ Improved combat with both turn-based and real-time action.	🚫 Moral choices don’t impact the story much.
🌍 Rich side quests that add depth to the world.	🕹️ Some minigames feel repetitive or boring.
🔧 Great customization with the Quartz system.	❌ Multiverse story feels less meaningful.
🎮 New real-time mechanics make action more dynamic.	⚖️ LGC system feels less important this time.
🏆 Fun Marchen Garten mode with rewards.	❌
💬 Engaging character interactions through “Connections.”	❌

Conclusion

Trails Through Daybreak 2 stumbles a bit with the pacing of its multiverse story but shines with great character moments and strong worldbuilding. While the turn-based combat and party customization remain mostly the same, they still work well. The real-time action has also been improved in small ways. Although it doesn’t push the Calvard saga forward as much as expected, this more personal story still makes Daybreak 2 a solid addition to the Trails series.