“Let's make a promise, here and now…”
Trails in the Sky, Second Chapter is the remake of the original 2006 Japanese release. English audiences had to wait considerably longer to embark on this adventure, as localized versions of First Chapter would be released in 2011 and Second Chapter in 2015. And, more than two decades since the original, Nihon Falcom remade First Chapter, a glorious remake that brought it up to the visual presentation of the current cropping of the Trails series.
So, less than a year later, Nihon Falcom has released the remake of Second Chapter, an entry that follows in the footsteps of its predecessor. While it was surprising to see such a quick turn around to have this released, largely to not delay the next entry in the main series, Second Chapter is still a tremendous work of storytelling, albeit in a land revisited yet once again.
As a Trails fan since the release of Trails of Cold Steel, I've subsequently played through every release since, as well as diving fully into the Crossbell saga. My experience of the Liberl arc has been solely through the First Chapter remake, and I found it to be incredibly impressive, giving it as close to a perfect score as it gets, with only Cold Steel III and IV being titles I enjoyed just a little bit more.
Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter has been widely considered to be one of the top entries across the series, with only Trails to Azure often being in the same conversation. So, leading into Second Chapter, it had huge expectations to fulfil. While I certainly have a few gripes with what it offers, there is no denying just how good this game is. It certainly is a better overall game than First Chapter, but doesn't quite execute on everything I wanted from it. Still, it sits nicely between First Chapter and Trails of Cold Steel III for me, as it is currently my third favorite in the series.
What is noticeable throughout the bulk of the roughly 60 hour game, making it about 1.5 times longer than its predecessor, is that so many of the areas you visit are locations we thoroughly exhausted just a year ago. We return to Bose, Grancel, Rolent, Ruan, and Zeiss, with additional locations like Elmo village, Manoria Village, and the Jenis Royal Academy also making an appearance, if briefly.
This causes about 30-40 hours of the game to be retreading all-too familiar territory. Granted, while this is a trope of the series, most entities at least bring us to one new city. Sure, we visit Hamel, and the last few chapters do take place in new locations, but it does make Liberl feel rather small, in the grand scheme of things.
Now, do those other locations like the Glorious or the Liber Ark truly stand out? Sort of. The Glorious is a lot of similar corridors, while the Ark itself almost remind me of the Planet Xandar in Guardians of the Galaxy, especially the scene where Peter Quill and Gamora first meet. The bright outside and darker more brooding interiors is a great fit, and provide a nice change of pace to the bulk of the game.
To be fair, the lack of new social hubs are where my criticisms mostly end as the rest of the game wildly delivers due to some of the best character arcs and emotional beats of the entire series. Second Chapter isn't an entry focused on big changes to its core systems, it is focused on defining its cast and prepping the landscape for things to come.
While certainly teased in First Chapter, the Society, now known as Ouroboros, make their grand debut here, shifting away from the shadows and playing their hands in a more public forum. And, as First Chapter concluded, with Joshua regaining his memories, he had left Estelle to venture out on his own, and dismantle the society in his own way, a path he deemed too dangerous for Estelle.
However, as Second Chapter begins, Estelle isn't one to stay put, and as she continues her training, she starts to encounter the society on her own, regardless of Joshua's departure to keep her safe. Estelle then investigates the Society’s experiments across Liberl, all while keeping one eye on Joshua's whereabouts.
The story does shift around between Estelle and Joshua, at key moments, but this distance between the two only makes their eventual reunion feel that much more impactful and memorable. Especially a key moment on the beach between the two.
First Chapter was more about building Joshua and Estelle up as Senior Bracers and developing their relationship through feelings untold. Second Chapter is about defining what they mean to each other, leaning into those feelings, as well as the path to their possible future. The story handles Estelle extremely well, building up her confidence in a way where she isn't just the damsel in need of saving. Instead, it's almost Joshua that takes on that trope, as Estelle is the catalyst to Joshua breaking free of the hold the Society once had on him.
It is Estelle’s resilience that defines her, her passion for becoming a Bracer, and how she sees that as a strength, despite the villains in the story around her telling her differently. Estelle is without a doubt the lead here, but the story doesn't look to regulate Joshua to just being a secondary side character, despite his reduced screentime when compared to Estelle. This story is just as much his as it is hers, but given how important Estelle is to Joshua, to his rejection of the pain and torture his mind has gone through, she is the beacon of hope, the light in the darkness, that shines through this story of pain and suffering.
Now, like First Chapter and every Trails to follow, our heroes are joined with a collective of characters with a deep rich history to this land, and some to lands far away. Olivier, Sherazard, Kloe, and more all join in, and play deeper roles in the story. Even characters like Agate, Tita, and Zin have major character moments here. Hell, even the Sky Pirates are essential to key moments in the story.
We are also introduced to characters that will play a significant role later on. Renne, Walter, and a few others make their presence felt here with a fantastic introduction across them. From Renne’s initial friendship with Estelle, to Zin’s past with Walter, we also get to see Agate’s past come back to haunt him, showing that even a Bracer as advanced as him can still notice his weaknesses. Many of the best relationships across the series are developed here, and allow those involved to get the character development they need to become fan favorites.
Each member of the cast isn't there to just fill a slot. Everyone feels baked into the story and given a lot to chew on. Even new characters that join your party, like Bracer Anelace Elfead, to Captain of the Royal Air Flagship, Julia Schwarz, among others, have great moments with the cast, and further expand their presence in the game. I was also thrilled that Sherazard was given a lot more to do here, given she was one of my favorites in the first game.
However, making his series debut, is fan favorite Kevin Graham, a travelling priest of the Septian Church, whose secrets seem to out-weigh even that of the Society. Kevin was a character I loved in the recent Trails Beyond the Horizon, as he shared the spotlight as one of the game's main leads, something that was a long time coming. Kevin's role here shouldn't be understated, as he finds his way into almost every moment or conflict, and one of his last scenes in the game is downright chilling, and I can see why he has been a favorite of the series for decades.
Now, given the short time between First and Second Chapter, there isn't much here in regard to any significant gameplay changes. Combo attack has been replaced with Brave Rush, and due to new characters joining, we have new Crafts and Arts, as well as several new quartz and equipment. Fundamentally, the game is pretty much identical to First Chapter, so while that may disappoint anyone looking for changes or refinement to key systems, you won't find that here. Second Chapter feels like it directly follows the previous games in more ways than just the narrative.
Presentation has been cleaned up with a cleaner menu setup that better follows the other entries in the series. And, given this is a remake of the second game in the series, it does thankfully keep to its tech era, with certainly quality of life features from later games not being present, like adjusting ornaments at healing stations. Why I say “thankfully”, is that this cements Second Chapter to lean on the series' past instead of advancing the tech era for convenience. This was present in First Chapter, so it's great to see that continued here.
New to Second Chapter are a few mini games. Fishing and Poker are here, and you can cook dishes that truly help your stats. Successful dishes can grant a ton of bonus perks, such as boosting stats across your whole team, to even granting experience to benched team members. This made cooking a can't miss system instead of just being something you could do. Fishing is overly simplistic here and helps with cooking, so it's certainly worth doing.
The FDK engine continues to impress as it did with the Trails through Daybreak games, as the remake here has solid use of motion capture and better rendering capabilities. Cutscenes are fantastic, with some amazing action moments throughout the story. Despite being a remake, this is the best looking Trails game and Nihon Falcom have really given it their all for what this engine is capable of.
Now, I do have one slight gripe, and it's not really Second Chapter's fault as this is an issue I have with many of the games across the series. While there is full voice acting for the bulk of the game, there are still important scenes that lack every voice being present. Some conversations only have one actual speaker, and some important moments don't have any voices at all. This has been an issue that I've noticed ever since the Cold Steel series, so if it bugged you then, it will certainly continue that here.
Second Chapter did everything it needed to do, and more. While the game doesn't refine or add new combat mechanics, the story and character moments that take place in this follow-up are some of the best of the series. The Legend of Heroes series often puts its story and characters ahead of its gameplay, and given how memorable its characters are, this has always been the right call to make. Second Chapter does a lot to set up the world Cold Steel follows in, and while it's unclear if the third entry will also be remade, Second Chapter nonetheless wraps up Estelle and Joshua's journey, and places them on the path as the bracers they were meant to be.
Developer - Nihon Falcom.
Publisher - GungHo Online Entertainment America. Released - September 17th, 2026. Available On - Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, PC. Rated - (T) - Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Simulated Gambling, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco. Platform Reviewed - PS5.
Review Access - Review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.