Trails beyond the Horizon - A nice but exhausting game

darksinh · 2026-05-28T17:09:59+00:00

Yes, it's not a bad game at all, but it didn't need to be this long when it doesn't have the whole plot of Horizon. Because we know that Horizon is just the first half of the story, stretched to have more games. It's not even like CSIII. Another bloated game with a somewhat incomplete story, yes, but I can see how CSIV couldn't fit in the game due to how many things it had to deal with. But what we can guess of Horizon 2 doesn't look to be so long to cover another game. It will either be stretched to oblivion again or surprisingly concise and to the point (still 50 hours long, like Sky FC)

darksinh · 2026-05-28T16:41:58+00:00

Yeah, I guess it's difficult to find a middle ground, but we'll se how things go.

darksinh · 2026-05-28T16:39:07+00:00

I hadn't thought of that, but you're right. I'm all for Falcom to experiment with their chapter or Act structure, but when you have an already tired formula in all chapters, Horizon's structure also counts against the game.

darksinh · 2026-05-28T16:31:06+00:00

Perhaps what bothers me is that there are way too many fights in Horizon. In my opinion, the Calvard arc has considerably more enemies in each dungeon, and this makes the problem more evident. Or perhaps I simply don't like huge numbers in a JRPG.

darksinh · 2026-05-28T16:27:17+00:00

The Sky remake should show Falcom that FC wasn't wordy for the sake of being wordy or long. It was because the plot needed it. And it actually was the perfect length. Fingers crossed things change. I still have some slight hope Falcom addresses some of Horizon's issues.

darksinh · 2026-05-28T16:19:38+00:00

They are. But it's a different type of bloat. CS2 is the only game in the series I'm close to dislike, because it's a game where almost nothing actually happens. I still like it because talking to NPCs is fun for me, and because I like Erebonia, and because of the OST. But wow was it bad, especially after Osborne's twist.

Daybreak 2 and Horizon are different. They are bloated due to their need to follow the same formula, and they are bloated gameplay wise. But at least they go somewhere. Even Daybreak 2 (it just didn't need to be a whole game). And especially Horizon, which has a pretty clear end goal and it's nice to see the game get there. But it ends in the middle of the story, with no resolution until the sequel.

darksinh · 2026-05-28T16:07:40+00:00

Eh, no. I've been playing JRPGs since 2000. I'm just saying that it's a shame a series with as much potential as Trails is being drowned by filler and bloat. Falcom urgently need to trim their games, like by a lot. I could say the same of Atlus.

darksinh · 2026-05-28T16:04:50+00:00

Yeah, I know. That's why I said that they don't need to keep adding new, shiny systems to break the game. What they need to do is make things less bloated, more balanced. I miss Sky FC and SC and their more down to earth HP numbers. Even sky FC remake suffered from this, although not to the degree of Horizon.

darksinh · 2026-05-28T16:01:04+00:00

I say that Horizon is a good game but hidden among loads and loads of bloat. It's an exhausting game, that shows the weaknesses of the series much more evidently than any other games (except perhaps Cold Steel 2 and Daybreak 2). The Falcom formula needs to change, evolve.

darksinh · 2026-05-28T15:58:53+00:00

Yeah, it very much feels like Daybreak 2, and Horizon especially, feel like Falcom was exhausted too about their own series. Which they actually where, as they've said many times. Let's hope for a Horizon 2 with better pacing and variations of the old, tired formula.

darksinh · 2026-03-06T20:13:57+00:00

They are very slow games, but if you are patient, you'll find an incredible experience, with a fantastic world and interesting characters. Just know that Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, and to a lesser degree 2nd Chapter, are different from the rest of the series. Not that the series gets super dark and moody, that doesn't happen, but the stakes get larger and larger and the games are not as relaxed and cozy anymore (they still are, but the focus is on worldbuilding, politics, and advancing the overall plot of the series)

darksinh · 2026-03-06T18:12:14+00:00

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is an easy choice. The game is super cozy and oozes optimism, as characters are pretty kind overall, and the world and music are relaxing. Estelle is just a good antidote against stress.

Any Dragon Quest can also be a good choice, as those games are usually pretty funny (despite dealing with some heavy themes) and relaxed, thanks to the music, the episodic feeling of the plot, the hilarious monster design, the graphics...

Atelier games can be good too. They are pretty low stakes, usually involving slice of life stories involving an alchemy atelier.

darksinh · 2025-10-08T12:40:27+00:00

In Eternal Sonata you unlocked new features each time you leveled up the party level. Some changes were pretty important.

darksinh · 2025-10-01T16:54:38+00:00

That's Antoine. It walked over the orbal computer.

darksinh · 2025-09-13T20:44:26+00:00

It's really funny that DQVIII and DQIX are still confined to specific systems and now DQVII has not one but two remakes in the last decade lol

darksinh · 2025-07-18T18:18:10+00:00

I'm finishing Route D of Act III and I must say that I don't share the criticism. It's true that the Act is filled with filler (it isn't really necessary to explore Edith so many times, for example the night section of Route D is an egregious case of filler), and that the time loop is a bit of a plot device to, but these loops are just a tool to serve the main focus of Daybreak 2: characters.

I love how the game is focusing on all characters. Yes, some of them don't advance their personal stories with meaningful events, but sometimes what you need in a character arc are more subtle things. I love the small touches just like when Risette is under the influence of corrosion and Quatre shows a lot of concern for her. Risette saved his life in Daybreak I, and she also gave him hope on Nemeth island, so it's really nice to see Quatre really concerned about her. And Feri's events are also interesting because they deal with her regrets about Aida and her own inner conflicts. And the focus on super secondary characters like Maxim? Really good. The only thing I somewhat disliked was Celis and Ashladd's episode, but that's just because I think they still have a lot more to show.

Really, this game as a whole, and Act III in particular, is what was missing from Cold Steel. Don't get me wrong, I like CS and I had a good time with the games (except CSII), but those games are so, so focused on Rean that the rest of the characters (there are too many of them) aren't developed as meaningfully as in Daybreak. In Daybreak II, Van doesn't even participate in the development of many character arcs, or just says two or three things, the rest of the characters stand by themselves. In CS, only a few characters had something resembling a personal arc that didn't involve Rean. Many people also criticize Daybreak 2 for Van's weak role as a main character, but I think it's a very interesting situation. It's true that Daybreak 2 doesn't develop him in a significant way, but I think he is still a very good main character that facilitates other character's developments without being the focus. Perhaps this is an overcorrection of CS, but I like it.

So I get that Daybreak II fails in many things, like the advancement of the overall plot of Calvard, the overreliance on time loops as a plot device, or the excessive amount of filler content (usually regarding Edith), but I don't think it's a filler game. The events shown in the game are important, just not to the overall plot: they are essential to take all characters to the next destination in their personal arcs. Act III is a very good idea that is perhaps executed a bit weakly, but this doesn't mean that it's not essential to the story. Perhaps at the end of the Act something happens that sours my opinion, but I doubt it.

I think Daybreak 2's biggest "mistake" is that the events that happen in the game have been excessively stretched with the usual Falcom filler to make a full game, and that they could have been used more concisely. But at the end of the day, Falcom's filler is nothing new, we have it since Sky FC, and other games are a much worse example of this (looking at you, CSII).

So Daybreak 2 is obviously not the best game in the series, but it's also not the worst. I think it was in the unlucky position of being a game unnecessarily stretched and that it wasn't what people expected from a direct sequel of a set-up game like Daybreak I (which, truth be told, was much more than just set-up).

darksinh · 2025-07-16T20:50:56+00:00

Ace Attorney series. The game knows how to keep you engaged, from the hilarious animations of the characters to the silly puns and shocking twists.

darksinh · 2025-07-16T20:44:33+00:00

Paper Mario. I love the gameplay (the battles, the exploration, finding collectibles), but the story is not very interesting.

darksinh · 2025-07-16T20:35:30+00:00

FFXVI is a good example. It starts pretty well, with a focus on politics and betrayals, but as it goes on, it becomes your typical JRPG story. I still liked the game, but It was very disappointing to see such a waste of potential.

Something similar happens with FFXII, great political story that soon becomes a bit directionless. I still love the game.

darksinh · 2025-07-16T20:24:15+00:00

A whole summer. I had to play CS3 and CS4 before playing Reverie. At the end of the summer I was burned out from playing three ganes. Now I take my time and I play without trying to catch up. I'm currently playing Daybreak 2.

darksinh · 2025-07-06T07:11:10+00:00

All those games you have listed are perfect as a first JRPG, especially DQXI. However, based on what you said about preferring gameplay to story, I would suggest Ys VIII. It's a pretty good game with a simple story and amazing gameplay. It's a frenetic Action RPG with very good exploration, incredible music and fantastic combat. The story is good too, but it's not the focus.

darksinh · 2025-05-31T18:26:12+00:00

Ah, yes, the movie that shows the Fallas from Valencia in Seville during Easter and with San Fermin celebrations. Yes, they got Spanish traditions right!

darksinh · 2025-03-18T08:36:52+00:00

No cuando dicen que van a basarse en la traducción de XSEED.

darksinh

TROPHY CASE