Right, first things first, do not play Trails beyond the Horizon if you haven’t already beaten Trails through Daybreak and Trails through Daybreak 2.
Even by Trails standards, Horizon is ridiculously dense; the events of this long-awaited sequel rely heavily on you having intimate knowledge of past titles, and so even if you have played Daybreak and Daybreak 2, it might be a good idea to watch a story recap before you get stuck in.
Of course, the sheer heft of the series’ narrative — which now spans 13 (thirteen!) games — is both one of its greatest strengths and one its most off-putting aspects. But this is what makes a title like Horizon so utterly unique; where else are you going to find a game built on over two decades of interconnected storytelling?
Honestly, Falcom’s unwavering commitment to the franchise borders on absurd at this point, but you’ve got to respect just how unapologetically impenetrable this latest instalment is. If ever there was a Trails title created for absolutely no one but existing fans, this is it.
Trails beyond the Horizon represents the culmination of plot lines that have been stewing for several console generations, packed into a roughly 80-hour adventure split across three playable groups of characters.
At its core, Horizon is essentially the third game in the aforementioned Daybreak saga, sporting a continued focus on Van Arkride and his ragtag allies as they investigate all sorts of strange happenings in Calvard’s sprawling capital city of Edith.
But at the same time, Horizon incorporates a large number of characters from older Trails titles, namely the Cold Steel games. These well established heroes are brought in to help tie Horizon’s high-stakes story to the series’ broader, ongoing narratives, resulting in a plot that’s tackled from a number of interesting angles.
It all gets off to a rather slow start, however. We’d argue that the release’s opening act is largely its weakest, as it spends a bit too much time trying to reintroduce a frankly shocking number of returning characters. Seriously, Van and the gang can barely walk five feet without yet another old friend hijacking the scene.
But push through these early pacing issues and Horizon’s story really starts to ramp up. In fact, we’d be tempted to say that this is one of Falcom’s best efforts with regards to maintaining tension; almost every chapter ends with an impressive bang, always keeping you guessing as to what the next twist might be.
The Japanese developer deserves an awful lot of praise for just how well it manages Horizon’s interlocking storylines. Granted, some of the beats can be a touch predictable — especially if you’re familiar with the kind of tropes the Trails games tend to fall back on — but Horizon certainly doesn’t skimp on reveals and revelations of great significance.
And we don’t just mean that from the perspective of this one game — we’re talking the entire franchise here.
Indeed, the all-important world building that holds Trails together is expanded upon to a surprising degree, giving welcome insight into matters that fans have been arguing over for ages. And in that sense, this is a particularly exciting title compared to past entries, which have — at times — been accused of treading water on a wider narrative scale.
But don’t get your hopes up too much. While Horizon does feel like a definite point of no return for various story elements, it’s also keen to reinforce the fact that things are far from over, posing plenty of questions that the next game(s) will attempt to answer. The end is in sight, but only kind of.
It’s about time we moved onto the gameplay side of Horizon, but to be honest, not a whole lot has changed since Daybreak 2. The overall structure of the game remains in place, with defined story chapters being broken up between main and side objectives, a healthy chunk of exploration, and a smattering of increasingly intense combat encounters.
Even the Marchen Garten — a somewhat randomised, mostly optional dungeon designed to be conquered over the course of the game — returns, albeit with a new name. The refreshed Grim Garten has deeper connections to the actual plot, but its purpose is the same: this is where you go when you want to explore new party combinations, level up your characters, and grind for useful equipment.
While a little repetitive, the Grim Garten provides what we think is a necessary, combat-driven diversion, away from the hours upon hours of dialogue that you’ll be sitting through outside.
Horizon can get so bogged down in character churn and exposition that the balance between yapping and actual gameplay can feel way too one-sided. But thankfully, the Garten is always on hand to keep you invested in all of those addictive RPG elements.
Just like in Daybreak 2, you’re given a large number of party members to develop and customise. Character builds can still range from simplistic to incredibly specialised, and there are so many unlockable magic arts and passive perks to consider.
There are some really engaging systems at play here — a typical Trails trait at this point — and they all reward the effort that you’re willing to put in.
But when we say that Horizon is dense, we also mean that from a gameplay perspective. Again, Daybreak-ers will feel right at home, but in particular, new battle mechanics somehow bring even more options to the table.
For example, ‘S-Boosts’ — a resource that builds up as you fight — can now be spent on party-wide buffs, which are like an evolution of the Brave Orders from the Cold Steel saga. Or, you can fuel new high-damage team attacks with your S-Boost bars instead.
In a nutshell, there’s an even greater emphasis on resource management — especially in the game’s tougher brawls. It doesn’t feel like the underlying balance of combat has been rewired too much, but there’s a fresh tactical flexibility in Horizon that’s bound to entice returning players.
Having said all of that, we still find ourselves preferring the scaled-back, but brilliantly refined approach of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter’s combat system. Horizon’s complexity is a strength once you’ve wrapped your head around its inner workings, but it’s teetering on the edge of being needlessly convoluted.
And we won’t lie, we’re also missing 1st Chapter’s immaculate presentation. Now, this isn’t necessarily Falcom’s fault since Horizon released in Japan back in 2024 — a full year before the Sky remake — but the simple truth is that it can’t hold a candle to what’s offered by the latest engine upgrade.
Environments continue to look rather rough, and the NPCs that inhabit them can be ugly. But at least Horizon’s got a bunch of new combat and cutscene animations that rival those found in 1st Chapter. We’re hoping that Horizon’s sequel will give Calvard the glow up that it deserves.
