It has come to my attention that Trails through Daybreak II has a bad rep within the Falcom fanbase, because of course they'll bitch about anything and everything that came after Trails to Azure. Azure is phenomenal, don't get me wrong, but that's besides the point. Today, I'm here to tell you cowards why you're all wrong:
- Even with the Genesis-induced time travel undoing everything, I love how Falcom had the balls to actually kill off the main cast, repeatedly. It's just a shame that only the prologue was graphic in this regard. The rest of the dead ends being visually bloodless kinda hurt the impact a bit.
- Also, am I the only one in this universe that doesn't immediately vomit at the sight of time travel plots? Have we forgotten that this can indeed be good and compelling, like Chrono Trigger? I won't say Daybreak II is on the same level as goddamn Chrono Trigger, but there was a time when time travel wasn't instantly reviled. And Daybreak II's usage of it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
- Hell, I'd go as far as to say it was excellent foreshadowing on the themes of the arc, namely which Sept-Terrion would show up in Trails beyond the Horizon.
- Ellroy Harwood is just one of the best characters in the series, full stop. I know he made his debut in Daybreak I, but it's here where it felt like he was really allowed to go all out in being evil. There's just something amazing about how he's able to be so slimy yet utterly charismatic at the same time.
- Renne. I absolutely love how she's changed and grown throughout the series, and if you watched the Connect Event where Van gave her Pater Mater's Holo Core and felt nothing, then you are either a monster or a D.:G Cult member (or both).
- The same applies to Quatre and everything related to his backstory.
- Swin and Nadia are back! I'm not a huge fan of their kits gameplay-wise, but I love their contributions to the story and Nadia's general antics.
- I love the theme that plays when a reset happens and you're on the menu getting ready to leap back in time. There's just something beautifully ominous and grand about this track.
- Being able to directly upgrade your crafts with skill stones feels like a nice touch that makes progression feel more satisfying.
- Daybreak II had one of coolest and most cinematic final bosses in the entire series. Horizon promptly topped that in sheer spectacle, but Daybreak II felt like the first time in this arc that Falcom was starting to bring everything together from a gameplay standpoint for the finale, especially since no other bosses feature action-based battles or set-pieces.
- It's fucking Trails. I won't deny that this is one of the weaker entries overall in the series, but the characters and NPCs alike are still incredibly well-written, compelling, and memorable. Most other video games and media as a whole out there can only dream of captivating me as much as Trails does, even at its supposed weakest.
There are a few points that I'll concede, though:
- They did Towa dirty in this game. This is a woman that survived the Great Twilight and you're just telling me she just gets shot and dies???
- The one rewind that actually felt contrived was the branch featuring Maxim and Aslan, because it feels like a professional like Van should've thought to check both race cars for hidden explosives.
- Auguste feels kinda weaksauce for a villain at this stage. He feels like he should've been the villain of the first game of an arc, because as much as political intrigue and worldbuilding is still important to Trails, having a villain whose motives are entirely political feels a bit quaint when we've already averted multiple possible apocalypses.
- The rewinds themselves don't add anything from a gameplay standpoint.
Thanks for coming to my TED Talk about why I'm right, you're wrong, and why you should never listen to Falcom fans online. Including me, because I'll scream in your face the moment I see an opening with my Unclouded Eye.
Trails through Daybreak II is a great game, and if you don't agree, I have a little something for you:
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