cross-posted from: https://atomicpoet.org/objects/3d9c9c3e-14e9-446f-9d5c-83af4227bbfc
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, a JRPG, just got released on Steam—and this is a big deal because this game is to PC what Final Fantasy VII was to PlayStation.
You play as Estelle Bright, a stubborn but big-hearted teen, and her adopted brother Joshua, calm and secretive, as they work as junior agents of the Bracer Guild—mercenaries who handle everything from lost pets to bandit raids.
What begins as simple small-town jobs in the idyllic kingdom of Liberl slowly peels back into a slow-burn political thriller about coups, ancient technology, and rival nations circling like sharks. The genius of Trails in the Sky is how it ties everyday people and personal stories into that larger web of conspiracies, making the upheaval feel like it’s your neighbours and your home on the line.
Some history is in order. The two most influential JRPG developers are Square Enix and Nihon Falcom. Square Enix gave us Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Nihon Falcom gave us Dragon Slayer and Ys. Square pushed the turn-based JRPG. Falcom’s big innovation was the action JRPG.
Dragon Slayer in particular was groundbreaking—without it, there’s no Zelda, no Hydlide, no Neutopia. It was the template for action RPGs to follow, and it was so successful it spawned spin-offs. One of them was The Legend of Heroes. That series was so successful it spun off again into Trails in the Sky. And yes—Trails itself kept spinning into more games, until it became a saga of its own.
So why haven’t you heard of it? Because Falcom wasn’t console-first like Square. Their heyday was the PC-88 and PC-98—computers that never came west. When Japan switched to Windows, so did Falcom. Trails in the Sky first arrived on Windows in 2004—but only in Japan. A PSP port followed in 2006. Still Japan only. North America finally got it in 2011… on PSP. By then, nobody here was playing PSP anymore.
It wasn’t until 2014 that the Windows version—better than the PSP one—was localized and released on Steam and GOG. It took more than a decade for Westerners to notice. But once they did, they realised this wasn’t just another RPG—this was a landmark.
The comparison to Final Fantasy VII is apt. Trails in the Sky is Falcom’s premiere JRPG. It cemented their reputation for long-form storytelling and kicked off a serialized epic that continues today. And if you think there are a lot of Final Fantasy games, Trails makes it look modest.
The difference is in the type impact each had. Final Fantasy VII was an atomic bomb. Trails in the Sky was a hurricane—starting as a whisper, then building into a storm. Westerners know the sequels like Trails of Cold Steel and Trails from Zero, but how many ever went back to the original?
Now they can. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a re-imagining of that first game. And “re-imagining” is exactly the right word. Same story, not a simple remake.
What’s new? A lot. The original was purely turn-based. This version lets you switch on the fly between the classic grid system and a new real-time action mode. Combat feels fluid and layered, and Falcom themselves estimate about 80 hours to clear—double the original’s runtime—thanks to extra quests and expanded exploration.
The graphics are completely redone. The old game was 2.5D isometric sprites—think Diablo with anime characters. The new one is full 3D, third-person, HDR-enabled, yet still faithful. Rolent, the first town, looks like you remember, just rebuilt in polygons.
Sound has levelled up. Fully animated cutscenes. Professional actors in both Japanese and English. Steam even lists French, German, and Spanish text, though only English and Japanese get full voice tracks. Most importantly, Falcom’s iconic music is intact—because unlike too many remakes, they didn’t dare mess with perfection.
Controls are flexible. The devs push gamepads, but keyboard and mouse works beautifully. Xbox and PlayStation controllers are supported natively, and thanks to Steam Input, just about anything—Logitech, 8BitDo, you name it—will work.
Steam officially says Windows-only and lists Deck support as “unknown.” But previews already note it runs smooth on Deck, looks gorgeous on OLED screens, and will almost certainly get the “Verified” badge. I tested it myself on Linux—it’s flawless.
Specs are reasonable: Ryzen 5 1600, 8GB RAM, GTX 1050, and 33GB storage will net you 60fps at 1080p.
The price is steep—C$77.99. Steam also launched it with a pile of optional DLC: costumes, boosters, items. Normally I’d balk at paying that much. But this is Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter—rebuilt so a new generation can see why it’s legendary. And if that’s still too much, the 2014 version is cheap: C$21.99 on Steam, or just C$11.00 on GOG.
Reception so far is glowing. Steam already shows a 96% positive rating across 233 reviews. Players love the balance of modern upgrades with old-school heart.
Either way—whether you buy today’s re-imagining or grab the older version—you owe it to yourself to play Trails in the Sky. Because if you care about JRPGs, even a little, this is the one you don’t skip.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3375780/Trails_in_the_Sky_1st_Chapter/
Even though the gushing about Trails in the Sky may be seen as overblown, it’s interesting to read about the console history of these games and what they influenced. I remember when I played a Neptunia game and they stated “You know how every RPG has you fighting slimes first?” I thought “What…? No. I literally can’t think of any.” I realized those creators had very much grown up off of the “Dragon Quest” side of the RPG world. It seems to make sense to say Legend of Zelda in some ways followed some cues from the Ys games.
I played the original FC in 2019. I think while it makes sense to be called a slow burn, there were also elements of the writing that kept me playing even early on; unlike a lot of game worlds it actually feels like a livable place where people trade, travel, have social lives, beyond just “The Soulstealer you’re going to fight has done wonders for our town! The sacrifices are necessary!” And, having the world and characters built up, even if it’s a bit slow, does lead to some excellent moments of payoff. I’m glad FF7 was mentioned, because I remembered that same anticipation for the FMV-style sequences of some epic cutscene battle or chase after a long sequence of investigating. Admittedly, part of what kept me going was the creative localization work. Little things like the “empty chest messages” felt like a very fun developer touch showing how much they enjoy the game.
I think that there’s definitely a “Devoted Falcom crowd” much like many other fanbases now, and I’d expect their opinions to be a bit skewed. When I was looking for opinions on this game, most of them seemed to come from people that had played most of their series. I’m a bit of an outlier - After Sky 1+2, I attempted to play the next three games in the series, through to Trails from Azure, at which point I decided “Eh…I’m done. The magic is lost.” But there’s a good reason that crowd exists, and I think I get how they can really absorb you in for the long haul. I just happened to differently enjoy a single pair of their games. At the very least, I wouldn’t consider the current 96% rating on Steam to be wholly objective; the game hasn’t been out long, so most reviewers will be people who played the game already and have a strong stake.
I played the demo for this one, and was surprised to find myself challenged by the JRPG combat even on normal. It’s possible to solve that issue with grinding, but it also got me to appreciate all the systems they have for outfitting yourself well, and reacting to particular circumstances in combat (I’m thinking of making a guide on Steam to showcase some of these). While I think of these games for their story (and of course their music) it’s interesting to see they have a large following for max difficulty playthroughs.