The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st – Everything We Know

The news that The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is getting a Switch remake came as a surprise a couple of weeks ago. It surprised the audience and the developer behind the remake, as Nintendo was not expected to reveal the project at the Nintendo Direct event. The series, touted as the most extensive, longest, and most detailed turn-based JRPG series of all time, is ongoing. As such, players are curious about what the original game’s remake is all about.

The remake is titled The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st. While it is still under development, we have a good idea of what to expect. Here is everything we know about it.

What is The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st?

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st is a complete 3D remake of the first game in the Trails series. Notably, the Trails series ranks among the longest, largest, and most detailed JRPG game series. While the original game, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, is in 3D, its POV is isometric. The 3D remake will give the game better visuals, making it more immersive and enjoyable. The game is still under development and will launch in 2025.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st–Story

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st follows two siblings, Estelle and Joshua, on a mission to find and rescue their missing father. The two siblings are Bracers, special police officers who help the residents of the Liberl Kingdom with various issues.

Liberl is a highly advanced kingdom, mainly due to the discovery of Orbal Energy technology. Introduced 50 years ago, this remarkable innovation has transformed daily life, powering everything from transportation to communication and beyond. However, evil forces have also harnessed this technology to create devastating weapons and other dangerous advancements. To counter these threats, the kingdom established the Bracers, a special police force dedicated to protecting citizens by combating those who misuse the technology. In addition to battling villains, the Bracers assist the kingdom’s residents with everyday challenges, ensuring peace and stability in a world fueled by this powerful energy.

The protagonists’ father disappeared on board an orbalship, the best innovation from the Orbal Energy technology. As such, the two heroes’ duty as Bracers and the missing character’s father is to find him. They explore the entire world to do so, interacting with characters and taking on various quests along the way. Interestingly, they uncover secrets that expose the kingdom’s underbelly during their investigations, unravelling an intriguing story.

Gameplay

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st delivers over 50 hours of fun gameplay. The gameplay features an epic adventure, explosive action, and intriguing storytelling.

You go on an epic adventure as you explore the game’s vast world for clues to your father’s whereabouts. The game features eight playable characters, including Joshua and Estelle. However, the six other characters rotate in and out of the game, while the two main protagonists are permanent. Moreover, you can interact with many NPCs along the way, and each NPC has a name, unique personality, and dynamic story.

The game features two types of maps: Field and Town maps. Field maps are dangerous and feature enemies that can attack you. In contrast, Town maps are safe and feature inns where you can replenish your health and shops where you can purchase items. Moreover, major cities feature Bracers Guilds where you can take on various quests. Notably, the 3D remake makes transitioning from Field maps to Town maps seamless for a smoother gameplay experience.

Quests are diverse tasks, ranging from delivering items to fighting monsters. Monsters come in diverse shapes and sizes. The game’s combat system is turn-based, and the heroes have diverse weapons and abilities to fight them. Besides ordinary attacks, you can also use Arts, Crafts, and S-Crafts in combat. Arts are magical spells, Crafts are character-specific special abilities similar to Arts, and S-Crafts are powered-up versions of Crafts.

Development

Nihon Falcom, the original game’s developer, is also behind The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st. The developer’s main focus in the game’s remake is turning its world into full 3D. The original game’s isometric view of the world makes the characters appear slightly obscure or generic. In contrast, the full 3D Trails in the Sky the 1st remake features more realistic characters with distinct physical features, sharp visuals of the game’s entire world, and better graphics.

Interestingly, the developer has not decided which publisher to partner with to distribute the game in the West. However, the company also assured players it could handle distribution if it failed to find a suitable publisher.

Trailer

The official trailer for The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st is a collection of the original game’s gameplay scenes in full 3D. Most notably, the characters look more realistic, and you can see the two main protagonists in detail at the beginning. The game’s world and distinct environments also look sharper and better. The trailer includes scenes of the protagonists and other playable characters exploring diverse environments. A few scenes also showcase the characters fighting dangerous creatures. However, it is worth noting that the dialogue and text in the trailer are in Japanese.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st will launch in 2025. Nintendo didn’t set an exact release date, considering the game’s announcement was a surprise. Moreover, while the developers plan to launch the game worldwide, it is not clear whether it will launch in the West at the same time as in Japan. Notably, the original game took about seven years to launch in the West.

The game was officially announced for Nintendo Switch. Interestingly, a representative for Nihon Falcom says that the developer is still debating whether to release the game on PC and PlayStation platforms.

So, what’s your take on our preview of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st? Let us know on our socials here or in the comments below.