The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II, a role-playing game from Nihon Falcom, launched in 2022. It marks the thirteenth main entry in the Trails series, which itself belongs to the broader The Legend of Heroes franchise, and directly follows the events of 2021’s Trails Through Daybreak. The game first hit Japanese shelves for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in September 2022. Clouded Leopard Entertainment handled a Windows port for Asia in January 2023, while NIS America brought an English version to North America and Europe in February 2025 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows—the Nintendo Switch version followed later on July 11, 2025. A follow-up, Trails Beyond the Horizon, appeared in 2024.

After the collapse of Almata, Elaine Auclair recruits Van Arkride to probe a string of strange murders. Their investigation leads them to a man who can transform into a monster resembling Van’s own Grendel form. Both are killed during the clash, but the Oct-Genesis in Agnès Claudel’s possession rewinds time, sparing them. The Arkride Solution Office reunites to crack the case, joined by Swin Abel and Nadia Rayne. They face off against the Garden-Master—the last survivor of the Garden, who controls the monster Grendel-Zolga as a separate entity—alongside Ellroy Harwood, who has his own agenda involving Ixs and Jorda, already enforcers of Ouroboros. Each time the group hits a dead end, the Oct-Genesis resets time.

The team learns the Garden-Master is actually Ace Rayne, Nadia’s brother and Swin’s former partner, long believed dead. In truth, a clone body hosts the spirit of Auguste Aldan, a Calvardian revolutionary executed for ideological differences, who survived by feeding on the negativity of history’s wronged souls. He aims to use the eighth and final Oct-Genesis, along with Grendel-Zolga and his AI Carmine Altra—a corrupted version of Lapis Rosenberg—to reshape history. The heroes stop him, allowing Swin and Nadia a final moment with the real Ace’s spirit.

Van’s group eventually identifies Grendel-Zolga as Dingo Brad, a journalist and old friend murdered during an Almata operation. His body was cloned for the Garden-Master, but Dingo’s original personality gradually took over, indirectly aiding the heroes. After his defeat, Dingo dies peacefully, and everyone attends the anniversary celebration of Agnès’ academy.

Nihon Falcom developed the