The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
Second chapter of the Trails series, released in English in 2015.
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The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC is a role-playing game from Nihon Falcom, released in 2006. It serves as the second chapter in the Trails series, which is part of the broader The Legend of Heroes franchise, and its story picks up right after the events of Trails in the Sky (2004). The game first launched on Windows in Japan in 2006, followed by a PlayStation Portable version in 2007. An English version did not appear until 2015, largely because the sheer volume of text—approximately 1.5 million words—made translation and localization a massive undertaking.
Japan also saw a PlayStation 3 high-definition port in 2013 and a PlayStation Vita remaster in 2015, though neither was released in English. The Windows English version arrived in 2015, handled by XSEED Games. A sequel, Trails in the Sky the 3rd, came out in 2007, and while a remake of the first game, Trails in the Sky the 1st, has been announced for 2025, no official remake of SC (2nd Chapter) has been confirmed for any platform or release date.
Gameplay
The gameplay stays close to its predecessor, offering a turn-based role-playing experience. New additions include chain crafts, which let up to four party members launch a simultaneous attack against enemies.
Synopsis
The story continues directly from the first game, set in the nation of Liberl. After the previous game’s ending, Joshua has vanished. Estelle, having completed her Bracer Guild training, sets out to find him.
Plot
Along the way, she runs into agents of the organization Ouroboros, called Enforcers, who are helping Weissmann search for an artifact known as the Aureole. She gets help from Kevin Graham, a priest of the Septian Church. Estelle is later captured during a raid on an Ouroboros facility and held on the airship Glorious, where she meets Loewe, a former associate of Joshua.
Loewe explains that he and Joshua were the only survivors of a false flag attack on the Erebonian village of Hamel, which Erebonia used as a pretext for war with Liberl. Afterward, Weissmann found them and brought them into Ouroboros, while the Hamel incident was covered up as part of a ceasefire. Estelle is rescued by Joshua, and the two reconcile.
Weissmann and the Enforcers then raise the Liber Ark, an ancient floating city that houses the Aureole. This causes a nationwide blackout as the Aureole absorbs orbal energy, nearly triggering another Erebonian invasion.
Lore & Background
The game's story directly follows the events of Trails in the Sky, with Joshua having disappeared. Estelle, after completing training with the Bracer Guild, sets out to find him. She encounters agents of Ouroboros known as Enforcers, who are assisting Weissmann in searching for the Aureole.
Estelle is kidnapped and taken prisoner on the airship Glorious, where she learns about the Hamel incident from Loewe, a former Enforcer associate of Joshua. Weissmann and the Enforcers raise the Liber Ark, an ancient floating city housing the Aureole, causing a country-wide power outage. The party fights through the Enforcers, and Loewe sacrifices himself to shatter a magical barrier created by Weissmann.
Reader's Guide
Trails in the Sky SC is significant as a key entry in the Trails series, known for its extensive narrative and character development. Its English localization was a major undertaking, with the script totaling 716,401 words, longer than the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy and War and Peace. The game received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising its gameplay, story, writing, characters, and soundtrack, while noting its dated presentation and cliché main plot. The game's release history includes a Japanese Windows version in 2006, a PlayStation Portable version in 2007, a PlayStation 3 port in 2013, and an English Windows and PSP release in 2015.
A remaster for PlayStation Vita was released in Japan in 2015. A remake, Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, is scheduled for release in September 2026 on multiple platforms. The game's legacy lies in its role in establishing the Trails series' reputation for deep world-building and lengthy, detailed storytelling.
Did You Know?
- The game's English localization was delayed into 2015 due to personal struggles of Carpe Fulgur head Andrew Dice.
- A remake titled Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is scheduled for release on September 17, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC?
It is the second entry in Nihon Falcom's Trails sub-series, a role-playing game that picks up immediately after the events of the first Trails in the Sky. The "SC" in the title stands for "Second Chapter," marking it as the middle installment of the original three-part arc.
Why did Trails in the Sky SC take so long to receive an English release?
The Japanese version launched in 2006, but the English localization did not arrive until 2015. The delay was largely driven by the game's enormous script—roughly 1.5 million words—which made translating, localizing, and quality-checking the text an exceptionally large production effort.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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