Continuing the epic journey of Van Arkride, “The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II” invites players to deeply immerse themselves in the fantasy world of Zemuria. Fans who have braved the previous installment would recall our beloved Sprigann’s intense clashes with the deadly mafia, setting the stage for an even more epic story. The sequel raises the stakes introducing a mysterious encounter with a Grendel that terrorizes the region of Calvard- a creature that shares similarity to the one Arkride possesses.
“Daybreak I” captivated the players with an intricate storyline and an interesting turn-based combat system, setting a high bar that the sequel more than exceeded. The combat system from “Daybreak I” takes the solid foundations laid by its predecessor and elevates them to new layers of complexity. While “Daybreak I” had a pretty smooth and simple turn-based combat system mixing standard attacks and dodging mechanics, it slowly started to lose its charm after you mastered the basics.
The sequel revitalizes the experience by introducing attack arts, which have a chance of adding additional effects like inflicting status ailments or boosting party members’ stats. The cross-charge attacks are another feature that can be used in field battles, a perfect dodge from your character can allow you to swap them for another party member who will execute a powerful charge attack. Such mechanics empower the player and encourage them to make strategies actively making every attack, even the attacks of their enemy a way to turn the tide.
Speaking of strategy games, PS5 has come with a plethora of them, like the 3D Real Time Strategy game “Empire of the Ants”, where you play as ANTS of course! You’ll feel right at home controlling a horde of ants that have their own complex behavior, all the while raising an ant empire while bringing the fall of other colonies around you. If you have entomophobia but really like turn-based combat and classic SNK games, well then Metal Slug Tactics is the game for you.
The old 2D run-and-gun shooter has gotten a thrilling makeover turning into an exciting roguelike. Like the old game wasn’t chaotic enough? Metro Awakening is also on rails to be released, so you can live your fantasy of being a post-apocalyptic Russian to life, through the eyes of Sedar, a doctor on a mission to reunite with his wife.
If this is not your cup of tea though and want to just enjoy some mindless fun, how about you check out Goat Simulator Remastered, surely seeing a chaotic goat that craves violence in a higher definition with improved graphics will get you interested. If none of the new games awe you then good news for you! Playstation has an indie game sale for great deals on great games.
Coming back to “Daybreak I”, one of the standout features is “The Dead End” system, which introduces a unique narrative reminiscent of the failure loops of “NieR: Automata”. While some fans might think that a Dead End means a setback, do not fret. This ingenious mechanic is more of a narrative catalyst than it is a game obstacle. It grants the player an opportunity to use a Genesis device to rewind time and “fix” the timeline like your very own Marty McFly’s “Back To The Future”. The mechanic aims to encourage players to explore various routes and directions they never got to explore before, creating a more complex and replayable storyline.
What the creators of “The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II” have proved through this game is that sometimes something new is not always better, the old only requires refinement to shine brighter. “Daybreak II” does everything to prove it is a more refined version of its predecessor, standing out even among the other Trials series. Whether you are an old fan or a newcomer, the journey to Zemura will be an interesting tale to tell, if you decide to tag along with Van Arkide and his ragtag band of quirky companions and embrace yourself in the world of Calvard.
