Tails by the Foxfire

• Price Point: 5/5
• Fun Factor: 4/5
• Gameplay: 5/5
• Story, Characters & Worldbuilding: 4/5
• Maps & Environment: 3.5/5
• Music: 3/5
• Recommended: Yes!

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How Many Hours is Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter?

I finished Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter in around 80 hours, putting it in the ballpark of $1 per hour invested. In terms of days, I managed it in about two months accounting for the holidays and fitting in gaming time around my full-time job. This was with all but one or two sidequests completed, so your mileage may vary depending on how completionist your gaming habits trend. Setting aside my feelings about the new normal re: standard full game prices, I can confidently say I never once thought or regretted paying full price for Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. It delivered exactly what it promised: a fun JRPG adventure I’d be happy to revisit on a New Game + file.

Is Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter a Good Remake?

I can’t speak to how loyal Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is to its source material, but I can say it’s a fun experience with an engaging story and tight gameplay. The subtitle ‘1st Chapter’ might have you wondering: ‘is Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter the full game?’ or ‘Can I start with Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter?’ and the answer is ‘Yes’ and ‘Yes’; I can confirm it’s a self-contained narrative with new hooks laid for sequels without leaving you feeling deprived of story or resolution by the time you reach the end.

Gameplay

Though tutorials are front-loaded and feel overwhelming, combat feels fresh, fast, and relatively intuitive once you spend some time with it. Aside from boss fights (which take place in turn-based format), players can choose between action and turn-based combat on the overworld. Estelle and Josha’s growth feels gradual and noticeable with the introduction of new special abilities and prompts like Chain and Burst.

Fun Factor

On point. Writing ensures stakes and comedy are well-balanced. The game is mostly easy with noticeable difficulty curves depending on your party build. Party customization is unfortunately non-existent until the final dungeon, but you get to fight with varied party loadouts throughout the game as you meet new characters, helping you equally sample their fighting styles before you choose your party for the final showdown. Orbment customization feels satisfying with mixing and matching determining which skills, stats, and advantages you have in combat. Maps feel big but not overwhelming, with a good amount of ground to explore and generous loot.

Story, Characters & Worldbuilding

A classic RPG story with interesting, well-designed characters that I really enjoyed getting to know. You know it’s probably going to hurt your heart, but it’s a really fun ride with all the ingredients of a good comfort game. You’ll probably predict a few of the twists if you’re familiar with stories like this, so it’s kind of like your favourite sweater in video game form. It’s not doing anything revolutionary, but it doesn’t need to. A perfect choice for newcomers to the genre or seasoned RPG enthusiasts.

Music

A little repetitive, but overall pleasant. As with the visual design, there were just times when I wished there’d been more variation across locations.

Maps & Environment

Bright, feel-good colour palette with serious summer vibes. Towns feel unique and have charming character. However, the landscape in between locations and the ‘sci-fi’ aesthetic of later dungeons can feel a bit same-same after a while, so some more variation would’ve been appreciated.

Is Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Worth It?

As well as being a natural entry-point for the long-running Trails/Legend of Heroes series, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a great place to start with JRPGs as a whole. Once you get the hang of combat, it feels intuitive and customizable with enough challenges thrown in to keep things interesting. Towns are unique and you get attached to each location throughout the main story and sidequests in each area. Character interactions are fun as well, though Estelle can be frustratingly dim at times. It’s established as her character, but it can also feel a bit like the game dims her shine at every opportunity for another excuse to glaze Joshua. Don’t get me wrong, Joshua’s cool (though Zin and Scherazard are probably my runaway favourites overall), but Estelle deserves her flowers and I hope she gets more opportunity to shine in Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, due later this year in Fall 2026. Speaking of which, finishing 1st Chapter meant I could finally watch the hype-inspiring trailer, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the game when it drops!