I’ve probably spent upwards of 2000 hours in the Trails series’ Zemuria, digging into the world’s seemingly boundless culture, history, and characters. And despite everything the series has done right over the last decade, there’s one cardinal sin it’s committed — not bringing back the singular best character, until now. Even if you’ve played a half-dozen Trails games, you might not know who Father Kevin Graham is, but boy, you’re abut to. Essentially, the James Bond of Trails’ Septian Church, Kevin is one of the most delightful and complex characters the series has ever seen — and after playing a few hours of Trails Beyond the Horizon, Falcom hasn’t missed a beat. But perhaps more interesting, this game feels like it marks a shift in the series, a moment where all the pieces are now on the chessboard, and Trails is starting to careen into its grand finale. And I couldn’t be more excited.
Trails Beyond the Horizon is the 14th mainline entry in the franchise, furthering the continuous story that’s been playing out since the release of Trails in the Sky in 2004. Horizon takes place shortly after the events of Trails Through Daybreak 2, and while it’s technically the third game in the “Calvard Arc,” it takes a much different approach to its storytelling. (For the purposes of this preview, I’ll mostly be focusing on story and setting - but you can read our preview from a few months ago focusing on combat.)
