75
The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon builds on a solid and familiar structure, very similar to that of its two predecessors, while significantly deepening its connections with the other chapters of the Trails series. Although its narrative suffers from notable pacing issues, the experience is upheld by a charismatic cast and a robust combat system.
80
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon isn't the most gripping narrative, in part due to how much it relies on knowledge of so many other games to fully understand. What it does do right, though, is that it's an incredibly fun and addictive JRPG experience that I couldn't get enough of.
80
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon not only delivers an epic conclusion to the Calvard arc, but also represents a major turning point in the shared narrative of the entire Trails universe. The story is once again expertly told, as fans of the series have come to expect, with major plot twists that cast new light on much of what we believed we knew about this rich and compelling setting. Great care is given to the cast, supported by an enormous amount of dialogue that further brings the world to life. However, the lack of an Italian localization may prove to be a significant barrier for non-English speakers, and some sections suffer from an excessive amount of dialogue, occasionally disrupting the overall pacing. Gameplay is more refined and satisfying than ever, with the turn-based combat system truly shining and reaching new levels of depth. The soundtrack does not disappoint, featuring several tracks that immediately stick in your head, while the visual presentation remains the game’s Achilles’ heel, once again feeling like it belongs to a project from two generations ago. Of course, no one plays Nihon Falcom titles for their visuals, but it’s hard not to wonder when we’ll finally see this talented team working with a more adequate budget—a question I find myself asking in far too many of their reviews. That said, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon stands as an excellent JRPG that more than capably closes a long-running narrative arc, while laying solid foundations for the future of a saga that should not be overlooked.
10
I've always loved the Trails series, but now after this new character Van Arkide and this trilogy, it's impossible not to love it even more. A work of art, increasingly rare in the world of RPGs.
9
After the massive disappointment that was Daybreak 2, I was worried about Horizon's ability to bring me back into the franchise. Especially since its release in the West was after the Sky FC remake from last year might have stole its thunder. Fortunately it's one of the best games in the franchise and something that was refreshing for me to play. The game is helped out alot by splitting its main story into 3 separate arcs by bringing back two previous main characters and allowing them to handle some of the heavy lifting. Rean and Kevin work great here and, even though Van has more story arcs than the two of them combined, they were able to put some major story beats with the two of them instead of jamming everything onto Van, which was one of the biggest issues for Daybreak 2. The story also finally pays off some of the biggest moments from Daybreak 1 that 2 just seemed to forget about and, honestly, made Daybreak 2 seem fairly irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, beyond it's ending, which is referenced multiple times throughout the **** while it ends on a cliffhanger, something that this series is known for, it's one of the better ones in my book and has me very excited for the next game in the series. Unfortunately, there's no indication of when that will happen, with Falcom already saying they are focusing on Sky SC remake for this year. I just hope that it's a simultaneous worldwide release for the next game in the series so no one has to wait for it. At the end of the day, this is a good bounce back for the Trails franchise and I'm glad it worked out after how bad Daybreak 2 was. It might be the 13th game in the franchise but it's still easy enough for me to recommend it.
8
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon
Released On:
Jan 15, 2026
Metascore
Generally Favorable
84
User score
Generally Favorable
8.1
My Score
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
100% Positive
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jan 8, 2026
100
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon is the pinnacle of Trails storytelling alongside the best evolution of the hybrid action turn-based combat.
Jan 14, 2026
90
Trails beyond the Horizon is truly a massive game with an impressive amount of content and a thought-provoking storyline replete with memorable characters and powerful moments. It’s a true delight to play so long as you’re not a series newcomer.
User score
Generally Favorable
76% Positive
34 Ratings
34 Ratings
13% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
11% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Feb 28, 2026
10
I've always loved the Trails series, but now after this new character Van Arkide and this trilogy, it's impossible not to love it even more. A work of art, increasingly rare in the world of RPGs.
Jan 18, 2026
10
Definitely one of the best games in the franchise! A true JRPG!! The complex narrative, with multiple perspectives, the hybrid combat system, and the various mechanics that make it deep without overwhelming the player make Trails Beyond the Horizon a spectacular JRPG to play.
Jan 11, 2026
88
The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon is a massive game with oodles of familiar and fresh characters, locales, mechanics, and quests. It can actually be a bit too much at times yet it all comes together to form one of the best-crafted modern RPGs.
Jan 23, 2026
80
Trails Beyond the Horizon is a game that demands attention, memory, and patience, but in return offers a vast, layered, and coherent narrative, something few JRPGs manage today. The combat system is solid and rewarding, side quests and optional modes add depth, and those who have followed the series so far will find continuous satisfaction.
Jan 15, 2026
80
The Legend of Heroes Trails Beyond the Horizon is a major milestone in the franchise and the history of Zemuria, but also the culmination of many years of gameplay refinement. A superb conclusion for Calvard.
Jan 8, 2026
80
Trails beyond the Horizon is one of the most impactful games in Falcom's series to date, dealing in world-altering revelations and truly dramatic story developments. For Trails fans who have come this far, Horizon has the potential to blow you away — but you need to be ready for hours of character recaps and exposition before things really start to ramp up.
Jan 26, 2026
75
The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon builds on a solid and familiar structure, very similar to that of its two predecessors, while significantly deepening its connections with the other chapters of the Trails series. Although its narrative suffers from notable pacing issues, the experience is upheld by a charismatic cast and a robust combat system.
Jan 17, 2026
10
Excellent port, I'm playing on switch 2 and the game can get upto 120fps on handheld mode, worth every penny best trails game so far.
Feb 10, 2026
9
After the massive disappointment that was Daybreak 2, I was worried about Horizon's ability to bring me back into the franchise. Especially since its release in the West was after the Sky FC remake from last year might have stole its thunder. Fortunately it's one of the best games in the franchise and something that was refreshing for me to play. The game is helped out alot by splitting its main story into 3 separate arcs by bringing back two previous main characters and allowing them to handle some of the heavy lifting. Rean and Kevin work great here and, even though Van has more story arcs than the two of them combined, they were able to put some major story beats with the two of them instead of jamming everything onto Van, which was one of the biggest issues for Daybreak 2. The story also finally pays off some of the biggest moments from Daybreak 1 that 2 just seemed to forget about and, honestly, made Daybreak 2 seem fairly irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, beyond it's ending, which is referenced multiple times throughout the **** while it ends on a cliffhanger, something that this series is known for, it's one of the better ones in my book and has me very excited for the next game in the series. Unfortunately, there's no indication of when that will happen, with Falcom already saying they are focusing on Sky SC remake for this year. I just hope that it's a simultaneous worldwide release for the next game in the series so no one has to wait for it. At the end of the day, this is a good bounce back for the Trails franchise and I'm glad it worked out after how bad Daybreak 2 was. It might be the 13th game in the franchise but it's still easy enough for me to recommend it.
Jan 17, 2026
9
Now i understand how Kiseki fans felt after Cold Steel 3.
i have so many questions about this e.n.d.i.n.g, one thing that i'm sure about it tho, **** Lloyd :v
Jan 18, 2026
6
Even while the game has strong improvements as well as having very good gameplay and even having a dynamic combat system, I still can't bring myself to liking or having good things to say about the main character. Still see Van as unlikable. And even the pace can be rather slow, along with other things. Although the game's gameplay is great, having a strong cast and even has good visuals, the slow pace, and having a MC that isn't that likable, can be very tough to ignore.
SummaryC. Epstein, the father of the Orbal Revolution, predicted the end of the Zemuria continent. As that "X-Day" approaches, a single Orbal rocket is about to be launched from a huge base built in the land of Kunlun. "Can humans reach the outer atmosphere?" "What is at the end of the continent?" "Can humanity know the truth of the 'world'?... Read More
Rated Tfor Teen
Platforms:
- PC
- PlayStation 5
- PlayStation 4
- Nintendo Switch
- Nintendo Switch 2
Initial Release Date:Jan 15, 2026
Developer:
Publisher:
