21 years later, remake of beloved JRPG classic Trails in the Sky gets first playable demo – it's 5-7 hours long, and fans say it's a certified banger: "Oh my god it's phenomenal"

News
By published

Explore Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter's prologue in its entirety on PC and PS5, with a Switch version due out later

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter remake demo
(Image credit: Nihon Falcom)

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, the remake of the genre-defining 2004 classic that kickstarted the Trails series, has a playable demo out letting you fully explore the prologue of the game.

Developer Nihon Falcom and publisher GungHo surprise-dropped the Trails in the Sky remake demo this week on PC via Steam and PS5, with a Switch version due to release "at a later date."

Opening Movie - Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter - YouTube Opening Movie - Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter - YouTube
Watch On

I've had high hopes for the remake since it was announced in December, and even equipped with the knowledge that the remake is 80 flippin' hours long, I couldn't be more excited to re-experience one of the best JRPG series ever made from a fresh perspective. And folks, early impressions are highly encouraging.

"Falcom have DELIVERED," reads the title of a video breakdown of the demo from The Kiseki Nut, who praised the remake's updated visuals, localization, animations, and turn-based/real-time hybrid combat system.

Meanwhile, long-form writeups from places like Xbox Era and RPG Site are largely very positive as well.

For a breezier snapshot of the overall reaction, pretty much everyone on Reddit is uniformly impressed by the demo.

"ITS SOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!!!!" reads one enthusiastic comment.

"Oh my god it's phenomenal," reads another.

"My eyes are sweating. It's so peak so far. What an incredible remake, we are so blessed," gushes another Redditor.

I haven't played nearly enough of the demo to give any sort of comprehensive overview, but from the hour-and-change I played last night, Trails in the Sky remake seems like JRPG bliss. It looks stunning and runs smooth as butter on my base PS5 with the 120 FPS mode switched on, and I'm intrigued, if not slightly overwhelmed, by its myriad of systems. But that's with any JRPG these days.

By all accounts, JRPG sickos have been blessed with several hours of a modernized chunk of genre royalty this week, and as a proud JRPG sicko myself, I'm officially canceling all my plans this weekend.

Follow it up with a pick from our guide to the best JRPGs ever made.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.