This free PlayStation 5 RPG taster has Final Fantasy vibes and 5-star ratings

September is almost upon us, bringing with it more new video games than we can keep up with.

The Blood of Dawnwalker, Silent Hill: Townfall, Control Resonant, Marvel’s Wolverine, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and Minecraft Dungeons II are among the titles coming our way next month as the industry attempts to stay well clear of Grand Theft Auto VI in November.

One RPG that’s set to land amid all of those aforementioned titles is Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, but there’s a very good chance that Nihon Falcom’s sequel gets lost in all of the noise.

To prevent that from happening, the team has launched a demo which you can try for free on PlayStation 5 right now, as well as on PC and Nintendo Switch consoles.

It’s a game that’ll most definitely appeal to Final Fantasy fans as a fellow JRPG classic; in fact, it’s a remake of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC that landed in 2006.

Just as Square Enix is doing with Final Fantasy, Nihon Falcom is updating the classic saga for modern audiences.

Now you do ideally need to play Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter as 2nd Chapter is, perhaps rather obviously, a direct sequel.

That former instalment is pretty pricey, but it also has its own demo readily available online if you want to give it a sample.

As for this new taster, it picks up after the coup d’état has been quelled in the Kingdom of Liberl, with Estelle and Joshua having now become senior bracers.

The synopsis reads, “On the eve of the Queen's Birthday Festival, Joshua reveals the dark truth of his past before vanishing into the night, leaving only his brief farewell: ‘Goodbye, Estelle.’ Armed with Joshua's harmonica and an unshakable determination, Estelle embarks upon a continent-spanning quest to find her partner.”

It continues, “During her journey, she must take on the sinister society of Ouroboros as it emerges from the shadows to plunge Liberl into utter chaos. [...] Confronted with the greatest crisis in the history of Liberl, Estelle and her allies battle to find Joshua and untangle the web of intrigue and conspiracy woven by Ouroboros!”

Nihon Falcom

If you have played Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, you’ll unlock some bonus items in the full release of 2nd Chapter which are said to make you progress through the story “more smoothly”.

This sequel boasts new Crafts and S-Crafts to help you overcome enemies, plus there’s a new Brave Rush feature which allows you to link your characters’ attacks.

There’s also some new content in this modern remake, including fishing and poker minigames as well as the option to cook with your companions.

Fan-favourite characters have been turned into playable party members this time around too.

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The brand-new demo includes the sequel’s first chapter with progress carrying over

As for the demo, well, it takes you through chapter one of Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, if that’s not confusing.

You’ll play as Estelle and her allies as you return to Liberl’s Grancel, Rolent, and Ruan regions.

“Hone your skills as a senior bracer at Le Locle Canyon” in the demo, and “investigate mysterious events and face formidable foes”.

Viewer Mode and Movie Viewer, which will feature in the full game, are not present in the demo. Should you pick up the full game, all save data will carry over.

The demo boasts an impressive 4.85 rating on the PlayStation Store, with 95% of the demo’s players awarding a perfect score of five stars, so this is definitely looking like a must-play experience.