A new rumor circulating on Chinese forums suggests that a demo for The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter will release on August 21. The claim comes from a well-known leaker with a strong track record, who previously reported on the existence of Yakuza Pirates ahead of its Tokyo Game Show reveal.
The rumor gained traction after a post on A9VG included an image file featuring a Famicom console with the words “free trial” placed on train tracks in the sky. This symbolic clue has been interpreted as pointing toward a demo version of Trails in the Sky FC—with “FC” standing for First Chapter. Sal Romano of Gematsu also shared the information on ResetERA, lending further weight to the speculation. While the thread title that accompanied the original post remains unrelated, the imagery itself seems to leave little doubt about the intended message.
Originally developed by Nihon Falcom and released for Windows in Japan in 2004, Trails in the Sky became the foundation of the Trails subseries within The Legend of Heroes franchise. Despite challenges in localization due to its extensive text, publisher Xseed Games eventually brought the game to Western audiences in 2011 on the PlayStation Portable. Since then, it has seen multiple ports across platforms, including PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Windows.
The upcoming remake of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is scheduled to launch in September 2025 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows. If the rumor proves accurate, fans may get their first hands-on experience through the demo just weeks before its release. As of now, however, Falcom has not issued an official confirmation regarding the reported trial version.
