I haven't played the other Trails games as thoroughly as I played the Daybreak games. The NPC map marker is truly a game changer. Didn't think I'd care about secondary NPCs as I do now. Seeing Curtis go from his family and study struggles to being an Aramis student was nice.
There's a lot more stories happening behind the scenes if you cared enough. Seyla and Lulua's idol journey, Shino's journey as a barista, Ms. Sonia's love story, Eddy and Berzelia's friendship, Jess, Carol, and Raymond's story, Gabriella and Yota, etc.