Kuro No Kiseki 2

We're very thankful that, over the last decade or so, Japanese companies have finally grown accustomed to releasing their games outside of Japan in a timely manner. Publishers like SEGA are actually going all-in on worldwide release dates, which is a massive step in the right direction when you consider the sheer amount of waiting that the West had to do back in the PS1, PS2, and even PS3 days.

But not every Japanese company has the resources to get the job done — and that's clearly the case with Falcom, the developer that pumps out the largely fantastic Trails and Ys games. Falcom currently relies on NIS America to handle the localisation and selling of its titles here in the West, but for many fans, the backlog is becoming borderline unbearable.

NIS America currently has four Trails games scheduled for release over the next two years. Trails from Zero is due out this September. Its sequel, Trails to Azure, is set for 2023. Also pencilled in for 2023 are Trails of Cold Steel sequel Trails into Reverie, and series spinoff The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails.

As you can see, the wait is already pretty bad, but the real problem arises when you consider Kuro no Kiseki — the new Trails saga that's already pushing well ahead in Japan. The first Kuro no Kiseki released in Japan last September, and its sequel, Kuro no Kiseki II: Crimson Sin, is now gearing up for its launch this autumn.

And that's why it's painful to see fresh coverage of Kuro no Kiseki II — we don't even have confirmation that the first game is coming West. Details on the soon-to-release sequel are starting to do the rounds, complete with a teaser trailer and official character artwork.

Assuming NISA doesn't have any surprises (or at this point, miracles) up its sleeve, Western Trails fans could be waiting until 2024 to get their hands on the Kuro games. It's like we've returned to the early 2000s!

But look, it's not all doom and gloom. Falcom is aware of Western demand for the Kuro games, and we're sure that the company — and NISA — would love to ship them overseas a lot faster. For now, though, we're just going to have to make do with the schedule — and at least the incredibly highly rated Trails from Zero is only a few months away.

[source gematsu.com]