Tag: Falcom
Ys please
If you're not quite familiar with Ys vs. Trails in the Sky — an old Falcom crossover fighter that's being revived on PS5 and PS4 — then we'd give this new trailer a watch. It covers the game's character roster, which consists of heroes and antiheroes from both Ys and the Trails series. Granted, you'll need to have played some of the...
News Switch 2 Exclusivity Concerns Surround Ys X: Proud Nordics as Plans for PS5 Are Undecided
You've been X'd
Falcom generated a backlash last year when it announced Ys X: Proud Nordics — an expanded and enhanced version of Ys X: Nordics, which had only just released in the west. Well, the saga just got even more questionable with Proud Nordics' full Japanese reveal. As it turns out, this "significantly upgraded" edition of Ys X is...
Rumour New Trails Game Announcement Incoming as English 'Trails Beyond the Horizon' Name Is Leaked
NIS one
Falcom enthusiasts have reason to believe that a localisation announcement for Kai no Kiseki: Farewell, O Zemuria — the sequel to Trails through Daybreak 2 — is imminent. Kai no Kiseki has been available in Japan since last year, and its localisation here in 2025 would mean that the west will actually be caught up with the series. As...
News Forgotten Falcom Crossover Fighter Ys vs. Trails in the Sky Is Coming West on PS5, PS4 in 2025
Sky's the limit
We're going to file this one under 'Announcements No One Ever Saw Coming, Not in a Million Years'. Ys vs. Trails in the Sky is being remastered and localised here in the West for the first time ever, 15 years after its original release. This is a crossover fighter that combines two of Falcom's core properties: Ys and Trails. It...
News Falcom Pulls an Atlus, Announces a 'Significantly Upgraded' Version of Ys X: Nordics
Proud Nordics, apparently
Falcom has announced Ys X: Proud Nordics — a "significantly upgraded" version of the recently released Ys X: Nordics. No prizes for guessing the fan reaction... Featuring a new storyline set in a new location and "numerous new elements", Proud Nordics is set to release next year in Japan. Platforms haven't been announced...
News Falcom Chairman Masayuki Kato Passes Away, 43 Years After Founding the Company
Aged 78
Storied Japanese developer Nihon Falcom has announced the passing of its chairman, Masayuki Kato. He was 78 years old, having originally founded the company all the way back in 1981. Previously, Kato was Falcom president until he stepped down in 2001. He oversaw the inception of role-playing properties like The Legend of Heroes, Ys, Xanadu,...
Taking a (Day)break
With the release of Trails through Daybreak earlier this year, Ys X: Nordics fast approaching, and Trails through Daybreak 2 arriving in February, we once again got to catch up with Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo at a recent UK press event. We asked Kondo-san all sorts of questions about the Trails series in particular,...
News Incredible Looking Trails in the Sky Remake Is Real, But PS5, PS4 Players Will Have to Wait
Sky high
Classic PSP RPG Trails in the Sky — the first game in Falcom's now renowned Trails saga — is getting a full-on remake. The surprise reveal was part of yesterday's Nintendo Direct, where the project was afforded a bafflingly short amount of time during a montage of upcoming releases. Trails fans were left rubbing their eyes in disbelief...
News NISA Committed to Bringing Falcom's Trails and Ys Games West at a Faster Pace
Daybreak
It sounds like localisation speed is a key point of improvement for NIS America, as the publisher has reiterated its intent when it comes to bringing Falcom titles West. As you may already know, the American arm of NIS is responsible for translating, marketing, and publishing franchises like Trails and Ys, in place of Japanese developer...
The Trails train never stops
We've said it once and we'll say it again: NIS America has been doing an admirable job of bringing Falcom's Trails games to the West — but boy does it sting when you realise just how far ahead the series is in its native Japan. In an age where most Japanese publishers and developers are going out of their way to ensure...
News Trails, Ys Developer Falcom Confirms New Tokyo Xanadu Game
The action RPG returns
As has been speculated, Falcom is indeed working on a new Tokyo Xanadu title. The game doesn't have a name yet, or confirmed platforms, or a release window, but at least we know it's coming! Tokyo Xanadu is an action RPG that's set in modern Japan. In Persona-esque fashion, a bunch of teenagers find a way to enter a...
News A New Trails Game Will Launch in Japan Next Year as the West Continues to Catch Up
Kuro 3 all but confirmed
Falcom's latest financial report reveals that a new Trails title is set to release before September 2024. It's highly likely that it'll end up being the third game in the series' latest saga, following on from Kuro no Kiseki and Kuro no Kiseki 2: Crimson Sin. The latter hit Japan in 2022, as Falcom focused on Ys X: Nordics...
News Trails Announcements Incoming? NISA Confirms Special Falcom Stream for Tomorrow
Fingers crossed for Kuro
It's all very short notice, but publisher NIS America has announced that it'll be hosting a special livestream tomorrow (that's the 21st September, just to be clear). Said stream will feature a "special announcement" from Falcom — the Japanese developer behind the Trails RPG franchise and the Ys series. Our immediate...
Interview Falcom Boss Talks Everything Trails, Reverie, Importance of Western Fans, and More
Also answers our dumbest questions
Trails into Reverie's long-awaited release is just days away at the time of writing, and with the series finally ramping up here in the West, we wanted to reach out to developer Falcom in order to organise our biggest interview with the company yet. Luckily for us, Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo has been kind...
News Trails, Ys Dev Falcom Working on Something 'Brand New'
Not related to Trails or Ys
For years now, Japanese developer Falcom has been delivering a new game every 12 months or so, with an almost exclusive focus on its two most popular properties: The Legend of Heroes (commonly referred to as Trails these days) and Ys. However, now that Falcom's titles are starting to hit harder in the West — giving the...
News Kuro no Kiseki Localisation News Coming 'As Soon as Possible', Falcom Hopes
The Trails saga looks set to continue
Originally released in 2021 in Japan, Kuro no Kiseki marks the beginning of a whole new story arc in Falcom's long-running The Legend of Heroes: Trails series. Western fans have been waiting on a localisation announcement for close to two years at this point, but it's yet to happen. To be fair, though, the...
News PS5, PS4 RPG Ys X Gets a September Release Date in Japan
West hopefully follows next year
Ys X: Nordics now has a confirmed release date in Japan. The action RPG launches on the 28th September for both PS5 and PS4 — and that gives us some idea as to when Adol's latest adventure could sail overseas to Western territories. These days, all of Falcom's games are published by NIS America here in the West,...
News Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure Exceed Falcom's Sales Expectations in the West
Special support
Falcom, the Japanese company behind the Trails and Ys games, has published its latest financial report — and it makes for positive reading if you're a Western fan. The report (as spotted by @AvengerMags and verified by Noisy Pixel) shows that the developer is in good health, and that its financial position has been bolste
News Ys X: Nordics Looks Slick in Loads of New Gameplay Screenshots
Plus gameplay details
Developer Falcom has released a new batch of gameplay screenshots from upcoming action RPG Ys X: Nordics. This is our best look yet at the next adventure of Adol Christin, and everything looks as slick as you'd expect. While the graphics themselves are a bit rough by today's standards (what's new for Falcom?) we can already...
News Ys X: Nordics Announced for PS5, PS4, First Screenshots Shared
2023 release for Japan
The next game in Falcom's long-running Ys series was announced overnight. It's officially called Ys X: Nordics, and it's coming to both PS5 and PS4 in 2023 — but only in Japan for now. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for NIS America to publish the title over here in the West. We've got some pretty juicy details...
News Ys X Targeting 2023 Release on PS5, PS4
X marks the spot
As per developer Falcom's latest financials report, it looks like the next Ys game — probably titled Ys X — will release before the end of September, 2023. However, it should be noted that this report only refers to the Japanese market — meaning that the West may have to wait a bit longer for a publisher like NIS America to...
News Trails, Ys Announcements and More Coming This Week
NISA's having a week of Falcom
NIS America, the publisher that brings Falcom's Trails and Ys games West, has announced that this week will play host to "announcements, activities, sweepstakes, and more" from the Japanese developer. It kicked things off earlier today by confirming a release date for Trails to Azure, and revealing that Ys IX: Monstrum...
News Falcom's Trails Series Tops 7 Million Sales
The legend grows
Falcom has announced that its Legend of Heroes: Trails franchise has now topped 7 million sales. The RPG series has been around for close to two decades, and it's always been somewhat popular in its homeland of Japan — but in recent years, the property has also started to catch on here in the West. 7 million is a respectable...
News Next Ys Game Teased with Artwork, May Have Soulslike Elements
Ys please?
Falcom has teased its next Ys game, which will be the tenth numbered title in the long running action RPG series. We've got concept art (which you can gawk at above) and some early gameplay details via Japanese publication Weekly Famitsu, as compiled by Gematsu. We'll have to start with the headline: the next Ys game will apparently take...
Interview Falcom on The Legend of Heroes' Future, Bringing New Trails Games West, and More
Holding out for Heroes
With Japanese RPG series The Legend of Heroes more popular than ever before here in the West, we wanted to get in touch with developer Falcom to find out more about the franchise and its future. Luckily, we landed an interview with Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo himself, and he was happy to answer some of our most prominent...
News The Legend of Heroes Overall Story Is 'About 60-70%' Finished, Says Falcom
That's a lotta games
If you didn't already know, Falcom's long running The Legend of Heroes franchise includes a lot of games — and all of them contribute to a huge overall story. The property's popularity has increased significantly over the last several years here in the West, with the Trails of Cold Steel series introducing loads of new players...
News Falcom on Bringing Kuro Trails Games West: 'Of Course We Intend To'
An update from Kondo himself
By now, Trails fans know all too well that it can take a long time for the latest entries Falcom's RPG series to come West. Publishing partner NIS America appears to be trying its best to bring the games over as quickly as it can, but colossal scripts mean that the localisation process is particularly gruelling. As...
News PS Plus Extra in Japan Gets Almost Every Trails Game on PS4
And Ys!
If you're a fan of 100-hour long Japanese RPGs and you happen to have a Japanese PlayStation account complete with PS Plus Extra, then you've just struck gold. The new PS Plus tiers, Premium and Extra, have just launched in Japan, and the Extra option includes almost every Falcom RPG available on PS4. (You can find a complete list of the PS...
First Impressions Trails from Zero Is Going to Be a Must-Play for JRPG Fans
From Zero to hero
Originally a 2010 PSP title, Trails from Zero was never officially released in the West, despite its incredibly positive reputation amongst hardcore Trails fans. Indeed, many would tell you that this is one of the best entries in Falcom's long, long running The Legend of Heroes franchise — and that's saying a lot. Thankfully, NIS...
That's a lot of Trails
If you're a fan of Japanese RPGs and you haven't yet discovered the magic of Falcom's The Legend of Heroes franchise, then a bundle like this offers up hundreds of hours of entertainment. Only just announced, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel I ~ IV & Trails into Reverie Complete Box is exactly what it says on...
News The West's Already Huge Wait for the New Trails Games Just Got Even More Painful
First details on Kuro no Kiseki II are here
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...
News The Latest Trails Game, Kuro no Kiseki, Is Already Getting a Sequel in Japan Next Year
Falcom, NISA, please
The West is now so far behind with Trails games that it's actually starting to hurt. The latest game in Falcom's long-running JRPG series, Kuro no Kiseki, released for PlayStation 4 earlier this year in Japan — but there's been no definitive word on a Western launch. And now, Falcom has announced that a direct sequel — the...
Don't keep us in the dark
Man, that latest Trails game looks bloody good, doesn't it? Titled Kuro no Kiseki, it releases for PlayStation 4 this very week in Japan, and it takes place after the excellent Trails of Cold Steel series. It's pretty much the next evolution in Falcom's long running The Legend of Heroes franchise. Anyway, ever since it was...
News Four Trails Games are Being Localised, But PS4 Hasn't Been Confirmed
Yep, the Crossbell remasters
Well well well, what do we have here? Ahead of Falcom's big 40th anniversary event tomorrow (or tonight, depending on your time zone), it looks like the Epic Games Store has leaked some major Western announcements. The PC storefront confirms that four Trails titles will be localised. This includes the two Crossbell...
Is being promoted in English
Nihon Falcom, the company behind the Trails franchise — with the Trails of Cold Steel games being the most well known here in the West — and Ys, will be celebrating 40 years of development with a special concert. Said concert will be livestreamed next week, on the 24th June. Normally we wouldn't pay too much...
Kuro no Kiseki
Regular readers will know that we're big fans of Falcom's Trails of Cold Steel games, so we've been keeping a close eye on the developer's brand new project. As you might have already heard, The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki (to give its full Japanese name, which translates to 'Trails in the Dark') runs on an overhauled engine,...
News Falcom Hints at Possible Zero and Ao no Kiseki Western Release on PS4
Crossbell calling
Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki are two of the most beloved games in The Legend of Heroes franchise, but they've never been officially released outside of Japan. What's more, they're both being remastered and released on PlayStation 4 very soon -- Zero no Kiseki Kai is due out on later this month, while Ao no Kiseki Kai launches...
Warm steel
Falcom seems to be a rather busy company these days. Between its development of brand new games in The Legend of Heroes franchise and its desire to make sure that its role-playing titles are brought West, the developer's really kicked into high gear over the course of this console generation. It's not slowing down anytime soon, either...
News PSP RPGs The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki PS4 Ports Teased by Falcom
From zero to hero
The Legend of Heroes series is pretty popular right now, and that's largely thanks to Trails of Cold Steel and Trails of Cold Steel II being ported to the PlayStation 4 here in the West. With Trails of Cold Steel III set to follow suit in September, it's safe to say that Falcom's role-playing franchise is going from strength to...
News Trails of Cold Steel III Is Coming West on PS4 Later This Year
The trio should be complete
Trails of Cold Steel fans rejoice, for NIS America has confirmed that The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III will be coming to Western PlayStation 4s in the latter half of 2019. You can catch the announcement trailer above. If all goes to plan, this means that the first three Trails of Cold Steel games will be...
News Trails of Cold Steel 4 Will Be the Last Entry in Falcom's Great JRPG Sub-Series
That's one big story
The Trails of Cold Steel series has been in and out of the news quite frequently over the last few weeks, with Falcom announcing that Trails of Cold Steel and Trails of Cold Steel II will be coming to the PlayStation 4 next year. Previously PlayStation 3 and Vita exclusives, the titles will be remastered on Sony's...
News Trails of Cold Steel I: Kai Officially Dated, 4K, 60FPS Remaster on PS4
Sharpened steel
Well this is all happening quite fast, isn't it? Only a week ago, Falcom confirmed that it was porting The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel and The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II to PlayStation 4, and now the first game has a Japanese release date. The re-release will be titled The Legend of Heroes:&
News Yes! Great PS3, Vita JRPGs Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2 are Coming to PS4 in 2018
Class act
This particular story has been bubbling away for a while now, but we've finally got official confirmation: Falcom is bringing The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel and The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II to PlayStation 4 in 2018. The company made the announcement during its latest financial briefing. For those out of the...
News Falcom Still Wants to Bring Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2 to PS4, But Nothing's Official Yet
Getting warmer
Stories have been swirling recently regarding Falcom's desire to port The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel and The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II to PlayStation 4, but there's yet to be any kind of official announcement. And sadly, Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo is still unable to dish out confirmation that the...
News Falcom's Working on Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2 for PS4
Get the class back together
How about some good news to get your day started? Last month, developer Falcom queried fans on whether it should port The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel and The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II to the PlayStation 4. Both games -- the second being a direct sequel to the first -- are currently only...
News Fantastic PS3, Vita RPGs Trails of Cold Steel I and II on PS4? It Could Happen
Falcom asks fans
Okay, so we're a bit late to the party on this one, but we only recently got around to playing Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel and Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II on Vita. The third game in the series, unsurprisingly titled Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III, is making the jump to PlayStation 4 later this...
News A Brand New Entry in the Beloved Ys Series is Coming to PS4 and Vita in 2015
Oh Ysssssss!
Ys is a funny old series. The most recent one to come out in the west was Memories of Celceta on Vita, to which we gave a very positive review, but there have been plenty of entries which missed Europe entirely. And while it remains a hopelessly niche property over here in the west, in Japan it's a major franchise. Running since 1987,...
