Trails (series)

Trails, known as Kiseki (軌跡) in Japan, is a series of role-playing video games by Nihon Falcom. It is a part of their larger The Legend of Heroes franchise and itself consists of several distinct story arcs, including Trails in the Sky and Trails of Cold Steel. The series began with the release of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky in 2004. The series was not localized outside of Japan until the 2010s, with Xseed Games managing it until NIS America took over by 2019. The series is noted by critics for its emphasis on character-driven narrative and worldbuilding.

Trails
15th anniversary logo
Genre(s)Role-playing game
Developer(s)Nihon Falcom
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
First releaseThe Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
June 24, 2004
Latest releaseThe Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV
September 27, 2018

Synopsis

Trails is a series of fantasy turn-based role-playing video games by Nihon Falcom.[1] Later entries in the series, such as the Cold Steel games, introduced more social simulation elements, akin to the Persona series.[2] The series originally began as a numbered entry in The Legend of Heroes series with the release of The Legend of Heroes VI: Trails in the Sky in 2004. Despite that, it had no narrative connection with earlier Legend of Heroes games, and has since been considered its own distinct series.[1][3]

Trails is set on the continent of Zemuria, with the games taking place across several nations, including the Kingdom of Liberl, the city-state of Crossbell, the Empire of Erebonia, and the Republic of Calvard. All of the games, except for a few spinoffs, take place within a few years of each other and follow the same overarching narrative.[1][3]

Games

The series is broken into three distinct story arcs, the Trails in the Sky trilogy, the Crossbell games, and the Trails of Cold Steel quadrilogy.[1] The series also has a few spinoffs.

Trails in the Sky

The Trails in the Sky[4] games are set within the Kingdom of Liberl and follows Estelle and Joshua Bright, a pair of "bracers", an organized group of hired help who help citizenry in need.[1]

Trails in the Sky
Main article: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

The first game in the series was released in Japan in 2004 for the PC.[5] It was shortly afterwards ported to the PlayStation Portable in 2006.[5] Due to its large amount of text, the game was not localized into English until 2011, when it was translated by Xseed Games.[6] The game was also given a high definition port as part of Sony's PSP Remaster line of ports to the PlayStation 3 platform in late 2012,[7] and an updated rerelease on the PlayStation Vita in 2015.[8]

Trails in the Sky SC
Main article: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC

The direct sequel was initially released in 2006 for the PC and 2007 for the PlayStation Portable in Japan.[5] In 2013, Xseed Games announced that they would be working together with Carpe Fulgur in localizing SC, due to all the fan requests after the release of First Chapter.[9] Initially announced for a mid-2014 release, it was later pushed back to late 2014.[10] In December 2014, Carpe Fulgur head Andrew Dice announced that progress in translating the game was slowed by his struggle with depression and suicide.[11] Dice handed over his work for Xseed employees to finish up, which, combined with unexpected difficulties during the QA testing of the game, resulted in the game's release being delayed into 2015.[12][13] Like First Chapter, SC was also announced for a mobile phone port by Aeria Games that was apparently abandoned,[6] and had a 2013 PlayStation 3 HD port[14] and a 2015 PlayStation Vita updated rerelease.

Trails in the Sky the 3rd
Main article: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd

Trails in the Sky the 3rd was released in Japan in 2007 for the PC and for the PlayStation Portable in 2008.[5] As early as 2010, XSeed Games announced Falcom had given them the rights to release The 3rd in English, but due to the massive undertakings of the first two chapters, they did not actually begin work on translating it at that time, nor would they commit to doing so.[15] In March 2016, Xseed announced they had begun work on it, and released it in 2017.

Crossbell

The "Crossbell arc" refers to two games set in the titular location, Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki.[1]

Zero no Kiseki

Zero no Kiseki take place in Crossbell, a small country located between two great powers, and follows Lloyd Bannings, a rookie investigator with the Crossbell police, and his colleagues Elie McDowell, Randy Orlando, and Tio Plato. The game has never been officially localized in English, but has seen a fan translation known as Trails from Zero. Zero no Kiseki was released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable on September 30, 2010.[16] In 2012, it was released for the PlayStation Vita as Zero no Kiseki: Evolution, with improved visuals and more voice acting.[17] On June 14, 2013, the game was ported to Microsoft Windows for release in China and Japan.[18] The game also received a remaster for the PlayStation 4, releasing in Japan under the title Zero no Kiseki Kai on April 23, 2020.[19] No official English localization of the game exists, although a fan translation under the title of Trails from Zero was released on March 14, 2020.[20]

Ao no Kiseki

Ao no Kiseki continues directly after the end of Zero no Kiseki. It was first released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable on September 29, 2011, later receiving a PC port in China.[16] It was also released for the PlayStation Vita as Ao no Kiseki: Evolution, featuring improved visuals and more voice acting, where it released in Japan on June 12, 2014.[21][22] The game also received a remaster for the PlayStation 4, releasing in Japan under the title Ao no Kiseki Kai on May 28, 2020.[23] As with Zero no Kiseki, no official English localization of the game exists, although a fan translation under the title of Trails to Azure has been released.[24][25]

Trails of Cold Steel

The Trails of Cold Steel[26] story arc consists of four games set in the Erebonian empire and follows Rean Schwarzer and Class VII, a specialized group of students.[1]

Trails of Cold Steel
Main article: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

The game was first released for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in Japan in September 2013. Xseed Games would later localize and publish the game in English regions in 2015. A port for Microsoft Windows was also released in 2017, which included additional English voice acting not seen in the original release. Another port for the PlayStation 4 was released in Japan in 2018, and worldwide the following year.

Trails of Cold Steel II
Main article: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II

The game was released for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 in Japan in 2014, and was later localized into English and published by Xseed Games in North America in 2016. A port by Xseed for Microsoft Windows was released in February 2018, while a remastered version for the PlayStation 4 was released in Japan in April 2018 and worldwide in June 2019.

Trails of Cold Steel III
Main article: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III

The game was released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan in September 2017 and worldwide on October 2019. Ports for Nintendo Switch and Windows were also released in 2020. The game was the first in the series to be localized in English by NIS America and not Xseed Games.

Trails of Cold Steel IV
Main article: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

The game is the final entry of the Cold Steel quadrilogy. It was released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan in September 2018 and is scheduled for a worldwide release in late 2020, with ports for Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows also being scheduled for 2021.

Spinoffs/other

Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki: Alternative Saga

Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki: Alternative Saga is a crossover fighting game featuring characters from Trails and Falcom's Ys series. It released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable on July 29, 2010.

Nayuta no Kiseki

Nayuta no Kiseki is the only game to not take place within Zemura, with the only official connection to the series being its namesake. It also differs by being an action role-playing game rather than turn-based.

Akatsuki no Kiseki

Akatsuki no Kiseki is an free-to-play online entry in the series. It was developed by UserJoy Technology, and first released in Japan as a browser game on August 31, 2016, before being ported to other platforms.

Hajimari no Kiseki

The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki will be released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan on August 27, 2020.[27]

Other media

An OVA adaptation of Trails in the Sky SC, directed by Masaki Tachibana at the studio Kinema Citrus, was released on November 25, 2011, with a second part releasing on January 22, 2012.[28][29] That same year, the OVAs were licensed by Sentai Filmworks for release in North America.[30]

Reception and sales

The series is noted by critics for its emphasis on character-driven narrative and worldbuilding.[1][3][31][32] In 2019, Toshihiro Kondo, Falcom president and series producer, stated that they had plans for the series to last another 20 years.[3] In February 2020, Nihon Falcom announced that the series had shipped over 4.5 million copies worldwide.[33]

References
    1. Clay, Scott. "So you want to get into The Trails Series..." RPGFan. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
    2. Schreier, Jason. "Trails of Cold Steel Is Basically Suikoden Meets Persona". Kotaku. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
    3. Wen, Alan. "Hot on the Trails of Falcom, Japan's longest-running RPG developer". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
    4. 空の軌跡 Sora no Kiseki
    5. "Hardcore Gaming 101: Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky".
    6. "RPGFan News - The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Trilogy Goes Mobile".
    7. "The Legend Of Heroes: Trails In The Sky PSP Vs. PlayStation 3". Siliconera.
    8. "The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Evolution debut trailer, screenshots - Gematsu". Gematsu.
    9. "The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky sequel coming to PC, PSP". Polygon.
    10. "The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC pushed to late 2014". Polygon.
    11. "Depression Led to Trails in the Sky SC Delay, Developer Explains Why - Niche Gamer".
    12. "Addressing Something Important".
    13. "The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter - Localization Blog #2".
    14. "Xseed "Looking Into" PS3 Version Of Trails in the Sky SC". Siliconera.
    15. "The Legend Of The Heroes: Trails In The Sky Takes Flight In March". Siliconera.
    16. Rawda, Odel (May 6, 2020). "Why Falcom's Trails from Zero & Trails to Azure Deserve a Western Release". CBR. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
    17. ""Zero no Kiseki: Evolution" for(PS Vita)". Falcom. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
    18. "The Legend of Heroes Zero no Kiseki to be Released on PC in Japan on 6/14". April 19, 2013.
    19. Romano, Sal (January 31, 2020). "The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki for PS4 launch April 23 and May 28 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
    20. Romano, Sal (March 9, 2020). "The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki PC fan translation mod launches March 14". Gematsu. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    21. "Legend of Heroes Ao no Kiseki Evolution's Teaser Video Posted".
    22. "A Peek At The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Blue Evolution's Anime Opening". March 27, 2014.
    23. Romano, Sal (January 31, 2020). "The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki for PS4 launch April 23 and May 28 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
    24. Arshad Khan, Danial. "The Legend of Heroes: Trails To Azure (Ao no Kiseki) fan translation patch released". GearNuke. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
    25. "From Zero to Azure: Announcing Trails to Azure!". The Geofront: Fan Translation Hub. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
    26. 閃の軌跡 Sen no Kiseki
    27. Romano, Sal. "The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki to add PlayStation VR mode post-launch, Traditional Chinese and Korean versions launch August 27". Gematsu. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
    28. "Eiyu Densetsu: Sora no Kiseki RPG Gets Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
    29. "Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Anime #2 Teaser Posted". Anime News Network. December 12, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
    30. "Sentai Filmworks Licenses Legend of Heroes ~ Trails in the Sky". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
    31. Brooks, Sam. "Review: Trails of Cold Steel is as good as video game storytelling gets". The Spinoff. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
    32. De Meo, Francesco. "The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel III Review – A World of Conflict". wccftech.com. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
    33. Sinha, Ravi. "Trails Series Ships Over 4.5 Million Units". Game Rant. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
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