Trails, known as Kiseki 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 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.
Synopsis
Trails is a series of fantasy turn-based role-playing video games by Nihon Falcom. Later entries in the series, such as the Cold Steel games, introduced more social simulation elements, akin to the Persona series. The series originally began as a numbered entry in The Legend of Heroes series with the release of in 2004. Despite that, it had no narrative connection with earlier Legend of Heroes games, and has since been considered its own distinct series. 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.
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. The series also has a few spinoffs.
''Trails in the Sky''
The 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.
''Trails in the Sky''
The first game in the series was released in Japan in 2004 for the PC. It was shortly afterwards ported to the PlayStation Portable in 2006. Due to its large amount of text, the game was not localized into English until 2011, when it was translated by Xseed Games. The game was also given a high definitionport as part of Sony's PSP Remaster line of ports to the PlayStation 3 platform in late 2012, and an updated rerelease on the PlayStation Vita in 2015.
''Trails in the Sky SC''
The direct sequel was initially released in 2006 for the PC and 2007 for the PlayStation Portable in Japan. 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. Initially announced for a mid-2014 release, it was later pushed back to late 2014. In December 2014, Carpe Fulgur head Andrew Dice announced that progress in translating the game was slowed by his struggle with depression and suicide. 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. Like First Chapter, SC was also announced for a mobile phone port by Aeria Games that was apparently abandoned, and had a 2013 PlayStation 3 HD port and a 2015 PlayStation Vita updated rerelease.
''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. 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. In March 2016, Xseed announced they had begun work on it, and released it in 2017.
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. On August 28, 2011, the game was ported to Microsoft Windows for release in China. This version was released in Japan on June 14, 2013. In 2012, it was released for the PlayStation Vita as Zero no Kiseki: Evolution, with improved visuals and more voice acting. The Evolution version received a remaster for the PlayStation 4, releasing in Japan under the title Zero no Kiseki Kai on April 23, 2020. 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.
''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. 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. The game also received a remaster for the PlayStation 4, releasing in Japan under the title Ao no Kiseki Kai on May 28, 2020. 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.
''Trails of Cold Steel''
The story arc consists of four games set in the Erebonian empire and follows Rean Schwarzer and Class VII, a specialized group of students.
''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''
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''
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''
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 crossoverfighting 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.
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. That same year, the OVAs were licensed by Sentai Filmworks for release in North America.
Reception and sales
The series is noted by critics for its emphasis on character-driven narrative and worldbuilding. In 2019, Toshihiro Kondo, Falcom president and series producer, stated that they had plans for the series to last another 20 years. In February 2020, Nihon Falcom announced that the series had shipped over 4.5 million copies worldwide.
