American Guide to Falcom Games

I update this page about once a year, it is reasonably current but not up to the minute.

Origin of my Falcom obsession

Ys for TurboGrafx-16 CD

It all started in the early 90s for me, it was a golden era filled with baggy florescent clothing and the emergence of 16-bit gaming. I was a Sega Genesis fanboy while a good friend translated his summer of mowing lawns into a TurboGrafx-16 CD. I went over to his house one evening and tried something called "Ys Book I&II" on it. In an instant I was drawn in by the soundtrack, storytelling cut-scenes, and simple play control. I had to get this game for myself.

Before long the Turbo Duo was released and I bought it immediately. Ys Book I&II was a pack-in game and I logged many hours on it. Then I went after the sequel, different play style but a spectacular experience all the same. I didn't know much about this Falcom company except that I thoroughly enjoyed the first two games of theirs that I tried. I saw their logo on another game called "Legend of Heroes: Dragon Slayer" and picked it up too. Again it was a different style of game and again it was outstanding.

From that point forward I decided to buy every Falcom game I could find. Little did I know that I would wait years in between new releases. It's not like they weren't making new titles, so very few of them were making it across the ocean.

Being an American fan of Falcom games is difficult. You see new titles launch in Japan and wonder when, or if, you'll ever get to play them in English. They don't have a US division and seem content to live without one. Instead they've relied on an array of different publishers to translate and ship their games. All we can do is hope they choose a competent one who won't butcher things too badly.

This article is an attempt to catalog all the American releases of Falcom games. OK, I suppose Wikipedia has already accomplished that so I'll take this a different direction and add some brief reviews while attempting to explain how these map to original Japanese releases. I won't claim that I'll get everything perfect but I'll do my best.

What's so great about Falcom anyway?

Falcom games are a contrast of complexity and simplicity. They create detailed worlds with well thought out characters and storylines. They pay attention to every detail of the landscape making the environment seem alive. They layer a rich soundtrack on top of it all. Every location sports a distinct and often lively tune.

They pair these advanced worlds with minimalist play mechanics. The majority of their games only use 2-4 buttons even on systems with more available. Considering most of the their games began as a PC title this shows commitment on their part to keeping things simple. Regardless of experience level, any gamer can instantly master the controls of a Falcom title and start exploring at their own pace.

They also seem to be completely opposed to conventional wisdom. In the 1980s-1990s they only developed PC games and left console adaptations to 3rd party licensees. In the 16-bit era this resulted in ports to the TurboGrafx-16 CD being released before the Genesis or Super Nintendo. That may have been a good idea for Japan but left their games obscure in the US. On the PlayStation and Saturn there are collections of Falcom games but no new titles. The PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS are two of the highest selling game consoles ever but they have very few Falcom titles, all of which are ports by 3rd parties. The PlayStation Portable though, now there's a system they got behind. They developed over a dozen games for the PlayStation Portable. The PlayStation Portable is the highest selling portable system not made by Nintendo but by choosing it over the PlayStation 2 and DS they passed on a lot of sales. If their Trails in the Sky series was built for the DS I suspect it would have been a massive success. In the 2010s they shifted their focus to build for the PlayStation 4 and again left Switch ports to 3rd parties. I get the impression they want to avoid having any kind of direct relationship with Nintendo. It's as though they'd rather do things their way than make insane amounts of money. I can respect that attitude.


Ys Series

Let's kick things off with Falcom's most recognized series in the United States - Ys. The series follows the journeys of Adol Christin across a European-like continent. The games have a continuous story but the plot of each is self-contained so they can be played independently. The only exception would be Ys II which is heavily tied to the first Ys game. In the United States Ys II has typically been packaged with the original Ys so it's not problem for American gamers.

Ys for Sega Master System

The first game in the series came to the United States in the form of Ys: The Vanished Omens for the Sega Master System and Ancient Land of Ys for DOS. Despite the name differences these are the same story. OK the key word there is "story" because the dungeon layouts aren't completely identical, the graphics vary a bit, and the sound quality on the PC version is rough compared to the Master System. Presentation differences aside, these are both ports of the original Japanese PC-8801 game.

Of the two, the Sega Master System version is easier to obtain. It frequently sells for under $10 on ebay (or did when I wrote this years ago), even less if you buy it as part of a bundle of Master System games. The PC version will take some effort to collect, it apparently didn't sell well and rarely appears for sale. That's alright though because the Master System version is the better of the two.

As noted a second ago, Ys II was not originally available as a standalone game. There are three different Ys I&II collections that were released over three decades. The first was Ys Book I&II for the TurboGrafx-16 CD. This is my sentimental favorite. The soundtrack still blows away nearly every game made after it. It is also the only version to feature voice acting. Not cheesy early CD game voice acting either, good quality voice acting with some known actors. This was also released for the Wii Virtual Console. The emulation isn't perfect, the voice playback cuts off abruptly for example, but it's perfectly passable. There is also a version included on the TurboGrafx-16 Mini. I think the graphics look kind of funky on it for lack of a better description but the audio is fine.

In the TurboGrafx-16 CD version they combined Ys and Ys II into one giant game. The experience points and levels gained from Ys carry right over into Ys II. This lets patient gamers grind to an absurdly high level in the first Ys.

Ys Chronicles for PlayStation Portable

Twenty years later, yes twenty, Legacy of Ys: Books I&II was released for the Nintendo DS by Atlus. This was a port of the Ys Eternal games released in Japan in the late 90s. This one has a few differences from the previous releases.

Unlike the TurboGrafx-16 CD version, Legacy of Ys treats Ys and Ys II as separate games. You are able to plays Ys II without ever playing Ys and nothing you earn in Ys carries over. In the Japanese version of Ys Eternal a new town called Barbado was added at the beginning of Ys which is also present in Legacy of Ys. The play mechanics were modified to offer a more Zelda-like experience. They also added a play mode called "time attack" which is unlocked after winning either game. This version also features multiple difficulty levels and a multiplayer mode.

In 2011 XSEED released Ys I&II Chronicles for the PlayStation Portable. This contains the changes found in Legacy of Ys and offers a bit more. One fun addition is the ability to toggle the soundtrack between the original PC-8801 version, the 1999 Ys Eternal version, and the new Ys Chronicles mix which is the best since the TurboGrafx-16 CD. The graphics on the PlayStation Portable look considerably better than the DS so between that and the new soundtrack this is the best version for most.

Since then, Ys I&II Chronicles has also been released on Steam/GOG and Android & iOS. The mobile phone releases are split into two separate games.

Ys III for Sega Genesis

The first two Ys games take place in the same world. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys follows Adol and Dogi (introduced in Ys) as they travel to Dogi's hometown. In Ys III the series went in a different direction by changing from an overhead game to a side-scrolling game. It was originally released in the United States for all three 16-bit systems but by three different publishers - Hudson->TurboGrafx-16 CD, Renovation->Genesis, and American Sammy->Super Nintendo. I detailed these port differences a little bit over here.

The TurboGrafx-16 CD version is my favorite because of the explosive soundtrack and not-completely-corny voice acting. The Genesis and Super Nintendo versions have the same pros and cons as any other game released on both. Since Ys I&II was not released on the Genesis or Super Nintendo it's simply called Wanderers from Ys on those consoles.

Ys III was remade under the title Ys: The Oath in Felghana. It was again ported by XSEED for the PlayStation Portable in 2011 and Steam/GOG in 2012. Oath in Felghana is a remake of Ys III but marketed as a standalone game to make it more accessible to new players. It follows the same story as Ys III but the play style is similar to Ys VI and VII. It also features a new soundtrack mix that is very well done. Like Ys Chronicles, unless you're looking to recreate the retro experience, this is the way to go for most.

Ys IV

In 1993 two different versions of Ys IV were produced but neither have been released outside of Japan. Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys was developed by Hudson for the PC Engine CD while Ys IV: Mask of the Sun was developed by Tonkin House for the Super Famicom. The Super Famicom version was remade for the PlayStation 2 in 2005, it was another Japan exclusive. The soundtrack for each version of Ys IV is derived from the same source but the storylines are a little different. Hudson took more liberties with the plot and characters which I think resulted in a better game. Hudson also added a New Game+ mode to Ys IV, a first for the series. I've read that technically the Super Nintendo version is considered "canon". There are unofficial translations available for both.

Ys: Memories of Celceta

Ys IV was remade in 2012 this time under the title Ys: Memories of Celceta and originally released on the PlayStation Vita. A year later the folks at XSEED brought it to the United States. It was built off the Ys Seven engine but with visual upgrades to take advantage of Sony's latest portable hardware. The soundtrack is based off the original version with a bit of a rock remix to it. The player has multiple characters they can use with different abilities that come in handy in specific situations. There are tons of weapon and skill upgrades for each character which reward grinding up multiple team members. It also features a New Game+ mode where you carryover all your levels and items into a new game (which makes it very easy). No prior experience with the series is needed to enjoy this one so it's recommended for newcomers.

Memories of Celceta is also available on Steam/GOG. There was a remaster for the PlayStation 4 released in spring 2020. It looks & feels like a Vita game, it was more of a re-scaling than a full upgrade.

Ys V: Kefin, The Lost City of Sand was another Super Famicom game that was later remade for the PlayStation 2. Neither of those have been released in the United States. Maybe we'll get lucky and score a remake one day. Here's a longer piece about my experiences with the fan translated version. The TL;DR version - this is a tough Ys game to churn through. The story and soundtrack meet expectations but the controls are brutal.

Ys: The Ark of Napishtim

Konami brought Ys VI to the United States under the title Ys: The Ark of Napishtim in 2005 on the PlayStation 2. Fans of the series might not like the "VI" being dropped but since it's an independent story it probably appealed to gamers who never heard of the series. It had been more than 10 years since an Ys game was released in the United States and that was the third installment. Starting a series at part 6, or jumping ahead 3 chapters, definitely intimidates some. A year later the PlayStation Portable version was released. The PlayStation 2 version features some enhancements not found in the PlayStation Portable one.

The Ark of Napishtim continues to follow Adol and Dogi on their travels, this time to the lushly decorated Canaan islands. This is the a very scenic game and you can easily get lost staring at the backgrounds as you journey across the islands. As expected the soundtrack is amazing, worth listening to on its own.

Ys Seven for PlayStation Portable

Released in 2010, Ys Seven is the last chapter for the series on PlayStation Portable. It was the first Ys game ported by XSEED who were the unofficial stewards of the Falcom library by then. Rather than subtitle it they kept the original Ys Seven title.

Adol and Dogi take their adventures to the land of Altago which is facing impending doom. Before learning that though you engage on a couple of smaller, seemingly insignificant, quests and meet a tomboy princess named Aisha. It may sound a little cliche but is done well. Along the way you meet a huge cast of characters including several who join your party.

Eight different characters team up with Adol at one time or another, each with their own unique abilities and equipable items. I won't spoil anything only to say that Ys has one of my absolute favorite last boss fights that involves the entire party.

Fans of the Zelda series will find similarities in the form of elemental dungeons. You've got a fire dungeon, forest dungeon, wind dungeon, water dungeon, and so on. Of all the Ys games, number seven is the one that new players will likely enjoy the most.

Ys VIII

With Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, released in the United States in 2017, the series made its debut on the PlayStation 4. This originally started as a PlayStation Vita game and both versions launched at the same time in the United States. In Japan the Vita version pre-dated the PlayStation 4 version by nearly a year.

The game engine is an evolution of the one used in Memories of Celceta and Ys Seven. Again there are six playable characters with up to three in your party at a time. Mechanically these are very similar games and that's alright.

The new element to the game is a town building mode. Adol & Dogi start on a voyage to the land where Ys Seven takes place (yes, this is a prequel). After being shipwrecked they have to build a castaway village while searching for other survivors. Every person they find brings some new trade to the town and side-quests to enhance their offerings. Along the way they discover ruins of a lost civilization and a larger plot unfolds.

There was some controversy around Ys VIII in the US. This time around NIS America acquired the rights to publish the game and released what was considered to be a terrible translation. It was bad enough that they issued a complete re-translation patch. The later Steam/GOG and Nintendo Switch releases came with the revised translation.

Oh right, the Switch. In the United States, it had been over 25 years since a new Ys game appeared on a Nintendo console. Remember that Ys IV and V were Japan exclusives and Legacy of Ys: Books I&II was a remake. I don't know what Falcom's aversion to Nintendo is but glad to see it's at least indirectly resolved by 3rd parties for now.

Ys IX for PlayStation 4

Falcom released Ys IX on the PlayStation 4 in 2019. It made its English debut in February 2021. There are also Switch & PC versions planned for July 2019. These are both again handled by NIS America. There was no drama with this Ys port, the translation and voice acting were well-received the first time. The two-year delay may sound long for the time period but for a Falcom game this is a very swift turnaround.

Being the first Ys game natively designed for the PlayStation 4 it is a big graphical upgrade over previous games. The art style is much darker than the typical sunny outdoor settings. Some many not like this change but there's no argument it is more detailed.

The biggest difference between Ys IX and the rest of the numbered series is the lack of an overworld. The game largely occurs in the city of Balduq. When Adol and friends venture outside it is just to connect the city to a dungeon. All the free exploration occurs in the city with limited things to find in the outdoor areas. Within the city there is a massive prison which accounts for about a quarter of the exploration.

The controls are a more polished version of Ys VIII. The combat is really fun and frantic in Ys IX, definitely my favorite part of the game. It also reuses the town-building mechanic but on a slightly smaller scale. Instead of building a village you are staffing an abandoned bar which doubles as a hideout. It's smaller and feels less organic than Ys VIII. I won't say I was disappointed with Ys IX but it made me appreciate how well Ys VIII was done. For the moment Ys VIII is my overall favorite in the series.

Ys IX is again a self-contained game but is heavy in references to previous games. There are a few passing things in the story you will completely miss if you didn't play Ys VIII. That shouldn't discourage anyone from playing Ys IX first though. If you just want to try a single Ys game and prefer the latest one that's OK.

Ys Origin for PC

In 2006 Falcom created a prequel to the entire Ys series called Ys Origin based on the engine from Oath in Felghana. Nearly six years later it was released in the United States on Steam/GOG. I'm not a fan of retro-active prequels because usually the story feels forced. No one at Falcom presumably had this story in mind before developing Ys and it shows. The game reinvents the final dungeon of Ys I into something much larger and more complicated.

I was left feeling letdown by this installment. As usual the soundtrack was amazing but it's a relatively shallow dungeon crawler otherwise. It would have been best to leave the backstory of Ys unexplained.

One plus of this game is there are two storylines based on which character the player chooses, with a third that is unlocked by completing the first two. Cynically one could say this was done to pad a relatively short game. Each of the three storylines takes ~10 hours to play through.

Ys Origin was later released as a download game on the PlayStation 4. The folks at Limited Run games did a limited (obviously) physical printing of the game. They went even further and released a physical copy of the previously unseen Vita version. A few years later it was also ported to the Switch by Dotemu as a download game with another limited physical run.

This the official chronological order of the Ys games:

  1. Ys Origin
  2. Ys
  3. Ys II
  4. Ys IV / Memories of Celceta
  5. Ys III / Oath in Felghana
  6. Ys V
  7. Ys VIII
  8. Ys VI
  9. Ys Seven
  10. Ys IX

I wouldn't recommend playing them in this order though.

That leads us to the question of - what's the best way to play through the Ys series in America?

This is my recommended experience:

  1. Ys Book I&II - go with the Virtual Console edition unless you want to spend a bunch tracking down an original copy on the TurboGrafx-16 CD... and even more if you need to buy a TurboGrafx-16 CD system. This is also included on the TurobGrafx-16 mini in both English and Japanese.
  2. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys - similar disclaimer to the last, get the Genesis or Super Nintendo version unless you want to spend more getting the TurboGrafx-16 CD one.
  3. Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys (fan translation) - importing a copy of PC Engine CD version is surpringly cheap. Ripping it and applying patches doesn't require any special technical skills.
  4. Ys V - with the unofficial fan translation.
  5. Ys: The Ark of Napishtim - let's keep things on the big screen and go with the PlayStation 2 version.
  6. Ys Seven on PlayStation Portable
  7. Ys VIII - the PlayStation 4 version offers more content than the Vita version so I'd recommend that one. The Switch version has the same extra content and the visual differences between it and the PlayStation 4 version are quite small.
  8. Ys IX on the PlayStation 4.

If you go this route you need to be aware of some continuity errors. In Ys you meet a character named Colin who is Dogi in the other games. You also meet someone named Rasta in Ys who reappears in Ys: The Ark of Napishtim under the moniker Raba.

The easier route for most will be Steam or GOG which have some version of every Ys game except for V.

Ys Origin can be played anywhere in either of these routes. Playing it before Ys I&II isn't a great idea because like most prequel games knowledge of the original game is required.


Legend of Heroes Series

The first Legend of Heroes game carried the Dragon Slayer brand but it was dropped after the second installment. Dragon Slayer was an umbrella title for a series RPG-adjacent games developed in Falcom's early days. Few of these games were published outside of Japan, those that were are discussed further on. All the games in the Legend of Heroes series are traditional JRPGs that are confusingly sometimes sequels and sometimes not. This a tough series to follow in the United States because not all games were ported and those that were didn't come out in the right order. Rather than go at these in release order, I'll take them in the series order.

Legend of Heroes: Dragon Slayer for TurboGrafx-16 CD

The first game in the series is The Legend of Heroes: Dragon Slayer which was released for the TurboGrafx-16 CD. Like their other CD games the soundtrack is amazing. The voice acting has drawn some criticism but I don't think it's bad at all. This is one of my favorite games on the system. There are many early reoccurring characteristics of the series in it.Unfortunately this is a tough game to acquire. It was released on the Virtual Console in Japan but not in the United States. Your only option is ebay and it's not cheap.

Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II was never released in the United States. I would consider it highly unlikely that it ever will be. There are not any fan localizations and it's looks tough to pull off. There are versions for the Mega Drive, Super Famicom, and PC Engine CD.

Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean for PlayStation Portable

In the mid to late 90s Falcom released the Gagharv Trilogy, three Legend of Heroes games that take place in the same world but are independent stories. There are some plot points that somewhat intersect but a new gamer can play any one of these out of order and not be confused.

That's good because in the United States we didn't get them in the correct order. All three games in the series to the PlayStation Portable in the mid zeros. Namco Bandai handled the translation and publishing but had a little fun with the release order. I won't complain because I'm just happy to get them at all.

The original release order was:

  1. Legend of Heroes III: The White Witch
  2. Legend of Heroes IV: A Tear of Vermillion
  3. Legend of Heroes V: Cagesong of the Ocean

And in the United States we got:

  1. Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion
  2. Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch
  3. Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean

So if you want to play them in the original order in the United States you need to play them out of the numerical order we actually got.

I would describe the Gagharv Trilogy as being "lite RPGs". They have all the structure of an RPG but are relatively easy and don't require any level grinding. There are no random battles in these games, enemies can be seen in the overworld and easily avoided. They're focused more on story than on battling enemies and gaining levels. Each game features a wide cast of playable and non-playable characters.

From here on out all the games build on the battle system of the Gagharv Trilogy. It is a turn-based system on a grid. Each character/enemy has attacks that hit a certain range and shape. Everyone can move around the grid but some characters/enemies move much farther than others. Spells can target a single character/enemy or a space on the grid. Each character/enemy has a speed statistic that impacts how often their turn comes around.

There are no other ports of these games outside of Japan. If you want to play them you'll need a PlayStation Portable and a lot of luck on eBay.

This leads to the "Trails" series which retains the Legend of Heroes branding but changes the numbering scheme. I will again cover these by the story order instead of the US release order.

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky for PlayStation Portable

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky for PlayStation Portable was the next installment of the series to be released stateside. It was ported by XSEED. This is a very story-heavy RPG. Some RPGs pad out time with endless random battles, Trails in the Sky does it with dialog. That's not bad because the characters and story are interesting.

Like the Gagharv Trilogy, battles can be avoided and you have an assortment of characters to choose from. The characters all have their own personalities and abilities. Some are close-range combat experts while others are proficient with long-range weapons or magic. The magic system gives you a number of ways to enhance characters or ensure you always have some support healers in your group. The soundtrack is downright delightful and makes traveling the world fun.

Without giving away any specific spoilers, I'll just say that the ending of Trails in the Sky will have you rushing to start the sequel.

Trails in the Sky establishes New Game+ as a standard for the series. I average a Trails in the Sky New Game+ playthrough about every 2 years.

With the overall Trails series gaining popularity in the States it is now absurdly expensive to own a physical copy of Trails in the Sky. Luckily it is on Steam/GOG and frequently goes on sale (though it is already a bargain at list price).

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC (Second Chapter) picks-up immediately after the ending of the previous game. Do not try to play this as a standalone game, it won't make sense. It's almost completely identical to the first game from a play standpoint. I have to believe they started as one absurdly long game. There is even more dialog than the first so be prepared for a lot of reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed Trails in the Sky SC but felt it dragged a bit at times because the player is revisiting all the locations from the first game. There are only a couple new pieces of scenery. Perhaps if I played them years apart as they were originally released I'd feel differently.

Trails in the Sky SC can only be purchased virtually in the US. It was released as a download game for the PlayStation Portable and also works on the Vita. The entire Trails in the Sky series is available on Steam/GOG as well.

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd was originally a PlayStation Portable game that was not released on the US. A decade after its original Japan release XSEED ported the PC version which is available on Steam and GOG.com. Trails in the Sky the 3rd is a combination prologue/epilogue to the first two games. Again, trying to avoid spoilers I'll say that Trails in the Sky SC wraps-up the main storyline at the end. It also hints at events that will occurs in the next Trails story arc. Trails in the Sky the 3rd explores what the various characters were doing before & after the main story. There are two new lead characters, one who is also in SC with the other being completely new. Many characters from the first two games are playable with a final cast of 16 at your disposal.

At the risk of making new enemies I'd say Trails in the Sky the 3rd is skippable if you're pressed for time. Most of the prologue revelations were known events that didn't need more explaining. Similarly the important epilogue events are explained in other games. I think this is really a game for people who enjoyed the battle system of the previous two games and want to try it with a much larger cast of characters. That was my favorite aspect of the game at least.

There are three other PlayStation Portable games in the Trails series: Zero no Kiseki, Ao no Kiseki, and Nayuta no Kiseki. None received a US release in their original form. Same for the crossover Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki: Alternative Saga. I guess the PlayStation Portable just wasn't popular enough in the US to justify large translation projects for these. There are a fan translations if you're willing to import the game and apply patches.

The original PlayStation Portable releases of these games may be a lost cause but the PlayStation 4 remasters have US releases planned. In fall 2022 NIS America released Trails from Zero (Zero no Kiseki) on PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC. The PlayStation 4 version is a straight translation of Falcom's remaster with no changes. The PC version contains some game play and graphical improvements. Since Falcom never made a Switch version of the game, NIS America used the PC version as the base for the Switch. This means the Switch version is actually superior to the PlayStation 4 version, something definitely unexpected. The immediate sequel Trails to Azure (Ao no Kiseki) will follow in 2023 on the same systems. Somewhat surprisingly (to me at least) The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails (the HD remaster of Nayuta no Kiseki) is also scheduled for a 2023 US release. That was released in Japan in 2021 making it one of the fastest Falcom ports.

In terms of story - Zero/Ao are a duology that is connected to the rest of the Trails/Kiseki series. Some events of the story are referenced in the Cold Steel games and a few characters make guest appearances. Nayuta is a standalone story and uses a battle system closer to Falcom's Zwei series.

Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

Set in the same universe as Sky, but in a different kingdom, Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is the first installment of the next series in the franchise. In the US we lucked out this time around and received ports of every* version released in Japan. The original PlayStation 3, PC, and Vita versions are all available - albeit several years after their original release. In 2019 a remaster for the PlayStation 4 and PC was released. All these were handled by XSEED. It took decades but the late 2010's was finally a good time to be a Falcom fan in America. Between these and Ys VIII I never felt more optimistic about seeing future games ported to English.

* = OK, fine, there are a Switch ports for the first two Cold Steel games in Japan and China. There is no news on whether that will be localized for the United States yet. It seems doubtful since XSEED presumably holds the rights and appears to be out of the Falcom business now.

The game introduces Class VII, a group of students with diverse backgrounds and special abilities who attend Thors Military Academy. The combat system is an evolution of the one used in Sky with more flexibility. For example, in Cold Steel characters can learn any art (the Trails term for "spell") while in Sky there were restrictions on who could learn what.

Over the next four games there are refinements to the combat but they all look & play roughly the same. Compared to Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior the Trails series has very frequent releases, the slow pace of change is a big factor. This also means that if you enjoy Trails of Cold Steel you are certain to enjoy the sequels as they are roughly the same game.

Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II

The sequel, Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II was also released in the US for all the same systems as the first, including a 2019 PlayStation 4 remaster. The rights to the rest of the series changed from XSEED to NIS America in 2019. Since then NIS America ported parts III and IV to the PlayStation 4 and PC. They also committed to ports of both on the Nintendo Switch. Part III was released in early summer 2020 with IV a little over a year after that.

There are virtually no differences between the first two games in terms of play or setting. Like Trails in the Sky SC, Trails of Cold Steel II revisits all the locations from it's predecessor. I think the similarity is a feature and not a bug.

The rights to the rest of the series changed from XSEED to NIS America in 2019. Since then NIS America ported parts III and IV to the PlayStation 4 and PC. They also released to ports of both on the Nintendo Switch marking the first time any game in the series appeared on a Nintendo system outside of Japan. Part III was released in early summer 2020 with IV a little over a year after that.

Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III

People who start this series on the Switch will likely have a difficult time understanding parts of the story. Trails of Cold Steel III starts in a new location and at first appears largely disconnected from the previous games. It feels like it's transitioning the story from the lead of parts I&II to a new generation of characters. Then it jumps back into locations from parts I&II and introduces characters from them without any context. It's sort of like trying to watch Return of the Jedi first. It's clear a few hours in that they are not at all transitioning the story to a new set of characters, they are adding new characters to an already crowded world.

They included summaries of the first two games to help a little. Even to experienced players, Trails of Cold Steel III can be hard to follow because it merges storylines from the previous Trails arcs including games that remain unreleased outside of Japan. I am not trying to discourage people from starting this series. I thoroughly enjoyed these games and think other JRPG fans would too. You can't think of them like Final Fantasy games where the major numbered games are all separate worlds. You don't have to start all the way back with Trails in the Sky to understand Trails of Cold Steel, it helps but you'll get through Trails of Cold Steel just fine either way.

There are two major upgrades in Trails of Cold Steel III. The first is graphical. The previous games began life as PlayStation 3 & Vita games, III was developed for the PlayStation 4. The other upgrade is getting a ton of new scenery. Most of the locations in Trails of Cold Steel III are new.

A word of caution.. the Switch port of Trails of Cold Steel III is horribly buggy and crashes often. If you choose to play that version be ready to hit save a lot.

Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

Trails of Cold Steel IV wraps-up the main story and includes many playable characters from the other Trails games. I thought it was a very good conclusion to the series. It would be nearly impossible to follow the story without playing part III first so don't try that. It occurs mostly in places already visited in III, you may notice a pattern by now.

The Switch version of Trails of Cold Steel IV doesn't crash often like III did. I made it through the entire game with zero crashes. It is still seriously lacking in the QA department though. There is some very important missing text that should have been found before release. If I hadn't played it on PlayStation 4 first I would have been very confused at one point in the game. This a long-running problem for Falcom. Since they don't handle their own ports their reputation is harmed by other companies making bad mistakes.

In 2020 Falcom released Hajimari no Kiseki in Japan which is like an epilogue to the Trails of Cold Steel series. There are US releases planned under the title Trails into Reverie for 2023 on the PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC. Although I don't know NIS America's motivation for sure, it seems like they want to publish it after the Zero/Ao ports. This makes sense in that it follows the release order in Japan and the overall story arc of the series.

In 2021 the next Trails arc (Kuro no Kiseki) was released in Japan with a direct sequel appearing about a year later. I wouldn't expect to see that in the US until 2024 at the earliest.

There is also a loosely-connected mobile game called Akatsuki no Kiseki that I would not expect to ever see outside of Japan.


Dragon Slayer Series

The Dragon Slayer series is immediately confusing because it's not really a series. "Dragon Slayer" is used as a brand by Falcom but the games have no connection to each other. The previously mentioned Legend of Heroes series is technically part of Dragon Slayer series. A comparison could be made to the Final Fantasy series except the Dragon Slayer games typically don't even share common gameplay elements. The series is a mix of traditional RPGs, action/adventure games, and even strategy games.

Legacy of the Wizard for NES

Legacy of the Wizard was a 1989 NES release, this time by Broderbund. The original title in Japan was Dragon Slayer IV: Drasle Family, smart move to change it. This is a side-scrolling game with a hint of RPG flavor. You control the seven members of a family, including their pet dog, as they battle their way through a complex dungeon. It's an odd game that I'm not sure is right for many.

The fifth installment of the Dragon Slayer series is Socerian for DOS which was released in the United States in 1990 by Sierra. It's rare to see this pop-up on eBay, I'll eventually track down a copy. There have been remakes of it in Japan too.


Xanadu Series

Now if you want to be thoroughly confused consider that the Dragon Slayer series is the parent of both the Legend of Heroes and Xanadu brands. See back in 1984 Falcom made a game called Dragon Slayer. That spawned a sequel called Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu which lead to several Xanadu-branded games that dropped the "Dragon Slayer" name. Years later they released Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes, as you now know that name was flipped in the US and "Dragon Slayer" was dropped from the future installments.

Faxanadu for NES

Faxanadu for the NES was released in 1989. It was published by Hudson Soft in Japan but by Nintendo in the United States. It's a spin-off of Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu which was only released in Japan. I guess if it was released now they would have called it Xanadu Gaiden. Anyway, it's a side-scrolling action game with some RPG elements. It's not a stretch to compare it to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. The game takes place inside a giant tree that houses many towns and dungeons. It sounds weird but I enjoyed the setting. Faxanadu is available on the Wii Virtual Console and is not especially pricey in physical form.

In 2005 Xanadu Next was released for the N-Gage. Like Faxanadu it's a it's a spin-off of Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu. I'll probably never buy an N-Gage so I'll miss out on trying it.

Tokyo Xanadu

On the PlayStation Vita there's Tokyo Xanadu which Americans had to wait nearly two years for. That's not bad by Falcom standards. It's an action RPG that I feel plays a lot like Ys VIII. I suspect they're using a good portion of shared code. I can't really say how it's connected to the other Xanadu games if at all. It's definitely nothing like Faxandu which is the most recent installment in the series for me. I suppose games made 30 years apart by completely different development teams won't have much in common.

Tokyo Xanadu takes place in a modern (2015) setting where a team of high school students have to balance the challenges of teen drama and fighting demons in a parallel world. That bad review doesn't really do it justice, I'll just say that if you enjoy Ys games you'll probably like this too. It borrows some characters & themes from Trails of Cold Steel too.

Tokyo Xanadu received an upgrade in the form of Tokyo Xanadu eX+ on the PlayStation 4. Similar to Ys VIII, the jump from Vita to PlayStation 4 featured higher definition graphics and additional content. This was released in the US a little more than a year after the Japanese version. As usual, this version is available on Steam/GOG too.

Tokyo Xanadu contains a ton of fan-service references to the Trails of Cold Steel series. If you play that series first (at least the first two games) you'll appreciate them. Not playing Trails of Cold Steel first, or ever if turn-based RPGs aren't your thing, will not detract from Tokyo Xanadu at all though. Just if you plan to play both, go with Trails of Cold Steel first.


Other Games

Tombs and Treasure for the NES

Falcom has created many games outside of their major franchises, only four have made it across the ocean.

The first was Tombs & Treasure for the NES which was published by Infocom. Of all the various companies that have published Falcom games in America, this is the most out of place. Infocom was legendary for their text adventures but this was their only venture into the NES marketplace. This is a point and click adventure along the lines of Shadowgate but with an overworld to explore. I enjoyed this game enough to write a walkthrough for it. Unfortunately it's not a common cartridge and hasn't been re-released in download form.

Brandish for the PlayStation Portable

The Brandish series saw a four releases in Japan but only the original for the Super Nintendo was released in the United States. Koei published it which is something like the 400th different company we've talked about here. It hit the shelves the same time as the PlayStation and Saturn which probably didn't help it out that much. Brandish is a dungeon crawling game somewhat along the lines of their earlier Xanadu release.

A remake of the original Brandish, titled Brandish: The Dark Revenant was released for the PlayStation Portable in Japan in 2009. Six years later XSEED brought it overseas as a downloadable title making it one of the last PlayStation Portable released. It is compatible with the PlayStation Vita which is likely the system they were really targeting.

Popful Mail: Magical Fantasy Adventure for the Sega CD was ported by Working Designs. This game is like a marriage of Ys III and Legacy of the Wizard. Based on the cover art one would expect an RPG but it's really an action game filled with cinematic cut-scenes.

Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure for the PlayStation Portable

In 2004 Falcom relased Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure for the PlayStation Portable in Japan. Three years later Mastiff Games brought it over to the United States. An improved version was released on Steam/GOG and Nintendo 3DS. When the 3DS store is officially shut down that version will be lost to future Falcom fans. I have it saved on a 3DS that hopefully doesn't break. It's not a huge improvement over the PlayStation Portable version. The graphics are a little crisper. Although there's not any uniformity to Falcom games this one has the least in common with the rest if that makes sense. This is essentially a 3D dungeon crawling game filled with exceedingly cartoony characters.

Zwei and Zwei II are a pair of PC games that are like more advanced versions of Gurumin. Since I rarely play PC games I haven't gotten to these yet and can't say too much. I run Linux and running Windows games is hit or miss at best. Both Zwei games are available on Steam and GOG.com.

So I guess that's it until new titles are released. I'll update this page whenever appropriate but expect me to fall behind from time to time. If these aren't enough Falcom games for you, I've read that it's possible to import games from their mailorder page. I personally haven't been brave enough to try but if anyone reading this has I'd be glad to post your tips. Importing older games from Japan is a surprisingly cheap thing to do too. Outside of a couple rarities, most Falcom games go for under $20 on ebay for example. Now of course the limiting factor will be your ability to read Japanese or find unofficial English patches.

Here's a handy checklist for anyone interested in trying to collect every Falcom game released in the United States



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