Trails (series)
Trails | |
---|---|
First release | The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky June 24, 2004 |
Latest release | The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II September 29, 2022 |
Parent series | The Legend of Heroes |
Trails, known as Kiseki (軌跡) in Japan, is a series of
Trails was conceived by Falcom as a goal to create the most ambitious story in video games, with company president Toshihiro Kondo considering it to be his life's work. The games were released exclusively in Asia until the 2010s, with
Overview
Trails is a series of
Trails is set across several locations on the continent of Zemuria, such as the Liberl Kingdom, the city-state of Crossbell, the Erebonian Empire, and the Calvard Republic, among others.
Gameplay
The combat of Trails is
Arts are magic-like spells that are powerful but take time to cast.
Games
2004 | Trails Through Daybreak |
---|---|
2022 | Trails Through Daybreak II |
2023 | |
2024 | Kai no Kiseki |
Trails is split into four interconnected story arcs: Trails in the Sky,[a] Crossbell, Trails of Cold Steel,[b] and Trails Through Daybreak.[c][1][13] The series also has a few spin-offs, some of which feature other styles of gameplay or are considered non-canon.
Liberl arc (Trails in the Sky)
The first arc of the series, Trails in the Sky, consists of three games. They are set within the Liberl Kingdom and primarily follow Estelle Bright and her adopted brother Joshua, members of the Bracer's Guild, a civilian peacekeeping and monster-hunting organization.
In 2010, Xseed Games acquired the rights to localize and publish the trilogy in English.[17] Despite the first game being finished in 2011, SC and the 3rd were not released until the mid-2010s due to several challenges during the localization process, such as slow communication with Falcom and occupational burnout due to the size of their scripts, with the first game alone having over 1.5 million Japanese characters.[18][19][20]
Crossbell arc (Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure)
The Crossbell arc consists of two games. They are set in Crossbell, a city-state located between the great powers of Erebonia and Calvard. It follows rookie police investigator Lloyd Bannings and the Special Support Section, consisting of himself, Elie McDowell, Randy Orlando, and Tio Plato, as they protect the city from criminal activity and the geopolitical situation that looms over it. The first game,
The games did not see English releases for over a decade until
Erebonia arc (Trails of Cold Steel)
The Trails of Cold Steel arc follows Rean Schwarzer and Class VII, a specialized group of students attending Thors
The third and fourth games,
English versions of Cold Steel and Cold Steel II were released by Xseed Games in 2015 and 2016, respectively. NIS America released Cold Steel III in 2019, IV in 2020, and Trails into Reverie in 2023. A box set containing all five games was released in Japan for the PS4 in July 2022.[25]
Calvard arc (Trails Through Daybreak)
Trails Through Daybreak follows Van Arkride, a mix of a detective and bounty hunter known as a Spriggan, and high schooler Agnes Claudel, who hires Van to search for eight artifacts that hold the key to solving an apocalyptic mystery. The arc is set in Calvard and is considered the start of the second half of the series. The first game,
A sequel, Trails Through Daybreak II, was released in Japan for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in September 2022,[28] with a Nintendo Switch version scheduled in Japan for July 2024.[29] Another game, Kai no Kiseki - Farewell, O Zemuria, is set to be released in Japan on September 26, 2024.[30]
Spin-offs and other media
Trails has seen several
An original video animation adaptation of Trails in the Sky SC was produced by Kinema Citrus; part one was released in November 2011 while the second was released in February 2012.[36][37] They were licensed by Sentai Filmworks for release in North America that same year.[38] A 12-episode anime series produced by Tatsunoko Production, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War, aired in early 2023.[39][40] A mobile game based on the anime released in Japan in December 2023 and worldwide in May 2024.[41][42]
Several manga adaptations of games in the series have been released.[43][44][45] Trails in the Sky also received a novelization.[46] Other manga, such as The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero Pre-Story -The Ring of Judgment- and Trails in the Sky Gaiden: The Tale of Loewe, are original works that provide backstory to certain characters.[47][48] Several characters from the series also appeared in Minna Atsumare! Falcom Gakuen, a four-part comedy manga which later saw two short anime adaptations in the mid-2010s.[49][50]
Reception
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Toshihiro_Kondo.jpg/220px-Toshihiro_Kondo.jpg)
Trails has been praised for its
Characters or other elements from Trails have been featured in
References
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It's not an exaggeration to say that this is kind of my life's work.
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External links
- Official website (in Japanese)
- NIS America portal
- Xseed Games portal