The Falcom Thread

[nocturnal YL]

It really does remind me a lot of Ys VIII. Not just the atmosphere; the game, in terms of program and design, feels like it's derived from Ys VIII and Ys IX.

Looking forward to eventually play it when I finally get there.

[Nester the Lark]

The original PC88 version of Xanadu has been released on the eShop. Even outside Japan! It's pretty cheap, too. Not sure if I'll get it considering how archaic and difficult it's supposed to be, but maybe I'll consider it and use a walkthrough.

(EDIT: Apparently, this was already available in Japan. This is just the first Western release. It sounds like other old Japanese PC games will also be making their way to other regions.)

Meanwhile, I've been playing The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails. I'm a good bit through the game now. I'll post some impressions of it in the near future.

[Nester the Lark]

Falcom has just announced the next Trails game, The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki -Farewell O Zemuria-. It's coming in 2024. No platforms were confirmed.

Interestingly, I'm seeing people say that it connects to The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails, a game often considered to be Trails in name only. I don't know the details, as it's supposedly a spoiler, but apparently, it's now more canon than was originally thought.

[Nester the Lark]

Falcom released a list of upcoming/in-development games as part of an investor presentation. They also plan on increasing the number of games they release per year, as well as make more original titles. (Source: Gematsu)

- Title A: The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki – Farewell, O Zemuria (TBD) – 2024
- Unannounced Title B: Trails Series (TBD) – In Development
- Unannounced Title C: Action RPG (TBD) – In Development
- Unannounced Title D (TBD) – In Development
- Ported Titles (TBD) – Suspended Development of Three Titles
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak (Switch) – February 15, 2024
- Unannounced Switch Title E (Switch) – In Development

- Unannounced Ported Title F (PS5, PS4) – In Development

Unannounced Title C: Action RPG could be a Xanadu game for 2025.

Interesting that it lists three ports whose development has been suspended.

[nocturnal YL]

Oh… so no more Ys Memoire?

[Nester the Lark]

So, I’ve finished the main story in The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails. It took me 25 hours, 42 minutes. I played on normal difficulty, and did most of the side quests. (I accidentally didn’t complete one. It’s possible for side quests to fail if you don’t finished them before progressing the main quest too much.) At the time of this writing, I have not started the post-game content, of which I’ve heard there is quite a substantial amount.

Here are some thoughts.

This was a really fun game. Despite being named after the Trails series, it’s not directly related to it aside from a few references. And even though it’s an action-RPG, it’s not just an Ys game under a different name. It definitely feels like its own thing.

Being a Falcom action-RPG should already tell you two things: the music and combat will both be top notch. The music is more orchestral like the Trails series rather than the synth rock of the Ys series. The combat is very arcadey and satisfying, similar to Ys. It starts off simple, but it gradually gets more complex as you play through the game and unlock more abilities.

The structure of the game is like that of a dungeon crawler. There are individual stages you select from a map screen. Each stage is fairly short, and can be completed in a few minutes. They contain not only enemies to fight, but a surprising amount of platforming, which is also fun. You also get the ability to change the season of each stage, which not only changes the graphics, but also opens up new paths.

The main village in the game acts as a hub for preparing for your adventure, as well as doing side quests for the townsfolk. You can easily fast travel between the village and different areas at any time.

On a technical level, the Switch version is an excellent port of the PSP original. It runs at a steady 60 fps, and loading times are negligible. Graphics are very simple, even by PSP standards, but they’re pleasant enough to look at. Sometimes it feels like the camera is zoomed in too much, but I mostly didn’t find it to be a big problem. There is some voice acting, but Falcom’s habit of only voicing certain random lines seems even more inconsistent and noticeable than usual here.

The game does get off to a somewhat slow start. It think there was about an hour of story exposition and hand-holding before it really hit its stride.

In a way, this feels like the last Falcom game from a different era. The original PSP version came out in 2012. Since then, with the exception of Tokyo Xanadu, they’ve focused entirely on the Trails and Ys series’. In the ‘00s, however, they had a more diverse lineup of games. It’s widely suspected that Nayuta was originally meant to be a third game in the Zwei series before having the Trails/Kiseki name slapped on it, and it definitely shares a number of things in common with that series. In particular is how you control two characters: Nayuta, who you control directly, and a small fairy named Noi, who casts magic and provides other abilities.

I really enjoyed this game more than I expected, but it seems destined to forever be a hidden gem. The original release was Japan-only, and it’s taken over a decade for it to get ported to modern platforms and localized into English. Yet, it got very little marketing, and launched with almost no fanfare, so it flew under most people’s radars. That’s a shame, because it’s really a great action-RPG that’s dripping with the Falcom charm.

Dec 23, 2023 5:04:29 GMT -5 nocturnal YL said:

Oh… so no more Ys Memoire?

That would be unfortunate. As I mentioned, Nayuta is a great port, and I think it runs on the same engine as Ys Seven, so it seems like there could be a great Switch version of that, too.

[Nester the Lark]

John Linneman of Digital Foundry has done a tech review of Ys X, comparing the PS5, PS4 Pro, and Switch versions of the game. As you'd expect, the PS5 version performs the best, and the Switch version performs the worst.

It's a good review, though, since he considered Ys X one of his favorite games of last year, and the video also includes a short history segment.

[Nester the Lark]

The Switch version of Tokyo Xanadu eX+ has been confirmed for a Western release this Summer by Aksys Games.



Still not sure I'm interested in this, but glad to see it's finally coming to the West. I wonder what took so long.

[Nester the Lark]

Ys I is coming to Switch on February 15, but it's not the version you think. It's the original PC-8801 version as part of the EGG Console series. (Source)

Probably not the ideal way to experience this game compared to the far more polished Ys I & II Chronicles, but it'll be cheap.

[Nester the Lark]

NISA has finally announced that the Western localization for Ys X will be coming in Fall 2024.

[Nester the Lark]

The original PC-88 version of Ys II is coming to Switch on March 14. So, now the complete story will available. (In Japanese, of course.)

[Nester the Lark]

Falcom has announced that they are officially working on a sequel to Tokyo Xanadu. (Source: Gematsu)

Official site

Teaser trailer:

[Nester the Lark]

The PC-88 version of Ys III: Wanderers from Ys is coming to Switch on May 9 as part of the EGG Console series. This is the final Ys game available on the PC-88.

[Nester the Lark]

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana has been (accidentally) confirmed for a Western release by Xseed Games.

The Western release date for Ys X should also be revealed at Anime Expo by NISA. Also, an English logo was found for Trails through Daybreak II, confirming that title for a Western release, as well. (Although, it was expected anyway.)

[Nester the Lark]

Here's the official official announcement trailer.



Honestly, I'm glad it's not due until next year. I was afraid it might come out too close to Ys X, and furthermore, I'm already afraid that might come out too close to Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.