The Falcom Thread

[Nester the Lark]

Ys X is due out in the West on October 25.

[Nester the Lark]

GameSpot has a good interview with Toshihiro Kondo, who gave some very detailed responses.

Here are some highlights.

On Falcom branching out into different genres and new IP:

What else should we look forward to?

More likely than not, fans--when they think of Falcom--they think of our series, like Ys and Trails. However, looking at the past and Falcom's history, you'll see that we used to release games in multiple, different-yet-related genres. And you might notice that those have gone down over the years. However--thanks to the fact that so many of the developers at Falcom have been there for a while and there's a lot of accumulated knowledge and know-how--we can start to make games like we used to, in many different genres that aren't part of these two main series.

It might take a few years yet, and in the meantime, I'd love for people to keep playing Ys and Trails. But please do look forward to new IPs as they come out slowly. But I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years time, people will say positively, "Oh, wow. Falcom's really changed. They've really broadened and they're doing more and more."

You know, game development costs just get larger and larger. And it's kind of come to a point where every project has to succeed in order to move forward. But because Falcom is relatively small compared to a lot of other studios, that gives us a lot more flexibility and more ability to challenge ourselves and try many different things.

So that's exactly what we want to do. We want to use the unique position that we're in to be able to continue to create JRPGs and to bring them to people, so they always exist and they're not solely tied to some of the larger companies that have a budget.

On the Trails series coming to an end:

Right now in the Trails games, we're on the fourth arc. Is there a planned number of arcs left? Is there a planned end of the series?

Actually, the series has progressed to the point where its main story is about 80-90% complete. And so while there will be games that come out, and those could be in the form of another arc after this, it won't continue on too much longer. And you won't see an arc as big as Cold Steel again. Though we're currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of the series, you won't see a 30th or 40th anniversary.

On releasing games faster in the West:

Do you think that the company will ever reach a place in which the Japanese and the English versions of the games are released simultaneously? Is that a goal that the company has?

Yes, we would love for the games to come out at the same time. That is actually one of the things that we're working with with NIS America to do--to decrease that time as we go forward in the future. We understand the necessity to have the games come out as soon as possible.

I hear it occasionally from the Western fanbase that they would love if games could come out sooner. We know that fans want to play the game as soon as possible--it is something we really want to do and will work on going forward.

You will notice though that we have been trying to decrease the amount of time. Daybreak, for example, came to the United States much sooner than titles in the past. And Ys X will, comparatively, be coming out not long after its release date in Japan.

But it's important to say that we have a standard of quality that we need to maintain as well. Our priority is to bring a high quality game for [English-speaking] fans so that they experience the same thing as our Japanese fans do. We will never sacrifice that quality in order to get a game out quickly. So it's been about finding that balance.

On the term "JRPG".

You mentioned the term "JRPG" a moment ago and I'm curious, because there has been some debate on if "JRPG" pigeonholes games made in Japan, is that label one you embrace? Would you prefer that people say, "turn-based RPG" or "action RPG?"

Originally, JRPG was kind of used as a pejorative and, obviously, we didn't like it. There was this initial reaction against it. But gradually, it feels like it's almost begun to mean the opposite. I mean, take something like Miyazaki-san's Elden Ring. I've asked myself "Is that a JRPG?" Well, maybe not quite. But at the same time, one of the things you can kind of identify in JRPGs are these influences from anime and manga. Knowing how to incorporate those elements and themes into games gives them that distinct Japanese flavor, which is not only a good thing, but creates a sort of cultural bond too. Japanese people can kind of come together and rally around this specific thing and make it our own.

So while in the past I might have kind of shied away from that terminology or kind of cringed at it, it's now something I embrace. There is a thing that only the Japanese creators can create by using these elements that we discussed. And by doing so, it creates something worthy of celebration. Rather than solely make RPGs, we make JRPGs--we're proud to say it.

I love that you mentioned Elden Ring and that sort of "well, is it a JRPG?" feeling because it does feel like a hard genre to define. How would you describe it?

That's difficult. Obviously the easy answer is, "Well, if it's made in Japan…" But when you look at what is made in Japan, it's trickier. There's action RPGs--can those be JRPGs? Are only turn-based games JRPGs? Well, no, not necessarily. There's kind of an ineffable thing that makes games in Japan, specifically JRPGs, what they are. It can't really be described. But it's the core and the essence of what a JRPG is. It's why I loved them from the time I was a child and why all of the people at Falcom feel it necessary to share that love for the next generation. So that people can continue to love them and to get involved with them.

[nocturnal YL]

I know next to nothing about Trails, but it's surprising to hear it's coming to an end. It's hard to imagine Falcom without Trails.

Also seriously, find a different publisher if you want simultaneous worldwide releases.

[Nester the Lark]

From what I understand, Trails always had a planned story, so it was always going to come to a conclusion. But the whole Trails series is just a sub-series of The Legend of Heroes (itself, a sub-series of Dragon Slayer, if you consider that a series). The original Trails in the Sky was already preceded by five other Legend of Heroes games, including the "Gagharv trilogy," which influenced the Trails series. So, even after Trails comes to an end, I could see Falcom creating a spiritual successor under the Legend of Heroes name.

[Nester the Lark]

Here's some interesting new info on the Trails in the Sky the 1st remake from Gematsu.

Game is planned for launch worldwide in 2025.

According to a Falcom representative:

Platforms – “While the game has been announced for Nintendo Switch, a release on PlayStation and PC platforms is currently ‘to be determined.’ There is a possibility that it could be released on these platforms, and if that decision is made, it will be announced in a press release at a later date.”

Western Publisher – “At this time, the western publisher is ‘to be determined,’ which is why our company name was mentioned in the announcement. There is a possibility that we may handle distribution ourselves, but if arrangements are made with a local publisher, they would be responsible for distribution instead.”

There are also more English screenshots in the Gematsu article. I wonder if Falcom purchased the rights to Xseed Games' localization. Also, if Falcom publishes the game themselves in Western regions, I wonder if this is part of their effort to move closer to simultaneous worldwide launches for future games.

[nocturnal YL]

I've finished Ys X. This is my favourite game in the series so far.

Now, where to start…

---

Ys X -NORDICS-

Overall impression

The biggest impression this game gives me is that it's a good starting point to get into the series. A lot of things are simplified in this game: simpler combat, straightforward linear progression, and there is almost no prerequisite knowledge needed to follow the story. The story itself is also quite simple.

Otherwise, it feels like the most recent Ys games. There are changes that improve combat and town exploration, but much of the game's flow is modelled after Ys VIII and Ys IX.

Combat

I like the fighting action much better than what we had in Ys VIII and Ys IX. The most obvious change is that instead of a party of 6 with different attack types, there are only 2 characters this time.

In Solo Mode, what the player needs to do is use Adol to fight and deplete SP, then switch to Karja while Adol recovers SP and HP, and vice versa. At the final parts of the game, this is the mode I use even for boss fights, and I only switch to Duo Mode for defence and counterattacks.

Duo Mode is activated by holding the ZR button (default setting). In Duo mode, Adol and Karja will stick together and block most attacks (except speed attacks) and can use more powerful skills. Duo Mode is mostly good for fighting single large enemies.

If the player activate Duo Mode right before a power attack (red aura) or start dashing right before a speed attack (blue aura) hits, they can counterattack.

And that's it. There are no puzzle-type bosses. Some bosses have moves that bypass defensive options, but it's nothing a large number of potions can't fix.

I played at Normal difficulty, and had some trouble getting past bosses at first. By the end, though, Adol and Karja outlevel the endgame enemies by a large margin (level 92, while the final boss is at level 85).

Fishing

Fishing returns. Fortunately, it's much better than Ys VIII in that you don't have to keep tapping the A button for 2 minutes straight. You also don't get to fish treasure boxes.

Some equipment can aid fishing, but I find those unnecessary.

Ship combat

The ship Sandras moves really slowly at first, and is quite difficult to control with low speed and steering. Ship upgrades are not included in New Game+, so players have to endure using the slow ship every time they start a new playthrough.

A fully-upgraded ship is very powerful, but there are not many occasions where this is put into use. Other than scripted fights, ship combats on the world map are triggered by symbol encounters and are completely optional.

Island reclaim battles

Like the island defence battles in Ys VIII and Grimoire Nox in Ys IX, there are 11 battles where the Sandras crew fight to reclaim occupied islands. These battles are very lenient (as is the case with everything in Ys X), and I got rank S in most of them in my first try. To get a high rank, avoid clearing the main goal in each wave prematurely, especially in the platforming areas.

Map and terrain

The general map system is the same as the other modern Ys games. Also like the other modern games, the 2D maps don't say anything about the vertical positions of the grappling spots and treasure boxes, which is quite inconvenient when I got close to the end.

The terrains of this game feel rather generic. The islands all look very similar. They're all rock formations with grasses, and the few places that aren't outdoor areas still don't look distinct enough. I talked about Ys IX having mostly tunnels as dungeons, but that game at least started to diversify later on with a quarry and a laboratory. In Ys X, Adol and Karja's adventure takes place either on a nondescript island, in a generic cave or in a plain-looking fortress, with a few nice late-game exceptions.

Landmarks do not return in this game.

Story

I like the story in this game. I'll also say that I had quite a few pleasant surprises. I'd recommend getting into this game with no prior knowledge whatsoever. Not even an early-game peek. I got surprised by the story quite early on.

The surprises are mostly small ones, though. Several parts of the main story can be easily inferred long before you get there.

This story breaks the trend of having some of Adol's travel companions develop feelings for him (like Krysha in Ys IX).

Not related to the story per se, but if you play this game, make sure to check Sandras and the villages whenever the main story advances. As is the case with the other Ys games, it's easy to miss out the character notes by failing to read certain conversations. I did miss a few even with online guides.

Music

Music is unfortunately one thing I'm not impressed with. It's not bad by any means, but it doesn't compare well with Ys VIII and Ys Origin.

I guess a better comparison is with Ys IX, where there are a few tracks that I genuine like, but most of it fail to leave an impression. It doesn't help that some of the good ones are one-off boss battle themes.

My favourite track is the one that that plays in my favourite dungeon.

Graphics

Things look blurry, but the models have soft edges. The artefacts caused by having a low resolution is less pronounced compared to Ys VIII and Ys IX. The game usually runs at 30 fps, but slowdowns can happen when a large number of enemies are present. This is notable near the end of the game.

There are also usual 3D game stuff like specific setups that make characters move in unusual patterns and 3D model clipping. As a display of Adol and Karja's strength, they can swim through solid land.

User interface

The main menu is interesting that it's not a vertical menu seen in almost all RPGs. Instead, each section of the main menu maps to a button.

One improvement I like is that the interactive NPCs have indicators that show whether they have anything new to say. This is really helpful.

Length

According to a guide I've read, this game takes 25 hours to get to the end and 50 hours to fully complete, which is fairly accurate. This game lasted 52 hours for me, which is shorter than Ys VIII (70 hours) and Ys IX (a bit over 60 hours), and I do feel it's a bit lacking content-wise. The quality of said content is quite good though, with music, ship movement, lack of terrain variety and easily missable contents being my only complaints, and the story and action are great.

All things considered, this is my favourite Ys game so far.

[Nester the Lark]

I've finished the Ys X demo. It took me 9.5 hours playing at my usual leisurely pace. It ended just before a boss fight with a giant sand worm in chapter 3.

I think I started to get a better handle on the combat, but I still don't think it flows as well as in Ys 8 and 9. It's more defense-oriented than previous games.

I am surprised that Falcom made combat bloody again. Didn't think they would bring back that level of violence to the modern Ys games.

[Nester the Lark]

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is officially releasing in the West on January 7. That's slightly sooner than I was expecting.



I've also resumed Ys X now that I have the full game. I'm in Chapter 4, and it feels like the game is finally starting to open up more.

[Nester the Lark]

Things have been pretty quiet around here lately, so in the interest of conversation, I wanted to bring something up.

As with the past couple of Ys games, Ys X includes options during conversations allowing you to choose how Adol responds to certain things. It doesn’t affect the story or affinity with other characters; it’s merely for flavor and to let players shape Adol’s personality to a degree.

But I was thinking about how I have a certain mentality for choosing how to respond, and it’s the same for other games with similar conversation choices, like Xenoblade 1 and 2.

It actually goes back to the game Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, which I think might be the first video game I played that had conversation choices of this type. In that game, the purpose of the choices was that it affected the other characters’ morale, which in turn affected their performance during the combat sections of the game. So ideally, you want to pick the choice that would raise their morale so that they fight better. (Interestingly, the writing was clever enough that there was actually a difficulty curve to it. The choices got more ambiguous and difficult the further you got in the game.)

So because of that, my mentality has carried forward into other games with conversation choices. In Ys, I try to pick the option that’s more encouraging for the other characters. It makes Adol’s personality seem warm and empathetic, which I like.

[nocturnal YL]

On more practical questions like which strategy to take, I usually pick the more sensible answer. Otherwise, I usually pick the "nicer" responses. I just think it suits Adol better.

[Nester the Lark]

So, I’ve finished Ys X. My final save file is ~45 hrs. I did most of the main side quests as they were available.

When I previously ranked the Ys games, there was a funny downward trend with some of the numbered entries: Ys VI > Seven > VIII > IX. This implies that I enjoyed each new entry just a little less than the one before. Does Ys X continue this unfortunate trend?

So, in terms of the main campaign, this seems to be the shortest of the “modern” Ys games. I got through it a bit quicker than Ys IX, and it’s certainly far shorter than the ludicrous 70-80 hours of Ys VIII. Still, as with other recent Ys games, it felt like there was a lot of busywork padding it out beyond the main story. I appreciate that Falcom wants to flesh out the Ys games beyond the “lite” RPG experiences of the earlier entries, but a lot of the extra stuff just feels distracting.

The story gets off to a slow start, and it’s quite dialog heavy. I feel a little weird complaining about the game being verbose considering that I don’t have a problem with that in the Xenoblade games, but I still feel it’s unnecessary for Falcom to give the Ys games heavy narratives just because the Trails series got so popular.

That said, the story was interesting, and it dropped a lot of mysteries near the beginning that compelled me to keep playing. Also, in true Falcom fashion, the characters are quite likable. Karja, in particular, is now one of my favorite female characters in the series, along with Yunica from Ys Origin and Laxia from Ys VIII.

I had mixed feelings about the combat. Compared to previous games, it seemed a bit slow and choppy at first. It took me a while to get a handle on it and to learn how it was intended to be played. Once I did, I enjoyed it well enough, but I think I still prefer the faster combat of the earlier games.

I think it was a good idea for Falcom to take a page from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker in their approach to an open-world. In my opinion, it works better than what Ys IX was going for. That said, I didn’t actually do much exploration beyond what was required for the main story and side quests, but that might be because the story was so compelling.

Also, I didn’t care for the ship combat. Even when the ship is powered up and more agile, it just felt like a slog to fight other ships, so I generally avoided it.

Despite the slow start, the game got better and better the further I got. The final few dungeons felt epic and memorable, and they were a lot of fun to play through. The final dungeon might be one of my favorites in the series. Aside from new side quests still being thrown at me in the final chapter, I didn’t suffer from too much “endgame fatigue” the way I do from a lot of games in general.

As for the music, after Ys IX’s somewhat unremarkable soundtrack, Ys X felt like a return to form. A number of tracks grabbed my attention, and even stuck with me when I wasn’t playing the game. In particular, the music in the final dungeon is probably my favorite “final area” music (spoiler) in the series since “Beyond the Beginning” in Ys Origin.

In a lot of ways, Ys X marks a new era in the Ys series. It has changed up a lot of things from previous entries, and while there’s room for improvement, I think it’s a good foundation to build on.

I revisited Ys Seven over the summer, and even though that game itself was the beginning of a new era in the series, it still has a bit of the classic Falcom feel. I think in general, I still prefer the lighter, brisker pace of the older games, but in terms of the modern “bulkier” Ys games, Ys X is probably the best one so far.

So, here’s how it ranks among the other Ys games I’ve played:

1 – Ys Origin
2 – Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim
3 – Ys Seven
4 – Ys X: Nordics
5 – Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
6 – Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
7 – Ys I & II Chronicles / Book I & II
8 – Ys: The Oath in Felghana*

* Despite being ranked last, The Oath in Felghana is still a good game, and there’s a chance that it could change positions once I replay it.