Trails, known as in Japan, is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Nihon Falcom. It is a part of their larger The Legend of Heroes franchise and began with the release of Trails in the Sky in 2004. Trails features a large cast of characters and consists of several interconnected story arcs set in different nations on the continent of Zemuria: Liberl (Trails in the Sky), Crossbell, Erebonia (Trails of Cold Steel), and Calvard (Trails Through Daybreak). The series primarily features turn-based combat, with a few spin-offs and more recent entries featuring other styles of gameplay.
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 Xseed Games handling its English localization until NIS America took over in 2019. It is commonly praised for its worldbuilding and character arcs and has seen manga, audio drama, and anime original works and adaptations, with the games selling over seven million copies by 2022.
Overview
Trails is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Nihon Falcom. It began as the sixth entry in Falcom's The Legend of Heroes franchise with the release of The Legend of Heroes VI: Trails in the Sky in 2004. Despite that, it had no narrative connection with prior Legend of Heroes games and is considered its own distinct franchise. The Trails games are set within a few years of each other and follow an overarching narrative, with the events of a few entries crossing over into another. The series was created as a goal by Falcom to have the most ambitious story in video games, with company president and series producer Toshihiro Kondo considering it to be his life's work. The games are made using proprietary game engines by Falcom, with the exception being Sony's PhyreEngine used for the Trails of Cold Steel games. The series is heavily influenced by anime and features several archetypes and tropes common to it.
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. Zemuria is home to several groups, factions, and organizations, such as the Bracer's Guild, the Septian Church, and the secret society of Ouroboros. Trails begins in the year 1202 and are set half a century after the discovery of orbal energy, an analog to electric power. This led to a technological revolution caused by the invention of Orbments, mechanical devices varying greatly in size and scope that run off orbal energy, powering things from everyday appliances to mecha and other weaponry. Trails features sociopolitical elements, with issues such as imperialism, classism, and immigration being causes of conflict in its society. In contrast with many other role-playing games, every minor non-playable character in the series has a name, with several having their own character arcs with varying degrees of importance to the main plot.
Gameplay
The combat of Trails is turn-based with tactical elements. Unlike most other turn-based games, the series lacks random encounters as most enemies are visible on the overworld. Combat takes place on a large grid, with characters only able to move across a set number of squares or perform a single ability each turn. Turns are listed on a timeline on the screen, which can be manipulated with certain abilities. In addition to basic attacks and item usage, every character has abilities known as Crafts and Arts. Crafts are unique to each character and are usually unlocked or strengthened by leveling up. S-Crafts are a character's ultimate ability fueled by a meter that builds as they deal and take damage. When full, players can use it at any time to bypass the turn order to perform skills such as dealing large amounts of damage or supporting their party with healing and buffs.
Arts are magic-like spells that are powerful but take time to cast. Rather than being unique to any specific character or monster like Crafts, Arts are determined by the type and specific arrangement of Quartz, items cited for its similarity to Materia from Final Fantasy VII. Each successive game usually introduces new gameplay mechanics, such as the addition of Persona-like social events in Trails of Cold Steel or the optional action-based combat system in Trails Through Daybreak.
Games
Trails is split into four interconnected story arcs: Trails in the Sky, Crossbell, Trails of Cold Steel, and Trails Through Daybreak. The series also has a few spin-offs, some of which feature other styles of gameplay or are considered non-canon.