Trails (series)

Trails, known as Kiseki 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 territories on the continent of Zemuria: Trails in the Sky, Crossbell, Trails of Cold Steel, and Kuro no Kiseki. The series was conceived as a goal by Falcom 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. Trails games primarily feature turn-based combat, with a few spin-offs and more recent entries featuring other styles of gameplay. It is commonly praised for its worldbuilding and character arcs. It has also seen adapted and original manga, audio drama, and anime works, with the games selling over seven million copies as of 2022. 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.