Kondo says that Trails' success in the West wasn't expected ten years ago and tells about how Falcom managed to handle 50-ish playable characters in Trails into Reverie in terms of both gameplay (a dungeon for leveling, and a feature to automatically equip quartz) and story (by introducting three story lines with the ability to instantly swap between them at any time).

Also he teases Ys X and a project in the works which is neither Trails not Ys. (Judging by recent Twitter rumors, it might be a new Tokyo Xanadu)

Kondo tends to give a series of pretty similar interviews to English gaming media, so you can basically read one of them and skip the rest.

See also the new voice cast reveal in English

There is also a Twitter thread where older and newer sprites are compared.

!

!

I prefer the older ones, but that may just be out of habit.

I haven't played their previous game, Touhou Scarlet Curiosity, but am still pretty hyped up as a Touhou fan! This fangame looks pretty promising and reminds me of older Ys games (like Origins and Felghana) a bit.

Seems like the review embargo got lifted a week before the release and we have first reviews and gameplay videos of Trails into Reverie.

This is the epilogue game for both Trails Zero/Azure and Trails of Cold Steel arcs, so don't spoil yourself too much. Perhaps having no context reduces the spoiler effect, but it also may leave you confused with the plot.

Would you like to read a short guide on which Trails game to start with? Or maybe I can collect links to existing guides?

Sale front pages and dates

[!Steam Summer Sale](https://store.steampowered.com/)

Steam Summer sale June 29 - July 13 10 AM PST

[!GOG Star Festival Sale](https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2023_star_festival)

GOG Star Festival Sale June 07 - 16 10 PM UTC.

Has a bit more limited selection of games, but counts as a sale of JRPGs (especially Falcom ones) and Japanese games in general.

Most links below are from Steam, the GOG links are added next to them.

Great indies!

• Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition (GOG) -70% $4.5
• Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling (GOG) -50% $10
• Chained Echoes (GOG) -20% $20
• Cosmic Star Heroine (GOG) -75% $3.74
• CrossCode (GOG) -70% $6
  • CrossCode: A New Home DLC (GOG) -50% $4.5
• Eastward (GOG) -40% $15
• Epic Battle Fantasy 5 -20% $10
• LISA: The Painful -20% $16
• OMORI -25% $15
• Undertale -70% $3; (GOG) - no discount on GOG, unfortunately
• Wargroove -60% $8

KOEI TECMO

• Atelier Mysterious arc
  • Atelier Sophie / Firis / Lydie & Suelle bundle -51% $58.47
  • Atelier Sophie -35% $26
  • Atelier Firis -35% $26
  • Atelier Lydie & Suelle -35% $26
  • Atelier Sophie 2 -40% $26
• Atelier Dusk arc
  • Atelier Ayesha / Escha & Logy / Shallie bundle -51% $58.47
  • Atelier Ayesha -35% $26
  • Atelier Escha & Logy -35% $26
  • Atelier Shallie -35% $26
• Atelier Arland arc
  • Atelier Rorona / Totori / Meruru bundle -51% $58.47
  • Atelier Rorona -35% $26
  • Atelier Totori -35% $26
  • Atelier Meruru -35% $26
  • Atelier Lulua -50% $30
• Atelier Ryza arc
  • Atelier Ryza -50% $30
  • Atelier Ryza 2 -50% $30
  • Atelier Ryza 3 -25% $45
• Blue Reflection series
  • BLUE REFLECTION -60% $24
  • BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light -50% $30
• FAIRY TAIL -40% $36
• Toukiden Kiwami -60% $24

SEGA incl. Atlus

• Yakuza / Like a Dragon series (GOG only discounts on 0-6!)
  • Yakuza Complete Series (GOG) $35 - includes 0-6
  • Yakuza 0 (GOG) -75% $5 - nice point to start the series with!
  • Yakuza Kiwami (GOG) -75% $5
  • Yakuza Kiwami 2 (GOG) -75% $5
  • Yakuza 3 Remastered (GOG) -66% $7.5
  • Yakuza 4 Remastered (GOG) -66% $7.5
  • Yakuza 5 Remastered (GOG) -66% $7.5
  • Yakuza 6 The Song of Life (GOG) -66% $7.5
  • Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Steam) -75% $15 - nice point to start the series with!
  • Like a Dragon: Ishin (Steam) -30% $42
• Judgment series (Bundle -46% $70)
  • Judgment -40% $24
  • Lost Judgment -40% $36
• Shenmue series
  • Shenmue I-II -80% $6
  • Shenmue III (GOG) -85% $4.5
• Persona series
  • Persona 3 Portable -25% $15 (maybe wait for Persona 3 Remake?)
  • Persona 4 Golden -25% $15
  • Persona 5 Royal -40% $36
• Soul Hackers 2 -40% $36
• Catherine Classic -75% $5 (NB! Doesn't include content from Catherine Full Body, e.g. Qatherine)
• Valkyria Chronicles series
  • Valkyria Chronicles -75% $5
  • Valkyria Chronicles IV -80% $10

Nihon Falcom games (publ. by XSEED, Aksys, NIS America, Mastiff)

• Trails in the Sky
  • Trails in the Sky First Chapter (GOG) -50% $10 - nice point to start the series with!
  • Trails in the Sky Second Chapter (GOG) -35% $20
  • Trails in the Sky 3rd (GOG) -25% $22.5
• Trails Crossbel duology
  • Trails from Zero (GOG) -32% $20 - nice point to start Trails series with!
  • Trails to Azure (GOG) -36% $10
• Trails of Cold Steel
  • Trails of Cold Steel I (GOG) -50% @20 $ - nice point to start Trails series with!
  • Trails of Cold Steel II (GOG) -50% $20
  • Trails of Cold Steel III (GOG) -60% $24
  • Trails of Cold Steel IV (GOG) -40% $36
• Ys series - start with either one, the order doesn't matter
  • Ys I + II Chronicles (GOG) -70% $4.5
  • Ys: The Oath in Felghana (GOG) -70% $4.5
  • Ys Arc of Napishtim (GOG) -75% $5
  • Ys Origin (GOG) -75% $5
  • Ys SEVEN (GOG) -40% $15
  • Ys: Memories of Celceta (GOG) -40% $15
  • Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA (GOG) -55% $18
  • Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (GOG) -30% $42
• Tokyo Xanadu eX+ (GOG) -80% $12
• Xanadu Next (GOG) -50% $7.5
• Zwei series
  • Zwei: The Arges Adventure (GOG) -40% $9
  • Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection (GOG) -50% $10
• Gurumin: The Monstrous Adventure -70% $3; (GOG) - no discount on GOG

Notes:

• Releases of Trails and Ys from NIS America and XSEED are usually DRM-free even on Steam, especially the older ones.
• For Trails series in Korean and Chinese, see Clouded Leopard Entertainment homepage, which also has discounts
• In August 2021, NIS America removed regional prices on GOG for many games, making prices in countries like Brasil, South Africa, and Russia match the prices in dollars. The regional prices on Steam are still there.

BANDAI NAMCO

• Tales of series
  • Tales of Symphonia -75% $5
  • Tales of Vesperia -80% $8
  • Tales of Zestiria -90% $5
  • Tales of Berseria -90% $5
  • Tales of Arise -60% $24
• Sword Art Online series
  • SAO: Fatal Bullet -80% $8
  • SAO: Alisization Lycoris -80% $10
  • SAO: Hollow Realization -85% $8
  • SAO: Lost Song -85% $3
• FROM SOFTWARE (Dark Souls series, Elden Ring)
  • Dark Souls Remastered -50% $20
  • Dark Souls II -50% $20
  • Dark Souls III -50% $30
  • Elden Ring -30% $42
• Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot -75% $15
• Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time -65% $14
• God Eater 3 -85% $7.5
• Digimon World: Next Order -35% $32.5
• Scarlet Nexus -75% $12.5
• One Piece Odyssey: Deluxe Edition -35% $55 (For some reason, they made a discount on the Deluxe editon only. The normal one is still at $60)

CyberConnect2 (incl. .hack// games published by Bandai Namco)

• Fuga: Melodies of Steel -40% $24
• .hack//G.U. Last Recode -85% $7.5

Square Enix

• Final Fantasy series
  • III 3D Remake, IV 3D Remake -50% $8
  • VII -50% $8
    • VII Remake Intergrade -43% $40
    • Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion -30% $35
  • VIII -50% $6
    • VIII Remastered -50% $10
  • IX -50% $10.5
  • X + X-II Remaster -50% $12.5
  • XII -50% $25
  • XIII -50% $6.5
    • XIII-II -50% $8
    • XIII: Lightning Returns -50% $8
  • XV -50% $17.5 (NB: has Denuvo)
  • Type-0 HD -60% $10
  • Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin -30% $28
  • World of Final Fantasy -60% $10
• Chrono series
  • Chrono Trigger -50% $7.5
  • Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition -30% $14
• Mana series
  • Secret of Mana -50% $20
  • Trials of Mana -50% $25
  • Legend of Mana -50% $15
• Star Ocean series
  • Star Ocean: The Last Hope -60% $8.4
  • Star Ocean: The Divine Force -40% $36
• Octopath Traveller series
  • Octopath Traveller -50% $30
  • Octopath Traveller II -25% $45
• Bravely Default II -50% $30
• Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of the Elusive Age -35% $26
• LIVE A LIVE -30% $35

Note: Too many games to list! Refer to their sale page for more

NIS America excl. Falcom games

• Disgaea series
  • Disgaea PC -80% $4
  • Disgaea 2 PC -80% $4
  • Disgaea 4 Complete -60% $16
  • Disgaea 5 Complete -75% $10
  • Disgaea 6 Complete -20% $48
• The Caligula Effect series
  • The Caligula Effect: Overdose (GOG) -70% $15
  • The Caligula Effect 2 -50% $25
• Langrisser I+II -60% $20
• The Alliance Alive HD Remastered (GOG) -70% $12

Note: In August 2021, NIS America removed regional prices on GOG for many games, making prices in countries like Brasil, South Africa and Russia match the prices in dollars.

XSEED Games / Marvelous Europe excl. Falcom games

• Rune Factory series
  • Rune Factory 4 Special -35% $20
  • Rune Factory 5 -50% $25
• Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity -40% $9
• Trinity Trigger -20% $40; (GOG) - no discount on GOG
• Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin -40% $18

Compile Heart / Idea Factory

• Neptunia series
  • Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 (GOG) -65% $5.24
  • Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation (GOG) -65% $5.24
  • Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3: V Generation (GOG) -65% $5.24
  • Megadimension_Neptunia_VII R (GOG) -70% $7.5
  • Super Neptunia RPG (GOG) -75% $7.5
  • Neptunia Virtual Stars (GOG) -80% $8
  • Cyberdimension_Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online -70% $7.5
  • Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters -25% $37.5
• Fairy Fencer series
  • Fairy Fencer F Advent Dark Force (GOG) -65% $5
  • Fairy Fencer F Refrain Chord -30% $35
• Death End Re;Quest series
  • Death End Re;Quest -75% $7.5; (GOG) - no discount on GOG
  • Death End Re;Quest 2 (GOG) -70% $12 - there is a discount on GOG! o_o

Note: There are so many Neptunia games and spin-offs so you better look at the publisher's page. Some games contain nudity.

Spike Chunsoft

• Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness -60% $24
• Crystar -70% $18

UPD:

• 07/01: all finished! Also removed affiliate links from SteamDB and GOGDB
• 07/08: Replaced GOG Summer Sale with GOG Festival sale

ahem

Meet the "trash-tier girl" Hazuki and witness her adventures as she starts her medical carreer in the most hilariously braindead way possible

!me too

Remember the themes of mortality in Persona 3, where death was depicted as a tragic yet inevitable phenomen, which every living person should come to terms with? Well, make it as absurd as possible and you get Hazuki Dies. This game is about an anime girl trying to survive in a world where everyone dies by exploding tacos, or getting mugged by a thuggish "promoter" sent by a fast food chain run by psychopats, or by getting bit by a mutant rat in sewers... And she is also trying to pay her tution bills by working in such an "explosiove" taco joint. What could possibly go wrong?

!shopping at 5-Nine

Through a series of insane events, Hazuki has to save her abusive boss which has only two days to live (according to a WebMD user medical practitioneer called John Smith). For that, she has to learn some healing magic and, more importantly, become stronger herself, because she is so frail she can't survive even a single hit.

!bonk

As such, the battle system here is more like a puzzle than a standard turn-based mechanic. You can move around or perform an attack, but each action takes some ticks on the timeline. When the enemy's delay value become 0, it's their turn. Your objective is to avoid getting closer to enemies and snipe them as effectively as possible through a rhythm-based QTE - because if you fail to one-shot them or keep the distance, you get the bonk. What a harsh world we live in.

!wow you died

I actually like this kind of dark humor, so I found myself giggling at the every "WOW YOU DIED" screen or Hazuki's stupidly cute remark. Also, by the description above or anime graphics you might think this game is a typical Japanese kusoge, but it's rather an American shitpost - the devs are from Guam and the amount of jokes about the American healthcare is as huge as the cost of ambulance.

!ambulance is just a glorified taxi

As you can see, I'm pretty hyped for the release. Also, the music here slaps.

[!Normal battle theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaBIam-r2rQ)

...

oops, wrong link! Here it is

Links:

• Steam page (demo still available)
• Website
• Trailer
• OST on Bandcamp

on PS3 and, after a year, on Vita. Now its remaster is playable on Steam, Switch, and PS4. Quite an atmospheric game. Give it a try, especially if you like crafting!

Adol Christin is going to deliver top-tier adventure and sink ships all the way until he becomes 63

I'm really hyped up, especially by the music. Too bad the game will only be released in English in two or three years :/

This is the most "classic" Japanese RPG I have played during the fest. You get to choose one of three characters: a stern and passionate for her combat training spear-lady Pyra, a bit shy and timid archer Atlas, and a prideful and arrogant elemental master Sage. The battle system is the standard turn-based one and the characters are exactly what it says on the thin: Pyra is a pyr-o melee tank, Atlas' forte is agility and evasion rate and Sage's spell set is pretty versatile.

!Battle UI

Albeit different in details, all their stories come to the same progression: prepair for the final combat exam, investigate the situation with dangerous monsters near the town, go on a special mission with their mentor, and then things go wrong. A single story takes roughly 2 hours.

!Catching and taking chicken to a coop

This game is made by two persons, Mottzy and Drass_Ray, and I see this is a labor of love. The art style is gorgeous and reminds of Octopath Traveler, combining pixel art character sprites with 3D assets with pixel-art textures. Despite the simplicity of the main story, the writing is solid and there are first drafts of actual lore available. There are no puzzles yet, but some extra mechanics, like shooting mechanisms with a bow, add some variety to the usual map traversal routine. Overall, the game is pretty solid and it's nice to see what small teams of developers are capable of (recall Chained Echoes, which has almost entirely been made by a single person!)

!Trying to shoot a lever to trigger a mechanism

Still, there are things to be addressed. The UI design lacks character, it's just "choose an option from blue-coloured menus like it's FF6". And the game is pretty buggy, sometimes triggering wrong dialogues and mixing up your save slots. Deleting save files before staring a new campaign is advised. I hope these issues are patched soon, and the game becomes even more likable.

Links:

• Steam page (demo still available)
• Website
• Trailer
• Another review by Davidvinc RPGs

Disclaimer: I write here about game mechanics of the game. Not about Story or game progression. I write about the world of Final Fantasy XVI, but no certain place. Also i'm not finished with this game, maybe 15 hours into the game.

I have see a lot people complaining that Final Fantasy XVI doesn't feel like the other Final Fantasy games or is not a jrpg. Since the franchise Final Fantasy has done a huge part building our perpective of the genre, it's huge that Final Fantasy XVI could be the maybe the end of jrpg on Final Fantasy main games.

I try to tell you what kind of game Final Fantasy XVI is and does it suit a Final Fantasy or jrpg fan. Then you are able to decide if it's something for you or not.

Is this game a jrpg?

There is no clear definition of an jrpg, some thing a jrpg has to be a turn based games and some still see dark soul games as jrpg's.

• This game is for sure a rpg. It has a level system and you are able to equip gear for offense and defense. There is also some kind of ability tree in the game and you are able to choose certain ability you like.
• suprise, this game comes from japan
• Final Fantasy XVI is a story driven game with ceveral characters in your party, but you only able to control the main character
• This game is an action game with focus dodging and skill usage
• The characters in this game feel very grouded and logical and it takes a lot inspiration from historical settings
• There is no element system or effectiveness system in the game

This games battle system reminds me of devil may cry. It feels a bit like a hack n slash game with well designed bosses. It remides me as well a bit of Ys game, because of the dodge and skill mechanics in the game. The game is all about your skill of the game mechanics and has no logical element like effectives of certain elements or weapons.

So is this game a jrpg for you? I think a lot people doesn't see it as jrpg and it's hard for me to see it as one as well. Depending on the definition i would say for some people it is a jrpg.

Is this game a good Final Fantasy?

There is a lot of my own opinion in this section, but i try to explain what kind of game Final Fantasy XVI is. I don't spoiler any story or progression of the game, but try to describe the eviroment of the game. Everything i say should in any trailer you are able to see or in the demo of the first 2.5 hours of the game.

Final Fantasy XVI has a medievil or feudalism theme (please tell me if you know more about this). The characters we see takes with der cloths a lot inspiration of that time. Building, markets and characters that appear in the game are inspired from history. I think quite more than other Final Fantasy games of with a medievil theme. Even the main character start with a appearance that doesn't remind you of fantasy at all. If you run arround in the first area you have to search for things that reminds you on fantasy. But if you look arround, you find a few things. Chocobos that are used from the knights and cyrstals that used to get water and gardening as well as for other things. A lot places stay like this, quite uninspirering if you search for unusual places that often appeared in Final Fantasy games. But later in the game there are a few places that has been build a lot better.

Even regions like forests or villages doesn't have so much fantasy with their appearance. Not with their appearance, but of course with their monsters. I wouldn't say i have seen so far a lot typical monster that represent the franchise Final Fantasy, but there were a few of them, like a morbol. We see as well a few magic that are typical for the game (but i don't know a lot as well so far).

Of course the Eikon battles are a huge part that represents the franchise. Ifrit and Shiva are two of the Eikons in that game and maybe the part of the game i like the most.

I think this game has a lot uninspired regions and places as well as character appearances in the game. Often when i look on the game i'm a bit sad because i want to see more moogles, want to see human like beasts like in Final Fantasy XII or the main mc of Final Fantasy IX. I want to see very interresting forest like the macalania woods in Final Fantasy X or creatives cities like Midgar in Final Fantasy VII. But then again i see everything FF XVI has build arround their Eikons and i'm happy again. It's not the best game to represent what Final Fantasy could be, but at least it excels other games in certain points for a Final Fantasy game, a fantasy game at all or even other jrpgs. Some games like Final Fantasy XII doesn't even had shiva or ifrit, but this game has it and maybe better than ever. The franchise battle system has been changing for a long time, as well as how the game plays itself. Final Fantasy XV was the first open world game with a terrible car (my opinion). That the course of the franchise and well will for sure see a lot different things in the future of Final Fantasy.

I liked to play Final Fantasy VII remake more, because it's more a jrpg, it has a edgy story, has more typical elements of final fantasy and some very weird bosses (a house), but as a Final Fantasy fan since i played Final Fantasy X (and many more), i still think it's a good game and even a good Final Fantasy.

Atelier series is pretty relaxing in terms of both story and BGM, and uses flute and acoustic guitar pretty often, which hits the spot if you've finished working for today and not in the epic mood.

• (Atelier Escha & Logy) The Red Sky
• (Atelier Escha & Logy) All Under One Sky
• (Atelier Sophie) Glistening Lake
• (Atelier Firis) Tale Spinning Journey ~ Night

I also like how music contributes to the atmosphere of .hack//G.U., which may have aged poorly as a game series, but it has the fantastic setting of what science-fiction writers from 90s imagined online worlds to be in 2017. The music here is as slow and sedate as the flow of time in "The World" itself.

• Desktop
• Eternal City Mac Anu
• Dual City Breg Epona

This is my favourite of the games from the Nintendo direct. I just got into star ocean with divine force, but i like it a lot, now I want to see more from the franchise.

Please reply if I have missed something! Especially indie titles; they're pretty hard to track.

June (including recently released):

• 06/01: Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection (Switch, Steam) A bundle which includes HD remasters of Etrian Odyssey I-III
• 06/08: Loop8: Summer of Gods (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Steam)
• 06/22: Final Fantasy XVI (PS5)
• 06/27: Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Steam)

July

• 07/07: Trails into Reverie (PS4, Switch, Steam, EGS, GOG) An epilogue to both Trails of Cold Steel IV and Trails to Azure
• 07/13: Atelier Marie Remake (PS4, PS5, Switch, Steam) A remake of the first installment of Atelier series from original Playstation, released in 1997

August

• 08/10: Hyperdimension Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters (Switch port)
• 08/10: Hyperdimension Neptunia: Game Maker R:Evolution (PS4, PS5, Switch)
• 08/29: Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles (PS5, Switch)
• 08/29: Sea of Stars (PS4, PS5, Switch, Steam)

September

• 09/05: Rune Factory 3 Special (Switch, Steam)
• 09/21: Eternights (PS4, PS5, Steam, EGS)
• 09/28: Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Windows Store, Steam)
• 09/28: Ys X: Nordics (Japanese only) (PS4, PS5, Switch) An iconic action RPG by Nihon Falcom set in fantasy Europe. Trailer

October

• 10/03: Silent Hope (Switch, Steam)
• 10/24: CRYMACHINA (PS4, PS5, Switch, Steam) May or may not be related to CRYSTAR

November

• 11/02: Star Ocean: The Second Story R (PS4, PS5, Switch, Steam)
• 11/08: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Windows Store, Steam)
• 11/17: Persona 5 Tactica (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows Store, Steam)
• 11/17: Super Mario RPG remake (Switch)

December

• 12/01: Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince (Switch) A spin-off to Dragon Quest series with Pokemon-like mechanics and local monsters?

Summer 2023

• Cuisineer (Steam) A food-focused action rougelite from Marvelous. Will be featured on Steam Next Game Fest on June 19-26

Fall 2023

• Disgaea 7 (PS4, PS5, Switch, Steam)
• Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten (PS4, PS5) A part of the Utawarerumono series
• Pokemon Scarlet / Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. DLC Part 1: The Teal Mask (Switch)

Winter 2023

• Pokemon Scarlet / Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. DLC Part 2: The Indigo Disk (Switch)

2023

• Front Mission 2 Remake (Switch)
• Nayuta: Boundless Trails (PS4, Switch, Steam, EGS, GOG) A spin-off to the Trails series with an action-RPG system like Ys SEVEN and Zwei II. It is already available on Steam, but only in Japanese for now.

2024

(TODO: fill this ASAP!)

Updates 06/22: added games from Nintendo Direct as well as Eternights

06/27: clarified release date of CRYMACHINA and Ys X: Nordics