Nihon Falcom is a Japanese video game development and publishing company founded in 1981. While the company has actively developed video games since their inception, their games were not consistently localized and published until the 2010s. [1] The company originally focused on developing games for Japanese personal computers. In the 2000s, the company moved into developing games for Sony's PlayStation brand, particularly the PlayStation Portable, while continuing development on PCs on Windows, to reach a broader demographic. [2] [3] The move was internally seen as a success, and broadened their fanbase in Western territories, leading the company to put greater emphasis into English translations and releases of their games in the 2010s. [3] [4] Since the 2010s, the company generally releases one game per year. [5] By the end of the decade, the company started seeing success in porting their games to the Nintendo Switch platform, leading them to start internal development on the Switch moving into the 2020s, alongside an even greater push for multi-platform publishing. [6]
Ys is a Japanese series of action role-playing games developed by Nihon Falcom. The series chronicles the life of the adventurer Adol Christin.
Dragon Slayer is a series of role-playing video games by Nihon Falcom. The first Dragon Slayer game is an early action role-playing game, released in 1984 for the NEC PC-8801 and ported by Square for the MSX. Designed by Yoshio Kiya, the game gave rise to a series of sequels, most of them created by Falcom, with the exception of Faxanadu by Hudson Soft. The Dragon Slayer series is historically significant, both as a founder of the Japanese role-playing game industry, and as the progenitor of the action role-playing game genre.
Nihon Falcom Corporation (日本ファルコム株式会社) is a Japanese video game developer, best known for their Ys, The Legend of Heroes, and Trails series. They are credited with pioneering the action role-playing and Japanese role-playing game genres, as well as popularizing the use of personal computers in Japan.
Marvelous USA Inc.,, is an American video game company founded by former members of Square Enix USA. Founded in 2004, the company became a subsidiary of Japanese game company Marvelous in 2011, providing the localization and publishing services for video games and related materials. In 2024, the company only retained the Xseed Games brand for third-party published titles.
Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished, also known as Ys: The Vanished Omens or The Ancient Land of Ys, is a 1987 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is the first installment in the Ys series. Initially developed for the PC-8800 series by Masaya Hashimoto and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki, the game was soon ported to the Sharp X1, PC-98, FM-7, and MSX2 Japanese computer systems.
Dragon Slayer is an action role-playing game, developed by Nihon Falcom and designed by Yoshio Kiya. It was originally released in 1984 for the PC-8801, PC-9801, X1 and FM-7, and became a major success in Japan. It was followed by an MSX port published by Square in 1985, a Super Cassette Vision by Epoch in 1986 and a Game Boy port by the same company in 1990 under the name Dragon Slayer I. A version for PC-6001mkII was in development but was never released. A remake of Dragon Slayer is included in the Falcom Classics collection for the Sega Saturn.
Minako Iwasaki is a Japanese game character designer and manga artist. She joined the game company Nihon Falcom in 1993. After she turned freelance, she took on illustrations of light novels and character designs for the Rune Factory series.
Xanadu, also known as Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II, is an action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom and released in 1985 for the PC-8801, X1, PC-8001, PC-9801, FM-7 and MSX computers. Enhanced remakes were later released for the Sega Saturn, PC-9801 and Windows platforms. It is the second entry in the Dragon Slayer series, preceded by Dragon Slayer and followed by Dragon Slayer Jr: Romancia, which, as most games in the Dragon Slayer series, have little relation with each other.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is a 2010 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes series. It takes place in Crossbell, a city-state located between two great powers fighting for control over it, and follows Lloyd Bannings and his colleagues Elie MacDowell, Randy Orlando, and Tio Plato. The four form the Special Support Section, a newly formed department of the Crossbell police. The game and its 2011 sequel, Trails to Azure, form the Crossbell arc of the series.
Trails, known as Kiseki in Japan, is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Nihon Falcom that is a part of their larger The Legend of Heroes franchise. Trails features a large cast of characters and consists of interconnected story arcs set across different nations on the continent of Zemuria: Liberl, Crossbell, Erebonia, and Calvard. The first game in the series was released in 2004, with 13 main entries having been released to date.
Tokyo Xanadu is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game was developed out of Nihon Falcom's desire to create a game of a different type and setting than their other role-playing game franchises, The Legend of Heroes and Ys. The game was first released in Japan for the PlayStation Vita in September 2015, and worldwide in June 2017.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is a 2016 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom and published by NIS America. A part of the Ys series, it was first released in Japan by Falcom for the PlayStation Vita in July 2016, with later worldwide releases for PlayStation 4, Windows, Nintendo Switch, Amazon Luna, Stadia and PlayStation 5. An abridged version for Android and iOS, Ys VIII Mobile, is also scheduled for release. Ys VIII had sold over 500,000 copies by the end of 2018. The game was followed up by Ys IX: Monstrum Nox in 2019.
Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga is a 2010 crossover fighting game by Nihon Falcom. The game involves players choosing a character and participating in up to four-player fights against other characters sourced from Falcom's Ys and Trails role-playing game series. It was released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable in 2010, with an English version scheduled to be released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows in 2025.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is a 2017 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes series, and serves as a direct sequel to The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is a 2019 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. A part of the Ys series, it was released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan in September 2019 and worldwide by NIS America in February 2021. The game received additional releases for Windows, Nintendo Switch and Stadia in July 2021, and PlayStation 5 in May 2023. Ys IX received generally positive reviews from critics.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV is a 2018 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes series, and is the sequel to Trails of Cold Steel III and the final entry of the Trails of Cold Steel arc.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is a 2021 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes franchise, and is the first game in the Calvard story arc. It marks the second half of the Trails series and is the first to be set in the Republic of Calvard. The game follows Van Arkride, a young man working at Arkride Solutions Office as a Spriggan, a bounty hunter and problem solver for hire, and Agnès Claudel, a high school student who joins Van to find eight magical devices known as Genesis.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie is a 2020 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes series. It was released in Japan for the PlayStation 4 in August 2020, with ports released for the Nintendo Switch and Windows in August 2021. An English version was released in July 2023, additionally being ported to PlayStation 5. Trails into Reverie is considered the end of the series's Crossbell and Erebonia arcs and serves as the precursor to Trails Through Daybreak.
Ys X: Nordics is a 2023 action role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. A part of the Ys series, it was released in Japan for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch in September 2023 and was released worldwide by NIS America, including a Windows port, in October 2024. Ys X: Nordics takes place chronologically between Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter (1988) and Ys: Memories of Celceta (2012) and follows series protagonist Adol Christin who gets introduced to the seafaring warrior Karja Balta and the conflict between the Normans, her people, and monsters known as the Griegr.
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