Summary
ThoughXboxconsoles haven’t exactly been known for housing tons of Japanese-style games, JRPG support for the platform has improved considerably in recent years. Not too long ago, the prospect ofPersona,Shin Megami Tensei,Yakuza,Mana,Dragon Quest, andHyperdimension Neptuniagames releasing onXboxconsoles was unheard of. Nowadays, though, all of these franchises can be found on Microsoft’s platform. On top of that, certain developers that were once notorious for skipping Xbox consoles, like Atlus and RGG Studio, have even partnered up with Microsoft to market their upcoming games. Titles likeMetaphor: ReFantazioandYakuza: Like a Dragonare great examples in this regard.
Unfortunately, though, there are still quite a few JRPG franchises that elude the Xbox platform to this day. Two of the most notable ones are theTrailsandYsseries, both of which are helmed by the independent Japanese developer Nihon Falcom. Despite the fact that theselong-running JRPG franchisesare still currently active, neither of them has yet to fully make the jump to the Microsoft ecosystem. With game developers and publishers like Atlus and Square Enix embracing a more multiplatform approach lately, it’s about time that Falcom takes a page out of their playbooks and starts supporting all consoles, including Xbox.
The Trails and Ys Series Are Two Distinct JRPG Franchises
Though they do share some surface-level similarities, theTrailsandYsfranchises are both fairly distinct from one another and have several defining traits. The former of the two IPs, for instance, is a science fantasy, turn-based RPG series that takes place in different nations within the fictional continent of Zemuria. This franchise made its debut with 2004’sThe Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, which first came out on Windows PC in Japan and later received a Western launch on the PSP in 2011.
Since the release of the first game in the series,Trailshas gone on to span an additional 19 installments over the last 20 years, including a plethora ofspin-offs that never received English localizations. As if that wasn’t enough, the series has also been adapted to a number of different mediums throughout its lifetime, from books, manga, and anime to musicals, audio dramas, and even trading card games.
Ys, on the other hand, is an action-fantasy role-playing franchise that chronicles the adventures of a young, red-haired man named Adol Christin, who travels throughout the world in search of wonders in new lands. Unlike theTrailsgames, which have an interconnected story that spans several entries,Ystitles are more standalone in nature, despite the fact that they mostly share the same protagonist. While this series has shifted genres over the years since its debut in 1987, recentYsgames have largely embraced fast-paced, hack-and-slash combat, a stark contrast compared to the more tactical, turn-based gameplay found in theTrailsfranchise.
The first game in theYsfranchise wasYs 1: Ancient Ys Vanished, which was first released on PC-88 exclusively in Japan. It didn’t receive an English localization until 1989, when the game was ported to the Sega Master System worldwide.
Trails and Ys Games Have Been Released on Multiple Platforms
Given how long bothTrailsandYshave been around, it should come as no surprise that the two franchises have been made available on several different platforms throughout the years.Ys, for example, has made an appearance on a plethora of consoles, including the Sega Saturn, Sega Genesis, SNES, Nintendo DS, PS2, PS Vita, and Turbographix-CD. TheTrailsseries, meanwhile, has largely beenexclusive to PlayStationand PC platforms throughout most of its existence, as the franchise made its debut on Nintendo platforms only recently with the Switch release of the 2019 Japan-only spin-off, The Legend of Heroes: Trails at Sunrise.
Out of these two franchises,Ysis the only one to ever come to Xbox consoles. In 2018, a remaster of the 2006 title Ys Originlanded on Xbox One, following its initial release on PS4 and PS Vita a year prior. Since then, however, none of the other installments inFalcom’s JRPG franchisehave been ported to Microsoft’s consoles. Instead, titles like the upcomingYs 10: Nordicsare only slated to launch on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The same can be said for theTrailsseries, which has so far opted to release on just about every modern platform except Xbox.
Falcom and NIS America Have Neglected Xbox Players With the Trails and Ys Series
Perhaps the reason why Falcom and its publishing partner NIS America are so hesitant to put their games on Xbox is because they’re afraid the games won’t sell well. After all, due to the erratic release cadence of JRPGs on the platform, the fanbase for the genre on Xbox isn’t nearly as large as on PlayStation or Nintendo. Additionally,lower sales of the Xbox Series X/Scompared to the PS5 and Nintendo Switch might deter the publisher from launching games on the system.
NIS America’s Decision to Omit the Xbox Platform Seems Strange
If the limited number of Xbox owners is indeed the primary reason behind the lack ofTrailsandYsgames on the console, though, then it does bring into question NIS America’s decision to release titles from both franchises on platforms with far smaller install bases than the Series X/S. For example,games likeYs 9: Monstrum NoxandYs 8: Lacrimosa of Danawere released on the now-defunct cloud streaming service Stadia, while the latter of the two was even added to Amazon Luna. Additionally, manyTrailsandYstitles were released for the PlayStation Vita, a console that infamously underperformed sales-wise.
To top it all off, Falcom and NIS are evendeveloping an abridged Android and iOS port ofYs8. While these two platforms have a far larger install base than any of the consoles on the market,ports of AAA games on mobile phones often don’t sell well, as the traditional, buy-to-play business model usually doesn’t mesh with the spending habits of consumers on Android and iOS. As such, the fact that NIS America and Falcom are bringing their titles to platforms like Stadia, Amazon Luna, and mobile phones before Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S seems like a rather strange business decision, at least from the outside looking in.
At the end of the day, it’s a shame that Xbox players can’t experience theTrailsandYsseries on their preferred platform, as many of the games inNihon Falcom’s JRPG franchisesare widely regarded as some of the best titles the genre has to offer. Hopefully, NIS America ends up having a change of heart in the near future and finally stops neglectingXboxconsoles with these two series.
Xbox Series X
Microsoft’s ninth-generation console, the Xbox Series X is a powerful machine that can support 4K resolution and 60 fps, depending on the game. Released alongside the Xbox Series S, the Series X has a Custom AMD Zen 2 CPU, a Custom RDNA 2 GPU, and 16 GB of RAM.
