Trails in the Sky coming to Steam, Carpe Fulgur translating sequel for PSP and PC

Indie localization studio Carpe Fulgur (Recettear, Fortune Summoners) is heading up an English translation of Falcom's JRPG Trails in the Sky SC for a PSP and Steam release in 2014, the team announced today.

The project is developed in collaboration with XSEED Games, who previously published a localized version of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky for the PSP in North America in 2011.

"This marks many things for us: our largest and perhaps most 'important' game to date, the proper realization of the other half of our business model, and the end of our long silence," Carpe Fulgur founder Andrew Dice explains.

Dice notes that the commercial success of the Ys series on Steam paved the way for Trails in the Sky SC's localization.

"Though [Carpe Fulgur] did not participate directly in the localization of [Ys: The Oath In Felghana], I, myself, did have a small hand in making that release happen," he writes. "Getting Felghana, and its siblings, onto Steam to help prove a market even existed for a product like SC was pivotal to the project moving forward. There were so many pitfalls that the project could have faced that announcing it would have been, until very recently, premature."

The series will launch on Steam as "two separate, back-to-back installments," publisher XSEED notes. A port of the first entry in the Trails in the Sky series will hit PC platforms this winter.

Show full PR text

XSEED Games to Publish The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC digitally on Steam and PlayStation Store; First Chapter also to get PC release

Long-awaited Second Chapter Makes its Way to the West in 2014, First Chapter Available on Steam this Winter

Torrance, Calif., (September 6, 2013) – XSEED Games, the independent-minded console publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., is pleased to announce a partnership with Carpe Fulgur LLC to bring the much anticipated title, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC, digitally to PC and the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system (including compatibility with the PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system) in 2014. The first chapter, previously released for the PSP system as The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, will also be released for PC this winter.

The result of a near endless deluge of fan requests to XSEED Games after the company released the first chapter on the PSP system in 2011, this will mark the debut of the English version of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky on PC, as well as the first release of the English version of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC anywhere. The two chapters will release as two separate, back-to-back installments.

"We are pleased to finally give the fans what they have been requesting so fervently for over two years," said Ken Berry, Executive Vice President of XSEED Games. "There's been a constant demand ever since we released the original The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, and we are extremely grateful for our partnership with the passionate localizers at Carpe Fulgur to finally make it a reality."

"This is something we've had an interest in doing since practically the formation of the company," added Andrew Dice, Project Director for Carpe Fulgur. "If you talk about or work with 'PC gaming from Japan', as we do, you can't really ignore Falcom's huge presence over the past three decades. Trails in the Sky is particularly special, and I'd wanted to work on it ever since the day we started business. I'm thrilled that we will finally be able to bring the game to English-speaking audiences, in partnership with XSEED."

Developed by legendary RPG specialists Nihon Falcom, the multi-part story told in The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky represents an entirely new stand-alone entry in the timeless The Legend of Heroes series. In The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, players venture through the diverse landscape of the Liberl Kingdom, experiencing its unique traditions and cultures along the way and shaping the world itself with their decisions.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky opens in the quaint and peaceful town of Rolent in the Liberl Kingdom. Home to a peacekeeping coalition free of government ties known as the Bracer Guild, the adventure follows two young aspiring bracers known as Estelle and Joshua on their trials to become full-fledged members of this elite organization. As they embark on their quest, their journey will take them across an entire country, unraveling a sinister government conspiracy along the way that's poised to overtake the throne, threatening the very peace the bracers seek to uphold. Throughout their adventure, players can expect to learn the full depth of these characters' origins and motivations through dialogue-driven cutscenes and lengthy side-quests.

Trails in the Sky SC, meanwhile, begins immediately after the events in the first game. Following the explosive revelations at the very end of Trails in the Sky, Estelle feels adrift and must find her resolve along with friends both old and new, and face down the true architects of the chaos engulfing Liberl – a force far more powerful and insidious than she could ever have imagined.

Boasting over a hundred hours of gameplay between the two episodes and featuring an engaging narrative that encompasses everything from politics, economics and conspiracies to tourism, traditions and even a cat-speech dictionary, these two titles in The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky series combine to form an incredibly immersive RPG experience. On top of its meticulously crafted world where all actions and inhabitants are accounted for throughout the story, the game also features a meticulously customizable combat system, a massive cast of characters from all walks of life, a variety of landscapes, an in-game newspaper that publishes new issues as the story progresses, and much more. In The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, players are responsible for shaping the world, and will see direct repercussions from their actions as the game unfolds.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky and The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC are developed by Nihon Falcom, and Carpe Fulgur is spearheading the English translation of the second chapter while XSEED Games handles publishing duties. For more information on XSEED Games products, visit http://www.xseedgames.com. Fans can also follow XSEED Games on Facebook at www.facebook.com/XSEEDGames and Twitter at www.twitter.com/XSEEDGames.