How to find and play 40 years' worth of Nihon Falcom games

RPG legend Nihon Falcom is celebrating their 40th anniversary. Whole chunks of their back catalog are not available for purchase, or even in English, but let's see how much we can solve for that.

Nihon Falcom, one of the most influential and vital developers of Japanese role-playing games, turned 40 years old back in March, and they’ve been celebrating for most of the year by having a whole bunch of their games on sale throughout most of it. Sadly, nowhere near the full library of Falcom titles is available on modern platforms, or even in English — huge chunks of Falcom’s history, even the parts that made it from PC to consoles, are either somewhat lost to history or are only available in Japanese, as neither the publishers of Falcom’s games nor fan translators have gotten around to changing that.

I was a little late to the Falcom game, myself, in large part due to the lack of availability of these games on platforms I had when I was younger, so I’ve spent quite a bit of time in my 30s digging through Ebay, digital storefronts, mini consoles, and the emulation space in order to make up for that — Trails in the Sky was my first Falcom game, and that was enough to sell me on looking for more from them. Given how much effort I have put toward getting as many of Falcom’s games as is possible so I could play them, I figured that, to celebrate their 40th, I’d share my notes with y’all. Consider this something of a road map to Nihon Falcom’s 40 years of history, the point of which is to tell you what’s available and where.

If there is anything I say I cannot find a ROM or whatever of, and you do know they are out there to be found, please, let me know and I can update accordingly. I also will not be linking directly to any ROMs, because I’m not a complete dingus. Translation patches are fair game, though, and are shared wherever possible.

1982

Galactic Wars: This game was not mass produced, as it was Falcom’s first back when they were still more computer shop than game developer/publisher, so as you can imagine there aren’t many copies out there to be found. There’s at least one still out there, though. Galactic Wars was ported from the Casio FP-1100 computer it was developed on to NEC’s PC-8801 — NEC was the hardware half of the team that would eventually create the PC Engine/Turbografx-16 along with Hudson, but at this time, they were focused on PCs.

It will take more digging than a casual ROM enthusiast is used to in order to find a copy of Galactic Wars, which is the case for basically every PC-88 game, but it is out there. In Japanese, of course: I’m still trying to figure out how to make a PC-88 emulator reliably work for me, so I’m not much assistance for that platform other than saying the games are there if you want to put in the effort.

Galactic Wars, by the way, was developed by Yoshio Kiya, who would later go on to create Falcom’s first big hit, Dragon Slayer.

1983

Super Mahjong: This game released for the Sharp X1, and even Giant Bomb’s extensive database doesn’t have a filled out entry for it. Sharp X1 emulators exist, however, so if you dig deep enough, you can surely find a nearly 40-year-old Mahjong video game, too.

Cosmo Fighter II: A first-person space shooter, which does not sound much like the Falcom we know today. This also released on the Sharp X1.

Bird Land, Computer the Golf, Horror House, Super Horoscope Kanji Version, Private Stripper, Panorama Island, Horror House Part II: Every one of these released for the PC-88, and like with Galactic Wars, you can find the ROMs, which again, are in Japanese. Private Stripper, an erotic puzzler, also released on the FM-7 and PC-9801. Between Mahjong, a space shooter, and “erotic puzzler,” the bingo card for small early 80s Japanese video game developers is already nearly full.

SSGN Covert Cruise Special Attack Strategy: Fun note, the FM-8 actually predated the FM-7. This is the only game Falcom released on the former.

1984

Monster House: The lone Falcom title released on the Sharp MZ was an adventure game. Sharp MZ emulators exist, but an English version of this game does not.

Demon’s Ring, Asteka: Both of these titles released on the PC-88, PC-98, and FM-7, all of which have emulators, and both of these games have ROMs available to find. Both of these titles are adventure games, the latter of which uses the Japanese word for “Aztec” for its title but then references the Mayan culture in its subtitle.

Escape from Twilight Zone: This was an adventure game that also used a first-person 3D maze, and no, it is not a licensed Twilight Zone product. Like with the PC-88 titles, you can find FM-7 ROMs out there, but probably not in isolation.

The Threat of North: We’re not quite at the Falcom most people are familiar with yet, but a war simulator telling a story between rival nations is movement in that direction. This released only on the PC-6001.

Dragon Slayer: And here is where the Falcom you know arose from — i.e., there are actually Wikipedia pages for most of their games from here on out, a huge step up from “even Giant Bomb hasn’t filled out a description page yet” — even if you aren’t familiar with this series. Dragon Slayer is massively influential, as it’s the series that spawned an entire genre — the action role-playing game — and also the start of what would end up becoming multiple other spinoff series. Dragon Slayer, a top-down role-playing game, was the start, then Xanadu and The Legend of Heroes were both Dragon Slayer titles before launching their own franchises, and the Trails subseries eventually spun out of Legend of Heroes, too. Dragon Slayer used the bump combat that would eventually be used in Ys, so even though Ys isn’t part of the franchise, it was still heavily influenced by it.

And yet… Dragon Slayer has never received a North American release. It released on most of the systems Falcom typically developed for at the time — PC-88, FM-7, X1, and also the MSX — but it would take until the Falcom Classics compilation released for the Sega Saturn in 1997 for an English-translated version to exist. Oddly enough, the game only released for the Japanese Saturn despite the English setting, but if you have a modded Saturn or a working Saturn emulator, you can still find and play the English version of the Falcom classic within. The most important thing to read, though, is the manual or a guide, as Dragon Slayer isn’t exactly full of intuitive gameplay, given it’s the first game of its kind and older than I am.

1985

Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu: The side-scrolling sequel to Dragon Slayer received a wider release than its predecessor (PC-88, PC-98, X1, FM-7, MSX, and MSX2), and it’s no wonder, as it was the best-selling computer game of all-time in Japan. Emphasis on Japan, there, as it also never received an international release. It, too, has an English version in that Falcom Classics collection, though, only sort of: plenty of the game is translated, but not all of the menus, nor things like signs within shops and buildings, are, and you won’t get all of the story bits included, either.

Faxanadu, by the way, is a spinoff of Xanadu, developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Famicom in Japan, and published by Nintendo in North America for the NES. So you at least can play a Dragon Slayer II-adjacent game in English with less effort, if you want to.

1986

Xanadu Scenario II: An expansion pack for Dragon Slayer II, released on the PC-88, PC-98, and FM-7, and yes, it has its own available ROM, too.

Dragon Slayer Jr./Romancia: Considered to be Dragon Slayer III because two names wasn’t enough, it’s a simpler version of an action RPG, Romancia gives you 30 minutes to complete the entire time, and if you fail to complete it in that time, it restarts. This one is Japan-exclusive, for the X1, PC-88, PC-98, MSX, and MSX2 platforms, though, there are fan translations for the MSX and MSX2 versions of the game. (Those links, and any other translation ones, are just to the patch for the ROM, not the ROM files themselves.)

Tombs & Treasure: The sequel to Asteka, released on the usual personal computer suspects in Japan, but it also received a North American translation and port for the NES from Compile (original developers of the Aleste and Puyo Puyo franchises). It’s not outrageously expensive on Ebay, but you probably shouldn’t feel bad emulating a game that hasn’t seen a North American release on any other system since.

1987

Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished: The original release of the first Ys came out on the PC-88, PC-98, X1, FM-7, MSX2, X68000, MS-DOS, Apple IIG S, Sega Master System. The last three of those were North American releases, and the Master System version is the only one to release in Europe. Its existence on the SMS makes it easy enough to emulate if you want to play the true original version, but Ys I, packaged with Ys II, is available on a number of other platforms: Ys Books I & II utilized the Turbografx-CD as a pack-in title, and it’s one of the games that comes with the Turbografx Mini, to boot. It also was available on the Wii Virtual Consoles until that shut down. Ys I & II Chronicles+ is available via Steam for Windows machines, and there is a Nintendo DS version out there, too, but given it’s a bump-based combat game with collision detection issues, maybe you should try one of the others instead.

Legacy of the Wizard: In North America this is known as Legacy of the Wizard, but it’s actually Dragon Slayer IV: Drasle Family. As became something of a hallmark of the Dragon Slayer series, it shifted genres once again to become an open-world, non-linear action RPG with platforming elements. There is a fan translation of the MSX2 version of Dragon Slayer IV, but you can also just emulate or buy a cartridge of the NES’ Legacy of the Wizard.

Sorcerian: This is Dragon Slayer V, originally released on the PC-88, and then, like, every other platform in existence at the time. Only one of those — the MS-DOS version that came out in 1990 courtesy of Sierra — is in English, and I will eventually figure out how to get it to play on my current PC, dammit. There was a fan translation that released in 2009, but it was an unfinished version 0.5 that was looking for a translator to get it to 1.0, so…. shit.

1988

Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished: Basically everything said about its predecessor is true here, except that, for some reason, this didn’t receive an international release until it was packaged with Book I. There are fan translations of the Famicom and MSX2 versions, though.

1989

Star Trader: As of this writing I have not played the PC-88’s Star Trader, but it’s a shoot-em-up with adventure game elements, so obviously I want to at least try it. There is no English translation of the game I can find, but Hardcore Gaming 101 says the actual shmup portions of it are not any good, anyway, and the music, a Falcom hallmark, is also… fine? So maybe that’s for the best.

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys: The MSX2 and Famicom versions of Wanderers from Ys have fan translations, but there is also an official SNES release that I like just fine, and a Sega Genesis one if that’s more your speed. If you want to do more work to play, then the Turbografx-CD version is right there, as well. You’ll have to emulate any of them, because Wanderers from Ys didn’t receive much post-release support, save for the eventual remake, Ys: The Oath in Felghana, which you can play on your Playstation Portable through an expensive Ebay transaction or emulation, your Playstation Vita through that handheld’s digital storefront, or on your Windows PC, where it’s available through Steam, Humble Bundle, GOG, etc.

Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes: As of this writing I have not played Dragon Slayer VI yet, but I can when I get the chance without even needing a fan translation, as it released on the Turbografx-CD in 1992. If you don’t want to go through all the steps it takes to be able to emulate a TG-CD game on, say, a non-Turbografx mini console, though, you can get an MSX emulator, a ROM, and the fan translation for it, and then experience the first in what would end up being a long ling of The Legend of Heroes games.

1990

Dinosaur: Is “Dinosaur” a silly name for an otherwise serious dungeon crawler? Yes, especially since there are no dinosaurs in it. It did not receive an international release, it does not have a fan translation, and its early aughts Windows remake is also a Japan-exclusive title. Which is all a shame, because I very much want to see what Falcom making a Wizardry-esque game is like.

1991

Lord Monarch: This is the most egregious example of Falcom not wanting to stick to one genre for their Dragon Slayer series: Lord Monarch is Dragon Slayer VII, and it is a real-time strategy war game. It’s also Japan-only despite releasing on a significant number of consoles for any game, not just a Falcom one, but there is a fan translation of the Sega Mega Drive version, at least.

Brandish: Another action RPG from Falcom, Brandish received an SNES port in North America, but all of its other versions (PC-98, FM Towns, PC Engine CD) were in Japan. It would be remade as Brandish: The Dark Revenant for the Playstation Portable and released in North America in 2015, and you can still download it through the very annoying system Sony has setup if you want a PSP game in 2021.

Popful Mail: Yet another Falcom game that received just one North American release despite being available on a number of platforms, none of which have an English fan translation. Luckily, you can emulate the Sega CD and play Popful Mail in English that way: the Sega CD edition would not release until 1995, but it utilized all the space on those discs by adding in animated cutscenes, large character portraits, and voice acting to the action platformer.

1992

Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II: This would end up being the final Dragon Slayer game, though, of course, The Legend of Heroes (and Xanadu) would both live on. Unfortunately for us, unlike its subseries predecessor, The Legend of Heroes II has not been fan translated, and even though it appeared on multiple consoles across the 90s, none of them had a North American release for the game. So, you can certainly emulate the Super Famicom, or Mega Drive, or Saturn, or Playstation, or PC Engine CD version, but you’ll need to contend with the language barrier to do so.

1993

Brandish II: The Planet Buster: The sequel to Brandish ended up on the PC-98 and the Super Famicom, and a fan translation was released for the latter way back in 2009, with the PC-98 translation releasing in 2017. It has not, to this point, been remade like the original was, and since that remake was a budget title that took six years to even get to North America after its Japanese release, we might not see one, either.

1994

The Legend of Xanadu: Man, what a bummer it is to write about this PC Engine CD game, which is supposed to be one of the finer classic JRPGs out there along with its sequel, and to not be able to play it in English yet. There is — or was? — a fan translation effort in the works, that was supposedly finished with everything except for dubbing in English voices for the game’s many characters. Auditions were held, there was publicized support from outlets like Kotaku, and this is where I tell you that this all happened back in 2017, and there has been nary a peep about the project since.

The Legend of Heroes III: This is Falcom’s “Final Fantasy II is actually Final Fantasy IV” moment, as the third Legend of Heroes game and first without the Dragon Slayer designation released as The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch in North America in 2006, for the PSP — the lone version of the game in English. In Japan, it released for the PC-98, Saturn, Playstation, and on Windows, and none of those versions have a fan translation.

Brandish 3: Spirit of Balcan: This released on the PC-98 in Japan, and there is no fan translation, which is a little odd since Brandish 4 has one.

Revival Xanadu: A 1995 remake of Dragon Slayer II for the PC-98, and one without an English translation.

1995

The Legend of Xanadu II: See above depressing news for the first Legend of Xanadu.

Revival Xanadu II Remix: A remake in the vein of Revival Xanadu, for the expansion pack for the original game. There also is no English localization for this game.

Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand: Ys continued to avoid North America with its fifth series entry, and it only released on the Super Famicom, too. At least, until a Playstation 2 version arrived in Japan over a decade later. While the fan translation for the hard version of Ys V is still a work in progress, the standard edition translation patch for the Super Famicom game has been available since 2013. Ys V, at this point, is the only Ys game that didn’t (1) receive an official North American release and/or (2) end up remade for modern consoles. Presumably, within the next few years, that will change, and the first-ever official North American version of Ys V will exist.

1996

The Legend of Heroes IV: This got the PC-98 treatment, as well as a Playstation and Windows release, and would eventually get an English version nearly a decade later via a remake subtitled “A Tear of Vermillion” on the Playstation Portable. This is not available to download to your PSP, at least, not legally, and it didn’t have a number attached, so even though it’s the middle game of the PSP trilogy, you wouldn’t know it without looking it up, especially since the first game is II and the third is III. Oh, and the official translations were criticized for missing the humor of the originals. Good work, everyone.

Brandish VT/4: Like with Ys V, Brandish received an updated, more difficult version a couple of years later, and the name switched from VT to 4 in the process. It only released in Japan, and the translation patch released back in 2010 is still just 20 percent complete, so… sometimes these things happen. The soundtrack is supposed to be good, is what I learned while digging around.

Lord Monarch Original: Lord Monarch got bumped to Windows in an updated form in 1996, and then additional versions released the following year First, a simpler version of the game, Pro, based on the Advanced release from years before. If you want to play in English, however, the updated version you want is Lord Monarch Online, which is not online but was freeware distributed that way.

1997

Sorcerian Forever: A Windows release that added additional scenarios to the world of Sorcerian, which, sadly, is not fully translated, as the quest menus and dialogue have not been changed.

Vantage Master: Falcom released this tactical RPG outside of Japan, but only in South Korea and Taiwan, and it has not been translated into English yet. Vantage Master 2, released in 1998, did have an English version in the form of Vantage Master Online, a free download you can still find at Falcom’s website.

1998

Ys I Eternal: A Windows remake of the original Ys, exclusive to Japan, that did not receive the fan translation treatment. The same goes for its 2000 sequel, Ys II Eternal.

Monarch Monarch: A Windows spinoff of Lord Monarch that changes up the gameplay a bit, but it is not available in English.

1999

The Legend of Heroes V: This is considered The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean in North America, as that released on the Playstation Portable in 2007. In Japan, where it’s the fifth entry in the series, it released on Windows. Like with the other Legend of Heroes games that are also on PSP, there isn’t a fan translation of the original, likely because of said PSP version, and it also isn’t available to legally download to your PSP, either.

2000

Sorcerian Original: A remake of… well, you can figure it out. Released on Windows, and this one doesn’t have a fan translation at all, completed or otherwise.

2001

Ys I & II Complete: Things were getting kind of dire there for a bit with the lack of fan translations, but don’t worry, those translators skipped over Eternal so they could focus on Complete instead, which is just an updated version of the once-separate Windows Eternal releases.

Zwei: The Arges Adventure: You will never believe this, but Zwei is an action RPG game from Falcom. It was Japan-only for the longest time, for its initial 2001 release on PC, for its 2004 port to the Playstation 2, and for its initial PSP launch in 2008. It eventually made it to North America and the English language in 2018, once again on PC, so suddenly the lack of language patches didn’t matter anymore. Zwei is on Steam, Humble Bundle, GOG, and so on.

2002

VM Japan: Vantage Masters, but make it feudal Japan, and that’s also the only country’s language you’ll find it in.

Dinosaur Resurrection: As said before, the 2002 remake of Dinosaur isn’t in English, either, and it’s still an outrage all these words later.

2003

Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim: After a significant hiatus, (new) Ys is back! And unlike both versions of IV (which were merely licensed by Falcom, not developed by) or V, VI ended up getting a North American release. It released in 2005 on the Playstation 2, and then on the PSP in 2006. Finally, it received a worldwide Windows release in 2015, 12 years after Japan got theirs.

2004

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky: While the first Trails in the Sky game — and the first of the now very-popular-for-Falcom Trails subseries games — released in Japan in 2004, it took until 2011 for a North American version to hit shelves. That was for the PSP: the Windows version would land on PCs across North America three years later, with the delay not being due to publisher XSeed not thinking there was value in a PC release, so much as it being a problem porting the PSP script over to Windows. They got there, though, and it was certainly worth the wait.

Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure: You can see the trends beginning to change here, as Gurumin isn’t available in English on just one platform, but on three, and this despite it not being a key series like The Legend of Heroes or Ys. In 2007, you could get Gurumin for the PSP only, but as of 2014, it was also released for Windows in 2015, and on the Nintendo 3DS as a digital-only title the next year. It is, as you suspected, an action RPG.

2005

Rinne: The trends hadn’t completely changed yet, since Rinne is Windows- and Japan-only. And there is no fan translation.

Xanadu Next: On the other hand, Falcom developed an N-Gage Xanadu and gave it a worldwide release the same year they made the Japanese-exclusive Rinne. And then ported Xanadu Next to Windows, also worldwide, in 2016. It’s a spinoff of Dragon Slayer II, but instead of a side-scroller like that game or Faxanadu, it’s top down.

Ys: The Oath in Felghana: I mentioned Oath in Felghana earlier, but it’s worth reiterating that this remake of Ys III is available on the PSP (you can still find it digitally for PSP through the PS3’s store), Vita’s digital store, and Windows. And it rules.

2006

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC: The “SC” stands for “second chapter,” as this is part two of the story begun in its predecessor. It picks up at exactly the same time and place as the end of the previous game, so it really is just the next chapter, and the one that completes this part of a much, much larger tale. Is it ironic that the largest, most interconnected story Falcom has done came out of a series that did its best to be completely different each time out with no connections, story or otherwise, between titles? Anyway, Trails SC is available in English on the PSP, and as the rare game that you can actually download legally to your PSP, even. And it’s available on Windows, too.

Ys Origin: The only Ys game to not star Adol Christin, since it’s a prequel set a millenia or so before Adol was even born, Origin was released in North America in 2012 on Windows, on the PS4 and Vita in 2017, on Xbox One in 2018, and for the Switch in 2020. It is one of the easiest-to-find Ys games going, even with it taking six years for it to release in English after its initial launch.

2007

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd: Regrettably, this did not get the PSP treatment like its predecessors, but you can still buy the English language version on Windows. The PSP, Vita, and PS3 iterations remain Japan-exclusive, and there isn’t a fan translation out there, either.

2008

Vantage Master Portable: This is basically a re-release of Vantage Master, only now with Trails characters in the mix and a slew of graphical and audio changes. Like the game it’s based on, it’s only in Japanese, and there isn’t a fan translation, either.

Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection: The sequel to the Arges Adventure was not given the same multiplatform status, but it did get a North American release for Windows in 2017, so it’s available all the same so long as you have something that can play a Windows game released in 2008.

2009

Brandish: The Dark Revenant: Here is that “very annoying” setup you need to deal with in order to purchase the remake of Brandish on PSP: Add money to your Playstation wallet through a computer or portable device with a web browser, then buy Brandish on your Playstation 3, then download it and transfer the install file and only the install file to your PSP via USB, then install that to the system you wish you could have just done all of that on to begin with. You don’t need to do all the transferring ridiculousness on a Vita, but you do still need to add money elsewhere, since Sony doesn’t let you add funds directly to the PS3 or Vita anymore.

Ys I & II Chronicles: Yet another update on the first pair of Ys titles, but this one did not require a fan translation to play in North America, though, it did require a wait of a couple years. There was a worldwide Windows release in 2013, and the PSP got it in 2011: Chronicles is based on “Complete” which is itself just the two Eternal games in one package. Like with Brandish, you can jump through a bunch of hoops to buy it digitally for your PSP.

Ys Seven: North American audiences would not have to wait long for Ys Seven, as it came out on the PSP there just a year after its Japanese debut, and Vita owners are able to grab this one, too. It’s available for your PSP digitally, for now, via the PS3 storefront. Ys Seven would also hit Windows worldwide in 2017, if that’s more your speed or you aren’t in possession of a Sony handheld, or the PS3 that’ll let you get PSP games these days.

2010

Ys. vs. Sora no Kiseki: Alternative Saga: Falcom developed a crossover fighting game featuring characters from Ys and Sora no Kiseki, aka Trails in the Sky, and released it on the PSP in 2010. While it was and is a Japanese exclusive, it has an English patch that you can apply if you want to see what’s going on there.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero: So, Trails from Zero isn’t out in English yet, at least not in an official capacity. The game was fan translated in 2020, a decade after Trails from Zero released for the PSP, but now that fan translation is being used as the starting point in NIS America’s official localization, which is releasing worldwide for Windows, Playstation 4, and Switch in 2022.

2011

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Azure: The second and final game in the Crossbell duology that links Trails from the Sky and Trails of Cold Steel into the massive story it all is has the same backstory as Zero. While its PSP release was in Japan alone in 2011, the fan translation arrived in 2021, just in time for the announcement that this, too, would be seeing an official North American release on Windows, PS4, and Switch in 2023.

2012

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails: Unlike the more strategic role-playing of the other Trails games, Boundless Trails is an action RPG. It’s going to be released worldwide on the PS4, Switch, and Windows in 2023 as well, and since there isn’t a fan translation for the PSP original yet — and it’s unlikely one is going to exist, considering we know the official one is coming — we’ll all just have to wait.

Ys: Memories of Celceta: I didn’t skip over the two versions of Ys IV that released in the 90s. No, those, like Faxanadu, weren’t actually Falcom games. Falcom developed characters and a story outline, as well as music, for games that would be developed by Tonkin House (Super Famicom) and Hudson Soft (PC Engine CD). You can find fan translations of those around (that’s what those links are), but you can also just pick up Memories of Celceta, the remake that combines the two similar but also disparate games together in a package that resembles the gameplay of Ys Seven. And you can grab it for the Vita (2013), Windows (2018), or the PS4 (2020). You should, too, because this game also rules.

2013

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel: The first of a four-game arc in the Trails series released in North America on the Playstation 3 and Vita in 2015, then on the PS4 in 2019. The Switch release, to this point, is only in Japan, and there are no plans as of now to bring it elsewhere. While these games are relatively recent, physical copies aren’t necessarily super inexpensive. Both Trails of Cold Steel and II are available for $40 digitally on the PS3 storefront, so you won’t get much relief there, either. Windows is probably your best bet for a discounted price.

2014

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II: See above, as it all fits the sequel, even the Japanese exclusivity of the Switch port.

2015

Tokyo Xanadu: If you were wondering what Xanadu would be like in a more modern setting, well, this answers that question. The original version came out on the Vita, but the enhanced iteration from 2017, Tokyo Xanadu eX+, is also available on the Playstation 4 and Windows, and in both instances, worldwide.

2016

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana: On the Vita in Japan in 2016, and available for North American Vita owners by the next year. It would also get a North American PS4 release in 2017, with Windows and Switch both landing it in 2018. Stadia received it in 2021, and there is an upcoming abridged version releasing for iOS and Android at some point in the future, too.

2017

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III: At this point you can clearly see what a small-ish studio with around 60 employees that makes the kind of massive games Nihon Falcom does can do in the modern world, and that is exactly one game per year. The Playstation 4 got the first North American edition of Cold Steel III in 2019, with the Switch and Windows seeing their own worldwide releases in 2020, and Stadia in 2021.

2018

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV: The final Cold Steel game arrived in North America for the first time in October 2020, once again on the PS4, with the Switch, Windows, and Stadia all getting it six months later, in 2021. The release gap between systems is narrowing, as NIS America streamlines their porting and localization process.

2019

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox: As said, the release gap is narrowing, with Ys IX landing on the North American PS4 in February of 2021, and the Switch, Windows, and Stadia versions all coming just a few months later in July, around the same time that Ys IX released on those platforms in Japan, Europe, and Australia. Hell, the Switch version of Ys IX released in Japan after it arrived in North America, Europe, and Australia! That’s much easier to deal with than what I’ve… well, you’ve read this far, you know.

2020

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie: While things are coming out a bit faster than they used to, the glut of back catalog Trails titles also means that North America has to wait until 2023 for the actual next game in that series, and that’s the case whether you’re talking PS4 or Switch. Yes, the PS4 will still be supported in 2023 by Falcom. Did you notice how long they held on to the PC-98? When this company likes a platform, they stick with it.

2021

The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki: A game so fresh off the presses that it doesn’t have an English subtitle yet, and there is no North American release on the schedule. It’ll come, though. Falcom might always be Falcom in ways that are both great and sometimes annoying, but their games now seem to release worldwide, even if it takes some time for it to happen.

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