The Legend of Heroes
The Legend of Heroes (英雄伝説 Eiyū Densetsu) is a series of role-playing games developed by Nihon Falcom Corporation.
The first of the series was released in 1989 as Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes, and was part of the Dragon Slayer line of games. It was released for various computer platforms such as the NEC PC-88, the NEC PC-98, the MSX2, the Sharp X68000, as well as consoles such as the Mega Drive, Super Famicom, and the TurboGrafx-16. The TurboGrafx-16 version would be the only Legend of Heroes title released in North America until the 2005 remake of The Legend of Heroes IV for the PlayStation Portable. The first title was followed by Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II, released in 1992 for a similar selection of platforms.
Subsequent games in the series dropped their association with the Dragon Slayer saga. The Legend of Heroes III, The Legend of Heroes IV, and The Legend of Heroes V comprised the "Gagharv Trilogy", a set of connected games taking place in the same world.
After the conclusion of the Gagharv Trilogy, a new story began with The Legend of Heroes VI: Sora no Kiseki. This game was followed up by The Legend of Heroes: Sora no Kiseki Second Chapter and later by The Legend of Heroes: Sora no Kiseki The 3rd.
The Legend of Heroes VII duology was then released consisting of The Legend of Heroes VII: Zero no Kiseki in 2010, and The Legend of Heroes VII: Ao no Kiseki in 2011, taking place in the same world as The Legend of Heroes VI. Most recently The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki has been announced, released in 2013.[1]
List of games in the series
| Series | Original name | Original release | English name | English release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Slayer (Isrenasa) | Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes | 1989 | Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes | 1992 | First game in the The Legend of Heroes series, as a spinoff of the Dragon Slayer series. |
| Dragon Slayer (Isrenasa) | Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II | 1992 | N/A | N/A | The second game in the Legend of Heroes series, the last to have the Dragon Slayer moniker, and is still unreleased in English territories. |
| Gagharv trilogy | The Legend of Heroes III: Shiroki Majo | 1994 | The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch | 2006 | The third Legend of Heroes game and first of the Gagharv Trilogy of games. Despite this, for its English release, it was labeled with a two. |
| Gagharv trilogy | The Legend of Heroes IV: Akai Shizuku | 1996 | The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion | 2005 | The fourth game in the Legend of Heroes series, and the second in the Gagharv trilogy. Despite this, for its English release, all numbering was removed, making it appear as the first game in the trilogy. |
| Gagharv trilogy | The Legend of Heroes V: Umi no Oriuta | 1999 | The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean | 2007 | The fifth game in the Legend of Heroes series and third and last of the Gagharv trilogy. For its English release, it was labeled with a three. |
| Trails – Trails in the Sky trilogy | The Legend of Heroes VI: Sora no Kiseki | 2004 | The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky | 2011 | The sixth game in the Legend of Heroes series and the first game of the Trails in the Sky trilogy. All three titles appear to fall under the number "6" in their Japanese release. |
| Trails – Trails in the Sky trilogy | The Legend of Heroes VI: Sora no Kiseki Second Chapter | 2006 | The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter[2] | 2015 | The second game of the trilogy. Xseed Games has secured the rights to release the game in English. Xseed announced on September 6, 2013 that they were localizing the game on Valve's Steam distribution system with the help of Carpe Fulgur and Jessica Chavez. |
| Trails – Trails in the Sky trilogy | The Legend of Heroes VI: Sora no Kiseki The 3rd | 2007 | The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Third Chapter[2] | N/A | The final part of the trilogy. Xseed Games has the rights to release the game in English, but has not announced that they have begun working on it, due to the extended effort taken to translate the first two titles.[3] |
| Trails – Crossbell Arc | The Legend of Heroes VII: Zero no Kiseki | 2010 | N/A | N/A | The first part of the seventh numbered entry, and ninth entry overall to the series. No English language release has been discussed by any company. |
| Trails – Crossbell Arc | The Legend of Heroes VII: Ao no Kiseki[4] | 2011 | N/A | N/A | The second part of the seventh numbered entry, and the tenth game in the series overall. No English language release has been discussed by any company. |
| Trails – Erebonia Arc | The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki | 2013 | N/A | N/A | The first part of the eighth numbered entry. Release on PS3 and PS Vita. No English language release has been discussed by any company. |
| Trails – Erebonia Arc | The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki II | 2014 | N/A | N/A | Released on 25 September 2014 for PS3 and Vita.[5] |
Related games
- (2010) Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki: Alternative Saga (a fighting RPG crossover with the Ys series)
- (2012) Nayuta no Kiseki (a new setting in the Trails series, but not part of The Legend of Heroes)
Manga and anime
A Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes original video animation anime was released in 1992, the same year that Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II was released, loosely based on the story of the first game.[6] In 1997, It was dubbed into English by Urban Vision and was released onto VHS in North America. The English dub as of January 10, 2015, has no DVD release.
In 2009, three volumes of a Sora no Kiseki (Trails in the Sky) manga were published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten, followed the next year by a sequel Rei no Kiseki - Play Story - Shinpan no Yubiwa, published by ASCII Media Works. Two original video animation anime episodes of Sora no Kiseki were released on October 10, 2011 and January 28, 2012 respectively.[7]
See also
- Ys (series) – Another Falcom role-playing video game that emphasizes action over story
- Tokyo Xanadu – a Falcom role-playing video game in a more modern setting.
References
- ↑ Spencer (19 February 2013). "Meet The Characters In The Legend Of Heroes: Trails In The Flash". Siliconera. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Spencer (December 27, 2011). "The Legend Of The Heroes: Trails In The Sky Series Soaring To Smartphones… In English!". Siliconera. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.siliconera.com/2010/12/06/the-legend-of-the-heroes-trails-in-the-sky-takes-flight-in-march/
- ↑ Spencer (March 22, 2011). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Azure, The Sequel To Zero No Kiseki, Hits PSP This Fall". Siliconera. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ↑ 2014-04-08, The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki II dated in Japan, Gematsu
- ↑ Marshall, Marc (August 16, 2011). "Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes". Akemi's Anime World. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ↑ "Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Anime #2 Teaser Posted". Anime News Network. December 12, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
External links
- Official website of Falcom (Japanese)
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