Trails in the Sky’s Remake Was a Way For Falcom to “Nurture” Its Newer Developers
Back to the beginning.
For anyone who didn’t get on board with the Trails over a decade ago, the most common worry you see is that the series is simply too big — and that’s a legitimate worry. When you have 14 games that tell a continuous story, where do you start? Especially with the first Trails in the Sky, on PSP and PC, it feels a bit like a relic of a past age.
But everything changed with Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, a dazzling from-the-ground-up remake of the very first game — now giving anyone, and everyone, a definitive place to start. But even more fascinating is the dual purpose this remake served, not just for longtime fans and new ones, but for the developers of Falcom, too.
“Many staff volunteered to work on Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. None of them were at the company during the original development. They joined Falcom because they were fans of Trails in the Sky, and I think they were waiting for an opportunity like this.” Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo tells Inverse, “My generation had the same experience ourselves. Working on remakes of Ys and The Legend of Heroes, which we admired, eventually led to the creation of Trails in the Sky. I hope the same cycle continues with the newer generation.”
1st Chapter is a dazzling re-imagining of the first game in the now long-running franchise, and a fascinating example of a series folding back in on itself to learn from the past. For part two of Remade, we talked to Kondo about retaining the “nostalgic” feel of Trails in the Sky.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
While 1st chapter is a mostly one-to-one remake in terms of story, it completely rebuilds the world and style of the original.
The Trails series has changed so much over the last two decades. With that, how hard was it to decide what you wanted to change and keep the same with 1st Chapter? Did you see this as a chance to make the series feel more unified?
Kondo: Honestly, I did not find this to be very difficult. Both the staff and I already had a clear vision of what we wanted to change and what we wanted to keep, and our ideas mostly lined up. We wanted to preserve the elements that left a strong impression on players at the time, like the story, the characters, and the memorable, challenging level design.
At the same time, 20 years have passed. The series has evolved, so we wanted to incorporate improvements from later titles and update older elements that would now cause stress or feel unfriendly to players.
We were able to create something that feels nostalgic, yet new.
Has going back to the first Trails game taught the studio and team anything that you can carry forward into future games? In a long-running series like this, is it important to look back at your history?
Kondo: I had felt that as the series grew longer, both the story and the systems became more complex and formulaic. To some degree, that is unavoidable with a long-running series.
Revisiting an earlier title in the series provided an opportunity for our younger staff to learn that there are simpler ways to showcase a game’s appeal, and was a chance for our veteran staff to remember how we approach things.
Even if it’s something you yourself created, things can be lost over time, and sometimes what is lost is valuable. Revisiting our history gave us a chance to realize that. I would say looking back was extremely meaningful.
A sense of place is always vitally important to Trails games, and 1st Chapter has an almost “cozy” feeling to its world.
The original Trails in the Sky has such a unique, almost cozy kind of feel. How did you ensure that the tone and aesthetic of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter felt the same as the original, with such a drastic visual upgrade?
Kondo: So, actually, I only gave the team one request regarding this. Since the protagonist for the game, Estelle, is one of the most fun and energetic characters in the entire series, I told the development team to make sure they have fun with it. To my surprise, that single request was enough. The visuals they presented were almost perfect on the first try.
Since this is a title from 20 years ago, the staff already knew the characters well, and they understood what kind of place Liberl is. Many of our newer members even joined the company because they loved Trails in the Sky, so everyone started the project with a shared sense of how things should be.
Why do you think video game remakes have become such a huge part of the industry? Do you think that trend will continue to grow as the industry continues to get older?
Kondo: Across the industry, development costs have risen, which makes it harder to take big risks. That is one contributing factor.
But of course, you cannot rely on remakes forever. At Falcom, our past remakes of Ys and The Legend of Heroes helped the younger developers learn valuable skills that now influence our current titles.
When I think about it that way, I see this trend as part of a process that will eventually lead to something new again.
The combat of 1st Chapter weaves in a lot of the improvements the series has made over the last decade.
What do you think the purpose of a video game remake should be? Is it to bring the game to a new generation, or preserve its place in history? Essentially, what makes a video game remake successful?
Kondo: A remake cannot be defined by just one purpose. Bringing the game to a new generation and preserving its historical place are both important.
At Falcom, we also see remakes as a way to nurture the next generation of creators.
As I mentioned earlier, many staff volunteered to work on Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. None of them were at the company during the original development. They joined Falcom because they were fans of Trails in the Sky, and they were waiting for an opportunity like this.
Giving them as much freedom as possible boosted their motivation, and I think the result became their ideal version of Trails in the Sky. Remaking a past title comes with pressure, but it also gives you a somewhat higher chance of success. If you achieve that success, it helps the careers of everyone involved.
My generation had the same experience ourselves. Working on remakes of Ys and The Legend of Heroes, which we admired, eventually led to the creation of Trails in the Sky. I hope the same cycle continues with the newer generation.
