Article: Dengeki Online
Translator: Hansuke
Editor: Lanju
We are pleased to present a special interview with Mr. Toshihiro Kondo, President of Nihon Falcom, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Nihon Falcom's popular story RPG "The Legend of Heroes: Trails" series.
The "Trails" series has focused on the adventures of these young heroes in the fictional world of the Zemuria. The first entry"Trails in the Sky FC" was released on PC on June 24, 2004. It is no exaggeration to say that the "Trails" series, which has been supported by many fans for 20 years since then, is one of Japan's known RPGs, with the latest title in the series, "Kai No Kiseki," being released on September 26th this year.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the "Trails" series, we conducted a special interview with Mr. Toshihiro Kondo of Nihon Falcom. He talked a lot about the behind the scene stories behind the creation of the "Trails" series. Since the interview turned out to be quite huge, this is just the first half of the interview. Please note that some parts of the interview contain spoilers related to the story of the "Trails" series.
Kondo holding the 20th Anniversary artwork for the Trails Series
He joined Nihon Falcom in 1998. After being involved in the development of titles for the "Ys" series and the "Legend of Heroes: Trails" series, he was involved in the launch of the "Trails in the Sky" from the start. Since becoming president in 2007, he has been involved in the development of Falcom games as a producer, director and scenario writer.
The "Trails" series has been beloved for 20 years.
─ First of all, please give us your honest impression of the 20th anniversary of the "Trails" series.
President Toshihiro Kondo: We have been busy and grateful to have been able to continue the development of the "Trails" series up to this point, but I feel a strong sense of "it's already the 20th anniversary?". To be honest, we haven’t feel that it reach that far yet, but I guess it will happen after a while, won't it? Anyway, we feel as if it has been a long time coming, and I really don't know which is which. I guess that's how fulfilling these past 20 years have been for us.
We think it's quite impressive to have produced 13 RPGs entries in 20 years, and to have produced so many in such amount of time for the game industry that is becoming increasingly cost and time-consuming to develop. We are quite surprised no one gives us any sorts of praise for this feat (laughs).
I think one of the reasons we have been able to continue for this long is that we have consistently produced titles within reason. If there is a long gap between one title and the next, we will be eventually forgotten and the sales will suffer as of result.
While people are now enjoying other games, smartphones, and various other forms of entertainment, I am very happy that there are people who choose to play the "Trails" series and that it has continued onward for 20 years. I honestly believe it would be beautiful if we could complete the series as it is.
I think the fact that we have continued with the same world for 20 years should be in the Guinness World Records. Of course, we have yet to complete the overall journey, so it is another story for another time in the future. Nevertheless, on this 20th anniversary, we strongly feel that we have reached to the point where we can see the horizon towards of its completion.
─ What do you think is the reason why the "Trails" series has been supported by fans for such a long time?
Kondo: We think it is simply the fact that it has continued for so long and there is a lot of titles to keep it going. There is also the possibility that the creators will reach to a state of tedium. We also have the feeling that we would like to switch to a completely different type of work, such as a new IP or revisit old works instead of a sequel. I also think it is important that we have not taken for granted the fact that we have been supported by our fans up to this point, and we have made our games without forgetting our original intentions so that our fans and newcomers can enjoy it as much as possible.
Departure of the name "The Legend of Heroes VI. And the Expanding view of the Continent of Zemuria
─ The "Trails" series was also initially named as "The Legend of Heroes VI," wasn't it?
Kondo: That's right. First, there were the two "Dragon Slayer which they are The Legend of Heroes," followed by the three "Gagharv Trilogy" which they are "The White Witch," "A Tear of Vermillion," and "Song of the Ocean," and then the "Trails in the Sky" as "The Legend of Heroes VI," the so-called "Kingdom of Liberl" Arc. The "Trails from Zero" and "Trails to Azure" were followed by "The Legend of Heroes VII," the Crossbell Arc, "Trails of Cold Steel" was named as "The Legend of Heroes VIII," the Erebonian Empire Arc, "Trails Into Reverie" was irregularly unnumbered, and the "Trails Through Daybreak" being Republic of Calvard Arc is "The Legend of Heroes IX. The name of the folder under development is still "The Legend of Heroes", but I wonder when ...... will only just become the "Trails" series (laughs).
Anyway, when we started development of "Trails in the Sky," we were just newcomers at the time, and since we had taken over the series with great enthusiasm, when we were working on "Trails in the Sky" under the assumption that it would also become a series, but our seniors at the time advised us not to think about a sequel even though it had not yet sold well.
But on the other hand, we thought carefully about how to continue the series onward, we were able to continue working on it to this day. When "Trails in the Sky" began, we had already decided on the setting of the continent of Zemuria, and we had also decided to depict the great nations of the Erebonia Empire and the Republic of Calvard as their the arc sequels.
─ Certainly, it is not a world setting that can be contained in a single game.
Kondo: That's right. But at the time, our plan was to finish it in three games, just like the "Gagharv Trilogy". Now there are 13 entries (laughs). I do think we were just naive at the time because we didn't know what we were doing back then. Honestly, we were able to get off to such a good start because we were only thinking about it while stepping on the gas pedal with no breaks.
We owe a lot to the fans who accepted us and to our bosses and seniors at the company who understood our vision and supported us through out this journey.
— The "Trails" series began with the "Kingdom of Liberl" followed by "Crossbell," " Erebonia Empire," and "Republic" Arc.
Kondo: Actually, there was not even a mention of Crossbell from the start. When we were working on "Trails in the Sky the 3rd," which we had a new scenario writer who would make up their own ideas and the setting without the permission of our seniors (laughs). Then they noticed that the individual had written the name of a place called Crossbell in an area that none of us knew at the time. We thought, "Is this really okay?" But after talking it over with everyone, we decided that it was okay, and we decided to use it as the setting for "Trails from Zero" as it is.
The reason for this is that when we drew out the Liberl Kingdom in "Trails in the Sky," it took us to being two separate games, "FC" and "SC," Even Liberl was a small country, but it would have been a huge challenge to describe compared to like the Erebonia Empire that was many times larger, had a more complex social structure, and included many different ethnicity of race, which acts as a continuation after the creation of the Liberl Kingdom. Therefore, we decided that it would be better to have a work that depicts a area that is close to the Empire, and it starts around a similar time with the Erebonia Arc. ...... it was originally supposed to be a one-part story, but it turns out to became into a two-game story arc with "Trails to Azure" (laughs).
"Gagharv Trilogy" was an extremely vast world with many countries in one (three) game. However, even though "Trails in the Sky" takes place only in the Kingdom of Liberl, the graphical representation has changed from Pixel to 3D environments, so it is no longer possible to casually mass-produce towns and villages as before. To compensate for this, we decided to write scenarios with more detail, and this approach was established in "Trails in the Sky FC" and "Trails in the Sky SC".
When we used the same method to write the Crossbell Arc, it became a two-part story, "Trails from Zero" and "Trails to Azure", and we realized that the number of works was too large for the volume of the story we wanted to tell. Of course, when we started work on the Erebonia arc, we were very enthusiastic about the setting and other aspects of the story, which we were heavily confident that it would be explained within three games that we had made. In the end, however, we ended up making four titles (sweat). If you include "Trails Into Reverie", it would actually be five.
— At that time, how much of the Zemuria continent had been covered?
Kondo: The map only covered the Kingdom of Liberl, the Empire, and the Republic. After that, we drew some general maps for creativeness, but we never really showcase them to other people, and in fact, many things were decided in the process during the the Erebonia arc.
The overall picture has not changed that much since the beginning. The names alone, such as Alteria, Ored, Leman, and the Principality of Remiferia, were mentioned in only bits and pieces, and even among the staff there was talk of "Where they are being located? We talked about it and decided that it was only when the time is right to reveal them, so we decided on these specific locations within the development of the Erebonia Arc.
Now that we are in the Republic arc, we are beginning of the process of seeing the eastern and southern sides of the Republic.
─ Looking again at the map of the Zemuria continent, Crossbell is really that small.
Kondo: Yes, it is just as small like a single grain of rice (laughs). But when we drew out the Liberl Kingdom, even if we had set up the entire continent of Zemuria in detail, I think it would have only been a "just for the time being" kind of thing. There were things that came to light as we worked on the project, and they think we were able to "make the real decision" as of a result of thinking of it while stepping on the right foot little by little as the stage for the story expands.
It was the same with the "Ys" series. I always tell the staff, "Don't force a decision on something that won't be put into used immediately after it has been finished. we have had many experiences that they wished we have it done it differently. We will continue with the "Trails" series in the same manner, making decisions when they become really necessary.
— How far did you think about the Eastern society in the Republic in the early stages of development?
Kondo: At first, all the staff members thought that the Republic, including the community, was populated by people dressed in Eastern clothing. However, it was not to believe. It was revealed in earnest when we entered the Erebonia arc that it was a multi-racial nation with various ethnic groups living there.
I think we had a rough idea of the Empire by the time of "Trails in the Sky," with the appearance of Olivier, a member of the Imperial Family, and Osborne, the Iron-Blooded Chancellor, but the overall vision of the Republic was not clear, even among the staff.
For example, the first info that came out about any sorts of transportation was when the Liberl Kingdom had a well-developed airship and the Empire had a well-developed railroad network, while the Republic had a well-developed car system. Nowadays, buses are almost non-existent and have been replaced by orbal vehicles. Also, we think that the orbal technology has also developed very well and in turn this is also very different from what we’d initially envisioned.
─ How was it during its development for the Liberl Kingdom?
Kondo: For the Kingdom of Liberl, we wanted to do something that had never been done before by Falcom, while inheriting the good aspects of the "Gagharv Trilogy". So we created a story with a technolgy-oriented worldview. Then, when the stage was moved to Crossbell in "Trails from Zero," the pace of orbal technological development which suddenly accelerated.
─ I was surprised to hear about finance and economics, and to see orbments that acts like smartphones (laughs).
Kondo: At the time, there was a lot of opposition to that even within the company. People were saying, "Trails in the Sky was a hit, so why change it so drastically?
However, "Trails from Zero" was the first title to be released for the PSP, after having been developed for the PC. So we felt that we should be a little more sensitive to the fans’ point of view, and that's how the current direction for Crossbell was made.
If we had continued to develop the game on the PC, we might have come up with something different. Looking back on the "Trails" series, I feel that the environment in which we were placed has changed, or in other words times have changed.
— At the time, the "Trails" series was on saled for the PC.
Kondo: First of all, at the time, package sales for PCs were getting tougher. Also, we had already released a PSP version of "Trails in the Sky FC" before "Trails from Zero," but sales were not very strong. However, the PSP became a big hit around the time the PSP 2000 was released, and the PSP version of "Trails in the Sky SC" was also released around that time, and the phenomenon of simultaneous sales of "FC" and "SC" occurred. The PSP version of "Trails in the Sky SC" was also released around that time, and the phenomenon of "FC" and "SC" selling at the same time occurred.
In addition, during this period, many RPGs were more science fiction oriented, and there were not many of those games. Which we wanted to shift to that direction, so we asked Enami Katsumi to be our illustrator, and we did a lot of other things. We had envisioned a rather modern worldview of Crossbell, and although it is smaller than the Kingdom of Liberl, we thought it would be good to have a variety of orbal technological developments.
The timing of the switch in terms of the work and the transition in our development environment made it possible for us to make a major switch. In that sense, "Trails from Zero" was a turning point for the series in terms of development standpoint.
We think that the things that came out of this transition, such as the development of the orbal network, that have been carried over to the Republic arc. Also, the Republic has witness a orbal technological development boom, but one of the mysteries is "How did it progress so fast? is one of the main mysteries. This is also related to the main storyline, so please stay tuned for further developments.
─ Regarding important settings throughout the series, many things come to mind, such as the Septian Church and the plans for the "Society".
Kondo: The settings that are fundamental to the story, such as the "Septian Chruch" and the "Society," are almost exactly as we thought of them in the early stages. Of course, in some cases, the details of each of these were not finalized. We did not decide from the beginning on the settings and backgrounds for all the members of the "society," or the enforcers.
The position of the "Society" as an organization in this world, the fact that it is in a confrontational relationship with the "Septian Church," and the significance of their existence as an organization have not changed since the initial phase. The Septian Church is an equally important organization, as is the Eight Leaves One Blade School, one of the swordsmanship schools. The appearance of Anelace, the granddaughter of the founder Yun Ka Fai, as a Bracer is a bit out of ordinary, though.
— The "Septian Church" was explored in depth in "Trails in the Sky the 3rd".
Kondo: "Trails in the Sky SC" ended nicely for its story, but there were still many mysteries related to the Septian Church. The initial setting of the story was that the Septian church itself becomes a bigger deal to with in the world of Zemuria, and we wanted to show it in the story..
Also, "Trails in the Sky FC" and "Trails in the Sky SC" were the first titles we were deeply involved in, so we caused a lot of trouble for the company. In terms of its development time, we spent about three years on "Trails in the Sky FC" and two years on "Trails in the Sky SC".
So we wanted to make a new game in the shortest, possible amount of time, not to atone for our mistakes(......), but rather we are returning the favor. We wanted to make a new work in a short amount of time as possible, because we felt that if we started the Erebonia arc after that, the development period would be prolonged again. That's how "Trails in the Sky the 3rd" was first created.
The three "Trails in the Sky" games became the format for the "Trails" series that followed. First of all, the first game in a series inevitably takes a long time to produce. We had to create a new standpoint, new characters, and new areas from scratch, which naturally increased the development cost. However, we try to deliver the second game as short span of time as possible. This is a promise between us and the company, and also a promise to our fans.
The first one may take a long time, but the sequel will be released as soon as possible after. The characters will continue and the story will be a continuation of the previous work, but the format will be to show a long story on top of that. It was a difficult development process, but we were able to create it in a proper format, and they think we managed to bring it all together.
─ The game progression of "Trails in the Sky the 3rd" was also in the form of repeated dungeon exploration.
Kondo: The length of the story was shortened a bit, but we decided to make the game as entertaining as possible, so we proceeded with the production.
Also, the same staff continued to work on "Trails in the Sky FC" and "Trails in the Sky SC," but after that, we brought in a lot of new staff. We wanted to make it easier for them to work on the game, and that's how projects like "Trails in the Sky the 3rd" was made.
─ Speaking of "Trails in the Sky the 3rd," I was impressed by many door episodes related to the characters and their settings in this specific game.
Kondo: The people who wrote those episodes were young staff members who had just joined the company, and some of them who stay are now writing the scenarios for "Kai No Kiseki". It is no exaggeration to say that the heaviest feel of the door episodes, such as the Renne’s "Paradise" episode, was written by a young staff member who had just joined us as a newcomer, and we thought, "They have come up with something we could not write at the time.
The door episode of Kloe, in which Lecther appears, was actually written by a newcomer, and they produced a variety of stories that would have an impact on fans later on. Looking back, "Trails in the Sky the 3rd" was made out of an internal situation at Falcom, and although it may seem like an odd title from the audience, it had many settings and foreshadowing that would lead to future works. It could be said that this title became the driving force for the continuation of the series.
─ Was it your intention to some extent to reveal new settings here, including Renne and Lecther?
Kondo: The settings discussed in the stories of "Trails in the Sky FC" and "Trails in the Sky SC" are fundamental to the to its worldview, so we plan to use them as long as the series continues.
Incidentally, most of the settings were conceived by myself and two of my fellow scenario writers. In "Trails in the Sky the 3rd," on the other hand, many of the settings were revealed in the door episode outside of the main scenario, and this episode was composed by collecting various ideas from the four scenario writers. That's why we were able to create such a introduction open story for Renne and Lecther.
However, we don't think of the individual who wrote the idea thought out that Lecther is an officer of the Imperial Intelligence Division (laughs). I really thought that it was describing a slightly eccentric senior of Kloe’s, and we thought, "This person is definitely not just a free spirited man," which led to Lecther as an officer later on. I think that was something we thought about as we were making the film.
— Speaking of door episodes, there was even a "Gordias Class Experimental Plan" that talks about giant humanoid weapons.
Kondo: This episode is about Renne's "Pater-Mater. Pater-Mater" itself first appeared in "Trails in the Sky SC," but as I recall, this was also a setting conceived by a new staff member at the time.
─ It is also impressive in the sense that the concept of a giant weapon was added. In the "Empire" arc, there is even the "Divine Knights" (Deus Excellion).
Kondo: We think it served as a foothold for the introduction of the "Divine Knights" (Deus Excellion). However, I don't think anyone would have imagined that we would have a Deus Excellion when we released "Pater-Mater" (laughs). This may be the result of the connection between the giant puppet weapon and the legend of the knights in the empire.
We think this was also the result of following the conventional approach of preparing only a vague image and then incorporating it into a more concrete setting when we actually tried to depict them in a actual situation.
For the Erebonia arc, we had initially thought of making the main character a military man, but a military man has the image of a mature adult rather than a young man. So when it came time to start the Erebonia arc, we thought that a military man would be too mature, and that if we was going to draw a full-length game, we wanted the protagonist to be of an age that is left a little more room for growth. In addition, it would be difficult to depict the details of the main character in an RPG without a certain degree of freedom of action.
─ How did you decide on the main character for the Republic arc?
Kondo: It was the same for the Republic arc. Somewhere in the past, there was talks of making a enforcer of the "Society" as a main character, and we tried to do that in the Republic arc in the very early stages of development.
However, the Republic has a complicated social structure, with a mixture of over-world and back-alley of the underworld individuals. When showcasing such a country, if you make the main character an enforcer who is a complete behind the scenes type of person, there are likely to be people who have too little contact with the overworld and cannot be easily meet up out in the open. ...... What kind of person would be able to meet people from the over-world and still have contact within the underworld? This was toss around which we rethink through the process for the Republic arc.
As a result, we decided that a person like Van, who is in the gray between the overworld and underworld, would be the best person to depict in the Republic arc, which he became the main protagonist.
─ Did y'all already have a character or an enforcer number in mind for the enforcer who was going to be the main character?
Kondo: We had not decided that far. We don't think that the enforcer who was supposed to be the main character haven’t appeared in the previous games.
However, even if I hadn't thought about it, the scenario writers may have already some ideas already decided on those details in the back of their minds (laughs).
— I know we are going backwards in terms of the order of the scenarios, but could you tell us how the team decided on Lloyd, the police officer/detective, as the main character in the Crossbell arc?
Kondo: As I mentioned earlier, the region of Crossbell itself did not exist, so we discussed and decided on Crossbell again at the time of its development.
Since this is within a similar time frame with the beginning of the Erebonia Arc, it was decided that Crossbell would be a evergrowing intense situation where the major powers were struggling with each other. The situation is similar to that of the Kingdom of Liberl, but we decided to make it more empire-oriented so that we could depict the threat of the empire.
Naturally, in order to depict such a situation, there would have to be problems with the social structure, and politics and economics would inevitably be involved. Once that was decided, the rest of the setting was quickly determined. This is how Lloyd came to be as a police officer.
─ The police officer was also a contrast to the Bracers who they had been active in the story up to that point.
Kondo: Yes, that's right. Police officers are more on the side of the system, so their position is a bit different from that of the Bracers, who can act with a certain degree of freedom. Even if Lloyd and his team tried to move, they would be hindered by the shackles of being just police officers. The background to this is the intention of the empire and economic issues. That part of the story showed a different aspect from that of Estelle and the others who they are able to roam freely in the Kingdom of Liberl.
If we are able to depict this in our work, we decided that the members should not be the elite, but rather people who were not part of the organization, or people who had fallen out or had some other reason to be.
— This might be a little off topic, but who wrote Lloyd's lines, which seem normal at first glance but sometimes turn out to be a huge inspiration speech moment with power behind them?
Kondo: It was written by a scenario writer who has been involved in the development since "Trails in the Sky". However, they said, "I can't write those types of dialogue anymore, it's a bit too embarrassing" (laughs).
Nevertheless, a person who confronts the complex social structure of Crossbell itself is not motivated by reason alone. I think that's why Lloyd has such a massive emotional line but unique moments.
─ In Crossbell arc, the story related to the "Society" of the "Phantasmal Blaze Plan," or the "Sept-Terrion of Mirage," was depicted.
Kondo: Our original plan was to depict the entire "Phantasmal Blaze Plan" in the Erebonia Arc. Then the Crossbell Arc intervened, so the story of the Sept-Terrions involved was divided from there. The Sept-Terrion of the Flame in the Erebonia Arc also merged with the Sept-Terrion of Earth and divided into the Seven Divine Knights. ......
However, as for the 《Sept-Terrion》, what was to be found in each region was defined, and it was decided that there would be the Sept-Terrion of Earth and the Sept-Terrion of of Flame within the Empire. Naturally, what Sept-Terrion are to be found within the Republic was also decided in advance.
─ Including the Sept-Terrion of Mirage, there are really a lot of interesting moments in Crossbell, aren't there?
Kondo: That's right. Especially with Kea being reformed to as the Sept-Terrion of Zero, is also very unqiue. It is a replication of the Sept-Terrion of Mirage, but the Hollow Phantasm itself has already been lost.
If we are to portray it in a straightforward manner, it would be just a repetition of the Liberl Kingdom, where the Sept-Terrion of Space - Shining Wing first appeared. We try to show the Sept-Terrion in a different manner each time.
─ There are many memorable moments, such as the fact that the development of the prologue was not a dream, but was actually a story before the world went through a loop.
Kondo: Many people tell us that they were quite happy with that development. Including this, the Crossbell arc is indeed a work that many of us felt that we are very glad to become apart something great.
Incidentally, we often hear people say that they "like the Special Support Section" rather than "just liking Lloyd" in the Crosbell arc. In "Trails in the Sky", Estelle is the main character, and in "Trails of Cold Steel", Rean is the main character, but in this aspect, the Crossbell arc gives a unique impression.
This may be due in large part to the fact that this was the first "Legend of Heroes" game in which the party was predetermined from the start. In the production process, there are many cases where party members other than the main character are considered later, but all four members of the Special Support Section were considered from the from the beginning of development. After this, the method of deciding on the main character was firmly established.
The "Trails" series continues to evolve amidst changes in the gaming development landscape.
─ The Erebonia arc of the story revolved around Rean and the other members of "Group VII," but what was the most difficult part?
Kondo: The members of "Group VII" are not limited to "Cold Steel", as is the case with other works, but are the epitome of the Erebonia society in which the story takes place. There are noble aristocrats, corporate daughters, earnest students from the common folk (......), people who don't care about their social status, and even former jaegers and witches.
The most important thing is the size of the empire. the empire is vast, and there is a lot of stuff. We had to create a huge field, such as the Nord Highlands, and it would have been impossible to start from the beginning with the entire empire. In "Trails of Cold Steel I," which we started with the eastern part of the Empire.
Besides, from "Trails of Cold Steel" the graphic expression is now full 3D, which is also significant. It was also a challenge for Falcom to develop this technique, and one that we struggled with.
I remember that we experimenting with these characters, while trying to decide whether it would be better to make them taller or make them more attractive. We were still in that learning phase in that area at the time. It was the same with "Trails in the Sky".
When we first started working on "Trails in the Sky," we tried making the characters in 3D. However, we are quite not satisfied with the quality, and I felt "something doesn’t feel right" when I thought we would be known of this character for a long time and onwards (laughs). But this is a very important moment in the development process.
So we gave up on this and settled on the pre-rendered method, where pixel are created from a 3D image. From "Trails of Cold Steel" onward, however, we started using real-time 3D, which was difficult because no one had ever done it before. We asked a staff member who had previously worked mainly on background design to design the characters, and that's how Rean and Alisa were made.
─ That's a great choice, isn't it?
Kondo: When they were working on the backgrounds, they thought they had done a good job designing objects and that they could do character design as well, so we asked them to do it. Looking back on it now, I think it was a very bold decision. Which it was also surprised because I had no experience in character design.
─ Talking about time and effort and the amount of work involved, the design of the Divine Knights seems to be quite a challenge, doesn't it?
Kondo: It was also the first time for Falcom to have a mech like that appear in such a grander manner, so it was a great challenge.
However, in terms of data, I think it was the most difficult of my career. We couldn't get the development production done in time and even had to ask an third party company to assist us for the first time. ...... I think this title allowed us to experience all different circumstances.
─ ─ There are four "Trails of Cold Steel" games, and the quality of the graphics has improved since "Trails of CoId Steel".
Kondo: Yes, that's right. After continuing "Trails of Cold Steel" with "I" and "II," We've become somewhat familiar with it, but the evolution or the transition of its graphic is quite fast. Even the past games looking quite old after a certain amount of time.
In addition, the years that had passed in the story made it impossible to use the modeling of Rean and his friends as they were when they were students, so we decided that we had no choice but to drastically change the method, and most of the work was redone for "Trails of Cold Steel III".
─ ─ Even though you are getting more technically adept, the volume of work seems to be tremendous again, doesn't it?
Kondo: Indeed it was. Also, I remember that the multi-platform was very difficult, starting with "Trails of Cold Steel I." At first it was PS3 and Ps Vita, and later PS4 was added which we had to create data for each of them.
We also started developing the game for the Asia market around this time, and localization work was also added to the mix. This was definitely the most difficult time in terms of development.
We managed to land the game with a lot of help from the people around us, including help from Sony Interactive Entertainment in areas where we were lacking technically.
─ Did you have as much trouble with the Republic arc as you did with the Erebonia arc?
Kondo: Yes, it was. As I mentioned earlier, the design for Republic was not as clearly defined as that of the Empire, so we started with the pre-plans of the Republic. In fact, we hadn't even decided on how large the nation it would be.
In the end, we ended up with a setting in which the orbal technology was more advanced developed than we had originally planned, but this was something we had been thinking about since the end of the Erebonia arc, and in fact, I think it is mentioned in "Trails of Cold Steel" as well. This was the first step in clarifying the vague aspects of the story, which is what made it different from the "Trails in the Sky" and "Trails of Cold Steel".
That said, the scale of the project was not as small as the Crossbell arc, so we were able to focus on the project from the ground up.
As I mentioned earlier, we first decided on the main character and selected Van that could be used both in the overworld and underworld , and then, since we are reaching towards the climax of the series, we selected what kind of organization would be working toward that goal. An example will be such as the new gralrsitter of the Septian Church (?).
The "Society" is not yet fully active in "Trails Through Daybreak," but there is no doubt that they will play an important role, and we selected the characters who will be involved in that role.
─ In terms of scale, which is larger, the Empire or the Republic?
Kondo: The Empire is the largest, and the Republic was intended to be at least no larger than the Empire, but it became quite large ....... The capital city of Edith alone is quite big, and there are also other sections that have not yet been released to the public.
Also, the battle system has changed a lot with "Trails Through Daybreak", hasn't it? Up until now, we have basically continued to upgrade the AT (Action Time) battle system that we developed since "Trails in the Sky," in which enemies and allies attack and move according to the order of their actions. However, as we approached the end of the game, we wanted to renew the game as well.
Many of the new staff members had just joined us from "Trails through Daybreak," and we asked them to come up with ideas. We wanted to create a new type of command battle that had never been seen before, so the game was reformed in a form that seamlessly switches between field battles and command battles.
The new staff also said that they wanted to "cherish" the original AT battle elements. Which we wanted to preserve these elements while aiming for something that did not seem possible before, but when I first read the proposal, I was a little worried about it because the amount of work involved was so large that I wondered if we were making two games (laughs).
Even so, when we try out the actual game, we felt a sense of confidence that it would be good. They think that the alternate switch between action and command battles is something that many manufacturers have tried, but I could see from the initial development that it would be something that could be enjoyed from a different angle than those types of games.
At the same time, we also found a number of issues that needed to be addressed. Specifically, the character growth system. I hope we can clear up these issues and make the game more advancements.
— Is it true that the battle system in "Trails Through Daybreak" has become more of a complete experience in "Kuro No Kiseki II" after "Trails Through Daybreak"?
Kondo: It is true that the battle system has been refined in "Kuro no Kiseki II," but we thought it needed to be made a little easier to understand for beginners.
However, the story starts in the middle of the game, so it would be difficult to start from the beginning and explain "What is Xipha? We wanted to make it a little easier to those who are understanding it for the first time. This is always a problem in the "Trails" series. If it were the "Ys" series, it would be easier to explain because each story is independent and each combat system is different.
─ ─ If you are used to the battle system of "Kuro No Kiseki II," do you may feel that the battles of past titles may feel a bit lacking.
Kondo: Indeed. If you repeat the process of attacking enemy symbols directly and sometimes switching to command battles to defeat them, the tempo of field and dungeon exploration will also improve. The "Legend of Heroes" series has always been said to have "battles as a challenge," and when the "Legend of Heroes" series was launched, Kato (Mr. Masayuki Kato, founder and chairman of the board of directors of Nihon Falcom) once said to us, "The battles in "The Legend of Heroes" needs to be challenging and avoid being repetitive over time.
It is true that "White Witch" had a unique battle system, and it was the only one used in the series. I was a fan of the game at the time, and thought it was an amazing usage of gameplay style.
You could set each character in detail, such as "take this action if HP is below 80%" or "take this action if HP is below 40%," and once the battle started, all you had to do was just watch over them. If the instructions were not appropriate for the opponent, the enemy could not be defeated forever. ...... (laughs). Some people thought that this was a good thing because it created a sense of attachment, but it didn't catch on with the general audience.
Nowadays, there are online games that use a similar combat system, but the only game that used as a stand-alone system was "White Witch. Perhaps it was a little too far ahead of its time.
This is off topic, but we think there is still room for improvement in the battle system of "Trails Through Daybreak" as well, and we hope to make it even better in the future.
*In the second half of the interview, President Kondo talks a little about his favorite works and characters, as well as the latest entry in the series, "Kai no Kiseki" soon.
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