The Legend of Heroes: Akatsuki no Kiseki

The Legend of Heroes: Akatsuki no Kiseki (英雄伝説 暁の軌跡) is an online role-playing game released in Japan on 31 August 2016. A spin-off of the Trails series of Nihon Falcom's long-running The Legend of Heroes franchise, it was developed by collaboration between series developers, Nihon Falcom, and Taiwanese company UserJoy Technology, and is operated by its subsidiary UserJoy Japan.

The Legend of Heroes: Akatsuki no Kiseki
Developer(s)UserJoy Technology
Publisher(s)Nihon Falcom
Series
EngineUnity
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch
Release
  • JP: 31 August 2016
Genre(s)Role-playing

Gameplay

Akatsuki no Kiseki was first released as a browser game, requiring the Unity Web Player.[1] Its gameplay comprises a mix of role-playing and simulation elements. Portions of the dialogue of major characters are recorded by well-known Japanese voice actors.[2] Haccan, who previously worked on character design for Trails in the Sky the 3rd, is responsible for the character artwork in Akatsuki.[3] Screenshots released in December 2015 showed cel-shaded graphics and in general a different visual style than recent Falcom releases such as Tokyo Xanadu or Trails of Cold Steel, with a battle system resembling the earlier Crossbell arc.[4] Like in other Trails games, combat is turn-based, and the player can move their characters freely on the field of battle.[2] Management of the player's airship also plays a major role in the game.[5][6]

Akatsuki is free-to-play with microtransactions.[7][8]

Plot

Setting

Akatsuki revisits locations seen in previous Trails games, such as Bose and Crossbell cities in the Liberl Kingdom and the Geofront complex under Crossbell, and also introduces a country previously mentioned in the series but not visited, the Principality of Remiferia.[8]

Akatsuki no Kiseki also introduces a new cast of characters. The two main protagonists are both bracers,[note 1] harking back to the original Trails in the Sky games.[3] Additionally, Akatsuki offers players the opportunity to build a party out of characters who appeared in previous Trails games.[9] For example, as part of UserJoy's pre-release promotion campaign, users who pre-registered for an Akatsuki user ID and followed the game's official Twitter account had Noel Seeker, who first appeared in Zero, added to their party as a bonus character; players who pre-registered received further bonuses based on the total number of pre-registrations. Seeker will continue to be voiced by Masami Asano, who also voiced the character in Zero and Ao.[8][10]

Development
Nihon Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo

Akatsuki no Kiseki was first announced in June 2014 as a project to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Trails series. Falcom's press release included a general description of the setting and artwork for the two main characters Nacht and Chloe. Akatsuki was initially scheduled to begin service in 2015.[3][11] UserJoy Technology opened a preview site for the game in July 2014.[12] Though UserJoy rose to fame mainly for PC MMORPGs such as Angel Love Online and The Legend of Three Kingdoms Online, and later began branching out into mobile games, the early press releases did not clarify the platform for Akatsuki, nor whether it would be a purely single-player video game or if it would have some type of online multi-player functionality.[13][14]

In November 2014, during a live event at Shinjuku LoftPlusOne, Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo revealed a few details about the working relationship between Falcom and UserJoy. He noted that Falcom was collaborating closely with UserJoy on the story, and praised the UserJoy Akatsuki development staff for their knowledge of the Trails series, stating that they were ardent fans who knew details about the games that even Falcom employees themselves did not remember. Kondo went on to state that Falcom might consider producing more online games in the future, depending on user response to Akatsuki.[15]

Delay

The two companies remained silent about Akatsuki no Kiseki until December 2015, when Falcom announced that the game had been delayed until 2016. Falcom's press release at the time included the first four screenshots of Akatsuki game play. Userjoy also updated the game's teaser site with information about more characters.[4] Falcom made no further concrete announcements, only a vague statement in April on Twitter and Facebook that operation might begin soon.[16][17] Mainland Chinese news sites speculated that Akatsuki would be released in the second or third quarter of 2016,[18][19] while Taiwanese business news reports on UserJoy's Q1 2016 earnings conference in May stated that Akatsuki would be released in Q4 2016 in Japan and the following year in Taiwan.[20][21][22] UserJoy revealed further details at the China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference in late July, and began tweeting on a dedicated Twitter account for Akatsuki in early August.[2][23][24]

On 9 August, UserJoy opened the official site for Akatsuki no Kiseki and posted the first promotional video of the game.[8] After a brief open beta test, service began on 31 August 2016.[25]

Additional releases

Falcom subsequently released ports of Akatsuki no Kiseki for the PlayStation Vita on 26 December 2016 and the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in 2017.[26][27] In June 2018, Falcom announced that Beijing-based mobile games developer Changyou.com and Shanghai-based video sharing site Bilibili were collaborating to release a Chinese-language adaptation of Akatsuki for smartphones, under the title Xīng zhī Guǐjì (Chinese: 星之轨迹; lit. 'Trails of Stars').[28] A port for the Nintendo Switch was released in Japan in 2019.[29]

Notes
  1. In Trails, a bracer (遊撃士, yūgekishi) is a member of the Bracer's Guild, a civilian peacekeeping and monster-hunting organisation. See Hargreaves, Roger (21 December 2011). "The Legend Of Heroes: Trails In The Sky review – Liberl agenda". Metro News. Retrieved 3 May 2016.

References
  1. "Unity Web Player のインストールについて" [Regarding Unity Web Player installation]. Akatsuki no Kiseki official site. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016. UserJoy Japan's homepage has listed it under the "browser games" section since December 2015, not under the "download games" or "mobile games" sections. "Game Portal Site". UserJoy Japan. Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  2. "亞洲遊戲最大檔ChinaJoy，臺灣遊戲菁英齊聚拚國際商機!" [At Asia's largest games convention ChinaJoy, Taiwan's elite game companies gather to seize international opportunities!]. Taipei Computer Association. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  3. "オンラインRPG「英雄伝説 暁の軌跡」が発表。舞台は軌跡シリーズと同じゼムリア大陸，"新米準遊撃士"ことナハトとクロエの冒険を描く" [Online RPG Eiyū Densetsu: Akatsuki no Kiseki announced. Set on the stage of the Trails series' Zemurian continent, it describes the adventures of "new bracers" Nacht and Chloe]. 4gamer. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  4. "『英雄伝説 暁の軌跡』2016年配信。クロスベル、リベール、レミフェリアでの新作ストーリーが展開" [Eiyū Densetsu: Akatsuki no Kiseki to be distributed in 2016. A new story opens up in Crossbell, Liberl, and Remiferia.]. Dengeki. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  5. "《英雄传说：晓之轨迹》首部宣传片 将展开全新故事" [First promotional video for Eiyū Densetsu: Akatsuki no Kiseki; a whole new story will soon begin]. GamerSky. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  6. "轨迹系列新作网游《晓之轨迹》开放注册 情报公开" [Registration begins for newest game in Trails series, Eiyū Densetsu: Akatsuki no Kiseki; information made public]. 3DMGame. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  7. "よくあるご質問（FAQ）について" [Frequently Asked Questions]. Akatsuki no Kiseki official site. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  8. "「英雄伝説 暁の軌跡」の事前登録受付がスタート。特典は「零の軌跡」などに登場したノエル・シーカー（CV：浅野真澄）" [Eiyū Densetsu: Akatsuki no Kiseki starts accepting pre-registrations; bonus character is Noel Seeker (voice actress: Masumi Asano), who appeared in Zero no Kiseki]. 4Gamer. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  9. "『英雄伝説 暁の軌跡』公式サイトオープン。ノエル・シーカーがもらえる事前登録も実施中" [Eiyū Densetsu: Akatsuki no Kiseki official site opens. Preregister now to get Noel Seeker!]. Dengeki. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  10. "The Legend of Heroes: Akatsuki no Kiseki debut trailer, pre-registration opened". Gematsu. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  11. "The Legend of Heroes: Akatsuki no Kiseki online RPG announced, first details". Gematsu. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  12. "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Dawn Will Be For PC". Silicon Era. 10 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  13. "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Dawn Story And Lead Characters Revealed". Silicon Era. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  14. "英雄傳說 曉之軌跡正式發表　與台共同研發變 Online RPG" [Eiyū Densetsu: Akatsuki no Kiseki formally announced; jointly developed with Taiwan, it's now an Online RPG]. Unwire.hk. 27 June 2014. Archived from the original on 28 June 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  15. "「閃の軌跡II」クリア必須のネタバレトーク！「暁の軌跡」や今後の展開にも言及した「Falcom jdk BAND Live ＆ Talk Show Vol.6」レポート" [Ending spoilers for Trails of Cold Steel II! Also talked about the upcoming Akatsuki no Kiseki release. Falcom jdk BAND Live & Talk Show Vol. 6 Report]. Gamer.co.jp. 30 November 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  16. "オンラインRPG『英雄伝説 暁の軌跡』まもなく本格稼働か…ファルコムが意味深なツイートを投稿" [Online RPG Eiyū Densetsu: Akatsuki no Kiseki starting full-scale operation soon? Falcom posts suggestive tweet.]. Inside Games. 25 April 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  17. Reese, Zack (25 April 2016). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Dawn going into full operation this year". RPG Site. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  18. "宇峻奥汀2016年战略布局：《晓之轨迹》将在年内上市" [UserJoy Strategy Report: Akatsuki no Kiseki will go on the market within the year]. 163 Play. 23 January 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  19. "轨迹系列新作《晓之轨迹》登陆web平台" [New work in the Trails series, Akatsuki no Kiseki, coming to web platform]. PC Games. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  20. 莊丙農 (26 May 2016). "宇峻今年獲利看升，轉投資弘煜潛在收益俏" [UserJoy sees profits rising this year, with spin-off Fun Yours having potential for gain]. China Times. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  21. 陳昱翔 (26 May 2016). "宇峻轉投資弘煜將上櫃" [UserJoy spin-off Fun Yours to be listed on stock market]. United Daily News. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  22. "授權金加日本推新作　宇峻今年營運比去年好" [With licensing fees from new works in Japan, UserJoy's operations expected to improve from previous year]. Apple Daily Taiwan Edition. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  23. "[CJ 16]台灣參展廠商曝光新作《混沌封印》《英雄爭霸》《曉之軌跡》等" [(ChinaJoy 2016) Taiwan participating developers to reveal new works like Seal of Chaos, Heroes of War, Akatsuki no Kiseki]. Gamer.com.tw. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  24. "オンラインRPG『英雄伝説 暁の軌跡』公式Twitterアカウントが開設「近日中には続報が出せる」" [Official Twitter account opened for online RPG Eiyū Densetsu: Akatsuki no Kiseki, 'more information will be released in the coming days']. GamesTalk.net. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016. Cites @NihonFalcom (2 August 2016). "[お知らせ] 突然ですが、本日8/2(火)よりオンラインストーリーRPG「英雄伝説 暁の軌跡（アカツキノキセキ）」公式Twitterの運用が開始されました！ #暁の軌跡" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. "『英雄伝説 暁の軌跡』正式サービスが開始、記念キャンペーンや新機能も登場！". Famitsu. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  26. Romano, Sal (21 December 2016). "The Legend of Heroes: Akatsuki no Kiseki for PS Vita launches December 26 in Japan". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 3 May 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  27. "オンラインRPG『暁の軌跡』がPS4で遊べる！ 世界がさらに広がる最新情報と今後のアップデートに注目！" [Online RPG Akatsuki no Kiseki will be playable on PS4! Pay attention for later updates for the newest information on the expansion of the world!]. Famitsu. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  28. 軌跡系列續作《英雄傳說：星之軌跡》於中國開放事前登錄 歷代人物集結登場 [Another work in the Trails series, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Stars, holds pre-registration prior to Chinese release; characters from past works take the stage together]. Gamer.com.tw (in Chinese). 4 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018. "日本ファルコム、スマホ向けRPG『英雄伝説 星の軌跡』をChangyouやbilibiliと中国で共同配信へ" [Nihon Falcom will jointly distribute smartphone RPG The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Stars in China with Changyou and bilibili]. Gamebiz.jp. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  29. Romano, Sal. "The Legend of Heroes: Akatsuki no Kiseki Mobile coming to Switch this summer in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
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