Kai no Kiseki Post-Release Interview

President Kondo

The most common reaction was, “The story has taken a significant step forward” followed by, “When will the next title be released?” I think that stunning ending has made people curious about what could possibly happen next and is driving the excitement towards our next work.

President Kondo

We had already foreshadowed Rean’s involvement in the Calvard arc so his inclusion was a given. Regarding Kevin, there had been a scene in Trails in the Sky SC where he sees a broken Ring Guardian and relates it to “the robot excavated in Calvard”. Even back then, we had wanted him to be involved in the Calvard arc to some degree as part of its setup. In fact, Kevin is the protagonist in Trails in the Sky the 3rd, a game where important keywords such as “Rufina” and “Pope” appear. Keeping that in mind, we internally decided, “Rean and Kevin have to appear in this work”. As for the participants of each route, Van’s route would naturally include the members of Arkride Solutions Office whose story we’ve been following thus far and Rean’s route is composed of individuals connected to Thors’ Class VII that are also active outside of Erebonia. Kevin’s route is the exception here where we only put them together with the Picnicking Front after going, “Wouldn’t it be funny to put them together?” …Honestly, I think it turned out pretty well (laughs).

President Kondo

Correct. I believe there’s a high possibility he’ll be involved at some point, but for now, we’ve seen involvement from many characters connected to the Septian Church. In order to appropriately prioritize appearances, we decided to hold off on him this time.

President Kondo

Well, these kinds of “crime-related” quests have been a constant since Trails from Zero but they weren’t popular with players back then. This isn’t the case now though, in fact, these quests have become a huge discussion point amongst players catching even our staff off guard. However, it wasn’t our intention to directly confront contemporary real-life issues. When showcasing Calvard, we included elements of realistic criminal organizations and various crime-affiliated cases since we felt players might empathize with such a world. On that note, I sometimes hear internationals players comment,” This is the first time I’ve seen a JRPG properly confront immigration policies and racism.” However, we’re not offering concrete solutions to those problems though it is encouraging to receive positive feedback for engaging with them.

President Kondo

One of the glaring flaws of the battle system was this consistent notion, “Strong enemies should only be fought in command battles.” We added ZOC and Awakening as systems to allow players to fight strong enemies in field battles as well. Another very simple but player-like mentality within our own staff was, “We want to use Van as Grendel in field battles.” And so, Awakening was designed to indulge in that. In terms of ZOC, there was a request from our scenario team asking, “Would it be possible to express Marduk’s technology as a core functionality of the game?” which prompted the system to be added.

President Kondo

I can’t really dive into details on that just yet (laughs) but I’d like you to remember what happened at Trion Tower. After Agnes went into her Tuner Mode and held up both her hands, the eight clock faces appeared in the air, right? From that moment, she intervenes on the Sept-Terrion of Time and temporarily stops the Grand Reset… but the clock faces are also a hint, it will have a significant impact on what she was specifically attempting to do. This is something to remember going forward. As for the purpose behind Agnes’ actions and how it will all come together, I hope you continue thinking about these questions as you wait for the next installment.

President Kondo

There’s a scene where Agnes was summoned by Dr. Hamilton and entered Trion Tower alone. Van knew of this and was concerned. This moment was certainly a turning point in her life, of course. As for whether she learned of her own role before or after the meeting at Trion Tower.. that’s something I’ll keep to myself for now. Additionally, in the prologue, during the scene where Van and the cast reminisce over their daily lives, we witness a scene where Agnes receives an email. It’s implied to be a message from Dr. Hamilton. We can say for certain that Agnes and Dr. Hamilton has been in contact since that time without any doubt.

President Kondo

Judging from Gramheart’s dialogue, it’s likely that both Lilia and Sophie had repeated something similar to Agnes’ own burden. We can also assume that the cause behind Sophie’s untimely death had some connection to this as well.

President Kondo

I assumed it was going to be brought up at some point in interviews but.. surprisingly, nobody talked about it so I’m relieved (laughs). Across Falcom’s works there have been a lot of important “box”-shaped items: there’s Napishtim’s Ark in Ys VI, Recluse Cube in Trails in the Sky the 3rd and now, this which is in a similar shape.

President Kondo

It sealed off the Zemurian continent as a closed world for observation, interfering with people’s thoughts to ensure they never conceive the idea of a world existing beyond itself. It also possesses the terrifying power to rewind everything through the ‘Grand Reset’ if anyone so much as encroached on that taboo.

President Kondo

In this work, it rose when Humanity voyaged into outer space. However, it is also explained there have been instances in the past where this value has decreased. An example of this would be during the Great Twilight in Erebonia. It was during this time when the Divine Knight influenced by human malice, Ishmelga, nearly became an absolute being known as the Great One. However, despite the circumstances behind this event, the SiN value had decreased. I’d like you to ask yourself why the value decreased and speculate about what the SiN value truly represents. Another hint could lie in the eight Oct-Genesis’ being observation devices and considering what they were truly observing.

President Kondo

This particular choice has no deeper meaning. We simply drafted up several options for which character to use and decided upon this. In fact, we chose “焔” rather than “火” for the Sept-Terrion of Fire with a similar approach. Similarly, 焔 refers to a living flame that has the ability to both destroy and purify. When splitting up the kanji, you get a combination that strictly refers to “flames that declare themselves”. 火 is the colloquial form of fire. The former is what is used for the Sept-Terrion of Fire in Japanese.

President Kondo

Who can say? (laughs) But if you think about what we’ve done so far in the series with previous Trails games, they should definitely exist, so it’s entirely possible we’ve already seen them.

President Kondo

Per Novartis’ own account, in the 19,998th world, such a person definitely did exist as Epstein’s only disciple. I can’t share about how Novartis exists in this current iteration just yet but we’ve laid hints all across the series for what this might be, so I’d suggest trying to find them. It isn’t just what happened at Grim Garten, after all, various events are happening around Van and everyone else, it’s possible that all of them are connected.

President Kondo

That’s correct. Actually, incorporating Novartis wasn’t in the original draft. During production, I made a personal request to the staff, “From this installment forward we need to dig deeper into Ouroboros, or it’ll be tough to explore them later.” and they agreed to adjust it. Of course, Ouroboros is one of the aspects of the world players are most curious about. It’s for this reason we decided to incorporate Grim Garten, as a staging ground for depicting Ouroboros. By the end, the information the player receives from Novartis is a key piece of the puzzle and his own struggle ended up being quite intense, wasn’t it? That climactic moment at the deepest level of the Garten was a highlight of its own and served an important purpose in revealing just what fueled his obsession.. or maybe his delusions, bordering on madness.

President Kondo

Well, in addition to Novartis, Simeon and Ulrica also appear in Grim Garten. It’s amusing how Ulrica is a very animated and high-energy character but might actually be the most sensible person in that group (laughs). Most of the Ouroboros members involved in this plan have already appeared, so now it’s just a matter of digging even deeper into them. Please look forward to them in the next work.

President Kondo

It’s akin to the personal data of people who have lived in previous looped worlds.. or something like that. As for how it works and who created it? That’s something I won’t share at this time. However, the depths have remain open so it’s not entirely impossible that more information or secrets lay within.

President Kondo

Valis was conceived as a maritime city-state, considering the geography, we can assume there isn’t a direct connection to inland nations like the Holy Iskan Empire. The presentation of numbers might imply a relationship but it’s fine to treat them as separate entities– no need to read too much into it.

President Kondo

Reasonably, it’s unlikely that each loop was the same. As for whether there were significant changes across Zemuria such as the balance of power across nations, that’s something we’ll leave you to see yourself in the next work.

President Kondo

Those [worlds] are entirely separate. For example, there’s a detail that McBurn speaks a foreign language. That language is entirely outside of the linguistic framework of Zemuria which is an indication that he comes from a world entirely different from Zemuria.

President Kondo

Given what we know, it’s not unsurprising that such exceptions might have existed. Of course, there are factors that caused the time-span of these worlds to shift significantly. These elements will absolutely play a role in the story going forward.

President Kondo

If we don’t limit ourselves to solely Marduk, the possibility is high. Across the continent of Zemuria, there’s numerous “ancient Artifacts” being unearthed, some of which are exceptionally extraordinary. For example, the Septian Church’s Merkabah used by the Dominion, are powered by an artifact known as the Heavenly Chariot which is a technology unlike anything else. It diverges significantly from what exists currently in Zemuria. Then, there’s also Olivier’s “Sonorous Seashell”. Though it’s on a smaller scale, it’s another example of how artifacts can serve as catalysts for breakthroughs in existing technology at that time.

President Kondo

The Grand Reset is an inevitability, it would have occurred regardless even with that window of time. Considering this time limit, there is no margin for error and you have to account for recovery especially if it fails. Given the nature of the plan, you can’t rely on other nations to take the information you provide at face-value and cooperate. And if you propose collaboration, information regarding the plan could leak and sabotage the entire operation. For that reason, Gramheart simply wanted to execute the plan as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the plan was progressing so smoothly he could advance the timeline on the notion that, “So long as all preparations are complete, the sooner we can do this, the better.” Agnes’ birthday coinciding with the final stage of the plan appeared to be a cruel irony based on the series of coincidences leading up to this event.

President Kondo

It seems that Dr. Hamilton was responsible for carrying out a certain action, and given the line about “both spacetime and causality collapsing”, we can say the two are related.

President Kondo

Not all artifacts fall into this category, but some of them do– including the ones Kevin had mentioned as far back as Trails in the Sky SC.

President Kondo

There’s been quite a few of them up until now. It makes you wonder about even the oldest artifacts, like the Chronos Rod Mayor Delmore had (laughs). It might even be fun to go through them one by one and take a good look at them before the next work.

President Kondo

Dr. Hamilton appears to have made several in order to achieve her goals. What she did could be described as something “truly blasphemous” but it also demonstrates how far she was willing to take Dr. Epstein’s resolve, going so far as to dirty her hands to see it through. Of course, the Alter Core’s were a necessary step to achieve that goal. But actually, the Alter Core’s aren’t just a copy of the Oct-Geneses since some modifications have been carried out. It’s more appropriate to say that the Alter Core is something Dr. Hamilton created with her own hands to achieve Dr. Epstein’s goals.

President Kondo

The existence of the Remnants, among which include the deceased, is one of this work’s major mysteries. And there are several ways to interpret their presence. They could have been resurrected through some means, or maybe they came from a certain moment of time in a previous Zemuria. I can’t go into details at this time but please be confident, this will be explored in the next work so I hope you look forward to their story.

President Kondo

Well, he appeared incredibly early in Trails through Daybreak I and then left the narrative just as quickly. However, he’s a character that leaves an impression on you. The way he interacts with Agnes has this uncanny and almost realistically off-setting creepiness to it. For me personally, seeing him on screen again was a surprise (laughs).

President Kondo

Logically speaking, it wouldn’t be strange for more to appear but I wonder how that’d work. Speaking of, the members are limited to people connected directly to Calvard. Theoretically speaking, it wouldn’t be impossible for someone outside of Calvard to appear in this group but since this is Calvard’s story, we limited it to just that. People who have no unfinished business in their lives won’t show up.. for example, the Iron-Blooded Chancellor and the Bladelord. That’s why Melchior is present but Gerard isn’t.

President Kondo

The opening will feature several big developments and concepts that we haven’t tackled before. Throughout the ending of Trails Beyond the Horizon we provide imagery of time rewinding which will tie into how the next work starts. I hope you enjoy rewatching that ending carefully and with scrutiny while anticipating how they will connect to the next.

President Kondo

It isn’t over yet, no. We did have a moment where Agnes confessed her feelings to Van, but given how this work ended, what happens next is something I hope players will continue to watch unfold. Elaine and Van’s relationship was touched on a bit through Connect Events but their bond is defined in conjunction with their shared childhood friend, Kincaid. Of course, he ended up taking on Grendel in his own way… so I hope people will remember this aspect as well. Kincaid is by no means a minor character amongst staff, his motivations and arc was carefully crafted to address why he became Grendel and his motivations for cooperating with Dr. Hamilton. With these details in mind, I’d like players to think about what lies ahead for both Van and Elaine.

President Kondo

Throughout this work, we aimed to consistently depict his very “human” side. There’s another figure who was also a father and led a nation, Erebonia’s Osborne, but Gramheart is rather different from him. To put it bluntly, I think players were able to really appreciate that Gramheart is a ‘very human character’.

President Kondo

For him, his family took top priority. There were many lines that conveyed his feelings for his family, and those comments can be taken exactly at face-value.

President Kondo

That particular story thread hasn’t concluded yet, it’s one such detail that will carry over into what comes next. After all, you received the Witch’s Medallion but you haven’t yet been able to give it to Agnes…

President Kondo

I can’t say it’s unimportant. It’s a detail tied deeply to Agnes’ identity, so as I mentioned previously, I hope you look forward to it as a storyline that will play an important part to what comes next. Besides, when it comes to these details, sidequests included, it’s not uncommon for the Trails series to depict events that span across multiple titles. Depending on the flags the player sets in a previous game, certain developments can occur in the following entry. For example, in this particular work both Viola and Alexandre from Almata return, a group Arkride Solutions Office has fought previously. Back in Trails through Daybreak I, the player was prompted with a choice to spare them or kill them, right? If you have save data from Trails through Daybreak I, the choice you made then is reflected in Trails Beyond the Horizon resulting in slightly different dialogue. It’s a small detail but we’re happy when players enjoy even these small nuances.

President Kondo

I hope you’ll look forward to it.

President Kondo

I can’t say whether someone he directly opposes will appear among the Vestiges but when it comes Bergard, he has ties to the Septian Church and disciples scattered all across the continent– including Van. We aim to continue showcasing his stance of watching over and supporting his students as they walk their respective paths.

President Kondo

It is related to Ikaruga but, if anything, it’s more connected to the missive of the Black God One Blade school itself. There’s a line during her fight with Rean where she states, “To prevent this world’s destruction, our master instructed me in the ways of the Black God” and that serves as a key piece of the puzzle.

President Kondo

Well, in Shizuna’s case it’s less romance and more curiosity and personal interest. The fact that she chose to fight alongside the Arkride Solutions Office members rather than face Rean at the end shows she instinctively senses something in Van and is motivated by a strong interest in him. How much of that is romantic remains unclear but.. perhaps..

President Kondo

Shigeru Chiba’s voice work is truly masterful. We considered several other options but no one else fit the role more than him. By the way, Chiba-san also appeared in Ys X as a nameless old man, and during Yun Ka-Fai’s recording session jokingly asked, “Can I just do the same performance as last time?” (laughs)

President Kondo

“The end” is what Yun refers to as, “Heavensturn”, in other words, the world’s reset. It’s not anything related to his own life or death. Apparently his health checkup didn’t go so well but he doesn’t seem like the type of guy who’s going to die anytime soon (laughs).

President Kondo

Transcending the heavens refers to phenomena that go beyond human comprehension– concepts like the Sept-Terrion or the Grand Reset. To surpass them through refining one’s swordsmanship connects to the idea of attaining such a level through the path of the sword. Reaching such a state is often depicted as the natural goal in both martial arts and swordsmanship. The events depicted in this work (Grand Reset) is undoubtedly a phenomenon that transcends the natural order of the world, and how one confronts it with their sword is what is demanded of Rean and Shizuna.

President Kondo

Kurogane’s background has been revealed and Shizuna’s guardian, Kaeda, also made her appearance. When the opportunity arises, I’d love to properly dive more deeply into the stories of these three characters together.

President Kondo

“Who is the strongest?” That’s a question we get asked often, even by overseas media, and it’s not one we can easily answer. Even if we assume Shizuna is currently stronger, Rean’s sword had previously broken only after he was caught off guard and withstood Kurogane’s unrelenting assault. Had the two faced each other fairly, his sword wouldn’t have broken. However, considering his unmatched potential for growth and rate of improvement, the gap has become marginal. Still, Shizuna seems to be searching for herself. She’s grown in various ways through her encounters with Van and the others so the current image we have is of the two growing neck-to-neck with the gap between them narrowing.

President Kondo

To be clear, the events unfolding right now will shape the future of the Zemurian continent as a whole. After being so involved, there’s no way they’d return to Erebonia without doing something– so Rean and the others will certainly return, their mechs as well. That said, though the world has reached a point where anything could happen, it’s still unclear whether the situation will escalate to the point of a Divine Knight resurrecting, like we had seen at the end of Trails into Reverie.

President Kondo

He interacted with Dr. Hamilton in his capacity as an astronomer but it’s still not clear just how much he had known of Hamilton’s schemes. Though, given Dr. Hamilton’s personality, it’s likely they tried not to involve anyone who didn’t need to be involved. Conversely, it’s entirely possible that Towa’s grandfather picked up on Dr. Hamilton’s dealings. After all, he was incredibly capable.

President Kondo

Honestly, she clearly has more lines here than all of Trails of Cold Steel (laughs). It was a pleasant development for us as well. Once we actually incorporated her into the game, she ended up being an incredibly active character who was quite versatile no matter the situation she found herself in. Even the scenario writers got on to calling it a “happy accident”. Though she should have been sticking close to Rean, we repeatedly see her acting separately the second anyone looks away, it’s rather mysterious, isn’t it? It seems to be foreshadowing that something might be happening between the engineering-related members. The activities of the West Zemurian Tech Union, in particular, haven’t been depicted and characters like Lila from the Liberl Kingdom have now appeared, so be sure to keep an eye on what developments might happen next.

President Kondo

Well.. is he actually going to get away with it? (laughs) Ries likely understands Kevin better than anyone else. That said, whether Ries is going to appear going forward is something I’ll have to keep to myself.

President Kondo

These two are Dominion marked with a Stigma, so they fully understand what Dr. Hamilton did was wholly unforgivable. That said, they chose to protect Dr. Hamilton of their own volition, aware that their actions aren’t in line with their duties as Dominion. I don’t doubt they have their own conflicts and thoughts regarding that decision.

President Kondo

Rufus, especially, seemed to adopt a refreshingly carefree attitude (laughs). It’s like he fully relaxed, or became somewhat more composed… though his status as a major criminal hasn’t changed. Still, he’s broke, driving a rental car and just generally portrayed in a very entertaining way.

President Kondo

She’s always been a very curious individual after all, and the fact that she “isn’t human” is a truth Lapis must continue to confront. In that sense, she’s still a character with a lot more development to overcome. And Rufus, who was in turn saved by her, has also significantly changed as a character. Because of that dynamic, the Picnicking Front has become a truly unique force even within the Trails series. After all, you’ve got a major criminal, a Rosenberg doll and former assassins hanging out together, it’s not at all a typical team composition. Yet, there’s this consistent atmosphere which compels you to watch over them… I think players who experienced it will understand exactly what I mean.

President Kondo

The scoring is totally based on Lapis’ own unique sensibilities (laughs). It’s certainly not derived from her function as the former management AI of Elysium. This time, Agnes managed to score a perfect 102 points, totally over the limit, but it’s a pretty arbitrary system so even the highest of scores may well get updated in the future.

President Kondo

The two of them have faced trial after trial, time and time again, but even though Melchior was part of the Garden, he was in a completely different unit so there’s almost no direct connection. Of course, should it be that Swin and Naida confronted that lunatic, they might reflect on it but there would be no real grudge or deep connection there. With that in mind, if the Emperor were to resurrect, I’m sure neither of them would have a pleasant reaction…

President Kondo

As for Heiyue, they’re a council of multiple houses so it wouldn’t be surprising if each house acted according to their agenda. Among them, Ashen has been taking unusual strides, sometimes appearing with Elsaim, other times appearing with Mint. She seems to be acting on her own volition, and we can interpret that as foreshadowing for what she might do going forward.

President Kondo

It was an incredibly sudden proposal (laughs). As for Rixia, the “Conquest King”... er, rather, Lloyd the protagonist of Crossbell, who knows where his attention is or what he’s doing, so who knows how things will turn out.

President Kondo

It’s already been mentioned that both have relatives in Calvard. For Elie, it isn’t just her father but also acquaintances from the time she spent studying abroad. Creating these connections spanning across multiple countries and showcasing them is one of the most unique joys special to the Trails series. Though, just because some related characters appear doesn’t necessarily mean Lloyd and the others will show up in the next work. They have their own duties as Crossbell police officers, so compared to Rean and his group, their position restricts them quite a bit.

President Kondo

Campanella takes note that the Saint of the End’s power is comparable to that of the Grandmaster’s but their natures are completely different. It would be more accurate to interpret as both being capable of wielding equally tremendous power. Both the Grandmaster and the Saint of the End have their respective roles to play, and both possess the strength necessary to fulfill them.

President Kondo

The conflict with Ix hasn’t yet been resolved and we’ll need to give it the proper focus to properly and fully showcase her story. Even within the Trails series, she’s written as a relatively “modern” character. Her personality is complex and there’s an element of, “Yeah, you might see girls like this in real life.” Maybe because of that, her popularity amongst players has skyrocketed in this work.

President Kondo

I found the way they fought as siblings evocative and real. I sincerely hope they manage to make up in the end. Objectively speaking though, Ixs bears a significant amount of the blame here (laughs).

President Kondo

He presents a very distinctive and dandy, “not just an everyman”, aura. This was an intentional design decision for him. One important thing to remember is what Lucrezia had mentioned: though he has seniority over other Enforcers, his number is intentionally placed after. Enforcer numbers are assigned in the order they join, so there is an important reason why he is specifically designated as No. VII.

President Kondo

“Recency” is relative: No. XVII Shirley from the Red Constellation joined and afterwards we saw No. XIX Cedric, the crown prince of Erebonia. Ulrica would have to have joined sometime between the two. You can also reasonably hypothesize when she had joined based on the fact she streams–a concept that only really caught on after the Crossbell Orbal Network was established.

President Kondo

Turns out her streaming is just a hobby (laughs). Honestly, it was kind of entertaining to see her using her “Power Words” ability on her own boss, in this instance Dr. Novartis.

President Kondo

It must have been a memorable moment for those following the Trails series from the very beginning. Walter, Zin and Kilika, the inheritors of Taito, have been part of the story since as far back as the Liberl arc. And when we started work on the Calvard arc, the staff felt we needed to do something to bring these threads to some form of a conclusion. Kilika has appeared since Trails in the Sky FC, initially as a receptionist for the Bracer Guild with a background from Calvard, and the rivalry between Zin and Walter has been brewing since Trails in the Sky SC. For Walter, the more we thought about his arc, the more softened and well-rounded he became as a character. For Kilika there’s Angelica who was taught by Kilika and Lynn, a Crossbellan Bracer. And for example, Zin who is on the brink of being promoted to an S-rank Bracer. We wanted to properly depict each of these three following their own paths.

President Kondo

We haven’t decided. It’s possible that we could explore it more in depth through the Reminiscence Pedestal in Grim Garten.

President Kondo

It was designed to highlight Harwood’s cunning and ruthless nature. It was also written to convey the strength of the Order of the Moonlight Horse before some of its members were absorbed into Ouroboros… actually, it almost felt like watching a real-world corporate acquisition and merger play out before your eyes (laughs).

President Kondo

I won’t deny the possibility but admittedly, we always struggle with how much of these elements we can truly explore while progressing the main scenario. Essentially, we set priorities and proceed with production doing as much as we can. Whatever doesn't fit gets left for whenever the next opportunity presents itself. On a slightly different note, the Connect Event showcasing Elaine’s relationship with Van is something that should have been included within the main scenario. It’s an event that explains why Van has such a sweet tooth… but even that had to be relegated to a Connect Event. At this moment, there are so many elements crucial to the conclusion that need to be addressed in the main story which makes it a challenge. It’s for that reason we’ve made it possible to see everything within your first playthrough by using Grim Garten. These days so many forms of entertainment are now available. We can’t assume that everyone will do multiple playthroughs. From our perspective, as creators, it would be a shame if players couldn’t see all the content we worked so hard to create so this felt like the appropriate implementation.

President Kondo

I can’t say for certain if they will be present in the next installment but I’m confident they will appear at some point. They’re active in eastern Zemuria currently, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they made an appearance during the story’s climax.

President Kondo

We don’t want to keep players waiting too long. That said, with Trails in the Sky the 1st, being positioned to release in the interim, it’s difficult to release a sequel to Trails Beyond the Horizon immediately. However, the story itself– what happens, how the scenario progresses– has naturally already been decided. Our next steps now, alongside the production of Trails in the Sky the 1st, is to start thinking about how to handle the conclusion of the Trails series. From there, we’ll incorporate our decisions for the finale of this series and work them into the story, refining the ending of the Calvard arc. That’s when we’ll truly begin the development process. We plan to complete this stage of development before the year is over, and once done, the release time frame will become much clearer. We’re going to do nothing but our absolute best in production so we hope players can look forward to it, and appreciate your patience.

President Kondo

There’s a certain steadiness unique to Trails in the Sky. Even from the footage we’ve already released, we’ve received so many comments along the lines of, “The graphics don’t feel like what you’d normally expect from Falcom, and that’s good.” Honestly, we’re not always sure how to take that (laughs). It’s been 20 years now since the original release, and we recognize that players have a certain romance of Trails in the Sky. This includes Estelle’s cheerful personality, the brilliant world she travels through and the fresh, classic feel of a classic adventure story. For this particular remake, we intentionally shifted our usual direction and simply asked each designed to focus solely on, “conveying Estelle’s energy and the scenic beauty of the Liberl Kingdom through the screen in every aspect.” Watching the team work from a distance on this project, the colors and vibrant imagery were striking. That’s what you see reflected in the PV footage. The staff has been working with a lot of enthusiasm, and while this is a remake, we hope it will feel fresh even to players familiar with the original. We know that some people might be hesitant to jump into the Trails series because of its dense volume. With this remake, we want to offer something that new players can start with comfortably. And if we’re being a tiny bit ambitious, we hope it could even serve as a first RPG for people who have never played one before. With these points in mind, we’re aiming to create something with a different atmosphere from the usual Trails game, so please look forward to it.

President Kondo

I don’t think we’ll be adding details regarding the looping world from Trails Beyond the Horizon. However, whether it’s the world or systems, the Trails series has built up a lot over the past 20 years. There are naturally some elements that make you think, “Shouldn’t this be included?” and it’s those things we want to incorporate but the degree of which is still under consideration.

President Kondo

At this point, we haven’t made a decision. However, the sequel to Trails Beyond the Horizon is planned for release at least on PlayStation. Whether we expand to other platforms will be a consideration going forward.

President Kondo

As you’ve seen in Trails Beyond the Horizon, we’ve now reached the climax. To make it official, the climax has officially begun. Those who have cleared the game can certainly feel that we’re starting to move this series to its conclusion. The staff have gone all out visually on this work, experimenting with things that would have been nigh impossible in previous Trails games such as the various motion sequences and the depiction of space. Riding this momentum, we’ll continue to move ever-forward towards the conclusion of the Calvard arc and ultimately to the conclusion of the Trails series. As we’ve mentioned before, the next work will deliver Trails to a definitive 90% of the overall series storyline, and that hasn’t changed. Having worked on this series for 20 years, we don’t want it to end poorly. We want to deliver a conclusion that satisfies everyone and leaves us feeling proud as creators. We ask for your continued support as we get closer to that goal.

President Kondo

We’ve approached Trails Beyond the Horizon with the mindset of including everything we wanted from start to finish, so at the moment, there are no plans. Grim Garten functions as endgame content, and ideally we’d love to create something to bridge the gap until the sequel but realistically that seems challenging at this time.

President Kondo

I can’t say for certain if they’ll all make an appearance but, given the circumstances of the world, it wouldn’t be surprising if a few appeared.

President Kondo

Renne’s birthday hasn’t been officially decided yet but the staff have been actively discussing this detail saying, “We should probably figure it out soon.” In the Trails series, we often don't explicitly set the characters' birthdays. Trails in the Sky FC had a fortune-telling machine, so we decided on birthdays internally for cast members like Estelle. Since then, we didn’t decide on any birthday’s during the Crossbell arc, and for the Erebonia arc, we only set birthdays for the Thors students as a pre-order bonus file from Dengeki. If the opportunity arises, we’d like to properly decide and introduce these birthdays with everyone.

President Kondo

There is actually one scenario writer who is not only a foodie but a sauna enthusiast as well. You can assume any food or sauna-related writing comes solely from them. Whenever a new restaurant opens up near the company, they go and check it out immediately and during lunch breaks, they’re always visiting the best places to eat. During COVID-19, quarantine restrictions prevented them from traveling out so, in response, they bought a tent-type sauna from an outdoor specialty store and used it at home. When Van’s love of saunas was first introduced as a core character trait, it was immediately obvious who had written it (laughs).

President Kondo

Since her identity is meant to be unknown, we’ve had different voice actors perform the role each time in order to avoid revealing it. However, with this work we can finally reveal its Inori Minase, who also plays Altina. She was also the voice actress for Trails into Reverie as well. That said, we want to make it explicitly clear the Grandmaster’s true identity is not Altina.

President Kondo

No, the costumes weren’t designed by Dr. Epstein. The Phantanox Compact essentially realizes the image of what the user thinks a Phantom Thief should look like, manifesting their outfit. So the designs, naturally, differ for Dominique, Chloe and Judith.

President Kondo

We’ve been getting a number of requests for this so we’ll keep it in mind (laughs).