The Legend of Heroes: Trails of the Beginning Marks the Next ‘Ambitious Title’ in the Trails Series

The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki, or Trails of the Beginning, serves as the next entry in Falcom‘s Trails franchise. It’s set to mark a big step for the series, specifically taking shape as a “turning point” that sets the stage for a conclusion. Release date details are relatively vague, but Falcom has announced the title will hit stores in Japan during the summer of 2020 for PlayStation 4.

According to Gematsu, Falcom is referring to Trails of the Beginning as an “ambitious title and turning point that will lead to the series’ conclusion.” This seemingly suggests that while the summer 2020 installment won’t provide a definitive ending for Trails, it will indeed represent a stepping stone in that general direction. How many more entries in the series will follow before a definitive ending is reached currently remains a mystery.

In announcing The Legend of Heroes: Trails of the Beginning, Falcom shared story details on its official website. The narrative takes place on the continent of Zemuria after the disastrous event called the “Great Twilight,” which greatly debilitated the Empire. Still, Zemuria is primed to survive the catastrophe, largely due to the heroes’ courageous endeavors. Such heroic efforts are not indicative of all being well, however.

Trails of the Beginning features three main characters, all of whom engage in actions throughout Zemuria that lead to the intwining of “troubled destinies.” One main protagonist is a “hero,” another is dubbed “liberator,” and the last takes the title of “hermit.” See all three pictured in the following image gallery:

Falcom plans to introduce several new gameplay systems to accentuate Trails‘ strengths. The “Cross Story” systems counts as but one example, wherein players leisurely “switch between three routes at will to depict stories happening in parallel from different perspectives.” In addition, fans should expect to have access to more than 50 playable characters, a few new ones included. Finally, “Episode” scenarios will offer a deep dive into every character’s origins.

[Source: Falcom via Gematsu]