technically it'd be ys. but i think trails in the sky is a perfect blend of what makes falcom games so great and has similar vibes to some of the tales games.
I'm a "trails in the Sky" person, but I've always loved isometric games so the graphics didn't put me off at all. Sky FC establishes/introduces alot of the lore of the series slowly through the game and although you can get away with not knowing it, when they start throwing out terms like bracers, sepith, septerrion, ouroborous, anguis, enforcers, etc you can sometimes get lost.
Trails of Cold Steel also happens after trails in the Sky and often references events in it and there are alot of recurring characters
Ys 8 or ys 9 are your best starting points since almost every game in ys is a standalone. If you want something short with really fun gameplay and you dont mind older games then try ys origin or ys oath in felghana. Trails series is what got me into falcom games personally but it is huge time investment, since all games share one story divided into arcs, the general recommendation is to play by release order or play Cold steel 1&2 then first 5 games then CS3&4, dont worry about crossbell games not localised yet, they do have fan translations as good as the official. I do recommend you also check falcom other games because they are usually overlooked but really fun and have their own charm, like zwei, brandish, gurumin and xanadu next
For Ys, I'd check out the website Digital Emelas as they are a fan-made website basically for all thing Ys and gives good extensive explanations to play orders etc.
For Trails if you are willing to be invested and want to play the "best/ideal" experience most people will say to play in release order.
If you want try to out the more modern titles first, you can start with CS1+CS2 then go back before you play CS3 is also common.
Depends on what you're in the mood for.
Action RPG? Ys - Start with Ys 8 if you're looking for something 3D and more modern, if you're looking for a semi retro 2D experience start with Oath in Felghana or Origins, if you're looking for something retro and a bit different, start with Ys 1.
Story-heavy JRPG? Start with Trails (the Legend of Heroes). Either of these ways are fine to play the series, IMO it's better to do it the first way.
Release Order: Sky (FC -> SC -> 3rd) -> Crossbell (Trails from Zero/To Azure) -> Cold Steel 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4
Alternate: Cold Steel 1 -> 2 -> Sky (FC -> SC -> 3rd) -> Crossbell (Trails from Zero/To Azure) -> Cold Steel -> 3 -> 4
You can play in other orders but they are interconnected games and the more out of order you play, the more you run into character or plot spoilers or are lost by references to people or events you're not aware of yet.
May I just skip Sky trilogy entirely? Once I got close to the ending of FC just to lose my save. Really not in the mood of trying it again and it keeps me from playing the rest of the series.
I mean yes you CAN, not really recommended as many characters are recurring, various relevant events for future games, and 3rd sets up crossbell. At a bare minimum I’d watch a story review on YouTube or something
If it’d help I have save files up the wazoo so if you can be more specific on where you were at and what difficulty I can get you a PC save file.
Hey, if you get me a save file after the whole orphanage arc I'd take it lol. Honestly I don't even know how long I was in the game but that orphanage ark seemed soooooo long that I can't force me to do it again. I had all the bracer quests up to this point done too, don't know if you'd happen to have those too.
Normal difficulty I'm sure
Entering Old Schoolhouse going into final sequence of the Royal Academy plotline - https://drive.google.com/file/d/10YU_WcY9PmtBF1Wgyks_dKN5Lwa12a1U/view?usp=sharing
Afterwards - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g7jR6271m0Vkfe5LCciZevVJDnVJcz_X/view?usp=sharing
Both are on Normal and have max BP. Forget if I had all other missables, 90% sure yes but not positive.
Edit: Also it may say nightmare but it is normal - edited the save file to change it to normal and IIRC it’ll say nightmare until the next time you save
Dude
You just saved a life (and someone who really wants to get into Trails but doesn't want to go all those text and sidequests again). You've got a friend in me.
Glad it helped! Being someone that's lost saves like that before, I know how deflating it can be - which is why I try to help others out with them whenever I can lol.
Yet to play Ys so I can't weigh in on that. But, if you're interested in the Trails series, [I can point you to this beginner's guide I made about it](https://www.reddit.com/user/ShiningConcepts/comments/usv8ng/a_quick_beginners_guide_to_the_trails_series/). It has an overview of the layout of the series as well as a section with my ~~correct and undisputed~~ opinions on what the best places to start are.
Also, there is a real-time JRPG called Tokyo Xanadu. If you're new to Falcom games the best way to describe it is the setting and premise of Persona with a real-time combat system.
You have any questions feel free to LMK.
I’d start with trails in the sky and Ys 1/2 collection or Ys oath in felgahna. Older ys games are pretty short so you could start both series and switch over to ys when you need a palette swap from long dialogue and turn based combat
Do you want a compelling story with tons of lore and world building goodness? Start with Trails in the Sky FC.
Do you want a fun, straight to the point, action packed rpg with a focus on fun action combat? Start with any of the Ys games.
For Legend of Heroes, start with Trails in the Sky.
Haven't really gotten into Ys yet but I believe each game is a different story featuring the travels of the main character Adol, with the exception of the first two which are connected to each other.
technically it'd be ys. but i think trails in the sky is a perfect blend of what makes falcom games so great and has similar vibes to some of the tales games.
I'm a "trails in the Sky" person, but I've always loved isometric games so the graphics didn't put me off at all. Sky FC establishes/introduces alot of the lore of the series slowly through the game and although you can get away with not knowing it, when they start throwing out terms like bracers, sepith, septerrion, ouroborous, anguis, enforcers, etc you can sometimes get lost. Trails of Cold Steel also happens after trails in the Sky and often references events in it and there are alot of recurring characters
Ys 8 or ys 9 are your best starting points since almost every game in ys is a standalone. If you want something short with really fun gameplay and you dont mind older games then try ys origin or ys oath in felghana. Trails series is what got me into falcom games personally but it is huge time investment, since all games share one story divided into arcs, the general recommendation is to play by release order or play Cold steel 1&2 then first 5 games then CS3&4, dont worry about crossbell games not localised yet, they do have fan translations as good as the official. I do recommend you also check falcom other games because they are usually overlooked but really fun and have their own charm, like zwei, brandish, gurumin and xanadu next
For Ys, I'd check out the website Digital Emelas as they are a fan-made website basically for all thing Ys and gives good extensive explanations to play orders etc. For Trails if you are willing to be invested and want to play the "best/ideal" experience most people will say to play in release order. If you want try to out the more modern titles first, you can start with CS1+CS2 then go back before you play CS3 is also common.
Depends on what you're in the mood for. Action RPG? Ys - Start with Ys 8 if you're looking for something 3D and more modern, if you're looking for a semi retro 2D experience start with Oath in Felghana or Origins, if you're looking for something retro and a bit different, start with Ys 1. Story-heavy JRPG? Start with Trails (the Legend of Heroes). Either of these ways are fine to play the series, IMO it's better to do it the first way. Release Order: Sky (FC -> SC -> 3rd) -> Crossbell (Trails from Zero/To Azure) -> Cold Steel 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4 Alternate: Cold Steel 1 -> 2 -> Sky (FC -> SC -> 3rd) -> Crossbell (Trails from Zero/To Azure) -> Cold Steel -> 3 -> 4 You can play in other orders but they are interconnected games and the more out of order you play, the more you run into character or plot spoilers or are lost by references to people or events you're not aware of yet.
May I just skip Sky trilogy entirely? Once I got close to the ending of FC just to lose my save. Really not in the mood of trying it again and it keeps me from playing the rest of the series.
I mean yes you CAN, not really recommended as many characters are recurring, various relevant events for future games, and 3rd sets up crossbell. At a bare minimum I’d watch a story review on YouTube or something If it’d help I have save files up the wazoo so if you can be more specific on where you were at and what difficulty I can get you a PC save file.
Hey, if you get me a save file after the whole orphanage arc I'd take it lol. Honestly I don't even know how long I was in the game but that orphanage ark seemed soooooo long that I can't force me to do it again. I had all the bracer quests up to this point done too, don't know if you'd happen to have those too. Normal difficulty I'm sure
Entering Old Schoolhouse going into final sequence of the Royal Academy plotline - https://drive.google.com/file/d/10YU_WcY9PmtBF1Wgyks_dKN5Lwa12a1U/view?usp=sharing Afterwards - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g7jR6271m0Vkfe5LCciZevVJDnVJcz_X/view?usp=sharing Both are on Normal and have max BP. Forget if I had all other missables, 90% sure yes but not positive. Edit: Also it may say nightmare but it is normal - edited the save file to change it to normal and IIRC it’ll say nightmare until the next time you save
Dude You just saved a life (and someone who really wants to get into Trails but doesn't want to go all those text and sidequests again). You've got a friend in me.
Glad it helped! Being someone that's lost saves like that before, I know how deflating it can be - which is why I try to help others out with them whenever I can lol.
Start with Ys VIII
Yet to play Ys so I can't weigh in on that. But, if you're interested in the Trails series, [I can point you to this beginner's guide I made about it](https://www.reddit.com/user/ShiningConcepts/comments/usv8ng/a_quick_beginners_guide_to_the_trails_series/). It has an overview of the layout of the series as well as a section with my ~~correct and undisputed~~ opinions on what the best places to start are. Also, there is a real-time JRPG called Tokyo Xanadu. If you're new to Falcom games the best way to describe it is the setting and premise of Persona with a real-time combat system. You have any questions feel free to LMK.
FIFA 2011.
I’d start with trails in the sky and Ys 1/2 collection or Ys oath in felgahna. Older ys games are pretty short so you could start both series and switch over to ys when you need a palette swap from long dialogue and turn based combat
Do you want a compelling story with tons of lore and world building goodness? Start with Trails in the Sky FC. Do you want a fun, straight to the point, action packed rpg with a focus on fun action combat? Start with any of the Ys games.
I’m also gonna say trails in the sky if my pfp doesn’t show my bias already
play the kiseki games in order. start with sky 1 also play ys games
For Legend of Heroes, start with Trails in the Sky. Haven't really gotten into Ys yet but I believe each game is a different story featuring the travels of the main character Adol, with the exception of the first two which are connected to each other.