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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

For anyone wanting to wishlist the remake on Steam, the page went up earlier today:

 

[DrMano]

TITS Trilogy is in my top 5 fav jRPG games. Too bad they'll probably never come to Xbox, my primary console

 

[zokie]

 

[Alexios]

They finally got the style right. The newer stuff didn't look interesting, the first couple of games did and this looks ace. Technically it's probably not far removed but it just looks right this time. Previously I wished they stuck with the Ys Oath/Origin simple style, this one I like & don't mind the change.

 

[mèx]

They finally got the style right. The newer stuff didn't look interesting, the first couple of games did and the remake looks ace. Technically it's probably not far removed but it just looks right this time,. Previously I wished they stuck with the Ys Oath/Origin style, this one I like & don't mind the change.

The current style for Daybreak is fine, Falcom has improved a lot since their early 3D days. In Daybreak, the characters models and combat/craft animations are really cool. The few mocapped cutscenes they have are excellent.

The visual fidelity of the environments is... decent. I wish it were better but I'm fine with it. Remember that they are literally ~60 dudes developing one or multiple games per year.

The big visual aspect in which Falcom hasn't improved much (or not enough) is lighting and shading. Those are still very basic in Daybreak and it hurts the image a lot, it looks very flat at times. I don't expect AAA global illumination and all that shit, but something better that gives more depth to the overall image would be appreciated.

With Sky remake they might get away with simple lighting since the visual is stylized, but still.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

New deets via Gematsu:

Estelle Bright (voiced by Stephanie Sheh in English, Tomoyo Takayanagi in Japanese)

• Age: 16
• Birthdate: August 7
• Weapon: Staff

A bright and determined Bracer trainee of the Guild.
A girl from Liberl Kingdom training to become a Bracer in order to protect the safety of civilians and peace of cities.
A bright, outgoing, and optimistic girl who never gives up, no matter the situation. Her sincere nature leads her to trust others easily, and her actions are often impulsive.
Trained by her father, a veteran Bracer, she possesses considerable combat skills. For the past 5 years, she has been striving to become a Senior Bracer alongside her adopted younger brother, Joshua.




Joshua Bright (voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch in English, Natsumi Fujiwara in Japanese)

• Age: 16
• Birthdate: December 20
• Weapon: Dual Blades

A boy with jet-black hair and amber eyes, burdened by an unknown past.
A boy taken in by the Bright family five years ago. With jet-black hair and amber eyes, he always appears cool and composed. His hobbies include reading and playing the harmonica.
Highly intelligent and level-headed, he often finds himself supporting the impulsive Estelle, keeping her in check.
His past prior to his adoption remains a mystery. There are times when he seems lost in thought, and has a habit of demeaning himself.




Scherazard Harvey (voiced by Michelle Ruff in English, Chika Anzai in Japanese)

• Age: 23
• Birthdate: May 14
• Weapon: Whip

A dependable mentor figure to the protagonists.
A Senior Bracer known by the name of “Silver Flash.” Possesses a powerful and well-trained physique with an alluring beauty.
A former apprentice of Estelle’s father, Cassius, and serves as a big sister figure to Estelle and the others. Has a caring and protective personality, but is also known for her love of alcohol and she tends to get a bit too clingy when drunk.
As a mentor, she keeps an eye on Estelle and the others, offering them support and guidance as they grow.




Olivier Lenheim (voiced by Matthew Mercer in English, Takehito Koyasu in Japanese)

• Age: 25
• Birthdate: April 1
• Weapon: Orbal Gun

A wandering musician hailing from the empire.
A mysterious traveling musician from the great northern nation, the Erebonian Empire.
Musically gifted, he can play everything from the piano to the lute, but tends to be extremely self-absorbed. Often confuses those around him with his unpredictable words and actions, but that same unpredictability also comes in handy at times.
Has sharp insight, as he instantly saw through the identities of Estelle and the others upon their first meeting. His reason and purpose for visiting the Liberl Kingdom is completely unknown.




Agate Crosner (voiced by Ben Pronsky in English, Taku Yashiro in Japanese)

• Age: 24
• Birthdate: July 30
• Weapon: Great Sword

A Bracer who is abrasive but a good person at heart.
A young Bracer with the strength to wield a massive sword, earning him the nickname “Heavy Blade.”
Blunt and ill-mannered, he tends to treat the inexperienced Estelle and Joshua harshly. However, his skill as a Bracer is undeniable, and is deeply trusted by those around him.
He seems to be investigating a particular case, gathering information while traveling across the Liberl Kingdom alone.




Kloe Rinz (voiced by Cristina Vee in English, Hina Youmiya in Japanese)

• Age: 16
• Birthdate: October 11
• Weapon: Rapier

A kind-hearted girl devoted to helping the orphanage.
A student at the prestigious Jenis Royal Academy in the Ruan region.
On her days off, she helps out at a nearby orphanage, where her kind and gentle nature has earned her the trust of the children and the headmistress.
Although they can’t speak the same language, she shares a close bond with the white falcon Sieg.
She becomes acquainted with Estelle and Joshua while visting a nearby village on business related to the orphanage.




Tita Russell (voiced by Brianna Knickerbocker in English, Hikaru Iida in Japanese)

• Age: 12
• Birthdate: May 7
• Weapon: Orban Cannon

A diligent and hardworking grandaughter of an orbal scientist.
The granddaughter of the Orbment scientist, Professor Russell. Warm and cheerful, she has an earnest, pure-hearted nature that makes her beloved by all.
Born into a family of engineers, she has a deep love for machines. Her only flaw is that she loses sight of her surroundings while tinkering with them.
Estelle and Joshua start doting on Tita soon after their first meeting, and she eventually grows to think of them as the older siblings she never had.



Zin Vathek (voiced by Vic Chao in English, Tetsu Inada in Japanese)

• Age: 30
• Birthdate: September 4
• Weapon: Gauntlet

A veteran Bracer with a formidable physique from the Calvard Republic.
A veteran Bracer from the Calvard Republic who has mastered the Taito Style, one of the three great eastern martial arts styles.
Despite his massive, bear-like build, he has a warm and easygoing personality. He is a reliable, big brother figure. However, he has a soft spot for women.
Originally came to the Liberl Kingdom to compete in a martial arts tournament by himself. However, after lending a hand to Estelle and Joshua during their travels, he decides to team up with them instead.

Also, VA announcement trailer (EN and JP):

 

[mèx]

In the background reel there are some new clips. Man, it looks so pretty. The animations are good too. Falcom has come a long way.

Tita busting out the machine gun will never not be funny.

 

[NanaMiku]

New deets via Gematsu:



Also, VA announcement trailer (EN and JP):

Looks like the Japanese cast is changed. The comment section was disappointed.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Can't wait for this

 

[Sub_Level]

Estelle > Rean

Haha…

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Haha…

Estelle > Rean

 

[drganon]

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

I’ll hold off to see how it fares on Switch 2, otherwise I may do Xbox if it’s Play Anywhere. Otherwise Steam so I can play it on rog Ally x.

 

[jshackles]

New website with character profiles launched:

キャラクター | 空の軌跡 the 1st

忘れられない旅になる「空の軌跡 the 1st」キャラクターの一覧ページです

www.falcom.co.jp

Also, new character trailer:

 

[adamsapple]

English voice cast trailer

Johnny Yong still kicking around the anime circles, voicing teenage protagonists.

 

[mayham2199]

I’ll hold off to see how it fares on Switch 2, otherwise I may do Xbox if it’s Play Anywhere. Otherwise Steam so I can play it on rog Ally x.

This isn’t coming to Xbox.

 

[Paltheos]

The new Japanese voice cast:

• Estelle Bright – Tomoyo Takayanagi (previously Akemi Kanda)
• Joshua Bright – Natsumi Fujiwara (previously Mitsuki Saiga)
• Scherazard Harvey – Chika Anzai (previously Yuka Shioyama)
• Olivier Lenheim – Takehito Koyasu (same)
• Kloe Rinz – Hina Youmiya (previously Yuko Minaguchi)
• Agate Crosner – Taku Yashiro (previously Takayuki Kondo)
• Tita Russell – Hikaru Iida (previously Hiromi Konno)
• Zin Vathek – Tetsu Inada (same)

So... basically a wholesale recast, with a couple notable exceptions. Zin is the same, probably a deliberate choice by Falcom given how present his character is in the current games. Olivier is also the same and afaik his character's not active, but the character is too iconic I guess and has too much presence throughout the series to change, even if I have to imagine Takehito Koyasu is expensive billing for the company.

New cast looks to be a mix of veteran and newbie voice actors - I've always been a proponent of Falcom going for younger, cheaper talent as the higher billing has not always equated to quality (I've always played these games with Japanese dub and regardless I could still tell that Sean Chiplock ran circles around Kouki Uchiyama's often phoned-in Rean). Of the veterans brought on, the most recognizable to me is the fantastic Chika Anzai, of whom I've been a huge fan since her outstandingly spirited performance as Chisato in Lycoris Recoil (not to harp on it too much but seriously might be one of my favorite performances ever).

The hardest hit for me in the VA department is definitely Akemi Kanda as Estelle. The conclusion to Trails in the Sky FC is a top 3 scene in the entire series for me in no small part due to her performance, and others would cite 'that scene' from SC too I'm sure. These are big shoes to fill. I'm guessing Falcom wanted younger talent to portray a girl said to be as bright as the sun, and this is a change I can accept, although it'll definitely take a little to get used to. Takayanagi isn't super young but this looks like her first big role? Can't tell without going through her profile with a fine tooth comb.

 

[Paltheos]

Also lol at the English cast basically being the same? I haven't checked them all but this is sure an interesting reversal of classic expectation. Usually it's the Japanese VAs who ride 'til death (as I'm suddenly reminded of Mayumi Tanaka and her 'A for effort' Monkey D. Luffy in the lord's year). As a native English speaker, old time repeat casts can sometimes be very noticeable for me. Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition was rough in that regard as everyone who wasn't recast for new lines except for Flynn sounded noticeably older.

 

[Arsic]

Excited to play this. I’ve tried the OG a few times but it didn’t stick.

Hoping this either gets me hooked to begin the catch up of the whole series or they decide to remake the original trilogy arc in full and I just mess with that.

 

[Kazdane]

Today I'm starting Trails in the Sky the 3rd (after playing the first two over the last... three weeks), and I was thinking I'll probably get this at some point next year or God knows when. But my, seeing the world in such detail and now that I know the characters, I have the feeling I'll go through this day one. Also interesting to see Matt Mercer voicing Olivier. I was thinking he would be a great voice for someone like Cassius, Zin or Agate.

 

[mèx]

Why are they recasting characters that are active as of Reverie? That's really weird.

Estelle and Joshua's voice actors are also credited in the recent The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel - Northern War anime released in 2023, so I don't get it. This is extremely disappointing.

I'm pretty sure the new voice actors will be good, but come on...

EDIT: The website has some remastered BGMs btw.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Fuck. I didn't see the Gungho news until now. I guess that probably means no Durante and no GOG release. I have precisely *zero* faith in Gungho. While their ports to date have been for older games, they've also been pretty shit.

I really, really fucking hope this doesn't mean the forward looking entries are changing hands, too. Dammit, Falcom.

 

[Gambit2483]

This isn’t coming to Xbox.

None of the Trails games are on Xbox, for that matter.