Today in Japan, Nihon Falcom celebrates the 45th anniversary of its founding by the late Masayuki Kato. Falcom would go on to become one of the pioneers of the RPG genre with titles like Dragon Slayer, Ys, Xanadu and later the Trails series. On the horizon, Falcom is developing a new game in the Dragon Slayer series, tentatively titled “Dragon Slayer Project.”
Fans can also celebrate the 45th anniversary of Falcom with the artwork below, depicting characters Adol Christin (Ys X: Proud Nordics), Estelle Bright (Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter), and Rei Kamiya (Kyoto Xanadu).
2026 is a pivotal year for Falcom with major releases like the western launch of The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon this past January and Ys X: Proud Nordics in February, with Ys Memorie: Revelations in Celceta and the all-new Kyoto Xanadu to follow in the coming months.
Final Weapon reviewed The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon and gave it a perfect score—5/5 stars. The review notes that Trails beyond the Horizon is “a modern-day masterpiece of a RPG that elevates the Trails franchise thematically with its story and structurally with its superb gameplay. The time investment pays off with many big reveals and lore drops that fans have been waiting for, along with unexpected ones. With a slew of quality-of-life improvements, meaningful new gameplay features, and a memorable and emotional story, Trails beyond the Horizon is a cut above many RPGs in the industry.”
Final Weapon reviewed Ys X: Proud Nordics and gave it a 4/5 score, noting that it’s “the definitive version of the 2024 action RPG with new story and side content, improved gameplay and features, and amazing performance on Nintendo Switch 2. The lack of an upgrade path from Ys X: Nordics and the need to replay story content limits some of the game’s potential, but Ys and action RPG fans are in for a treat nonetheless.”
