Kuro no Kiseki launched in 2021 and even received a sequel, Kuro no Kiseki 2 -CRIMSON SiN-, last year. When can Western fans expect to play it in English? PushSquare interviewed Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo about plans for the same.

“We have been hard at work to get these projects started. There is nothing to announce quite yet, but we hope to be able to provide some news as soon as possible.” It could mean an announcement later this year or a reveal for next year’s Falcom Anniversary. Time will ultimately tell.

Falcom is also working on Ys 10: Nordics, a sequel in the acclaimed action RPG franchise set between Ys 1 and 2 and sees Adol travelling to Obelia Bay. It’s out on September 28th for PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch in Japan, but no Western release date has been confirmed.

The PS5 version includes support for 4K resolution, 60 frames per second, a High-Speed Mode for different combat speeds, and adjustments to the in-game text. There’s also an Archive containing information on past titles along with a glossary to educate players new to the series. PS4 owners can upgrade to the PS5 version for 110 Yen (roughly $0.86) and save data will transfer over.

The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki is currently available for PS4 in Japan and doesn’t have a release date in the West. Its sequel, The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki 2 -CRIMSON SiN-, releases this Fall for PS4 and PS5 in Japan. To check out footage of its combat and overall gameplay, head here.

The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki takes place in the Calvard Republic some time after the war with Erebonia. It sees Agnes, a high school student, who visits Van Arkride in order to recover a stolen Orbment that belonged to her great-grandfather. As a Spriggan, Van’s duties alternate between combat, investigation and negotiation, leveraging underworld contacts to get the job done.

Along with the usual turn-based Command system for combat, Kuro no Kiseki features a real-time system for moving around, attacking foes and switching characters. There’s also the L.G.C. Alignment System which dictates who can help Van out. It’s out on September 30th for the PS4 in Japan and hasn’t been confirmed for localization in the West. Stay tuned for more details in the coming days.

Known for his powerful martial arts and immense size, Zin leads the Calvard Bracer Guild. He’s now semi S-rank and watches over junior bracer Elaine (more details on her here). As a B-rank bracer with the Imperial Bracer Guild, Fie travels to Calvard to help with the number of issues cropping up in Calvard. She also has a lot of interactions with Elaine but when it comes to battle, her prowess as a Jaeger shines through.

Most interesting is new character Shizuna Rem Misurugi. As a lieutenant in the samurai group Ikaruga, she’s the “Divine Blade of Silver” and wields a black odachi. Though her style is similar to Eight Leaves One Blade (which Rean Schwarzer, Anelace Elfead and Cassius Bright use), some differences are teased. What role she’ll play in the journey of Van and Agnes remains to be seen.

The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki is out on September 30th for the PS4 in Japan. It will also be coming to PS5 later.

There’s also Rene Kincaid, an agent for the Central Intelligence Department who utilizes a military pistol. He’s also a childhood friend of Van’s and the two often leverage each other’s positions for different reasons. Rene is also acquainted with Elaine and was the only one to support her joining the Bracer Guild.

The Law, Gray and Chaos or L.G.C. Alignment System has also been detailed and essentially determines the kinds of allies that Van will have based on his choices. If you stick with law-abiding decisions, like choosing to confess and return things in a quest, then you may find the Bracer Guild on your side (plus characters like Agnes will be happier). Not confessing in the same quest will result in Agnes being displeased but you may be able to work with those who are more on lawless side.

It’s a fairly big change for the series and how it influences one’s playthrough should be interesting to see. The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki is out on September 30th in Japan for PS4 and will be coming to PS5 later.

Fie Claussell from The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel also seems to appear in the teaser with her signature gun blades. It remains to be seen what her role will be but considering other members of the Bracer Guild, like Kilika Rouran from Trails in the Sky, will be appearing, it’s perhaps not too surprising. Falcom also provided details on the game’s Spriggan Edition which will retail for 9,800 Yen.

As Gematsu details, it includes the base game along with a mini soundtrack with BGM themed on the Calvard Republic in a tall case; a 96 page art book with concept visuals, areas, orbal cinema, enemies and more; an Arcride Solution Office Character Data File, which contains high resolution illustrations of characters over 128 pages; and the Hollow Core Voice: Latoya Hamilton. This replaces the system voice with Hamilton who is voiced by Kikuko Inoue.

The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki releases on September 30th for PS4 in Japan. It hasn’t been confirmed for a Western release yet.

Falcom’s next title in the Kiseki series, The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki, now has an official website. The developer has revealed numerous details on the characters, setting and battle system (translated by Gematsu) along with gameplay of the combat. Van Arkride is the protagonist and serves as a Spriggan, an underground type of professional working in Edith. Depending on circumstances, he can function as a negotiator, bounty hunter or even a detective.

Agnes Claudel is a student of Aramis High School and seeks to recover her great-grandfather’s stolen Orbment by consulting with Arkride Solution Office. Feri Al-Fayed is part of a Jaeger corp and ventures to Calvard to locate a unit that’s dropped off. Then there’s Aaron Wei, a master of the Moon Flower Style and also a prolific sword danger, who Heiyue showcases interest.

Following the conclusion of Trails of Cold Steel 4, the Calvard Republic is in an economic boom period. It’s full of orbal vehicles and has a subway instead of a tram system. Edith City is showcased below with its various districts and streets, though it seems players will venture to the fields as well for battle.

As for the game’s combat system,  it involves two different modes – Basic and Command. Basic lets you attack a foe on the field and shift to using commands with the Orbment “Xipha.” You can combo attacks, switch between characters, change positions and even manually evade attacks. Command mode is a more turn-based system where the player can select attacks, Crafts and Arts. Adjusting one’s position is beneficiary here as well since being near party members will activate additional effects or attacks.

The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki is slated to release this year for Japan.

Falcom’s The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki launched this past August in Japan and has yet to be localized for the West. Nevertheless, the developer has already announced its next game in the series – The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki. President Toshihiro Kondo shared new details in the latest Weekly Famitsu (translations via Gematsu), confirming that it would be set in the Republic of Calvard in the Year S.1208.

Unlike previous arcs, the story is more about the “gray zone of society” with a detective, bounty hunter and negotiator said to be involved. Calvard itself is described as a mix of Europe and Asia with the map being equivalent to the Cold Steel series (though it’s “somewhat smaller” than Erebonia). In terms of content, you can expect it to be equivalent to a single Trails of Cold Steel title.

Along with improved character modeling thanks to the new game engine, about 90 percent of the characters are all news. Though the remaining 10 percent will be “highly anticipated”, you shouldn’t expect 50 playable characters this time around. Thus far, three have been revealed – a redheaded male who uses dual blades, a man with a long blue coat and a woman that resembles Alisa Reinford from Cold Steel. The protagonist has yet to be confirmed.

As for combat, movement and battles are seamless with some action elements added to battles. You’ll now input commands in real-time, though it’s still possible to go back to a more command-style approach. Combat Links and Brave Orders won’t be featured but there is a new system in place. Interestingly enough, there’s the new “Alignment Flame” which will change the character’s alignment to “Lawful”, “Gray” and “Chaotic” depending on one’s playstyle, though it won’t lock out any key story events.

The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki is currently planned to release for PS4 along with “other platforms where there is demand.” Kondo said, “Since there are the usual technical challenges, we will consider starting where there’s the most demand.” The studio in general is making plans to develop for PS5 so it should be interesting to see if it releases there.