The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails explained

Developer:Nihon Falcom
Publisher:NIS America
Director:Takayuki Kusano
Producer:Toshihiro Kondo
Series:Trails
Genre:Action role-playing
Modes:Single-player

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails, known as in Japan, is a 2012 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes series. It was first released in Japan for PlayStation Portable. A high-definition remaster was released in Japan for PlayStation 4 and Windows in 2021 and for Nintendo Switch in 2022. This version was localized in English by NIS America and released in September 2023.

Gameplay

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is an action role-playing game,[1] with gameplay similar to Falcom's Ys series and . Combat actions include physical attacks, magical attacks known as Arts, and powerful abilities unique to each character known as Crafts. The game also features elements of platforming.

Plot

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is set in two worlds: the main characters' home world, and a mysterious world called Lost Heaven. The main characters' hometown is Remnant Island, located in the center of Ciencia Sea, a vast ocean with countless islands. Shooting stars have been continually falling from the sky for some time, leaving much of these piled up on the island. Stones known as "Star Fragments" have been discovered in these areas. By shining a light on them in a certain way, people can see the phantom world of Lost Heaven.

The story follows Nayuta Herschel, a young aspiring researcher aiming to see what's further beyond the known world, who was just returning to Remnant Island for the summer, when he and his childhood friend Cygna Alhazen find themselves in the world of Lost Heaven through the guidance of the otherworldly fairy Noi, as they get involved in a plot to stop a madman and his right-hand man from destroying Lost Heaven and potentially Nayuta's own world in the process.

Release

It was first released as Nayuta no Kiseki for the PlayStation Portable in Japan on July 26, 2012.[2] A remaster, Nayuta no Kiseki: Kai, was released in Japan for PlayStation 4 on June 24, 2021.[3] Various aspects of the game were improved: all characters received dialogue portraits, the illustrations for key events were remade, the frame rate was increased to 60 per second, and sound was replaced with higher-quality files. It was later released for Windows in Japanese on December 11, with the port handled by PH3 Games and published by NIS America.[4] Another enhanced version, Nayuta no Kiseki: Ad Astra, was released in Japan for Nintendo Switch on May 26, 2022, and features the same improvements as the previous remaster.[5] It was the first Switch game developed in-house by Falcom, with earlier ports of Ys and Trails games being outsourced to other companies.

An English version by NIS America was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows in North America on September 19, 2023, and in Europe and Oceania on September 22.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Trails Of Nayuta Can Sap Up Your Time With Optional Sub Quests. June 4, 2012. Siliconera. December 16, 2020. July 1, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180701090254/http://www.siliconera.com/2012/06/04/trails-of-nayuta-can-sap-up-your-time-with-optional-sub-quests/. live.
  2. Web site: Wallace. Kimberly. Unfortunate Timing: RPGs Released Late In The PSP's Life Cycle. Game Informer. October 25, 2012. December 16, 2020. February 2, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190202153545/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/10/25/unfortunate-timing-rpgs-released-late-in-the-psp-s-lifecycle.aspx?PostPageIndex=2. dead.
  3. Web site: Romano. Sal. Nayuta no Kiseki for PS4 launches June 24 in Japan. February 12, 2021. Gematsu. February 12, 2021. February 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210213163942/https://www.gematsu.com/2021/02/nayuta-no-kiseki-for-ps4-launches-june-24-in-japan. live.
  4. Web site: The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails for PC launches December 11 in Japan . Romano, Sal . October 27, 2021 . Gematsu . October 28, 2021.
  5. Web site: The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails - Ad Astra launches for Switch in Japan in Spring 2022. RPG Site. Kite. Stenbuck. December 16, 2021. January 12, 2022.
  6. Web site: Romano. Sal. The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails launches September 19 in North America, September 22 in Europe. May 16, 2023. Gematsu. May 16, 2023.