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The best Nihon Falcom games

The 13 best games from Nihon Falcom, ranked from 578 critic and player ratings.

The best Nihon Falcom game is The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, with a critic score of 85/100. Updated October 2026.

  • Ranked releases span 1987 to 2019.
  • Average critic score across the 13 ranked games: 81/100.
  • 578 critic and player ratings behind this ranking.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
  • 13 games are listed on this page, carrying 578 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 12 October 2026.

Top 13

01 The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky 2004 · 83 ratings The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is the first installment in the main Trails series, serving as the beginning to the Liberl arc and the series as a whole. The game follows protagonists Estelle Bright and her adopted brother Joshua, who journey through the country of Liberl to train to become senior Bracers, members of a non-government multinational organization that acts to keep the peace and protect civilians. Nihon Falcom comes a series of RPGs telling a legend of adventure, political intrigue, and mystery, with a tale of growing up at the core. With a mix of turn-based and strategy combat, battles will cause unique builds and plans to handle many different situations and allow for different play styles. Wonderfully detailed characters abound, even to the smallest NPC, and the player will find themself taking the world in at every turn. Trails in the Sky sets a new standard for making an enjoyable and immersive RPG. 85 /100
02 Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana 2016 · 74 ratings Ys returns with a brand new adventure for the first time in 8 years! Adol awakens shipwrecked and stranded on a cursed island. There, he and the other shipwrecked passengers he rescues form a village to challenge fearsome beasts and mysterious ruins on the isolated island. 85 /100
03 The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd 2007 · 32 ratings The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd is the third installment in the main Trails series, serving as a direct sequel to the events of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC and the ending to the Liberl arc. The game follows Kevin Graham and Ries Argent in their quest to retrieve an ancient artifact for the Septian Church. Featuring the largest cast of playable characters in the Trails series up to that point, new minigames and even more gameplay features. This game teasing many new plot developments across the continent of Zemuria. 85 /100
04 Ys IX: Monstrum Nox Ys IX: Monstrum Nox 2019 · 34 ratings While imprisoned in Balduq, Adol is cursed and becomes a Monstrum. With his newfound powers, he must stop the Grimwald Nox from consuming the city. 84 /100
05 The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 2013 · 57 ratings The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is the sixth installment in the main Trails series, serving as the beginning to the Erebonia arc. The game follows Rean Schwarzer and his fellow students of "Class VII" at Thors Military Academy, a newly formed class at the academy which is the only one not segregated by social class, composing of both Erebonian nobility and commoners. The basic gameplay is nearly identical to the previous entries with a few changes. The biggest change to the battle system and also counting as a brand new feature is the "Tactical Link System". The "Tactical Link" allow players follow up with three different kinds of link attacks, dealing additional damage and providing various other benefits. "Tactical Link" becomes a more useful asset to the player as the story progress and characters level up their "Link Levels" with other characters. As the link levels increase, you will obtain new link abilities such as healing the link partner or increase the CP gain of the partner. 82 /100
06 Ys: The Oath in Felghana Ys: The Oath in Felghana 2005 · 37 ratings A complete 3D reimagining of the 16-bit console classic "Ys III: Wanderers From Ys," Ys: The Oath in Felghana is a fast-paced action role-playing game with tight controls, Metroidvania-style exploration elements, intense combat with epic screen-filling boss battles, and a thrashing, percussive arranged soundtrack that's been heralded by many as one of the best of all time. Based on the original 2005 PC release, this classic is finally officially available in English with added Steamworks features such as achievements and cloud saving. 83 /100
07 The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC 2006 · 52 ratings The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC is the second installment in the main Trails series, serving as a direct sequel to the events of the The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. The game follows Estelle sets out to a new adventure, after completing some training by the Bracer Guild to prepare for that adventure. Comrades both old and new join your team in this story-driven RPG with new combat mechanics and other features that improve the gameplay experience from the first entry. 80 /100
08 Ys: Memories of Celceta Ys: Memories of Celceta 2012 · 32 ratings A bustling town deep in the frontier at the foot of an endless sea of trees... It is into this wild and untamed setting that a young man collapses, memories gone and only his name to guide him. Bereft of his past, Adol Cristin wanders the town of Casnan searching for clues to his identity. Joined by an information dealer who claims to have known him, the young adventurer helps rescue doomed miners from a collapse; an act which attracts the attention of the Romun Army general in town. Impressed with their skills, the pair is enlisted to explore the Great Forest and map the vast expanses of Celceta – a task which many have attempted in the past, but from which none have ever returned alive. Alone in this strange and uncharted frontier, Adol must brave the perilous sea of trees as he struggles to regain his memories and decide whom he can trust, and who is simply attempting to take advantage of his memory loss in order to deceive him... 81 /100
09 The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II 2014 · 36 ratings The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is the seventh installment in the main Trails series, serving as a direct sequel to the events of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel. The game follows Rean Schwarzer to his hometown of Ymir with the assistance of bracer Toval Randonneur, but quickly finds himself and his loved ones caught in the crossfire of the war. Game progression is no longer tied to the school schedule structure of the original, with the game now centered around traveling the world rather than attending classes. If the player has a completed game save file from the prior game, it has an effect in Cold Steel II, with certain events and dialogues playing out differently based on choices and relationships built in the first game. 81 /100
10 Ys Origin Ys Origin 2006 · 44 ratings 700 years before the events of Ys I & II, the land of Ys was on the brink of destruction. Demons came in droves and forced the twin Goddesses who ruled the land to whisk their subjects away from the surface, into the safe embrace of the clouds. The demons were persistent, however, erecting a massive tower in pursuit. The battle that raged upon the ground had begun ascending for a second round up above. One day, amidst this turmoil, the Goddesses stole away into the night, vanishing from Ys altogether. And there's only one place they could have gone: the Devil's Tower. A search party of knights and sorcerers was hastily formed and dispatched to the surface in hopes of retrieving these runaway deities. Among its members were apprentice knight Yunica Tovah and troubled sorcerer Hugo Fact. This is their story. Or at least, it's how each of them remembers it. Expanding upon the gameplay elements introduced in Ys: The Ark of Napishtim and further developed in Ys: The Oath in Felghana, Ys Origin perfects the formula by adding different styles of play and new features never before seen in the Ys universe. Best described as an arcade-like platformer RPG with Metroidvania elements and a complex, multi-faceted narrative, Ys Origin is the perfect mix of action, exploration and story. Screen-filling bosses with complex AI, unique platforming elements, innovative puzzles and a deeply involving mystery await within the wildly varied confines of this classic Ys dungeon. Come see how long you can last in the Devil's Tower... 80 /100
11 Faxanadu (1987) Faxanadu (1987) 1987 · 33 ratings 80 /100
12 Ys SEVEN Ys SEVEN 2009 · 32 ratings 79 /100
13 Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim 2003 · 32 ratings 72 /100
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Frequently asked questions

What is the best Nihon Falcom game?

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky currently tops the ranking with a score of 85/100 across 83 ratings. Ranking updated October 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.