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Nihon Falcom
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p class="note">See also: <a href="/facts/List_of_Nihon_Falcom_video_games/gUxElm4T">List of Nihon Falcom video games</a></p> <p>Nihon Falcom was founded by Masayuki Kato in 1981.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> They are credited with laying the foundations for the <a href="/facts/Action_role-playing/yypyoASS">action role-playing</a> and <a href="/facts/Japanese_role-playing_game/xLWdXRkg">Japanese role-playing game</a> genres.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> The name Falcom came from the <i><a href="/facts/Millennium_Falcon/uc18ncnj">Millennium Falcon</a></i> and the final "n" was changed to an "m" to fit naming trends of that time. The word Nihon, taken after one of the native names of Japan, was added to make it sound more complete.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p><p>Falcom's first role-playing game (RPG) was <i>Panorama Toh</i>, released for the <a href="/facts/PC-8801/5R5gdl81">PC-8801</a> in 1983 and created by Yoshio Kiya, who would go on to create the <i>Dragon Slayer</i> and <i>Brandish</i> franchises. While its RPG elements were limited, lacking traditional statistical or <a href="/facts/Experience_level/46vvLY3G">leveling</a> systems, the game featured <a href="/facts/Real-time_game/1wFkha3F">real-time</a> combat with a gun, bringing it close to the action RPG formula that Falcom would later be known for. Set on a desert island, the game's <a href="/facts/Overworld/xIQwEAxD">overworld</a> is presented as a <a href="/facts/Hex_map/ucxvaJQm">hex grid</a> and featured a day-night cycle. There were also indigenous <a href="/facts/Non-player_character/hg6vxMp5">non-player characters</a> (NPCs) who the player could choose to attack, have a conversation with, or give money for items, though NPCs could choose to run away with the money. In order to survive on the island, the player needs to find and consume rations, as every normal action consumes <a href="/facts/Hit_point/YYEzz8oU">hit points</a>. The island also has traps, which require calling for help and waiting for NPCs to help. The player could also be bit by snakes that poison and paralyze the player, requiring medicine to heal or calling for help from NPCs.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p><p>Falcom eventually went on to create their flagship franchises, including the <i><a href="/facts/Dragon_Slayer_(series)/a5e57opB">Dragon Slayer</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/The_Legend_of_Heroes/2vfSXpUq">The Legend of Heroes</a></i> and <i><a href="/facts/Ys_(video_game)/l45jQhfz">Ys</a></i> series. The original <i><a href="/facts/Dragon_Slayer_(video_game)/KPhlxr84">Dragon Slayer</a></i> was responsible for setting the template for the <a href="/facts/Action_role-playing/yypyoASS">action role-playing</a> genre.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> <i><a href="/facts/Dragon_Slayer_II%3a_Xanadu/SAXnVQSj">Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu</a></i> (1985) had more than 400,000 copies sold,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> making it the best-selling <a href="/facts/PC_game/AEDr23gA">PC game</a> up until that time.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p><p>While most of Falcom's games have been ported to various <a href="/facts/Video_game_console/K72D1NSS">video game consoles</a> of all generations, they have only developed a few non-PC <a href="/facts/Video_game/vmTdNASJ">video games</a> themselves.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> The company's decision to develop mainly for PCs rather than consoles set them apart from their main rivals, <a href="/facts/Enix/e2d237yv">Enix</a> and <a href="/facts/Square_(video_game_company)/cR2vkQHf">Square</a>, but limited the company's popularity in the <a href="/facts/Western_world/UQl4e7du">Western world</a>, thus limiting their growth potential in the 1990s.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> By the early 2010s, the <i>Ys</i> series was second only to the <i><a href="/facts/Final_Fantasy/fPy2r0SU">Final Fantasy</a></i> series as the largest Japanese role-playing game franchise in terms of the overall number of game releases.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> </p><p>On July 17, 1991, Falcom co-founded a joint-venture with <a href="/facts/Sega/f9TY2kyl">Sega</a> named Sega Falcom Inc. (株式会社セガ・ファルコム, <i>Kabushiki-gaisha Sega Farukomu</i>; also known as Sega Falcom Co., Ltd.) which Sega owned 55% of and Falcom owned 45% of.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> Its initial purpose was to develop CD-based games for Sega's consoles in hopes of helping Sega recover its share of the 16-bit console market.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> A series of news sections regarding Sega Falcom titled "Sega Falcom News" (セガ・ファルコム通信, <i>Sega Farukomu Tsūshin</i>) ran in <i><a href="/facts/Gemaga/CWj8v9lA">Beep! MegaDrive</a></i> from its November 1991 issue<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> to its February 1994 issue.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> Games developed by this company include <i><a href="/facts/Popful_Mail/7kHtMAep">Popful Mail</a></i> for the <a href="/facts/Mega-CD/dM4RPA8g">Mega-CD</a> as well as <i><a href="/facts/Lord_Monarch/jwqbHJb0">Lord Monarch: Tokoton Sentou Densetsu</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Dragon_Slayer%3a_The_Legend_of_Heroes/Sp1NvQ4F">Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes</a></i>, and <i><a href="/facts/Dragon_Slayer%3a_The_Legend_of_Heroes_II/GJsV6Vu8">Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II</a></i> for the <a href="/facts/Mega_Drive/7GuPYDhM">Mega Drive</a>. </p><p>Falcom was also a pioneer in <a href="/facts/Video_game_music/4WkNBtI5">video game music</a>, with their early soundtracks mostly composed by <a href="/facts/Chiptune/9F9RQwts">chiptune</a> musicians <a href="/facts/Yuzo_Koshiro/PYxR4plA">Yuzo Koshiro</a> and Mieko Ishikawa.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nihon Falcom. <ul><li><a href="https://www.falcom.co.jp/">Official website</a> (in Japanese)</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Wen, Alan (October 6, 2019). "Hot on the Trails of Falcom, Japan's longest-running RPG developer". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved October 7, 2019. <a href="https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-10-06-hot-on-the-trails-of-falcom-japans-longest-running-rpg-developer" target="_blank">https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-10-06-hot-on-the-trails-of-falcom-japans-longest-running-rpg-developer</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Massey, Tom (February 9, 2014). "Chronicles of Ys: A Series Retrospective". eurogamer.net. Gamer Network. <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-02-09-chronicles-of-ys-a-series-retrospective" target="_blank">http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-02-09-chronicles-of-ys-a-series-retrospective</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Szczepaniak, John (July 7, 2011). "Falcom: Legacy of Ys". GamesTM (111): 153. (cf. Szczepaniak, John (July 8, 2011). "History of Ys interviews". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved September 6, 2011.) <a href="/wiki/GamesTM" target="_blank">/wiki/GamesTM</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>John Harris (July 2, 2009). "Game Design Essentials: 20 RPGs - Dragon Slayer". Gamasutra. p. 13. Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2011. <a href="https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/game-design-essentials-20-rpgs" target="_blank">https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/game-design-essentials-20-rpgs</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Yamashita, Akira. "Nihon Falcom – Ys Developer Interview". Shmuplations. Retrieved August 29, 2022. <a href="https://shmuplations.com/ys/" target="_blank">https://shmuplations.com/ys/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Derboo, Sam (June 2, 2013). "Dark Age of JRPGs (7): Panorama Toh ぱのらま島 - PC-88 (1983)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved November 10, 2019. <a href="http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2013/06/dark-age-of-jrpgs-6-panorama-toh-pc-88.html" target="_blank">http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2013/06/dark-age-of-jrpgs-6-panorama-toh-pc-88.html</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Bailey, Kat (May 18, 2010). "Hack and Slash: What Makes a Good Action RPG?". 1UP.com. Retrieved July 11, 2011. <a href="http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9030743" target="_blank">http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9030743</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Xanadu Next home page" (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2008. (Translation) <a href="https://www.falcom.co.jp/xanadu_next/xanadu/xanadu.html" target="_blank">https://www.falcom.co.jp/xanadu_next/xanadu/xanadu.html</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Hendricks, Fayyaad (December 22, 2011). "A complete history of role-playing videogames: Part 2". EL33TONLINE. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2011. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120115234120/http://www.el33tonline.com/past_editorial/2011/12/22/a_complete_history_of_roleplaying_videogames" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20120115234120/http://www.el33tonline.com/past_editorial/2011/12/22/a_complete_history_of_roleplaying_videogames</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Massey, Tom (February 9, 2014). "Inside Ys: Nihon Falcom Interview". eurogamer.net. Gamer Network. <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-02-09-inside-ys" target="_blank">http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-02-09-inside-ys</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Szczepaniak, John (July 7, 2011). "Falcom: Legacy of Ys". GamesTM (111): 153. (cf. Szczepaniak, John (July 8, 2011). "History of Ys interviews". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved September 6, 2011.) <a href="/wiki/GamesTM" target="_blank">/wiki/GamesTM</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Gifford, Kevin (September 7, 2011). "The Trail of Nihon Falcom: The president of Japan's oldest existing RPG maker speaks". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2011. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120729171731/http://www.1up.com/news/trail-nihon-falcom" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20120729171731/http://www.1up.com/news/trail-nihon-falcom</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Szczepaniak, John (July 7, 2011). "Falcom: Legacy of Ys". GamesTM (111): 152–159 [154]. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2011. (cf. Szczepaniak, John (July 8, 2011). "History of Ys interviews". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved September 8, 2011.) <a href="https://archive.today/20130114041243/http://imageshack.us/f/844/yshistory03.jpg/" target="_blank">https://archive.today/20130114041243/http://imageshack.us/f/844/yshistory03.jpg/</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"セガ・ファルコム". MegaDrive Fan. Vol. 3, no. 11. Tokuma Shoten Intermedia. November 1991. p. 97. <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>"Sega in joint CD venture". New Computer Express. No. 147. Future Publishing. August 31, 1991. p. 8. <a href="/wiki/New_Computer_Express" target="_blank">/wiki/New_Computer_Express</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>"Sega Falcom ACT 1". Beep! MegaDrive. Vol. 7, no. 11. SoftBank. November 1991. p. 54. <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>"Sega Falcom ACT.28". Beep! MegaDrive. Vol. 10, no. 2. SoftBank. February 1994. p. 73. <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Chris Greening & Don Kotowski (February 2011). "Interview with Yuzo Koshiro". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved August 27, 2015. <a href="http://www.squareenixmusic.com/features/interviews/yuzokoshiro.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.squareenixmusic.com/features/interviews/yuzokoshiro.shtml</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>Kalata, Kurt (February 2014). "Ys". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved September 3, 2011. <a href="http://hardcoregaming101.net/ys/ys.htm" target="_blank">http://hardcoregaming101.net/ys/ys.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Ryan Mattich. "Falcom Classics II". RPGFan. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2011. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121007011239/http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/falcomclassics2/Falcom_Classics_2-2.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20121007011239/http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/falcomclassics2/Falcom_Classics_2-2.html</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>Szczepaniak, John (July 7, 2011). "Falcom: Legacy of Ys". GamesTM (111): 152–159 [154]. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2011. (cf. Szczepaniak, John (July 8, 2011). "History of Ys interviews". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved September 8, 2011.) <a href="https://archive.today/20130114041243/http://imageshack.us/f/844/yshistory03.jpg/" target="_blank">https://archive.today/20130114041243/http://imageshack.us/f/844/yshistory03.jpg/</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>