The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
Cover art
Developer(s)	Nihon Falcom
Publisher(s)	JP: Nihon Falcom NA: Xseed Games EU: NIS America
Director(s)	Takayuki Kusano
Producer(s)	Toshihiro Kondo
Programmer(s)	Nobuhiro Hioki Toru Endo
Writer(s)	Hisayoshi Takeiri
Composer(s)	Hayato Sonoda Takahiro Unisuga Saki Momiyama
Series	The Legend of Heroes
Engine	PhyreEngine
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3 PlayStation Vita Microsoft Windows PlayStation 4
Release	PlayStation 3, PS Vita JP: September 26, 2013 NA: December 22, 2015 EU: January 29, 2016 Microsoft Windows WW: August 2, 2017 PlayStation 4 JP: March 8, 2018 WW: Early 2019
Genre(s)	Role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel^{[lower-alpha 1]} is a role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. As a part of the long running The Legend of Heroes series, it was first released for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in Japan in September 2013. Xseed Games would later localize and publish the game in English regions in 2015. A port for Microsoft Windows was also released by Xseed in 2017, which included additional English voice acting not seen in the original release. A remastered version for the PlayStation 4 was released in Japan in 2018, and worldwide the following year. A direct sequel, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II, was released in 2014.

Gameplay

The basic gameplay is similar to the previous Trails in the Sky titles with some changes. The biggest change to the battle system and also counting as a brand new feature is the "Tactical Link System", which allow players to follow up with three different kinds of link attacks, dealing additional damage and providing various other benefits. Tactical Links becomes a more useful asset to the player as the story progress and characters level up their "Link Levels" with other characters. Another change is the Orbment system. Trails of Cold Steel inherits the "Master Quartz" system from Ao no Kiseki. The game features 360 degree camera control, fully 3D character models, and voiced conversations between characters during major story moments, all of which were new features to the Cold Steel series. Players can also transfer save data between the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions using the cross-save function.

Plot

The game is set in the Erebonian Empire and takes place after the Trails in the Sky series of games and during the same time period as the Crossbell series of games. The game's plot is centered around Rean Schwarzer and his fellow "Class VII" at Thors Military Academy, which is a newly formed class composed of both Erebonian nobility and commoners, being the only one at the entire academy that does not segregate based on social class. The game follows Class VII throughout the school year from March to October, primarily focusing on their field studies that takes them to various cities and areas across Erebonia. The primary purpose of doing so is for the class to witness first hand the reality of the empire, as the power struggle between the nobility, led by four great aristocratic Houses, and the working class reformists led by Chancellor Osborne, which threatens to lead to a civil war.

During their time at the academy, Class VII also are tasked with investigating the "Old Schoolhouse", an unused mysterious building on campus that changes its internal layout monthly. At the bottom of the seventh and final floor, they discover an ancient mecha known as Valimar. The story comes to a climax with the assassination of Osborne in the capital by the terrorist known as "C", who is revealed to be fellow Class VII student Crow Armbrust. Alongside the assassination, a coup lead by the noble faction leads to Thors being occupied by forces led by Crow piloting his own mecha. Unable to fight it with normal means, Rean calls Valimar in order to fight Crow with it one on one, in which Rean is defeated, leading directly into Trails of Cold Steel II.

Development

Cold Steel uses the PhyreEngine game engine.^[1] The game was also localized into Chinese and Korean with the assistance of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia.^[2][3] The English localization was handled by Xseed Games, who also ported the game to Microsoft Windows in 2017, with the latter including additional voice acting not seen in the original release.^[4][5][6] A remastered version for the PlayStation 4, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel I: Kai -Thors Military Academy 1204-, was released in Japan in March 2018. It includes many features seen in the PC release, such as support for 4k resolution and a "high speed skip" combat feature.^[7] It will be released in North America and Europe in early 2019.^[8]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic (PS3) 86/100[9] (PSV) 77/100[10] (PC) 80/100[11] Review scores Publication Score Destructoid 7/10[12] Famitsu 34/40[13] Game Informer 8.5/10[14] Hardcore Gamer [15] PlayStation LifeStyle 9.5/10[16] RPGamer 4.5/5[17]
Awards Publication Award PlayStation LifeStyle Awards 2015 Editor's Choice[18] Game Informer's Best of 2015 Best of 2015[19]

The game received a "generally positive" reception, according to review aggregator Metacritic.^[9][10][11] In Japan, Famitsu gave both versions a review score of 34/40.^[13] PlayStation LifeStyle said it is "a role-playing masterpiece with all the right stuff: Xseed’s superior localization, which bypasses anime cliches in favor of real depth; an addictive set of life-sim mechanics, from bonding with the lovable cast to cooking a bevy of dishes; and a combat system that rewards customization and cooperation between party members."^[16] Hardcore Gamer said it "is hands down the best JRPG this year" and that if "this is what’s in store for us with future Legend of Heroes titles, it’s safe to say that the JRPG genre has a bright future ahead of it."^[15] Kimberley Wallace of Game Informer stated that, with "fun combat, interesting twists, and a cool social system, Trails of Cold Steel is one of my favorite recent RPGs".^[14] Adriaan den Ouden of RPGamer said it is his favorite RPG of 2015.^[17] Multiplayer.it said it is "complex, deep and varied, and sports surprisingly realistic and mature storyline and setting" and an "unforgettable cast of characters."^[20] Destructoid said it "follows a lot of classic JRPG conventions" and "doesn't do a whole lot of things that haven't been done before" but concluded "the combat system still holds up, and the characters are charming enough to see the story through until the end."^[12]

During the first week after release, the PlayStation Vita version outsold the PlayStation 3 version, placing second place in the Media Create software sales charts with 81,622 copies sold, compared to the 67,718 copies sold for the PS3 version in fourth place.^[21] The game resulted in significant profits for Falcom, with 1.9 billion yen in net sales, and 700 million yen in operating profit.^[22] The game was awarded during the Japan Game Awards 2013 during the Tokyo Game Show by the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association, as one of eleven titles within the Future Division winners.^[23]

Notes

References

External links

• Official website