REVIEW

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Review

by Rob Pritchard, November 9th, 2019

Following the release of the PS4 remasters of Trails of Cold Steel I and II earlier this year, the long awaited third instalment of the long running saga has arrived in English. On a side note, fans of the series will be pleased to know that Trails of Cold Steel IV is already out in Japan, so the wait for an English translation will hopefully be significantly shorter than with the previous instalments. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III has once again been developed by series creators Nihon Falcom, with NIS America to perform translation and publishing duties instead of XSeed Games. The third game in the Trails of Cold Steel series promises to be a strong JRPG like its predecessors, but does it live up to the legacy that it hopes to continue?

After the dramatic end to the Erebonian Civil War in Trails of Cold Steel II, Rean Schwarzer has now been offered a teaching position at an external branch of Thors Military Academy. He is unknowingly given a group of students to form his own Class VII, with the hope that they can recreate the elite fighting unit that was crafted at the main Thors campus. At first glance, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III brings us to a more peaceful narrative than the previous game. As time goes on however, it is shown that the scars that were inflicted in previous battles will take a long time to heal.

With the threat of more attacks by the Ouroboros terrorist organisation on the horizon, Rean must guide his new students to glory, and cope with his responsibilities that come with being the Ashen Chevalier. The plot twists made the first two games enjoyable have returned in spades, with some of the late game events blowing everything you knew about fan favourite characters completely out of the water. The new students blend well into the Cold Steel universe, with Juna and Kurt having initial relationship troubles that echo back to Rean and Alisa’s first meeting, and Altina feeling like an outsider but eventually finding her place among the new Class VII.

Although the core gameplay of Trails of Cold Steel III remains the same as it was in the first and second entries, there are several refinements and quality of life improvements for fans and seasoned gamers alike. The Fast Travel system, one of the RPG worlds most desired game mechanics, has received several of these changes. It is now possible to jump to specific landmarks within each area, rather than beginning at the entrance point of the location. This makes travelling to larger landscapes such as the Isithmia Great Forest and each of the major cities a more pleasant experience. Another small but welcome change is that new fast travel locations are unlocked only when you physically visit them. This is unlike previous Trails of Cold Steel entries where the entire area could be jumped around with little actual exploration.

The party character and mech battle systems have also received significant upgrades, with the rotating wheel menu being replaced with an intuitive face button interface reminiscent of Persona 5’s control scheme. The Craft and Arts special attack system is relatively unaltered, as well as the Burst system which is powered up by critical and attacks that break the enemies’ defences. The upgrade mechanics for weapons and special abilities remain unchanged from Trails of Cold Steel II, with the exception that the materials required to strength the weapons are much easier to come by in a single playthrough.

At several points during the game, you are required to strap yourself into a Panzer Soldat mech unit, or Rean’s powerful Ashen Knight Valimar for a battle of mechanical proportions. These fights are slightly different to regular encounters, as they require you to hit a specific weak point on the enemy mech to receive a guaranteed boost to your BP gauge. These battles have been given a massive overhaul for Trails of Cold Steel III, as your allies from Class VII and beyond can use their abilities to power up your abilities, or use their own special attacks that can quickly turn the tide of battle.

The Bonding Events that form the basis of Trails of Cold Steel III’s relationship systems make a welcome return, with many of them providing insightful glances into the past and motivations of the characters involved. Another welcome change is that the loading times between battle and overworld are now drastically shorter, with many of them taking place immediately after the player has contacted the enemy. Although the PS4 Pro does make these loading periods swift, it only shaves a second or two over the regular PS4, unlike some older titles in the console’s library.

The character models and backgrounds have received a well-deserved upgrade for the current gaming generation, alongside a mostly stable 60fps framerate which only drops a few times during the most intensive of battles. The soundtrack of Trails of Cold Steel III is full of energy and inspiring orchestral arrangements, along with a few older tracks that have been given a refreshing change for the third instalment in the franchise. Despite the translation team alterations, the voice acting for both the Japanese and English vocal tracks has retained the high quality from previous games, with most of the original cast reprising their roles for the returning cast members.

Overall, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is the strongest entry in the series to date. This third entry refines the various gameplay mechanics such as the Fast Travel and Bonding Events, whilst incorporating new elements such as the teammate involvement during the mech battle sections to make the game more enticing for returning players. If you have been looking for an RPG to fill your time until the arrival of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Persona 5 Royal next year, Trails of Cold Steel III could be exactly the experience that you have been waiting for.