REVIEW

The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel Review

by Rob Pritchard, January 15th, 2016

Originally a spin off from the Dragon Slayer series by Nihon Falcom, The Legend of Heroes series has now been in active development for over twenty-five years. The latest entry in this long-standing franchise is The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel. Unlike some of the previous instalments, it has taken just over two years to reach our shores with an English translation. This time around, you can play both on the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita, and utilise Sony’s Cross Save functionality to resume your adventure from wherever you are.

Trails of Cold Steel begins a new whole new arc in The Legend of Heroes narrative, taking place at a specialised training facility named Thor’s Military Academy. Unlike the segregated environments that prevail throughout the Erebonian Empire, the nine main characters are placed into a newly established division named Class 7, which is comprised of citizens from every social class. Over the course of the game, they are forced to reconsider their prejudices, and see the world through a different perspective than that of their upbringing. The initial prologue can seem a bit long-winded on occasion, but learning about each of your team mates is a very rewarding experience, especially when you are asked to help solve disputes between them.

As you progress in the school year, you meet a wide variety of characters, and forge friendships and rivalries with a whole menagerie of teachers, students and other individuals. In a similar vein to the later Persona titles, the current date is displayed on screen below the map, and you are required to participate in lessons, in which you earn academic points for every correct answer you give, and story quests that are only accessible on a certain day. Earning academic points or AP will allow you to gain access to new areas and specific skills, as well as give you respect from your fellow classmates. Unlike Persona however, you are given more freedom to perform more side quests without progressing to the next day immediately afterwards. This more relaxed approach to the calendar mechanic makes the game world feel more organic, rather than just the backdrop of a tightly focused narrative.

On occasion, you will be asked to leave the academy and enter dungeons to prove your worth. The battle system in Trails of Cold Steel uses the Command Turn Based template that was used in games such as Final Fantasy X, and fuses it with the Flex Range system used in the Tales series. In essence, all characters and enemies can attack or move freely within the battlefield within their turn, they must wait until they are deemed active by the randomly generated list. An interesting twist is added to this formula in the form of bonuses that are provided at the start of each battle phase, such as nullifying the cost of a special attack, ensuring that you will land a critical hit, restoring health by 10% or increasing the target’s attack strength. The fact that these can be added to both enemies and playable characters can easily change the flow of battle, and makes each one feel more entertaining as a result.
As well as the usual array of weapons, healing items and tactical options to best position your allies, the skill customisation system deserves a particular mention. By using the Orbment option in the menu, you can alter the Quartz that you have currently placed into your battle enhancement device known as ARCUS. Each Quartz is an orb like object, similar to Materia in Final Fantasy VII, that causes particular special effects and teaches new abilities, and can be placed in certain positions in your ARCUS if you have unlocked it by levelling up or completing certain missions. Customising this device for each character is definitely a worthwhile investment, as certain special effects such as increased attack power and higher elemental defence will occur if particular Quartz objects are placed in a particular sequence.

If you have played any of the Tales series, then the cel-shaded graphics along with the manga-style portraits will be familiar to you. Each location from the dungeons to the interiors of the academy is visually appealing, with not a hint of slowdown or graphical tearing anywhere in sight. From a musical perspective, Trails of Cold Steel is certainly a mixed result. There is a lot of variety to be had, but some tracks felt slightly inappropriate for the situation they were placed into. From orchestral pieces that immerse you in the dungeons, to the gentle pop-style elevator music that plays when you are walking around the academy, there is something for everyone’s taste. Unlike some of the JRPG’s that come to our shores, Trails of Cold Steel only includes an English dub track. The voices are well acted, giving each character a distinct personality, but on several occasions I heard crackling and feedback in the vocal track which made me feel slightly disconnected from the events I was witnessing.

Overall, The Legend of Heroes – Trails of Cold Steel takes the best elements from several famous RPG’s and puts them all together into a tight well-rounded package. The variations added to the fan favourite battle system styles breathe fresh life into the fights that could otherwise be repetitive, as well as the well written side characters who show the true extent of the class divide in the kingdom. While there are some issues with the music and quality of the voice acting, if you are at all a fan of any kind of role-playing game, then Trails of Cold Steel’s excellent story and compelling gameplay will draw you in for the long haul.