Legend of Heroes, The - Trails of Cold Steel (USA)
PlayStation 3
🇬🇧
Reviewed in 2015
82
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✪ Reviewed on November 18, 2023
74
Eiyuu Densetsu Sen no Kiseki (Trails of Cold Steel) is an exceptional tactical JRPG set in the Erebonian Empire. AT system and deep character bonds, exceptional narrative quality. A peak of the Kiseki saga.
Your verdict
Category
RPG1 player12+
Description
Falcom narrative RPG plunging the player into the political intrigues of a militarist empire via a group of war academy students. Published by XSEED Games, released in Europe in July 2017. Turn-based JRPG combat with tactical positioning, deep social bonds, coherent Kiseki world, and dense storytelling. Western version.
Legend of Heroes, The - Trails of Cold Steel review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
Signed by the Falcom Sound Team jdk, the music unfurls a repertoire of wild generosity, from the fiery rock battle theme to moving town melodies. Each region gains a memorable sonic colour, carrying a sprawling story with rare coherence. This melodic richness, celebrated by fans, remains a peak of the JRPG.
A cadet at a military academy in an empire on the verge of breaking, a young man forges bonds that war will put to the test. A sprawling tale of rare density, it depicts class tensions and imperial politics with remarkable care. This patient writing, attentive to every character, magnificently rewards your investment.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Mild"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Forging bonds with your classmates and alternating school life with turn-based tactical battles advances a dense political plot that always leaves you wanting to know what comes next. Growing in power and building relationships reward each day. Its measured pace and longueurs demand patience, but the richness of its world grips you bit by bit without letting go.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Thors Academy anchors a political intrigue that unfolds slowly, between investigation chapters, field excursions and social bonds to weave with every classmate. The tactical turn-based combat rewards planning, and the density of the Kiseki world invites you to dig into the smallest line of dialogue. A JRPG that takes its time and makes that time feel precious.
Technical info
💾3,6 GB📅22/12/2015
Published by XSEED Games
Legend of Heroes, The - Trails of Cold Steel (PS3) price, value & rarity
Falcom's first Trails of Cold Steel, a military-academy JRPG with a dense political plot, brought West by a niche publisher in a measured physical run. Its appeal lies in this limited distribution and the status of gateway to a Trails saga with a devoted fandom, making a complete copy sought. A piece prized by fans of narrative JRPGs on PS3.
Is Legend of Heroes, The - Trails of Cold Steel still worth playing in 2026?
Trails of Cold Steel, the first chapter of the Kiseki saga's Erebonian arc, is a JRPG of remarkable narrative richness, here in its official Western version. Its strength lies in patient writing, which takes the time to weave the bonds among the students of Class VII and to build a political world of rare density. The turn-based combat system, enriched by orbment and the relationships between characters, rewards the investment. The measured pace calls for patience and commitment. But for the fan of narrative JRPG, this first act of a masterful fresco remains an exemplary experience.
