Trails Of Cold Steel
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is a 2013
role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
developed by
Nihon Falcom is a Japanese video game developer, best known for their '' Ys'', '' The Legend of Heroes'', and '' Trails'' series. They are credited with pioneering the action role-playing and Japanese role-playing game genres, as well as popularizing the u ...
. The game is a part of the ''
Trails A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...
'' series, itself a part of the larger '' The Legend of Heroes'' series, and follows '' Trails to Azure'' (2011). It was initially released in Japan for the
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and
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before being localized in English by
Xseed Games Marvelous USA Inc., (formerly Xseed Games), is an American video game company founded in 2004 by former members of Square Enix USA with the goal to localize Japanese games for American market. Xseed Games later became a subsidiary of Japanese ...
in 2015. A
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
port was also released by Xseed in 2017, which included additional English voice acting. Another port for the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
was released in Japan in 2018, and worldwide the following year. A port for
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
was released in Japan and Asia in 2021. The first part of a four-part arc, the game was followed up by '' Trails of Cold Steel II'' in 2014.


Gameplay

The gameplay of ''Trails of Cold Steel'' is similar to previous ''
Trails A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...
'' games, being a traditional
Japanese role-playing video game While the early history and distinctive traits of role-playing video games (RPGs) in East Asia have come Video games in Japan, from Japan, many video games have also arisen Video games in China, in China, Video games in South Korea, developed ...
with
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battles. It adds free camera movement and fully 3D character models. The game has a new battle system, designed for commands in fights to be selected at a faster rate. The system allows players to pair characters up with a "Link" system, which allows follow-up attacks and provides various other benefits. Links become more useful assets to the player as the story progresses and characters level up their "Link Levels" with other characters. ''Cold Steel'' maintains the "AT" (Action Time) battle system, which displays ally versus enemy turns on a bar on the screen. The Orbment system from past games has been streamlined. ''Trails of Cold Steel'' inherits the "Master Quartz" system from '' Trails to Azure''. Players can transfer save data between the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation 4 versions using cross-save functionality.


Plot

The game is set in the Erebonian Empire and takes place after the ''
Trails in the Sky ''The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky'' is a 2004 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is the first in the ''Trails'' series, itself a part of the larger '' The Legend of Heroes'' series. ''Trails in the Sky'' was fir ...
'' trilogy and concurrently with '' Trails from Zero'' and '' Trails to Azure''. The plot is centered around "Class VII" at Thors Military Academy in Trista, a newly formed class at the academy and the only one not segregated by social class (composing of both Erebonian nobility and commoners). The class consists of protagonist Rean Schwarzer (a commoner later adopted into a noble family), Alisa Reinford (daughter of the Chairman of an engineering company), Elliot Craig (the son of a famous commander from the Imperial Army), Laura S. Arseid (the daughter of a renowned warrior and noble), Machias Regnitz (the son of the Imperial governor), Jusis Albarea (the heir of one of the four Great Houses), Emma Millstein (a commoner accepted into Thors due to her exceptional grades), Fie Claussell (former member of a jaeger group called Zephyr), Gaius Worzel from the Nord Highlands, and class instructor Sara Valestein (a member of the Bracer Guild). They are later joined by Crow Armbrust (a second year who joins Class VII after failing to graduate), and Millium Orion (a member of Imperial Army's Intelligence Division). Throughout the school year, Class VII undergo field studies that take them to various cities and areas across Erebonia. The primary purpose is for the class to witness first-hand the reality of the Empire, consumed in a power struggle between the aristocratic Nobles that command the Provincial Army, and the working class Reformists led by Chancellor Giliath Osborne, which threatens to lead to civil war. In the process, the students increasingly come into conflict with a terrorist group later known as the Imperial Liberation Front (secretly backed by the Noble Alliance), led by the masked charismatic leader known only as "C". They are also investigating their academy's old schoolhouse, which mysteriously grows and changes its layout every month. At the bottom of the old schoolhouse, after overcoming the final trial, they discover a mech known as a Divine Knight called "Valimar". During a speech by Osborne regarding Crossbell's recent bid for independence from Erebonia and the neighboring Republic of Calvard, he is assassinated by "C", revealed to be Crow. The assassination starts a civil war between the Noble Faction/Provincial Armies and Reformists/Imperial Army. Trista is invaded by the Provincial Army and Imperial Liberation Front. During the attack, Valimar offers to form a covenant with Rean, making him an "Awakener", one who can summon and pilot a Divine Knight, which Rean accepts. Rean uses Valimar to drive back the Provincial Army and Imperial Liberation Front, but Crow, revealed to also be an Awakener, arrives in Trista and challenges Rean with his Divine Knight, Ordine. After Rean is defeated, the rest of Class VII engages Crow, allowing Valimar to escape with Rean.


Development and release

A new ''Trails'' game was in development for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita since the late 2012. It was developed using the PhyreEngine
game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games which generally includes relevant libraries and support programs such as a level editor. The "engine" terminology is akin to the term " software engine" u ...
. The game was first released in Japan as ''Sen no Kiseki'' on September 26, 2013, for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. In December, Falcom CEO and series producer Toshihiro Kondo said that while the player base was mostly in their 30s when the series was on PC, changing the character designs from ''Trails from Zero'' and on had an effect on targeting younger audiences, resulting in ''Sen no Kiseki'' player base being mostly in their late teens to early 20's. A Chinese and Korean localization was released in June 2014 with assistance by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia. An English localization by
Xseed Games Marvelous USA Inc., (formerly Xseed Games), is an American video game company founded in 2004 by former members of Square Enix USA with the goal to localize Japanese games for American market. Xseed Games later became a subsidiary of Japanese ...
was released on December 22, 2015, for PS3 and Vita as ''The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel''. It was published by Xseed in North America and in Europe by
NIS America is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was founded in 1991 and has developed several role-playing video games, most notably the ''Disgaea'' and '' Marl Kingdom'' series. Its mascot is the penguin-like ''Disgaea'' charact ...
. A port for
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
was released worldwide in August 2017; this release includes additional voice acting not seen in the original release. A remastered version for the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
, ''The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel I: Kai -Thors Military Academy 1204-'', was released in Japan on March 8, 2018. It includes many features seen in the Windows release, such as support for
4K resolution 4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. Digital television and digital cinematography commonly use several different 4K resolutions. In television and consumer media, 38402160 (4K UHD) with a 16:9 asp ...
and a "high speed skip" combat feature. The remastered PS4 version was released in North America and Europe in March 2019. A port for the
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
by Clouded Leopard Entertainment was released in Japan and Asia on July 8, 2021.


Reception

''The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel'' received "generally favorable" reviews according to
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Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
. ''
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'' gave the PS3 and PS Vita versions a score of 34/40.
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said it is "a role-playing masterpiece with all the right stuff: Xseed's superior localization, which bypasses
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
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". ''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". Kimberley Wallace of ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
'' stated that, with "fun combat, interesting twists, and a cool
social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...
system, ''Trails of Cold Steel'' is one of my favorite recent RPGs". Adriaan den Ouden of RPGamer said it was his favorite RPG of 2015. ''Multiplayer.it'' said ''Cold Steel'' is "complex, deep and varied, and sports surprisingly realistic and mature storyline and setting" and an "unforgettable cast of characters". ''
Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. Histor ...
'' 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". In a review of the English localization, RPGSite noted that there had not been English versions of the two prior titles ''Zero no Kiseki'' and ''Ao no Kiseki'', arguing that the gap made it more difficult for players of the English version to fully grasp the narrative. At the 2013
Japan Game Awards The Japan Game Awards is the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's awards ceremony, which was created in 1996 as the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association, CESA Awards. While it represe ...
, ''Trails of Cold Steel'' was named among its 11 Future Division winners.


Sales

During the first week after release in 2013, 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. The game resulted in significant profits for Falcom, with 1.9 billion yen in net sales, and 700 million yen in operating profit.


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel I, The 2013 video games High school-themed video games Japanese role-playing video games Nihon Falcom games Nintendo Switch games PhyreEngine games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation Vita games Fiction about politics Single-player video games The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel I Video games about mecha Video games developed in Japan Windows games Xseed Games games Turn-based role-playing video games Clouded Leopard Entertainment games Science fantasy role-playing video games Video games set in fictional countries NIS America games