THE LEGEND OF HEROES: TRAILS OF COLD STEEL 3
Steel yourself for an epic adventure
The Legend Of Heroes series has built up a complex world of politics and economics which has an impact on every game, eschewing the more separate approach of the numbered Dragon Quests or Final Fantasies. Trails Of Cold Steel has been telling a story set in the world of Erebonia, revolving around internal struggles for power as told through Rean and the rest of Thors Military Academy’s Class VII. Which gives us something wonderful: we’ve now followed Rean all the way from being a student in over his head in a larger conflict to becoming (at the start of this game) an instructor to a new group of kids himself.
This makes the story a marvellous mix of old and new – both a perfect jumping-in point and a world that feels richly developed. This feeds into the gameplay, with Rean splitting time between teaming up with his students and joining his more advanced former classmates (who have all been doing their own thing since the last game). Combat is all about the bonds they share, with the turn-based action featuring various link attacks and combo moves. 1 While still a stiffer JRPG, this is the most fluid entry yet and some battles really feel tactical.
In between setting off on field expeditions, where you assist Erebonia’s inhabitants by taking on quests, you learn more about your students and colleagues by helping them out at the school. Narrative is still the focus, and with a dizzying amount of dialogue for even minor characters2 it manages to feel epic and sweeping and personal and intimate all at the same time. Oscar Taylor-Kent