THE LEGEND OF HEROES: TRAILS OF COLD STEEL IV
Ambitious JRPG crossover
Unlike many other long RPG series, Trails leans heavily into continuity. What you have here is not only the final part of the Cold Steel quartet, but also events that affect the later lives of the heroes from PSP predecessors Trails In The Sky and Trails From Zero. 1 It gives everything a real sense of place.
Following on from a massive cliffhanger, Cold Steel IV hits the ground running, with the younger New Class VII (introduced in the last game) taking centre stage for the opening act. Like the rest of the series, it plays out like a great piece of young adult fiction. The stakes have never been higher, but as the classmates journey across the land they still find time to take on side-quests. As events occur, even the most minor characters constantly get new dialogue, and there are a lot of small stories you can simply uncover on your own.
Story is the focus of Cold Steel, and with it character development, but that factors into the combat too. Characters can forge tactical links to access combos, and you’ll want to make sure they have magic that can complement each others’ playstyles. Harder modes demand you pay attention to synergy and manage status buffs and debuffs. 2
There’s less focus on building up a single party than in some games in the series. There are so many characters you’ll often switch them around without having time to outfit everyone to perfection. But it’s fun to see everyone come together for this finale, and being an ensemble piece means that four games in, this is an epic-feeling send-off. Oscar Taylor-Kent