The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

Gameplay

The basic gameplay is nearly identical to the previous "Kiseki" series entries with a few changes. The biggest change to the battle system and also counting as a brand new feature is the "Tactical Link System". The "Tactical Link" allow players follow up with three different kinds of link attacks, dealing additional damage and providing various other benefits. "Tactical Link" becomes a more useful asset to the player as the story progress and characters level up their "Link Levels" with other characters. As the link levels increase, you will obtain new link abilities such as healing the link partner or increase the CP gain of the partner. Another change is the Orbment system. Sen no Kiseki inherits the "Master Quartz" system from Ao no Kiseki. However, the Quartz system has been revamped. Sen no Kiseki does away with the sepith count associated with quartzes, which means orbal arts no longer depend on the overall sepith count on a single line but is instead based on the quartz you equip (EG: Equipping the Fire Bolt quartz allows your character to use the art Fire Bolt. Equipping HP1 only increases your HP and does not give you any arts because the sepith system is not in place). This game is also the first game in the series that was developed for the PS3. The game features 360 degree camera control, fully 3D character models, and voice conversations between characters on the overworld map, all of which are brand new features to the Kiseki series. Players can transfer save data between the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions using the cross-save function.

Falcom has also introduced downloadable content to the game in forms of items that can be used in battle and cosmetic changes like everyday clothing for the characters. A "teaser site" for the game was released on December 20, 2012, and includes screenshots of the game.

Plot

The game takes place at the same time frame as Zero and Ao no Kiseki games, but in the Erebonian Empire. The game's plot is centered around the newly formed special class "Class VII" in Thors Military Academy, composed of both aristocrats and normal Erebonian citizens. Class VII is the only class in the entire academy that does not segregate the two different social classes.

The game follows Class VII throughout their school year, mainly around the times when Class VII receive special field training that takes them all over Erebonia. Throughout their training across Erebonia, Class VII matures and casts aside their preconceptions of the two social classes and witness first hand the reality of the empire; The power struggle between the aristocracy led by the four noble houses, and the working class reformists led by Iron Blood Chancellor Osborne which threatens to lead to a civil war.

They also awaken Valimar, a knight-god (giant robot) sleeping under Thors. The story comes to a climax with the attempted assassination of Osbourne by the terrorist C who turns out to be the Thors student Crow Armbrust, and a coup by the aristocracy, and ends with Thors being occupied by the coup forces led by Crow piloting another knight-god, Ordine, leading into Trails of Cold Steel II.

Characters

Rean Schwarzer (リィン・シュバルツァー), Voiced by: Koki Uchiyama (Japanese); Sean Chiplock (English)

An amnesiac who was adopted by the Schwarzer Family, rulers of the state of Ymir. He is the main protagonist of the series. He goes to the military academy to find his path in life, not wanting to burden his adoptive family. He wields a katana.

Alisa Reinford (アリサ・ラインフォルト), Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese); Rachel Hirschfeld (English)

Alisa is the daughter of the Reinford family which runs the Reinford Group, the biggest heavy manufacturing enterprise in the Erebonian Empire. She attends the academy to become independent from her mother, who places more value on the company's profits. Alisa fights with an orbal bow.

Elliot Craig (エリオット・クレイグ), Voiced by: Ryoko Shiraishi (Japanese); Lucien Dodge (English)

Elliot is the son of General Craig of the 3rd Imperial Army Division, also known as "Redhead Craig". He is kindhearted and is fond of music. Elliot uses an experimental orbal staff in combat.

Laura S. Arseid (ラウラ・S・アルゼイド), Voiced by: Mariya Ise (Japanese); Marisha Ray (English)

Laura is the daughter of Victor S. Arseid, the "Radiant Blademaster" and Viscount of Legram. She attends the military academy to improve her sword skills. She wields a large sword.

Machias Regnitz (マキアス・レーグニッツ), Voiced by: Takuya Sato (Japanese); Edward Bosco (English)

Machias is the son of Imperial Governor Regnitz. He openly despises nobles, which leads to uncomfortable moments for Class VII when he and Jusis clash. He uses a shotgun in combat.

Jusis Albarea (ユーシス・アルバレア), Voiced by: Shinnosuke Tachibana (Japanese); Ben Diskin (English)

Second son of the Albarea family, one of the Four Noble Families of the Erebonian Empire. Despite his noble upbringing, his father Duke Albarea has no time for him and he's much closer to his older brother Rufus as a result. He fights with a broadsword.

Emma Millstein (エマ・ミルスティン), Voiced by: Saori Hayami (Japanese); Rena Strober (English)

A polite and intelligent young woman, Emma placed first on the entrance exams and harbors a unique secret from the rest of the class. She uses an experimental orbal staff that differs from Elliot's.

Fie Claussell (フィー・クラウゼル), Voiced by: Hisako Kanemoto (Japanese); Cassandra Morris (English)

She struggles with studying, but underneath all that lies a very skilled fighter. Fie would rather sleep than put effort into anything, though she is quite knowledgeable when it comes to weaponry and explosives. She dual-wields a pair of pistols with large bayonets attached to them.

Gaius Worzel (ガイウス・ウォーゼル), Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya (Japanese); Kaiji Tang (English)

A tall boy from the Nord Highlands. He attends military academy by recommendation of a certain Erebonian official. Gauis's people believe in the world's winds governing many factors of life. He wields a three-pronged spear.

Sara Valestein (サラ・バレスタイン), Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese); Carrie Keranen (English)

The main homeroom teacher to Class VII. She also oversees the field exams that occur during each month. This is to train Rean and the rest of the class, so as to improve their fighting capabilities and to fight against anyone and everyone who plan on hurting their friends and loved ones. She wields a sword and an orbal gun in each hand.

NPCs

Olivert Reise Arnor (オリビエ・レンハイム), Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese); Matthew Mercer (English)

Previously from the The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky games. He serves as the music teacher in St. Astraia's all-girls school, Elise's school, at the Sanktheim district of Heimdallr. He also was the one to form Class VII together, a group of unlikely heroes that would face the threat that would fall before them.

Development

The game was also localised into Chinese and Korean with the assistance of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia. The English localization was handled by XSEED Games.

Reception

The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki was awarded during the Japan Game Awards 2013 during the Tokyo Game Show by the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association, as one of eleven titles within the Future Division winners.

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

In Japan, Famitsu gave both versions a review score of 34/40. In the Western world, the game has received a positive critical reception, holding an aggregate score of 86% on Metacritic, making it the highest-rated PS3 game of 2015. PlayStation LifeStyle said it is "a role-playing masterpiece with all the right stuff: XSeed’s superior localization, which bypasses anime 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 stated that, with "fun combat, interesting twists, and a cool social system, Trails of Cold Steel is one of my favorite recent RPGs". Adriaan den Ouden of RPGamer said it "is my favorite RPG of 2015, and fans of the genre definitely shouldn't pass this one up." Multiplayer.it said it is "complex, deep and varied, and sports surprisingly realistic and mature storyline and setting" and an "unforgettable cast of characters." Destructoid 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."