The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel Reviews

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is ranked in the 79th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Metro GameCentral
Top Critic
7 / 10
Jan 28, 2016

An ashamedly old school role-player that nevertheless does its best to attract new players and entertain existing fans.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jan 14, 2016

With fun combat, interesting twists, and a cool social system, Trails of Cold Steel is one of my favorite recent RPGs

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Unscored
Jul 1, 2016

A hero sandwich that's way too heavy on the bread.

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USgamer
Top Critic
Unscored
Jan 5, 2016

There are games where 30 hours seem to fly by in an instant, and there are games where I'll be playing for what seems like days upon end, only to find that I've only put in 10 hours. At the risk of sounding more negative than I'd like, The Legends of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel has mostly fallen in the latter category for me.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 22, 2015

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel follows a lot of classic JRPG conventions, and as a result, it doesn't do a whole lot of things that haven't been done before, and better elsewhere. But the combat system still holds up, and the characters are charming enough to see the story through until the end.

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7 / 10
Jan 8, 2016

Despite my gripes with the game and the struggle to make it through achingly slow opening chapter, the care and detail that went into the game is clear to see, and I know there are JRPG fans that live to appreciate the kind of meticulous detail that this game contains. Trails of Cold Steel wants you to strap in for the long haul, and as the first of three chapters it’s not afraid to take its time. If you want a JRPG that isn’t afraid to soak you in story until you’re nothing but wrinkles, this is absolutely the game for you.

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75 / 100
Aug 15, 2017

Trails of Cold Steel doesn't lack for a pretty atmosphere throughout, and I enjoy the design elements quite a bit regardless of graphic quality. The music isn't anything mind-blowing, but it is still Falcom quality goodness.

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Jan 25, 2016

Trails… is a superb example of classic JRPGs done right.

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ZTGD
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Dec 23, 2015

In the early hours of Trails of Cold Steel, I was skeptical that it could live up to the lofty standards set by Trails in the Sky. However, after my first year spent as a student of Class VII, I can confidently say that it has, and knowing that this is just the beginning of a new series fills me with great anticipation.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 2, 2017

Trails of Cold Steel is one of those games where you get out of it what you put into it. While it is playable for a rank newbie, there is far more depth available to the experienced player. There are some small rough edges, but it works very well overall.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 2, 2017

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel takes the best of the Trails in the Sky games and enhances it to new heights. While the school setting isn't particularly innovative, all surrounding mechanics have been masterfully implemented, resulting in a game that's incredibly engaging despite the slow pace and a few other minor issues. Additional, the wealth of PC exclusive features make the game one of the best consoles to PC port ever released.

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Jan 7, 2016

One of the best examples of how good the Japanese RPG can be, even if no single aspect sets the bar for the genre.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jan 4, 2016

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel has an old-timey feel to it while not getting lost in the novelty of that. Trails channels inspirations from the entire RPG timeline in subtle ways and brings it into a modern and progressive light. The PS3 and PS Vita are lucky to have this gem of an RPG in their library, even if it doesn’t push the hardware as it could.

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8.8 / 10.0
Mar 10, 2016

In many ways, Trails of Cold Steel’s JRPG trappings and gameplay struggle to remain relevant in an evolving genre.  Yet, paradoxically, it’s the game’s conventional approach that makes it appealing, a reminder of the formula that has made JRPGs so popular, with several ease-of-use additions here and there to make it more accessible in the contemporary milieu.  If you’re looking for something new to play on your Vita or PS3, you’d be hard-pressed to do better.

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Aug 8, 2017

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is smothered in detail which creates a living, breathing world at the cost of some story and character development.

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90%
Oct 8, 2017

This is without a doubt the definitive version of Trails of Cold Steel.

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7.5 / 10.0
Mar 1, 2017

If you're looking for a JRPG on the PC, this one is certainly an option, but it would not be my first.

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Aug 8, 2017

A worthy follow-up to the PC release of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC that we received years ago.

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RPG Site
Top Critic
8 / 10
Jan 23, 2016

While it takes some time to get started, the combat and writing in this game help push it beyond its boundaries.

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85%
Jan 13, 2016

If you like traditional JRPGs but Trails in the Sky was a little too dated for you, Cold Steel is exactly what you've been looking for.

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