The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Reviews
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III brings the Erebonia arc of the Trails series to its second half - under a new western publisher, no less. Here are our thoughts on the game:
All in all, I had a fun time revisiting Trails of Cold Steel III on Switch. I still wonder who this release is even actually for, given how it's hard for me to recommend newcomers play this, and most fans who really wanted this would likely have bought it on PS4 last year. Even with the issues, due to my preferences, I find this to be my favorite way to play the game. I hope there are further balance patches released to iron out any of the issues I found, but given how rare the serious ones were, I still recommend this for those looking to play the latest English Trails release on the go. It’s such a big improvement on Ys VIII’s port, and I wish in hindsight that it could have gotten the same treatment. This port gives me a lot of hope for the upcoming switch releases of Cold Steel IV and Ys IX. Time will tell if Engine Software manages to improve on what they have here, and I’m excited to see where they go from here.
Overall, an enjoyable port of a great game.
The only real fault you can attribute to Trails of Cold Steel III is how it doesn't quite match the lofty heights the previous two titles deservedly reached.
Trails of Cold Steel III marches the long-running series ever closer to an explosive climax with satisfying combat, characters, and music.
If you've been keeping up with the series, Trails of Cold Steel 3 is the strongest outing yet, in spite of some issues that hold it back from its full potential.
Falcom did it again: The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel III is probably their best work up to date, and on of the best JRPgs available for Playstation 4 and PC. The only downside is that you'll need to have played both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 to better appreciate the writing and story.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Absolutely essential if you're a fan. If you've never played a Trails game before, you might want to consider starting at the beginning. Or reading a lot of plot summaries.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III drops JRPGo fans into the middle of a massive story arc and then has a tendency to meander. However, it provides more than enough thrills and compelling moments to make this an adventure worth taking.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 is still an exceptional RPG after all these years, even if its PS5 port doesn't offer many enhancements.
It's not clear why a new fan should start their journey from the third chapter of the series, but Trials of Cold Steel III and IV are still enjoyable and a must play nonetheless.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Trails of Cold Steel III is an important title for both Falcom and NIS. For Falcom, it's the penultimate entry in a story arc half a decade in the making - and an incredibly engrossing one, at that. For NIS, it's a step in the right direction after Ys VIII, and proof that The Legend of Heroes' localization is still in good hands moving forward. This is a continuity-heavy RPG with 13 years of video game history, and seven titles building up to it, but the combat and world are strong enough where even newcomers can enjoy the ride. Trails of Cold Steel III is the Erebonia arc at its best.
If you like JRPGs, this is another one you don't want to miss—just hope that Cold Steel IV gets a Western release before too long, because this one ends on one hell of a cliffhanger.
Trails of Cold Steel 3 is a masterclass in storytelling that improves nearly everything in the franchise's history.
Despite the challenges of having to carry the story behind two of the best JRPGs of the last decade, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III more than lives up to its legacy, delivering an experience anchored in a narrative that, despite taking a little bit to truly develop, manages to be one of the most surprising ones of its genre, and a gameplay even more challenging and fun than its predecessors.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If you are already into the series then it is likely you will already know whether or not you're getting this game. If you are not, I wouldn't recommend you start here unless you like hours of frustrating dialogue with no pay off.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is one of the best entries in the long-running series. It has a very good, complex and balanced combat system. It continues the epic and massive story of Erebonian Arc and will be an experience with lots of references to previous installments. Despite the very beautiful art design, the technical aspect of the visual is outdated and doesn’t look very good. At all, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 is a must-buy for the series fan but if you didn’t play previous games, to completely enjoy the epic and complex story of this franchise, I think it is better to start with them.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Trails of Cold Steel III is one of the best games of the year and a must-play for RPG fans everywhere.
If you've never played a Trails game, this release has everything you need to catch up and dive right in, and stay tuned for the finale of the tetralogy, Trails of Cold Steel 4, coming to Switch in 2021. If two roads diverge in a yellow wood, you better take the trail of cold steel. That will make all the difference.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is overall a great game and a good port.