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The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
Developer(s)Nihon Falcom[a]
Publisher(s)NIS America
Director(s)Takayuki Kusano
Producer(s)Toshihiro Kondo
Programmer(s)
  • Toru Endo
  • Nobuhiro Hioki
  • Noriyuki Chiyoda
  • Atsushi Oosaki
  • Shingo Maekawa
Writer(s)
  • Hisayoshi Takeiri
  • Yoshihiro Konda
  • Syunsei Shikata
Composer(s)
  • Hayato Sonoda
  • Takahiro Unisuga
  • Yukihiro Jindo
  • Mitsuo Singa
SeriesTrails
EnginePhyreEngine
Platform(s)
Release
September 28, 2017
  • PlayStation 4
    • JP: September 28, 2017
    • NA/EU: October 22, 2019
    • AU: October 29, 2019
  • Nintendo Switch
    • JP: March 19, 2020
    • WW: June 30, 2020
  • Windows
    • WW: March 23, 2020
  • Amazon Luna
    • US: October 20, 2020
  • Stadia
    • WW: April 1, 2021
  • PlayStation 5
    • WW: February 16, 2024
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III[c] is a 2017 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes series, and serves as a direct sequel to The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II.

Trails of Cold Steel III was released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan in September 2017 and worldwide in October 2019. Ports for Nintendo Switch, Windows, and Amazon Luna were released in 2020, with a port for Google Stadia following in April 2021. A PlayStation 5 port was released in February 2024. A sequel, Trails of Cold Steel IV, was released in 2018.

Gameplay

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The gameplay of Trails of Cold Steel III is similar to the previous two Trails of Cold Steel games, being a traditional Japanese role-playing video game with turn-based battles. An emphasis was made on speeding up battles, including making transitions into battle scenes more seamless, and being able to map out more battle commands to specific buttons rather than various menus, though battles are still primarily menu-based.[1] The game contains a new system called "Brave Order" which lets players expend a new resource built up during battle called "Brave Points" to get special effects such as buffs or heals.[2] The new "Break" system was also added, which adds a "Break Gauge" bar to enemies. Attacking an enemy depletes its break gauge bar, and when fully depleted the enemy is weakened for one turn.[3]

Plot

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The story begins two years after the events of Trails of Cold Steel II, and several months after the Northern War between the Imperial Army of Erebonia and the Northern Jaegers of North Ambria, which resulted in the annexation of North Ambria into Erebonia. Rean Schwarzer, now an instructor at Thors Military Academy's Branch Campus, is the homeroom teacher of the new Class VII, consisting of Juna Crawford (an exchange student from Crossbell), Kurt Vander (a member of Vander family formerly guarding the Royal family), and Altina Orion (a member of the Intelligence Division and younger sister of Millium Orion). They are later joined by Ash Carbide from Raquel (who is later revealed to be an orphan of Hamel), and Musse Egret (a noble lady who is actually the heir of house Cayenne).

While teaching his students, Rean is ordered by the Imperial government to resolve numerous conflicts arising across Erebonia (mainly caused by Ouroboros, who are trying to retake their 'Phantasmal Blaze Plan' stolen by Chancellor Osborne) as part of the campus's field exercises, assisted by his former classmates of the old Class VII. On their missions, they learn that Rutger Claussell (the Jaeger King and Fie's foster father) and Arianrhod the Steel Maiden (an anguis of Ouroboros who is actually Lianne Sandlot, an Erebonian historical figure), who were both presumed dead, are actually alive and the Awakeners of two of the Divine Knights, Zector and Argreion respectively.

The group also learn more about the origins of the Divine Knights, chiefly that they are the fragments of the Great One, a being created when the Sept-Terrions of Fire and Earth fused into one after an intense battle between the two. The Kins of Fire and Earth worked together to contain the unstable Great One (giving birth to the seven Divine Knights), but were unable to contain its curse, which influenced Erebonia for many centuries and corrupted the people of the empire, leading to tragedies such as the Attack of the Dark Dragon, the Dark Ages, the War of the Lions, the Hamel tragedy, the Hundred Days War with Liberl, the annexation of Crossbell, and the Northern War. The groups later changed their names; the Kin of Fire became the Witches of the Hexen Clan (including Class VII member Emma), and the Kin of Earth became the Gnomes; the latter eventually cut ties with the former.

During a party in the Imperial Palace, Rean learns of his origins; while serving as a brigadier general in the army, Osborne rose up against the officers who were setting up the Hamel tragedy to start a war with Liberl. This led to his home being set ablaze, killing his wife and mortally wounding Rean. Osborne gave his heart to Rean to save him and later left him in the Schwarzer's care. Meanwhile, Ash, who is being manipulated by the curse, shoots the Emperor. This leads Rean and both generations of Class VII to realize that Ouroboros, the Gnomes, and Osborne are plotting to unleash the curse of the Great One and start the Great Twilight, an event that heralds the return of the Great One and the end of the world.

The members of Class VII resolve to stop them; during their battle with Osborne's forces, Jusis learns that his brother Rufus Albarea, the Imperial Governor of Crossbell and the primary member of Osborne's Ironbloods, is actually his illegitimate cousin who was adopted by the family to save face. While fighting against the "Nameless One", a creature containing the power of the Great One's curse, Millium sacrifices her life to protect Rean and her sister Altina. Her death causes Rean to lose control of his Spirit Unification power and slay the Nameless One in a rage, releasing the curse across Erebonia and beginning the Great Twilight. The story ends as the Divine Knights assemble and Osborne prepares to capture Rean.

Development and release

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Intentions to create a third Trails of Cold Steel game were announced in December 2015.[4] Initial planning began in early 2016, though the development team was divided on which platforms the game should release for.[5] On one hand, the PlayStation Vita was preferred, due to its larger installed base in Japan, and prior entries in the series being released there, but the team also wanted to consider using the much more powerful PlayStation 4, which would greatly help with the game's scope.[6] Full-scale development began around mid-2016.[5] Like the previous Trails of Cold Steel entries, it was developed using the PhyreEngine game engine.[7] The game was officially revealed in December 2016.[8][9] Unlike previous two entries, no Vita or PlayStation 3 versions were developed.[10] It was mentioned in the shareholder's meeting that a deciding factor in developing the game for the PS4 was to help ensure higher international sales for the game as the PS4 had a much larger userbase in most countries outside of Japan at the time.[10][11][12] This premise was reiterated by Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo:

"Foreign sales have reached a point with both the Trails and Ys series and where we can't ignore them from a development angle anymore. Ys: Memories of Celceta, for example, sold more outside of Japan than it did inside of Japan. Because Vita has kind of been on the decline for a while outside of Japan, and because the PS4 userbase is pretty established elsewhere, we have begun shifting toward PS4 development".[12]

Initially scheduled for Q3 2017,[13] it was released in Japan for the PlayStation 4 on September 28.[14] Localization into English and French was handled by NIS America rather than Xseed Games, who localized the first two Trails of Cold Steel games.[15] The announcement that NIS America was taking over caused some concern among fans, due to the issues with the initial localization of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana.[16] This concern was settled after confirmation that key localization staffs of the first two Cold Steel games were involved.[17] Initially set for a September 2019 release for PS4 in North America and Europe, it was later delayed to October 22.[18][19][20] A Nintendo Switch port by Engine Software was released in Japan on March 19, 2020,[21][22] in North America and Europe on June 30, and in Oceania on July 7.[23] A Windows port by Engine Software and PH3 Games was released on March 23 the same year.[24] A version for Amazon Luna was released on October 20, 2020.[25] A Stadia version was released on April 1, 2021,[26] while a PlayStation 5 version bundled with Trails of Cold Steel IV was released on February 16, 2024.[27]

Reception

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After the positive reception of the first two Trails of Cold Steel games, journalists were generally enthusiastic for the prospect of a third entry, though many lamented the lack of a Vita version.[8][10][36][13]

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[28][29] Reviewing the North American release, Nintendo Life called it an "excellent addition to the series", although they said it had slow pacing at times.[37] NintendoWire praised the "naturally brilliant" soundtrack, but did say it wasn't the easiest game for those unfamiliar with the storylines in prior games.[38] Frontline Gaming Japan praised the "strong narrative and exhaustive worldbuilding", as well as a "fun battle system" and payoff for long-term fans. They criticized the dated graphics and thought previous soundtracks in the series were stronger.[39]

Sales

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Trails of Cold Steel III debuted as the best-selling game in its week of release in Japan, selling 87,261 copies.[40] This was a significant drop from the 151,781 units Cold Steel II had sold in its first week.[41] Media Create attributed this decline to the lack of a PlayStation Vita version.[42] Despite this, Dengeki's sales reports still estimated that approximately 80% of the game's physical stock was sold at launch,[43] and Falcom announced that the game had the highest digital game sales in the series, as of October 2017.[44]

Notes

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  1. ^ Nintendo Switch version ported by Engine Software. Windows version ported by Engine Software and PH3 Games.
  2. ^ Nintendo Switch version published by Nippon Ichi Software in Japan.
  3. ^ Japanese: 英雄伝説 閃の軌跡III, Hepburn: Eiyū Densetsu: Sen no Kiseki Surī

References

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  1. ^ "システム | 英雄伝説 閃の軌跡III - Falcom".
  2. ^ "システム | 英雄伝説 閃の軌跡III - Falcom".
  3. ^ "ブレイク/ブレイクゲージ/高揚 | 英雄伝説 閃の軌跡III - Falcom".
  4. ^ "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Production Announced". Siliconera.com. December 15, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Williams, Mike (July 26, 2016). "Trails of Cold Steel III Under Consideration as PS4 Exclusive". Usgamer.net. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  6. ^ "Falcom CEO thinking about making The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III a PS4-exclusive - Gematsu". Gematsu.com. July 26, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  7. ^ Wen, Alan (October 6, 2019). "Hot on the Trails of Falcom, Japan's longest-running RPG developer". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Williams, Mike (December 20, 2016). "Trails of Cold Steel 3 Is PS4 Exclusive, Coming Fall 2017 in Japan". Usgamer.net. Archived from the original on December 24, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  9. ^ "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Releases In Japan In Fall 2017 Exclusively For PS4 - Siliconera". Siliconera.com. December 19, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  10. ^ a b c "Trails of Cold Steel III will be exclusive to PS4". Destructoid.com. December 21, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  11. ^ "The Legend of Heroes Sen no Kiseki III Exclusively for PlayStation 4 in Fall 2017". Esterior.net. December 20, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Bailey, Kat (July 6, 2017). "Why Trails in the Sky Developer Falcom is Embracing the PS4, and Their Thoughts on the Switch". Usgamer.net. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Legends of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 is PS4 Exclusive". Playstationlifestyle.net. December 21, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  14. ^ "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III launches September 28 in Japan [Update 2]". Gematsu. May 9, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  15. ^ "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is finally coming to North America". VentureBeat. January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  16. ^ Fahey, Mike (October 10, 2017). "NIS America Is Redoing Ys VIII's Shoddy Localization". Kotaku. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  17. ^ "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel I and II localization staff working on III". Gematsu. January 18, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  18. ^ NIS America [@NISAmerica] (July 17, 2019). "The release of #TrailsofColdSteelIII will be postponed to October 22 in NA and EU to ensure as successful a launch window as possible. A demo will be released prior to the game's release with details to come. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your support" (Tweet). Retrieved June 10, 2019 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Fillari, Alessandro. "The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel 3 Is Coming To Nintendo Switch". GameSpot. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  20. ^ "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III coming to Switch in spring". Gematsu. December 3, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  21. ^ Romano, Sal (December 11, 2019). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III for Switch launches March 19, 2020 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  22. ^ Gavin Lane (April 13, 2020). "Feature: Nihon Falcom President On Trails Of Cold Steel III And Bringing The Long-Running JRPG Series To Switch". Nintendo Life. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  23. ^ Romano, Sal (March 26, 2020). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III for Switch launches June 30 in North America and Europe". Gematsu. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  24. ^ Romano, Sal (January 17, 2020). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III coming to PC on March 23". Gematsu. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  25. ^ Gartenberg, Chaim (October 20, 2020). "Hands-on with Amazon's Luna game streaming service". The Verge. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  26. ^ Fuller, Alex (March 25, 2021). "Ys, Trails of Cold Steel Games Coming to Stadia". RPGamer. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  27. ^ Croft, Liam (October 30, 2023). "PS5 Versions for Trails of Cold Steel 3 and 4 Coming 16th February". Push Square. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  28. ^ a b "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  29. ^ a b "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  30. ^ O'Reilly, PJ (August 29, 2021). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  31. ^ "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Review (PS4) | Aces high". Push Square. August 29, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  32. ^ Wallace, Kimberly (August 29, 2021). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel III Review – A Satisfying Class Reunion". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  33. ^ Rudek, Jordan (August 29, 2021). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  34. ^ "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Review | Aces high". RPGamer. August 29, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  35. ^ Bowling, Audra (August 29, 2021). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III". RPGFan. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  36. ^ "Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Announced - Hardcore Gamer". Hardcoregamer.com. December 20, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  37. ^ PJ O'Reilly (June 27, 2020). "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Review (Switch)". www.nintendolife.com. Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  38. ^ Tom Brown (June 26, 2020). "Review – The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III". Nintendo Wire. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  39. ^ "Trails of Cold Steel III - Review". Frontline Gaming Japan. October 2, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  40. ^ "「英雄伝説 閃の軌跡III」8万7000本，「FIFA18」合計6万8000本，「ファイアーエムブレム無双」合計約6万本の「週間販売ランキング＋」". 4Gamer. October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  41. ^ "「英雄伝説 閃の軌跡II」合計15万1000本，「絶対絶望少女」7万本など新作多数の「ゲームソフト週間販売ランキング＋」". 4Gamer. October 1, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  42. ^ Nelva, Giuseppe (October 8, 2017). "Lack of PS Vita Version Hurt The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III According to Media Create". DualShockers. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  43. ^ "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Sold Through About 80% Of Its Initial Shipment". Siliconera. October 5, 2017.
  44. ^ "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Has By Far The Most Digital Sales In The Series". October 6, 2017.
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