The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

Trails of Cold Steel does not only manage to transfer the long-running series into full-3D for the first time but also successfully starts off the long-teased Erebonia arc with a great new cast of characters. Even though it doesn’t manage to shake off all the usual problems of the series, Cold Steel I is another great kick-off that leaves you excited for what’s next
Trails of Cold Steel (or Cold Steel I) marks a new chapter in the long-running Trails series for many reasons: It was the first game to release on the PlayStation Vita/PlayStation 3, which also resulted in a switch to full-3D for the first time. Additionally, it was also the beginning of a new Trails story arc, set the large nation of Erebonia, with the entire (!) Class VII of Thors Military Academy introduced as the new main characters. Also, despite the events taking place concurrently to the previous Crossbell arc (consisting of the great Trails from Zero and even better Trails to Azure), Cold Steel I actually makes for the second-best entry point of the Trails franchise – besides starting from the beginning with Trails in the Sky that is. While losing out on the occasional reference, Cold Steel I should be perfectly enjoyable for newcomers to the series as well thanks to its stand-alone plot – just keep in mind that this isn’t the case for the later Cold Steel games as well.

In short, if you want to delve into the entire Trails series and its interconnected story, I still recommend starting with Trails in the Sky. However, Cold Steel I is a great, more modern representation of the series, which makes it a great pick if you just want to test the waters and find out if this type of JRPG suits your taste. Since it shares most of the components that made its predecessors so successful, it makes for an excellent first look into the acclaimed series. Just remember using this HD texture pack for the best visual experience
In fact, it’s quicker to list what actually changed in Cold Steel I compared the previous game in the series, Trails to Azure, than what remained the same. The positional 2D turn-based battle system returns alongside (Master) Quartz – but as the orbment system has been simplified (e.g. getting rid of elemental values) it’s easier than ever to equip your characters with the spells/effects you want. The big new gameplay feature here is “Combat Linking” however, which allows for follow-up attacks once enemies have been unbalanced through appropriate attacks (similar to “break” bars in other JRPGs like the later Final Fantasy titles). The highlight: Depending on how deep the bonds between characters are, these follow-up attacks might be even stronger. But how to improve then besides fighting together?
Cold Steel I features a different gameplay structure compared to the previous Trails games - each story chapter takes place during one in-game month, which means the gameplay sections (free days, practical exams, field studies, etc.) are split across different days. This also gives protagonist Rean Schwarzer of Class VII quite a few opportunities to bond with his fellow classmates (& others). However, even if you’re following a guide such as this NeoSeeker one (I highly recommend it due to the large amount of missables), you won’t be able to max all bonds like in Trails to Azure - Cold Steel I is designed to require (at least) two playthroughs if you’re going for a 100% run. A bold choice, to say the least, since even one playthrough this game can last between 50 and 100 hours depending on your side content completion, use of the turbo-mode, reading speed, etc.
Anyway, for the most part, Cold Steel I plays like its predecessor – offering decent turn-based combat that’s definitely entertaining but nothing too outstanding. It’s especially disappointing to see that the dungeons are still incredibly boring despite the move to full-3D, with uninteresting visual designs and a lack of unique mechanics (only very light puzzles, if even). Cold Steel I is also the first Trails game to feature DLC on Steam, with the questionable decision to sell consumable items (Shining Pom bait) that spawn special enemies which raise your level once defeated.
Moving on to the plot, Cold Steel I is very similar to Trails in the Sky and Trails from Zero - kicking off a new story arc by slowly introducing players to its world and characters. Compared to those two games, Cold Steel I features a much more character-driven plot however, with each story chapter mostly being about exploring one or two Class VII members as well as their home region. As such, your enjoyment of Cold Steel I is very much dependent on how you feel about the main characters. Personally speaking, I found that Cold Steel I does a great job at not only introducing its large character casts but also making sure that all of them receive their own time in the spotlight. The game does not play any favourites here, with all characters having their own motivations, problems and bonds to stay in Class VII. Even characters I thought to be annoying at the beginning ended up growing on me, which is quite an achievement.
Not all is well when it comes to the writing of Cold Steel I however, with the two biggest problems being the pacing and the steadily increasing use of anime tropes.
Pacing problems are unfortunately nothing new for the Trails series, they’ve been part of the series since the very first game. Thanks to their focus on world-building, the Trails games feature a slow pacing from the start and Cold Steel I is no different in that regard. The main problem here is that every story chapter apart from the final ones are structurally identical. Each month focusses on different characters from Class VII, but the general story development remains the same. Couple this with the slow storytelling that occasionally delves into filler dialogue and voila - starting a new story chapter might come with a feeling of “this again, now it’s going to take a couple of hours until things start moving again”.
Adding to this is the increased use of anime tropes – a trend I already complained about during Trails to Azure. Granted, the school setting doesn’t help here, but it didn’t even take thirty minutes after starting the game that the main character landed on top of a female classmate. It remains a shame that the game has to resort to these tropes when it shows that it can do so much better elsewhere - and while it fortunately never gets overbearing, I almost dreaded the appearance of certain side characters with behaviour bordering on sexual harassment at times (e.g. Angelica).
Still, overall Cold Steel I successfully takes the series into full-3D territory, enhances the combat system and successfully introduces Erebonia and a new cast of main characters. It’s once again a kick-off for an arc that does such a great job that it leaves you wanting for more. Despite a few problems, some of them unfortunately being long-running ones, Cold Steel I is a great turn-based JRPG for newcomers and franchise veterans alike – just be aware that its story directly leads into Cold Steel II. Furthermore, once you reached the Final Chapter, you might want to listen to this fan-translation of an official Drama-CD, which details the events of a chapter that unfortunately ended up being cut from the game itself.

60% time wasted to talk to NPC and their daily life
20% to set orbment just for removed after field study
10% stuck at boss because wrong equipment

10/10 would do it again

This game has been impressively good. I started the Legend of Heroes saga in August 2024, and I haven’t been able to stop playing through this incredible series. This is my sixth game, and the journey has been amazing. The new gameplay mechanics, the way it complements the story seen in the Crossbell games—there are no words to describe the emotions I felt during the final chapter. The plot twists were mind-blowing. It's truly impressive how Falcom puts so much heart into their games, crafting a story that grows game by game. I highly recommend this game, but I strongly suggest starting with the Trails in the Sky series. This has become my favorite gaming saga, and that’s saying a lot considering I’ve been gaming for 25 years!

I was VERY hesitant to come into this series as a lot of people said it's just bloated with text. I tried it anyway because persona is my favorite series so it's not like I'm scared of long talks. And yeah this game is 90% cutscenes and listening to dialogue but let me tell you - everything is so natural you just feel like watching anime or a movie. I can feel why some people get bored between waiting for gameplay mechanics but it's just special type of game, you don't treat it like a game game, it's more of a long movie that you have your part in. Very immersive.

While it is certainly visible that Falcom had bigger ambitions than what they could do in one game, they did deliver yet another good entry in the Trails series with this one. Very excited to play Cold Steel 2 later down the road.

Some people call this game "too anime" compared to other entries, which is just weird. Just like the other Trails games it reflects current trends in anime/LN/manga from the time it came out in.

Definitely give this game a try if you like intricate world building and want to be drawn into one of the longest ongoing JRPG stories.

The start of another incredible arc for Trails. And a good starting point for those new to the series. If you like great narrative and exceptional turn based combat, which evolves even further in the later games, start here.

Immediate 1000000/10. Actually, no. Let's be more realistic. I rate this game a Millium out of 10.
The characters, world building, story, combat and even more are just INCREDIBLE. This game is one of my favourite games of all time, hell, this franchise is one of the best franchises in the universe. I love Rean as a protagonist, be it his mentality and struggles, his amazing combat skills, or even just his monologues (Uh oh...), he never fails to become an extremely likeable and solid protagonist; most of which are either shallow or "wanting to impress" the players nowadays by doing stupid things. Rean actually loses some fights, which is such a breath of fresh air from seeing your typical "I'm so OP, so i'm just gonna wipe the floor with you all the time" protagonists. His losses help build his character too, as well as make the game more realistic since he's only a student right now. I have fallen in love with these characters, the world, the combat, and the game itself.
For all the time I've played this, (and i'll probably do more new game pluses) every second, every glance at the screen, every view of this vast, astounding, beautiful game, it just... Fills me with an inexplicable sense of joy and happiness. This goes for the rest of the games in the franchise too, especially cold steel. Absolute cinema; a true masterpiece of a game. Just seeing class 7 going on with their lives at the academy and creating new bonds with each other, is such an incredible sight to see. All the members of class 7 are amazing in their own ways too, and the setting of the academy makes me love this game even more since i love the whole "fantasy academy" thing.
The field trips and story progression is great too, i mean, i made sure i took ages to complete this game because i wanted to savour every second of it, and boy, do i regret that. It should've been every millisecond instead, NO, SCRATCH THAT, EVERY NANOSECOND!!! All in all, this ga-, no, masterpiece of art and story itself, is an enjoyable ride; a long one, but trust me, you won't regret it if you stick around and find out...