The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 102 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 102
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 102
  3. Negative: 10 out of 102

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  1. Ryall
    Feb 18, 2018
    9
    Trails of Cold Steel 2 is a direct sequel to the 1st Trails of Cold Steel It would be best to play that 1st.
    As Trails of Cold Steel 2 Expands on the 1st game. Together thay are one of the best JRPG currently available.
  2. Risax
    Apr 22, 2018
    8
    WARNING THERE ARE UNMARKED SPOILERS TO TRAILS OF COLD STEEL IN THIS REVIEW!

    A direct sequel to The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, leaving off a month after Rean and his newly aquired Divine Knight escaped Thors as it was attacked by the Noble Alliance. I enjoyed this game quite a bit more than the first game let me tell you, but there were also plenty of things that dialed my    WARNING THERE ARE UNMARKED SPOILERS TO TRAILS OF COLD STEEL IN THIS REVIEW!

    A direct sequel to The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, leaving off a month after Rean and his newly aquired Divine Knight escaped Thors as it was attacked by the Noble Alliance. I enjoyed this game quite a bit more than the first game let me tell you, but there were also plenty of things that dialed my enthusiasm back a bit.

    First of all, it FEELS like you have a bit more freedom than in the first game since you can go back to old areas to revisit them and you aren't tied to the school. You DO get a sort of homebase eventually, but I won't spoil it.

    The Divine Knight battles, which were only introduced at the end of the first game, are also handled much better and are a lot more fun to do. I also enjoyed finding other students of Thors and unlocking more shops and stuff for your "homebase" but I've always been a sucker for building villages and the like in the Dragon Quest games too. So that might not be everyone's cup of tea.

    Just like the first game and the Trails in the Sky games, Trails of Cold Steel II is also quite long with loads and loads of NPCs, quests and minigames. But doing quests often felt less like a chore than it did in the first game. Perhaps because you're tying to help citizens in a country at war.

    Anyway, now for the bad...

    The sprites still look stiff, leaving some "animated fighting scenes" look awkward. And the dumb anime clichés I mentioned in my review of the first game are still around. Especially in Rean's goal to return Crow to the academy despite the fact that the guy is the leader of a terrorist organization that is probably directly or indirectly responsible for quite a few deaths. He also doesn't seem to show a lot of interest in actually returning.

    The game also feels more "padded" than its predecessor. Finding and recruiting students, doing sidequests and minigames are optional. But there comes a point where you must forge a weapon for you divine knight. Which is cool. But in doing so you have to go through four shrines which kind of feel like "mini old schoolhouses" from the first Trails of Cold Steel. (And doing that on every free day already felt like a chore).

    Worst is the ending, however. There is "Finale", "Divertissement" and "Epilogue". The Finale is just you going through the final dungeon, nothing wrong with that. I also like Divertissement which takes place after. I won't spoil what happens.

    ...but Epilogue is just another free day of doing tasks for the Student Council and, yes, going into the Old Schoolhouse. The dungeon is 17 floors long. Which are all randomly generated. And. There. Is. No. Point. To. It.

    Even the Epilogue's Boss says its a "Hollow Trial". There is no cliffhanger, no hints to what Trails of Cold Steel III might hold in store. Nothing.

    After that, Class VII says goodbye to each other and it might pluck at the heartstrings. But for me, it felt a bit "too little, too late".

    I would still rate this about as good as the first Trails of Cold Steel, with several things improved. But it could have been so much better if they've cut out some of the fat...

    That being said, I am still looking forward to Trails of Cold Steel III!    … Expand
  3. Luigichief
    Feb 18, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Even though it had a good amount of highlights and those were very good, this was the first Trails that had several things that I really didn't like. But even so, many moments managed to impact me in some way, which really impressed me.

    The first arc is the 'introduction' of the game basically, you meet your colleagues while the script introduces new concepts, characters, mechanics and 'works the world' in the background. Then the climax of the 1st arc arrives and the thing really grips, despite having very slow moments still in the 2nd arc, I felt the history and the war really advancing. This story has a peculiar and even innovative rhythm, however, despite its several high points and they are of excellent quality and the one with the most 'low' points, but which would not necessarily be low if the story was different (confused, I I know, this was one of the most difficult and complex games I've ever analyzed).

    The prologue is very interesting and the end of it, when Rean's village is attacked and there is the scene of his father bloodied is too good and completely unexpected, and the beginning of his development in the outdoor bath was something very important in his personality of Rean, that he sees no value in himself. The first part of arc 1 is okay in general, with some high points. I thought the second part was better, the reunion of Rean and Alisa was very good and it was not forced, the climax is good and I really like the inhabitants and the land of Nord so it was a plus. Part 3 is okay, since Jusis 'duel' and mini arc I really liked. But the really good part was the end of the arc, you probably wondered why the guys just don't call the whole troupe, invade Ymir and put the stick in the protagonists, after all, they were well exposed. And that's exactly what happened, I loved it. I didn't find it exciting or anything, but from a narrative point of view, it was very unexpected and interesting. I just didn't like the little tension relief in highly tense moments (like this ending), if it is to be tense it is to be tense and you knew how to do it Falcom.
    The intermission between arc 1 and 2 is really great in many ways. It is quite interesting how the 'villains' (Noble Alliance) are not 'evil' and want the bad of the nation, quite the contrary. And all the allies have their reasons for being there, except that the climax is very good, despite the slight unwanted comic relief.
    The second arc starts off taking an interesting turn to the story, but part 1 in general is just okay, except for the climax which is cool, but nothing too special. Part 2 was really good, from the quests to its climax, and the consequences on Roer made it seem like the story really progressed. Part 3 surprised me a lot, I didn't imagine that the Celdic tragedy would affect me so much. Part 4 / end of arc 2 is very good in general too, the climax of winning back the Thors academy is absurd and has a much more emotional than tense atmosphere. Although dragged, I found Arch 2 as a whole good in general and with some very high points, but not seeing the war in West Erebonia was something that disappointed me. It is worth mentioning that the final bonding event is also very good (at least that of Jusis and Alisa, which were the ones I saw).
    Final Arc is very good and has a great rhythm (very good dungeon ending), the game's 'ending' is full of twists, Crow's death, Rufus Albarea being an Ironblood and Osborne being alive, having totally manipulated the war ( Class 7 inclusive), he stole the Sept-Terrion’s Ourobouros plan, will conquer Crossbell and on top of that he’s Rean’s biological father. But these twists were a bit 'confused' (I don't know the right word here but I'll try to explain), how Osborne manipulated the war is a little implicit and implied, how he survived too, we hardly know what this stolen plan is, he doesn't show it attaching Crossbell (even if you can swallow it) and we have no idea why he left Rean. The story of the 'real' game ends here, but not the game, more or less.

    After the Final Arc, when the game or better the story 'ends', a chapter begins as a certain continuation of Trails to Azure, which is interesting and has a very nice ending, but even though I played Zero and Azure I found some dialogues very confusing and I have no idea which direction the story / Crossbell will take.

    Regarding the Epilogue, I have mixed feelings. Despite several hopeful and light moments, this story is actually very dark, at least until the epilogue, for me the game should have ended at the Divertissement. It would have been perfect, Rean seemed changed and very affected by the events at the end of the game, it seemed that he had lost some of his naivete and maybe and his essence (which would make sense to me considering everything he went through).    … Expand
  4. Kenmei
    Dec 20, 2018
    8
    Picking up directly after the end of the first game, Cold Steel 2 works almost the exact same way as the first game. A number of upgrades populate the world, including a few new additions to the battle system as well as giving the player more freedom to go where they want later on in the story. However, nothing much as changed from the first game and it's crucial that you have played thePicking up directly after the end of the first game, Cold Steel 2 works almost the exact same way as the first game. A number of upgrades populate the world, including a few new additions to the battle system as well as giving the player more freedom to go where they want later on in the story. However, nothing much as changed from the first game and it's crucial that you have played the first game in the series to have any hope of understanding this one. Also this is only the 2nd game in a planned 4 part series, of which the 3rd and 4th games are nowhere even close to being released in the west. That also doesn't include the 2 games in the long series that haven't been localized that tell the other half of the story that is happening in the background of this game. I personally have enjoyed my time with this but I know that this entire story won't be told for a few more years down the line, that's if they get translated and make it to the west. However, for this product by itself, it's a good JRPG with a good cast of characters I've come to quite enjoy my time with. Even if the story has a few plot holes in it that don't make a ton of sense, it still works out well most of the time.… Expand
  5. death12123
    Nov 3, 2019
    9
    Cold Steel 2 was an amazing follow up to the first game. Some of the best RPG games to pick up indeed. My only issue with the second game is optimization isn't exactly the best like the first game. Some areas can be more taxing than others. I would also say like true Trails of fashion, you can break the game here too with stats.
  6. Sholva
    Oct 3, 2019
    10
    I have to say I discovered the Trails series of games like in 2016 and already played all of the Sky games before trying the Sen No Kiseki series (Trails of Cold Steel), and the only ones I've yet to play are those from the Crossbell arc, for the obvious and simple reason that there's yet to exist an official translation here...I know about the really decent fan translation but I'mI have to say I discovered the Trails series of games like in 2016 and already played all of the Sky games before trying the Sen No Kiseki series (Trails of Cold Steel), and the only ones I've yet to play are those from the Crossbell arc, for the obvious and simple reason that there's yet to exist an official translation here...I know about the really decent fan translation but I'm patient, so it's no problem.

    Now, the Cold Steel series seems to be a little bit more targeted towards a more young'ish audience, both from the art direction and story perspective, but that's understandable. That doesn't mean the series has lost its touch compared to the previous sagas, on the contrary, it still feel quite solid when it comes to the core principles these series are known from: great characters, both "primary" and "secondary", with extensive story and lore attached to them; Great setting /world to explore; Amazing music...hell yeah, the music, oh yes, what else there's to say about it, it's epic and fits the game perfectly in so many ways. And last, but not least, the super interesting "meta" plot that all the games are building which makes us keep playing and try to figure out what the heck is going on and who is a bad guy, or who isn't...I really enjoy that because it leaves many of the deliberations in the hands of us, the players, so we can keep making our own theories while we wait for even more games to be brought to us.

    Now, I want to briefly talk about the technical aspect of this version of the game, in a single word: perfect. Durante has, as usual, done an excellent job working on this game, it looks great considering the original hardware it was made for, runs very well, quite smooth and it has all the stuff I want to see on a proper PC game, even good keyboard and mouse controls. It's a solid job and I hope the publisher keeps making use of his amazing skills for future games, he deserves it, and we as gamers who love good PC ports do, as well.

    Overall, ToCS II is an amazing JRPG which takes what the previous game did great, enhances it and adds quite a lot of stuff. Hopefully we PC users will get to finish this amazing saga one day, I know Cold Steel III is coming soon to the western console player base, I bet they're thrilled, heck even I am, but as a PC player I'll patiently wait, for sure.    … Expand
  7. Lotex
    Jul 19, 2020
    9
    Falcom once again returns with a masterfully crafted RPG that basically gives you more of what you're used to from other Legend of Heroes games, this time more polished and more well thought out with a fantastic and very likable and relatable characters, each very similar on one level as they all have high values for moral and pride, but on another level they're different enough so theyFalcom once again returns with a masterfully crafted RPG that basically gives you more of what you're used to from other Legend of Heroes games, this time more polished and more well thought out with a fantastic and very likable and relatable characters, each very similar on one level as they all have high values for moral and pride, but on another level they're different enough so they complement each other almost perfectly.
    While it's not 100% divided I'd say you can divide the game into two different sections: Story that happens inside the school and story that happens outside of school. The first part mostly consists of social stuff like spending time with your friends and doing side quests while the "outside of school" part covers combat and progresses the story way more than the "inside of school" parts do. Technically you don't need to play any of the other Legend of Heroes games before and can still have a really good time with this one, but it's highly advised since it's an ongoing story. The games are divided into different arcs, but overall they're all connected.    … Expand
  8. MoofiaBossVal
    Dec 26, 2021
    10
    Even better than the first game. Great aesthetics, music, english dub, combat, and story.
  9. Dubeau
    Apr 28, 2018
    6
    Review at 17 hours or so...The first game had some drawback like too much dialogues, slow pace. Well, part 2 is worst in that regard. You fast forward with the B button but you can miss some elements with it. The majority of the dialogues could be strip down to one phrase. The story gets so complex and convoluted, it's just hard to get interested...too many characters to care for or toReview at 17 hours or so...The first game had some drawback like too much dialogues, slow pace. Well, part 2 is worst in that regard. You fast forward with the B button but you can miss some elements with it. The majority of the dialogues could be strip down to one phrase. The story gets so complex and convoluted, it's just hard to get interested...too many characters to care for or to manage. The Mech fighting is a nice addition but it slow, slow and not very interesting. Graphics are PS3 level, like the first game. All the same systems are there. The problem is also the fighting...you are super powerful with small enemies, which makes those fights extremely boring and resolved in one-two attacks. But then the game throw at you a super one that you have to retry over and over. Sadly this throws off all the balance in the game. This feels more like an extension really. Not that the game is totally bad, but this wasn't a step for the better. I give it a 60%.… Expand
  10. Nathandrax
    Mar 30, 2018
    3
    Its your typical anime game with poor graphics. The story and characters are quiet blend. Gameplay is grindy and stupid. The game is just full of lewd fans.
  11. BiancoBoii
    Oct 11, 2021
    7
    The story is fantastic, the gameplay is almost identical to the previous game, but lacks in some of the setting. It suffers from doing menial side quests while the people are in danger and really shows in the latter part of the game. Definitely worth the money
  12. VG_Alex
    Apr 5, 2022
    7
    Some improvements have been made on the basis of the previous game, but it's still disappointing at all, making it almost the lowest evaluated one in the game series. You should be prepared for the game's experience carefully.

    Review of "The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Steel Ⅱ:Kai"

    Graphic/Art: 7

    Music/Sounds: 8

    Narrative/Performance:6.5

    Gameplay:7

    Score:6.8 (-0.3)
  13. GreenMenace
    Sep 28, 2022
    9
    Trails of Cold Steel II is regarded by many Trails fans as the best game in the series. What makes it so enjoyable is that you can easily follow what’s going on and the game really makes good use of its characters. If you liked ToCS I, then this is a no brainer. The more invested you get into the game, the more you’ll get out of it. I’d also argue that this is the “fastest” paced game inTrails of Cold Steel II is regarded by many Trails fans as the best game in the series. What makes it so enjoyable is that you can easily follow what’s going on and the game really makes good use of its characters. If you liked ToCS I, then this is a no brainer. The more invested you get into the game, the more you’ll get out of it. I’d also argue that this is the “fastest” paced game in the Cold Steel series, which is a big deal since the other games get bogged down with random junk. It also improves bonding moments and combat from the first, so I’d say it’s indisputably the better game of the two.

    That said, I don’t see any real purpose in skipping to this game or to the fourth one. It’s like skipping through a book—I can’t imagine it ever feeling rewarding to skip or to go back and play a game after the plot’s been revealed (unless you loved the whole series in the first place). That and Cold Steel makes a ton of references to itself that almost act like an inside joke—it’s not great for the player that’s played the game, I imagine it would be even worse for a player who hasn’t.    … Expand
  14. senators
    Dec 29, 2021
    10
    You like Falcom games? You like this game simple. It expands on Trails universe
  15. Lolerrev
    Apr 24, 2021
    10
    Pros:
    -Same combat system as previous game, but enhanced.
    -More playable characters to choose.
    -The plot is quite hectic, from start to finish.

    Cons:
    -None.
  16. Wondux
    Jan 3, 2022
    7
    Although this was the second game of an arc in "The Legend of Heroes", the story was still very slow, where you had to gather people running all around the continent for half of the game. Still, the game was not boring, but I think that it was a downgrade from the first game. Again, amazing world-building.
  17. CaliburX417
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    Most of the game is just filler after the first 10 hours until maybe the last 5. Really need to learn how to better pace the game.
  18. hk300
    May 1, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Doesnt completely live up to the hype the first game builds, I also feel like the Crow and Rean relationship can feel a little underdeveloped if you didn't choose to max out your bond with him or attend all bonding events in CS1. Story does become a bit of an incoherent mess towards the latter chapters and the final dungeon did leave a bitter taste in my mouth. However the set up for CS3 kept me intrigued as well as the clear connections to the Crossbell duology.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. DarkStation
    Mar 5, 2018
    90
    Everything in the game adds up to the overall experience, making The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II one of the best in the genre. The third part of Trails of Cold Steel saga has seen the daylight only in Japan for PS4. I hope the western PC conversion doesn’t take too much time to arrive. I want to see what’s stored for Rean and Class VII in the future!
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  2. GameSpace
    Feb 27, 2018
    80
    There are plenty of Japanese Role-Playing games available on the market and, none of them can quite measure up to Trails of Cold Steel 2.
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  3. Hooked Gamers
    Feb 23, 2018
    70
    I’ll keep playing because the story is engaging and I want to see what happens to Class VII, but the battles and exploration don’t hold the same spark that they did in the first. So if you are considering playing this, without having played the first, don’t. The first is a far better game and includes very similar content. If you play that and find that you are sufficiently interested in the story, then I’d recommend getting this game as well. But this is a game I would only recommend to JRPG fans or to players engaged with the ongoing exploits of Class VII.
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