The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II

 PlayStation 4
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II Image
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78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 131 Ratings

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  • Summary: Peace is but a memory.

    In the wake of the Noble Faction's occupation of Heimdallr, civil war has broken out across Erebonia. The provincial armies, loyal to the aristocracy and the Four Great Houses, have claimed many of the nation's great cities in the name of the Noble Alliance. The    Peace is but a memory.

    In the wake of the Noble Faction's occupation of Heimdallr, civil war has broken out across Erebonia. The provincial armies, loyal to the aristocracy and the Four Great Houses, have claimed many of the nation's great cities in the name of the Noble Alliance. The Imperial Army, called back from the four corners of the Empire, has only just begun sweeping its counterattack.

    After Rean managed to escape Trista with Celine and Valimar, he awakens in the mountains near his hometown uncertain what fate befell his friends, who bravely threw themselves in harm's way to buy him time to flee.

    Though the road will not be an easy one, Rean decides to take up his sword again, journeying across Erebonia with his Divine Knight, Valimar, in search of his friends from Class VII and a way to end the conflict before its price becomes far too dear    … Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. GameGrin
    Jun 24, 2019
    90
    Trails of Cold Steel II is a marvelous addition to the series. It carries the tone of the original perfectly, continuing a saga that sees its third installment hit later this year, while at the same time delivering an exciting story all of its own.
  2. RPG Site
    Jun 3, 2019
    90
    Trails of Cold Steel II is an incredible experience. Despite its unfortunate performance issues, this sequel is better than its predecessor in almost every way. Just like with its predecessor, it’s hard to think of a reason to not pick up this version of the game if you can’t play it on PC. Now that both games are available on a PS4, there hasn’t been a better time to play them if you ever had even a passing interest in them. And just like I said in my review of the PS4 version of Trails of Cold Steel: the Trails series is well worth your time.
  3. God is a Geek
    Jul 17, 2019
    85
    The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II on PS4 is a near perfect remaster of a fantastic game that arrives just in time for Trails of Cold Steel III.
  4. Push Square
    Jun 4, 2019
    80
    Trails of Cold Steel II is everything that you could want from a sequel to the first game. Although experience with its predecessor is nothing short of a necessity, this unapologetic approach to sequel storytelling is what makes Cold Steel II so compelling. It's remarkable how such a huge cast of characters can come together to deliver such a memorable narrative, and it's all thanks to the in-depth world building that Falcom has seeded over the course of two games. As far as turn based Japanese RPGs go on PS4, Trails of Cold Steel I and II are genre essentials.
  5. DarkStation
    Jun 18, 2019
    80
    Overall, if you've played and enjoyed the first game in the series, getting Trails of Cold Steel II is a no-brainer. You're going to love it. If you've never played the series, however, this sequel might not be the right place to start. It's pretty easy to say that the PS4 port is the definitive version with enhanced graphics, sounds, and all DLC included with it.
  6. Screen Rant
    Jun 6, 2019
    80
    For those who played the first, Trails of Cold Steel II is unlikely to disappoint. It takes no prisoners with its game systems or its story, but those who like a thoughtful, classic JRPG will find something to enjoy here. At times it may feel a little slow, but with a world this compelling it's easy to forgive.
  7. Worth Playing
    Aug 9, 2019
    50
    There's little you can get from The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II that you couldn't get from other titles that likewise do it better. The narrative is winding and confusing, the characters are off-putting, and the visuals are a sore sight for the eyes. While the music and gameplay show some glimmers of promise, they ultimately end up feeling lifeless and overcomplicated, respectively. At the end of the day, Trails of Cold Steel II ends up feeling like a middle-of-the-road shonen anime that's a little too scatter-brained, and you have to slog through the off-screen battles.

See all 22 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. No_Baizuo
    Jul 21, 2019
    10
    Awesome game! Picks up right where the first left off. Gave you more freedom than the first, but stayed true to their style. Combat is easyAwesome game! Picks up right where the first left off. Gave you more freedom than the first, but stayed true to their style. Combat is easy yet enjoyable. Character development and interaction are 10/10. Soundtrack is good. Love the game.… Expand
  2. Vinidmx
    Jun 5, 2019
    10
    If you liked the first game you will love this one, the turn based combat is amazing, the best of tatical with all the standard of old school,If you liked the first game you will love this one, the turn based combat is amazing, the best of tatical with all the standard of old school, excelent game, played on vita, will play again on the PS4 while waiting the 3 and 4.
    Go NIS america and Xseed.    … Expand
  4. Kiyan13
    Jul 21, 2019
    10
    Great game! I can only image Xbox & Nintendo fans rating it below 8. Seriously, sometimes those "userscore" look kinda suspicious.
  5. Bazzak
    May 9, 2021
    10
    COMING FROM A MAINSTREAM WESTERN RPG PLAYER. This game is even better than the first. With the STRONG CAVEAT to play the first game, this isCOMING FROM A MAINSTREAM WESTERN RPG PLAYER. This game is even better than the first. With the STRONG CAVEAT to play the first game, this is another JRPG masterpiece. Ive played all kinds of RPGS for 15 years and the involvement ive gotten in the complex plot, characters and combat system ive never ever experienced outside of this. If you enjoy reading novels and playing RPGs this game is a solid 10. The combat system is great, as good a turn based combat as ive ever played. Even the NPCs have their own stories that keep updating. Unlike other games you need to play the cold steel arc together like a box set of novels as they are almost literally continuations of the plot that takes a 10/10 WHOLE 4 games (even longer if you want to get technical) to fully cover. The continuation is a positive and unlike anything seen in mass market gaming. If you want to see the characters and plot youre so invested in develop step by step. Put it this way, if you liked Persona 5, this is a way better game and underrated by mass market reviewers who just wont do justice to this niche of story driven gaming with great combat. Its a gem but should have been promoted way more to the west.… Expand
  6. adrewtoremember
    Jun 7, 2019
    10
    These games accomplish something special that only genre giants such as Persona have accomplished with establishing an exceptional narrative,These games accomplish something special that only genre giants such as Persona have accomplished with establishing an exceptional narrative, and a well meshed cast of characters.

    Graphically, ToCS II is identical to ToCS, with both serving as ports from the Vita. There are some small performance issues in the sequel that were not present in the original, however, a few dropped frames in a Turn Based Combat game are not nearly as glaring than in an action based combat game.

    These games are must plays for JRPG enthusiasts, and will probably fall short in receiving the recognition they truly deserve.    … Expand
  7. AdoMobA
    Mar 20, 2023
    8
    Pros
    - great pay off for the themes set up in the previous game
    - much higher stakes all around - the familiarity with places you visited    Pros
    - great pay off for the themes set up in the previous game
    - much higher stakes all around
    - the familiarity with places you visited in Cold Steel 1 make the conflict of this game personal
    - fun optional bosses that yield The Lost Arts
    - build variety out the wazoo, slowly tilting the balance between Arts and Crafts, though Crafts are still king in this game
    - the Divine Knight battle system is a simple yet fun change of pace
    - fantastic ending that will make you hype for Cold Steel 3 and onward

    Cons
    - double down on the fan service
    - the moment Elise enters a scene I get the urge to exit my skin and then the room
    - poor optimization in areas affected by higher elements

    As the seventh game in the Trails series, Trials of Cold Steel II offers a fantastic payoff to the noble/commoner conflict set up by the first game. The cast finds themselves in a country torn by civil war and have to make decisions on how and where they would be most effective.

    The war puts Rean and the rest of Class VII through their paces as they retread locations that they familiarize themselves with in the first game. As such, this game spends a lot less time explaining and more focusing on the central conflict of Erebonia and character growth of the cast.

    Even though we travel through the familiar, we are introduced to still new allies and enemies, keeping the game from getting stale. Some returning and some completely new, all of the characters, besides Elise, slap in this game.

    The battle system started to get balanced in this game, giving the art users more tools to make their casting more palatable. Mainly in the use of accessories that allow for lower cast times, making the Arts go off quicker.

    Thanks to this, many more characters get to shine in combat. This game also introduces the One Shot Laura build which…yeah it is stupid, but I love it. Also also, Grail Burst alone has the potential to break the game. And that is only one of the five lost arts.

    Where the game struggles a little is with its optimization. I played this game on a PS4 Pro and all of the areas affected by higher elements were stuttering. Grianos, Vitas bird, also caused this as well as Vita herself when she projected her image as a means of communication. The stuttering was in fact so consistent with the observed causes that I am shocked this was not addressed.

    The other area that is more eye rolling than annoying is Cold Steel's propensity in leaning into fan service. Most of the time I can just roll my eyes and not engage with it but when one of the first events is a brother sister onsen scene that more than implies that the sister is interested, my stomach attempts to show me what I ate last night. I hate Elise and her inclusion in this story does nothing but hurt its reputation. But they are not blood related… shut up, I do not care. It is disgusting.

    I like Trails of Cold Steel II, despite its problems. Its fantastic payoff on the first game's themes is only elevated by an intriguing ending that will have you quickly booting up the next game. What a fun game.    … Expand
  8. Ikrus
    Aug 23, 2023
    0
    Why do Falcom & XSEED Games continuously put out games with heavy undertones and straight up scenes of sexual assault in their games and brushWhy do Falcom & XSEED Games continuously put out games with heavy undertones and straight up scenes of sexual assault in their games and brush it off as comedy? I've seen people call this Japanese humor and what not, but cultures and mindsets should always be challenged and made more accessible to all groups of people.… Expand

See all 14 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Best PS4 Game of 2019
41
#41 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2019