The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
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  1. Gameblog.fr
    Nov 11, 2019
    60
    A good JRPG with good fights, but the story is like a giant prequel to the fourth episode, with poor main issues, and the graphics are one generation late.
  2. GameGrin
    Oct 23, 2019
    60
    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.
  3. Metro GameCentral
    Oct 21, 2019
    70
    A few unfortunate backsteps make the first native PlayStation 4 entry something of a disappointment, but Trails Of Cold Steel is still one of the best old school JRPGs around.
  5. TheSixthAxis
    Oct 21, 2019
    70
    If you're a newcomer, it's a daunting and probably foolish task to try and play this game. If you're a die-hard fan of the Cold Steel series already, you'll get plenty of satisfaction out of the continued plot development and engaging combat. Even the most dedicated of fans, though, are likely to be turned off by the dated visuals and confusing Legend of Heroes crossovers that mar an otherwise impressive story-driven JRPG.

Awards & Rankings

38
#38 Best PS4 Game of 2019
71
#71 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 210 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 177 out of 210
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 210
  3. Negative: 19 out of 210
  1. Hitsu1998
    Oct 22, 2019
    10
    A worthy sequel to one of my favorite JRPG of this generation! Hopefully we could also get the fourth game next year.
  2. AceZero
    Oct 22, 2019
    10
    Trails of Cold Steel III is my strong contender for the best RPG of 2019. This game pretty much answer my expectation in many aspect as aTrails of Cold Steel III is my strong contender for the best RPG of 2019. This game pretty much answer my expectation in many aspect as a follow-up for Erebonian arc, which i will breakdown here.

    Story

    I'm pretty sure most of you already know about the synopsis, so i want to discuss about the technical aspect of the story. It's a very linear and slow paced just like the first game, and that's something to be aware of considering every Trails game that starting of with a new arc is always trying to build up the story this way. But this is Cold Steel III and it's still covering Erebonia, so why the game have to be slow paced like this? The answer is because there's a pretty spacious timeline between this game and Cold Steel II that marks a new beginning for Rean's journey, and Falcom is also trying to ensure that old and new players could catch up with the story. Regarding characters from the old game that made an appearance such as Randy or Tio, you don't really have to play the old game first to appreciate them. I mean Trails is pretty much similiar with Monogatari anime. You can watch the anime in chronological or airing order, and the experience will be pretty much the same.

    Gameplay

    It's pretty much the same but there are some noticeable changes such as the menu layout to the addition of Brave Order. Many people seems to complain about the gameplay being unbalanced, but i thoroughly enjoyed it without any issue. If i have to be nitpick, i must say that the short appearance of playable characters is probably my only issue with the game.

    Music

    "The music is hurting my ear" "It's not as good as the old game" Well you probably want to get your ears checked, cause Falcom Jdk still did an amazing job with the tracks.

    Visual

    I actually notice that some reviewers is still complaining about the visual, where i'm here thinking that Falcom actually did a good job at revamping the environment and character design in a nicer look. I mean this is a Falcom game, graphics is never their strong suit or priority, but even so they still determine to keep improving their game. Remember, graphics is not everything!

    Value

    If you're a big fan of turn based JRPG with a strong story build up, interesting world, likeable characters and so on, then you definitely must try out Trails of Cold Steel III. It's okay if you didn't play the old Trails title such as Sky trilogy or Zero & Ao, but i strongly suggest that you at least play Cold Steel I & II. The remaster version of both game already released on PS4, and you can even get it on PC, so i guess there's no problem in terms of accessibility.

    So my final verdict for Cold Steel III is 10/10. I personally prefer to rank this as a whole series, cause Trails in general is just one gigantic game with a very complex story build up, world building, and character development. And even after 9 games, we still have plenty of places to be explored in Zemuria, including Calvard. Cold Steel III is just one game out of many other Trails title to come, but it manages to deliver the best quality that Falcom has to offer so far. It might not have the best story and can be a slow paced experience for many players, but i'm pretty sure JRPG lovers could see the shine of this game and truly appreciate it.    … Full Review »
  3. takisdv
    Oct 22, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Classic jrpg done good...great story..world building and gameplay... alongside persona 5 and dragon quest xi is one of the great jrpgs of this generation… Full Review »
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