The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 174 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 147 out of 174
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 174
  3. Negative: 20 out of 174
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  1. berry52
    Dec 3, 2020
    1
    What an awful experience. A bloated cast, abysmal pacing, inane dialogue, harem of a dozen girls who only orbit around the self-insert protagonist, ridiculous plot developments that retcon the earlier entries, lame antagonists, all the bad guys get forgiven, death has no consequences as people get easily resurrected, cheesy gameplay, mediocre graphics, even the soundtrack has fallen inWhat an awful experience. A bloated cast, abysmal pacing, inane dialogue, harem of a dozen girls who only orbit around the self-insert protagonist, ridiculous plot developments that retcon the earlier entries, lame antagonists, all the bad guys get forgiven, death has no consequences as people get easily resurrected, cheesy gameplay, mediocre graphics, even the soundtrack has fallen in quality. This is the entry that made me drop this series for good. Trails will never reach its earlier heights again, this much is clear.… Expand
  2. DreamCore
    May 23, 2021
    0
    Unfortunately the Cold Steel series is just an empty shell of the Sky and Zero/Azure games. They decided to split it into 4 games instead of 2, filling it to the brim with filler content and cheesy repetitive dialogue. All 4 Cold Steel games have identical gameplay, and cheesy, often filler dialogue together with lots of bland fetch quests. The series has not evolved at all sinceUnfortunately the Cold Steel series is just an empty shell of the Sky and Zero/Azure games. They decided to split it into 4 games instead of 2, filling it to the brim with filler content and cheesy repetitive dialogue. All 4 Cold Steel games have identical gameplay, and cheesy, often filler dialogue together with lots of bland fetch quests. The series has not evolved at all since Zero/Azure, but rather taken several steps back in order to make as much money as possible with as little effort as possible.

    I was hoping that the 4th game would step things up, but unfortunately 80% of it is just bland filler that doesn't add any value to the main story. It's just there in order to extend the gameplay and justify splitting it across 4 games. It has really overstayed its welcome at this point and I only finished it to get the story conclusion, more often than not using the "high speed mode" and even skipping the occasional repetitive dialogue.

    Sure, there is some nostalgia with characters from all the previous games coming together, but for people who didn't play Sky and Zero/Azure this means that they wont understand who most of these characters are which would completely ruin the experience. Couple this with the fact that there isn't even an official english release of Zero/Azure.

    They didn't even bother fixing stuff between the 4 games. For example enemies still doesn't path find and still try to walk through walls.

    If this low quality bar is what Falcom is going for from now on, this will be the last LoH game I play.    … Expand
  3. AlbertG
    Oct 28, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I seriously have no idea how Falcom has not been able to solve the problems from previous entries, i'm still amazed by that fact. The pacing of this game is insufferable and we still have all those nonsensical fights and and stupid plot. We also have another problem, the extensive cast, which is next to impossible to keep track. If you want to play a game for 1000 hours of filler and 5 hours of actual plot, then this what you need.… Expand
  4. OwtDaft
    Apr 1, 2022
    3
    - Story in this game is like a kid's cartoon. The story treat every battle like sparing practise.
    - Bad guys joining you after you beat them and it happens over and over. So repetitive.
    - Like the past games this game feels like it's way longer than it deserves to be. - Horrible pacing. The story is watered down juice and the juice wasn't good to begin with. - Do you love it when you    - Story in this game is like a kid's cartoon. The story treat every battle like sparing practise.
    - Bad guys joining you after you beat them and it happens over and over. So repetitive.
    - Like the past games this game feels like it's way longer than it deserves to be.
    - Horrible pacing. The story is watered down juice and the juice wasn't good to begin with.
    - Do you love it when you finish a game then don't get the full ending?
    - Battle system was great but hasn't changed in the 4 games much.
    - Not enough new locations to see.
    = The story is some how even worse in this game and the pacing is some how just as slow despite this been the game the story has built up to. I am done with doing dull tasks after the credits to get the right ending. This is the worst of the 4 Cold Steel games and should have been the best.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Best PS4 Game of 2020
43
#43 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Shindig
    Mar 10, 2021
    100
    The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV is the dramatic conclusion to a grand epic that’s been almost a decade in the making. It’s another chance to spend time with a bunch of characters that have become like family across three prior games, and the culmination of a nuanced exploration of the many faces of war. Most of all, it’s the sort of payoff that only hundreds of hours of meticulous, thoughtful worldbuilding can lead up to.
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  2. GameMAG
    Feb 14, 2021
    70
    If you already invested more than 500 hours to the previous instalments of Trails of Cold Steel series, you would definitely enjoy seeing familiar faces and you would love the overall experience. But as a newcomer you should probably try earlier games first, just to see if you want to get invested in the whole franchise.
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  3. TheSixthAxis
    Dec 9, 2020
    50
    Does The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV have a great story that's a worthy capstone to a ten-year JRPG saga? No, it doesn't. As a standalone experience, it's an impenetrable mess of fizzled out character arcs and bloated cutscenes. Despite all that, Trails of Cold Steel IV has addictive gameplay, dope music, and gorgeous character designs. If you want a fun and grind-heavy JRPG with a wild amount of options and battles, but don't mind turning your brain off to ignore the story and glaze over poorly-written cutscenes, then this is one's for you.
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