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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Rafa_Vyr
    Apr 10, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is incredible, I thought it was very good, one of the best RPG games I've ever played, it makes me feel nostalgic. Do you remember the old jrpg games in the PS1 S2 area? that both Cold Steel 1 2 3 and 4 I liked all four of the series and I'm dying to play the new ones now that Kuro no kiseki is out It's going to be very good too, I hope an English version comes out soon because the game is excellent very good, right Unfortunately, we don't have such good games, right? And then Japanese RPG, example of Chrono Cross, right, the only thing that doesn't come out is the continuation of Parasite Eve, right, which stopped at 2 and Valkyrie Profile 1 and 2, which are very good, but which had a terrible continuation and the Star Ocean 2, which is an excellent game for me is deserving of a remake or remaster. I would really like it to have a continuation, I hope that kuro no kiseki is up to it. Congratulations to everyone at Falcom, this game I highly recommend it, it's too good!!!… Expand
  2. AdoMobA
    Mar 21, 2023
    10
    Pros
    - a perfect send off to one of the most exciting arcs in this series
    - biggest playable cast in the series (39 playable characters with their own skills) - most complex main villain with my personal favorite right hand man - threat you can feel slowly encroaching on the world - stakes on an apocalyptic scale - beautiful OST - the end credits had me in tears as this series    Pros
    - a perfect send off to one of the most exciting arcs in this series
    - biggest playable cast in the series (39 playable characters with their own skills)
    - most complex main villain with my personal favorite right hand man
    - threat you can feel slowly encroaching on the world
    - stakes on an apocalyptic scale
    - beautiful OST
    - the end credits had me in tears as this series proved just how special it is

    Cons
    - the worst iteration of the female social events in the entire series

    The ninth game in the series and the finale of the Cold Steel arc, Trails of Cold Steel IV is one of the most epic culminations I have ever experienced. A culmination of not just the Cold Steel arc, but also the Sky and Crosbell arcs.

    Let me start with the one annoying thing I have against this game before gushing. The female social events are utter garbage and suffer the worst effects of Cold Steel's focus on fan service. For any of the homies: Ayo I got three social events dealing with me leading one quarter of the entire country. Oh yeah, I got three dealing with my music career. Sick, mine deals with me joining the IRS. Damn, mine is about how I became a black ops for the church.

    For the women? Each and every single one of them got three as well: Yo, I joined the Bracers but exactly half of each of my three events deals with me wanting to bang you. Accompany me to visit my dads grave but half of our time there let's spend talking about how much I want to bang you. I am leading the family company but hey how about we bang?
    I am stuck leading my house and teaching our sword techniques but heyyyy, bang? Like clockwork, all of them. Each of their three events is half and half. It is stupid and ridiculous.

    Luckily, the social events were never my favorite anyway. How about the story and characters? Oh. My. God. This game went far beyond anything I could imagine.

    The amount of characters would seem overwhelming to anybody who has only played the Cold Steel arc, but with the greater context, their inclusion is hype beyond hype. My god. The fact is, the returning cast doesn't do much growing here. They did it back in their games. They are here to give you themselves and their contributions to the story. I absolutely adore it.

    The main story starts slow, coming off of the cliffhanger in CSIII, but immediately kicks back in. The new Class VII is left to shine on their own, allowing them to show just how great they are by themselves. Rean is pushed to his absolute limits and finally gets an ending, where he is not suffering.

    The main villain is multifaceted and proven to be much greyer than what the series ever attempted. His right hand man, a walking ad for L'Oréal, is one of my favorite characters the Cold Steel arc produced. And overall, the gallery of villains in this game prove that not everyone fighting against the protagonist is an evil maniac. Some of them are indeed heroic from the right point of view.

    Combat was once again rebalanced. The Brave Orders are still kinda OP but breaking enemies was nerfed to be actually balanced in this game. As to the good old Arts vs Crafts, Arts started as laughably bad at the beginning of this arc. In Cold Steel IV, Arts are the hardest hitting abilities in the game. Not just viable, they make the game easier.

    I think the moment this game proved to be the most epic story I ever played was right before the final bossfight. You have to make three separate teams, each featuring four active and four support characters. Three teams of eight make 24 characters in total. And the pool you are picking from features 39 of them. 39 separate characters featured across the three arcs and I know and care for all 39 of them.

    Cold Steel IV is one of the greatest games and strongest finishes to an arc I have ever experienced. God damn does it make me hype for Reverie and Kuro. If you have ever wondered if it is worth it to take the plunge, yes. Head first. No looking back. You'll thank yourself.    … Expand
  3. Lover92
    Dec 4, 2022
    10
    I love this series.
    I hope falcom release kuro no kiseki English version this year ..
    And i hope there's Xbox version..
  4. ClayLamm
    Oct 28, 2022
    10
    Just the sheer scope of nine games and a core series of four that hold water and evolve is incredible, but to do it well? That's why this game deserves a 10 out of 10.
  5. Wondux
    Jan 3, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think that this was a great ending to the Erabonia arc. Like the last game, the game was full of action and an exciting storyline. Although for a big portion of the game you spend your time looking for Rean, it was actually fun to play without Rean and see how his students behave when he is not around. This game brought closure to both Rean's father's story and Rean's swordsman journey and I thought it was amazing.
    However, similar to the 3rd game, I hated the fake death thing, where a character "dies" but they return back. I was not surprised this time because I was already used to this from the previous games.    … Expand
  6. Luigichief
    Feb 18, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I finally finished this great Trails arc, this second duology really resembles Avengers Infinity War and End Game (they released almost at the same time but I don't think they were inspired in each other); nevertheless, it is something entirely different. . But I thought that the protagonists of the other games would have more relevance in the main story, I even liked that they didn't have so much but I went with the wrong expectation and that frustrated me a little (it may have been the prologue, I don't know). In addition, a significant number of Ao / Azure protagonists are not directly present.

    The game even had some deaths, I know it seems sadistic but dear to Millium and Crow they had to be KILLED, I liked the scenes of Jusis and Millium and Crow's too but now in this series when a character dies we will to be doubting and it will NEVER be something more remarkable. Crow having revived in the end I even swallowed since the Sept-Terrion 'died' for that, but the truth is that in the second game he was supposed to be dead and ****

    The pace of the game has some problems, especially in arc 1 and 2, world building was one of the main factors unfortunately in fact (as well as in CS 2) but from there (from intermission / fragments onwards) the pace improves significantly already that sidequests decrease in number and improve in general.

    Regarding the curse, I have mixed feelings, I didn't like it very much because it makes it seem like there are no bad people, but at the same time it was an incredible twist and made the story develop in a really cool way. But at least with Osborne they didn't use that 'excuse' and it was said several times that the curse took advantage of people's weakness and they were still to blame. How they dealt with Alan is also a very good example.

    The structure of the story and the gameplay are very reminiscent of Cold Steel 2, just as Cold Steel 3 was reminiscent of Cold Steel 1.

    Despite being two games that I consider quite different, I think Cold Steel 3 is a more solid game but I liked Cold Steel 4 more.

    Being able to choose party members greatly affects a story, especially one as full of dialogue as Trails. Fortunately they had a very significant number of 'exceptional' party members in each segment of the story, so it was not a problem.

    The lore of Erebonia is the most complex, original and interesting in the franchise.    … Expand
  7. CLM98
    Feb 6, 2021
    9
    Great game with a lot of Trails fan service. Some issues aside it still concludes the Cold Steel arc in a satisfyingly way.
  8. disposable
    Dec 31, 2020
    10
    If you've already played the first 3 games then you already know why this one's good and why you probably need to play it. But if I can offer some advice; try to savor it.
  9. deadfox
    Oct 29, 2020
    10
    I can't say much about how wonderful this game is without spoiling it. It's fantastic. I love this series so much.
  10. krutoj
    Nov 28, 2020
    9
    This game is the best entry in the series so far. The story is great, the characters are cool and a lot of the characters from previous games have cameos in this game, there are less tedious side-quests than in previous games, overall the pacing feels a lot better than in previous entries and the battle system is great as always. Also vantag master is a very cool mini-game.

    The only    This game is the best entry in the series so far. The story is great, the characters are cool and a lot of the characters from previous games have cameos in this game, there are less tedious side-quests than in previous games, overall the pacing feels a lot better than in previous entries and the battle system is great as always. Also vantag master is a very cool mini-game.

    The only downside of this game is the most infurating mini-game i've ever played in any game, ever. Pom Pom Party is just unfair, luck based and absolutely no fun at all. You can completly ignore this game, because you are not forced to play it. But as a completionist i can't just ignore it. I just hope this game will never ever return in any Trails game, ever. Without Pom Pom Party this game would have deserved a perfect score.    … Expand
  11. FGED
    Nov 28, 2020
    9
    What to say. This last opus of Sen No Kiseki is as good as the previous jones, if not better. Of course, since it's hard to play this game if you did not play the previous ones, it's hard to rate it objectively.
    This opus has some balance problems, but honestly, as you're supposed to have played the previous ones, those are minor drawbacks. The game has an incredible story, a nice combat    What to say. This last opus of Sen No Kiseki is as good as the previous jones, if not better. Of course, since it's hard to play this game if you did not play the previous ones, it's hard to rate it objectively.
    This opus has some balance problems, but honestly, as you're supposed to have played the previous ones, those are minor drawbacks. The game has an incredible story, a nice combat system, a very good play time and replayability.
    I want to underline the very good translation job of NIS America, as they dis with the previous one... To finish, if tou did not play any of the Kiseki series of Falcom, then you're clearly missing something as thise are some of the best RPGs I have played. Start now !    … Expand
  12. Neatqt
    Nov 24, 2020
    8
    Cast: 10/10
    Story: 5/10
    Fun: 8/10
    Gameplay: 9/10

    MUST PLAY
    ---------------------- ~100 Hours Played
  13. MarcelN
    Nov 15, 2020
    9
    I'd say Cold Steel IV ends the Erabonian arc in a satisfying way. Though I would've preferred less padding to shorten the time of the game it still was a blast to play. Hands down the Cold Steel series has some of the best turn-based combat in jrpg history. The story was all in all very good I don't want to spoil anything but it is worth it. Another gripe I have with the game besides theI'd say Cold Steel IV ends the Erabonian arc in a satisfying way. Though I would've preferred less padding to shorten the time of the game it still was a blast to play. Hands down the Cold Steel series has some of the best turn-based combat in jrpg history. The story was all in all very good I don't want to spoil anything but it is worth it. Another gripe I have with the game besides the story padding is the over bloated cast. I still like the entirety of the cast but sometimes it felt like they tried to fit everybody into one scene too many times.… Expand
  14. Kenmei
    Nov 15, 2020
    8
    I've been with this series for a few years now and, to finally see what was their main storyline come to a close with this title, was something that I had no hopes for originally when I played CS 1 on the Vita all those years ago. I still enjoyed myself here, even if I didnt agree with the path that was taken for some of the characters. The game is bogged down extremely by just the sheerI've been with this series for a few years now and, to finally see what was their main storyline come to a close with this title, was something that I had no hopes for originally when I played CS 1 on the Vita all those years ago. I still enjoyed myself here, even if I didnt agree with the path that was taken for some of the characters. The game is bogged down extremely by just the sheer amount of characters that show up at all times. One scene about half way through the game easily had over 60(!) characters on screen at once and they each had to have at least one line or two to react to what was going on. I get that there are a ton of things to wrap up here but there's just no way to make that work smoothly. Other then the sheer amount of characters here, everything else is pretty par for the course for this series. Of course you shouldn't play this unless you've played at least the first 3 Cold Steel games before this. But I'd seriously recommend the entire series for anyone looking for a very good JRPG series that you'll be able to count on. While it may have too many bad anime tropes here, and the "FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!" trope that I absolutely hate is pushed a little too hard here for my liking, its still a decent story with a great battle system and some of the the best music in the genre to date. I'd even say that this game had the best music out of the whole series and that's very high praise. While my personal favorite of the series is CS 2, this game finally brought an end to a series that goes all the way back to being on the PSP in the early '00 days. Falcom has said that there will be more games set in this universe, with an epilogue of sorts having already released in Japan this year. So its good to see the main story get concluded and it sounds like this is only the beginning for this world so far, especially with some of the bits of information that were thrown in there at the end to expand the scope of the game even further.… Expand
  15. Dog4life
    Nov 13, 2020
    10
    Perfect ending for the saga. Perfected gameplay , great story , Better balanced
  16. Plantbat
    Nov 10, 2020
    10
    My favorite characters all come together in a series that is criminally underrated. You must play these games.
  17. Xenomous
    Nov 10, 2020
    10
    Trails of the Cold Steel IV is a final installment for the Erabonian Saga. You can think as the Avenger: Endgame of The Legend of Heroes series since from Trails in the sky from PSP. You will see all the first hero till the current protagonist fights side by side which gave me a goosebump.
    10/10 Must play if you a fan of this 'Legend'
  18. ThisisGame
    Nov 10, 2020
    10
    Okay, this is definitely better than previous part. Holy crap, what a game....
    It was a great journey once again together with Class VII. I love this game in so many ways, great characters and a lots of character developments which I love to see, great and challenging boss fights and a really well written story.
  19. Niblanc
    Nov 9, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Absolutely fitting its title "End of Saga". Playing through all eight beforehand games of the Trails Saga, this is definitely what I as a big fan have been looking forward to in seeing as the grand saga's finale. Obviosly the game has its ups and downs, and objectively speaking one should not rate the game as a 10, but if you are just as much a fan of the series as I am, then I promise you, this experience will be some 10 points worth.… Expand
  20. lronMan
    Nov 7, 2020
    10
    This is my 9th The Legend of Heroes game, this review is business as usual. I am blown away by the quality translations NIS does, the work that Durante put into this really shows as well. And congrats to Falcom for making such an amazing game. Fantastic story telling, Amazing music, Awesome turn-based combat.

    I'm incredibly sad that the journey is over for now, cannot wait for HAJIMARI    This is my 9th The Legend of Heroes game, this review is business as usual. I am blown away by the quality translations NIS does, the work that Durante put into this really shows as well. And congrats to Falcom for making such an amazing game. Fantastic story telling, Amazing music, Awesome turn-based combat.

    I'm incredibly sad that the journey is over for now, cannot wait for HAJIMARI NO KISEKI!    … Expand
  21. quickgame
    Nov 7, 2020
    10
    I still had a good time playing this game. Yes, it was too long but I had a sense of freedom at the end of the trip.

    I loved exploring more of the Empire and the side quests were mostly meaningful. Additionally. I'm really interested to see what happened to Ouroboros considering the negative effect Sen IV has had on the Society. We had the reveal of the Grandmaster, which was huge.    I still had a good time playing this game. Yes, it was too long but I had a sense of freedom at the end of the trip.

    I loved exploring more of the Empire and the side quests were mostly meaningful.
    Additionally. I'm really interested to see what happened to Ouroboros considering the negative effect Sen IV has had on the Society. We had the reveal of the Grandmaster, which was huge.

    I still love Sen cast so much, not more than the SSS or Sora casts, but I'm a massive fan of the cast of the Erebonia arc. Seeing old characters pop up was so nostalgic.    … Expand
  22. keIios
    Nov 7, 2020
    10
    This is without a doubt one of the best game series I've played in a very long time. Each character has been clear crafted with love, even the Npc have a personality of their own. Im approaching the final battle and I must say I can't wait for the next game to launch.
    I think 4 is is well constructed in terms of pacing and packing both setups and payoffs. There is a long section in the    This is without a doubt one of the best game series I've played in a very long time. Each character has been clear crafted with love, even the Npc have a personality of their own. Im approaching the final battle and I must say I can't wait for the next game to launch.
    I think 4 is is well constructed in terms of pacing and packing both setups and payoffs. There is a long section in the middle due to the fan service, but this is fun for those who have fully enjoyed the series. In the true ending, It proceeds in a flow that completely ends the story so far.
    There is a reinterpretation of the ending in hajimari, so I look forward to seeing how it will unfold.    … Expand
  23. yeahaa
    Nov 7, 2020
    10
    Trails of Cold Steel is one of the first Turnbased RPGs I've enjoyed in quite awhile. I love the combat system, and I love the characters, and how deep the customization can go for your party. The music is fantastic. All in all, if you like JRPGs in any capacity, you should look into this series.
  24. LastDay
    Nov 6, 2020
    10
    I'm an avid RPGer and have been for over 20 years. Trails of Cold Steel has turned into one of my favorite series. There is a little too much grinding in the first game, but they fix that in the sequel. The story is fantastic, and I love the characters. It feels like you're in an authentic world and community when you play Trails.
  25. millionaire
    Nov 6, 2020
    10
    I know that HAJIMARI NO KISEKI's story is more tighter and the motion has improved visually.
    CS4 is fun enough, but there are certain deficiencies compared to HAJIMARI NO KISEKI.
    I'll play again someday when HAJIMARI NO KISEKI is translated, but I need to clear CS4 completely before that. This is because the CS4 story serves as a turning point that is the foundation of the future story.    I know that HAJIMARI NO KISEKI's story is more tighter and the motion has improved visually.
    CS4 is fun enough, but there are certain deficiencies compared to HAJIMARI NO KISEKI.
    I'll play again someday when HAJIMARI NO KISEKI is translated, but I need to clear CS4 completely before that.
    This is because the CS4 story serves as a turning point that is the foundation of the future story.

    Story and characters still have their cliches, but not as blatant as many others of its genre, and it was easy to get immersed into both while playing.
    Definitely play Cold Steel III if you want to play this one, as the story picks up immediately after CS3 and assumes you know everything that happened in it.
    Legitimately one of the few JRPG series that can keep me engaged to complete a full playthrough.    … Expand
  26. Jacquir
    Nov 6, 2020
    10
    Improved some aspects of the third game.
    The story keeps getting better and better by the minute.
    You are already familiar with all the cast wich makes you more attached. Can import the save from CS3. When you become a couple with Alisa in CS3, there is a special event. Gives a bit more freedom than the third one. Turbo Function. Hours of fun for completionist / a compelling game for    Improved some aspects of the third game.
    The story keeps getting better and better by the minute.
    You are already familiar with all the cast wich makes you more attached.
    Can import the save from CS3. When you become a couple with Alisa in CS3, there is a special event.
    Gives a bit more freedom than the third one.
    Turbo Function.
    Hours of fun for completionist / a compelling game for the ones who only wants story.    … Expand
  27. RallyPoint
    Nov 5, 2020
    10
    The story was pretty good, they added a few mini games compared to the 3rd game, but more importantly the combat system is even more addicting & fun, I really enjoyed the little orbnament tweak & the overdrive battle mechanic addition. One of the few games which can make me sit for hours & enjoy without getting bored. absolutely recommended for those who enjoys a classic j-rpg turn based combat !
  28. omegamonV
    Nov 5, 2020
    10
    If you played cold steel 3 on hard and struggled a bit towards the end of the game, I recommend you consider downgrading to normal (not to easy, that is definitely overkill). This game`s bosses are harder than cs3.

    And if you're the type that likes to do everything possible, take it slow and do it in short bursts. Trying to do as much as possible in a single session WILL burn you out    If you played cold steel 3 on hard and struggled a bit towards the end of the game, I recommend you consider downgrading to normal (not to easy, that is definitely overkill). This game`s bosses are harder than cs3.

    And if you're the type that likes to do everything possible, take it slow and do it in short bursts. Trying to do as much as possible in a single session WILL burn you out very easily, since there is a lot more to do in this game, including a LOT of reading, compared to the last one.

    And on the off-chance you didn`t play cold steel 3, go back-- you`d be missing out
    That aside, this is a great entry to a great series. I`m glad I started.    … Expand
  29. horsetale
    Nov 4, 2020
    10
    One of the best series of JRPG, everyone should play it, but be aware that others games are needed to understand the whole story, given that they are interconnected.

    It has an amazing soundtrack, the combat system received some welcomed changes, but it's still simple and good, the story's depth has knocked it up a notch and some really intriguing aspect were introduced into the series,    One of the best series of JRPG, everyone should play it, but be aware that others games are needed to understand the whole story, given that they are interconnected.

    It has an amazing soundtrack, the combat system received some welcomed changes, but it's still simple and good, the story's depth has knocked it up a notch and some really intriguing aspect were introduced into the series, I really recommend every fan of jrpg to play the trail series.    … Expand
  30. captainyeah
    Nov 4, 2020
    10
    CS4 made me feel attached to the characters in a way I haven't been since the early Final Fantasies. If you JRPGs, it'd be hard to find a series that lets you get deeper into the lives and backstories of the world. I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed the first one and or trails in the sky since the games are similar in many ways. i had a lot of fun playing the game andCS4 made me feel attached to the characters in a way I haven't been since the early Final Fantasies. If you JRPGs, it'd be hard to find a series that lets you get deeper into the lives and backstories of the world. I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed the first one and or trails in the sky since the games are similar in many ways. i had a lot of fun playing the game and exploring the free time events with the class, the story was ok.… Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »