The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II

 PlayStation Vita
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 78 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 78
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 78
  3. Negative: 11 out of 78
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  1. Gwyndolin
    Sep 6, 2016
    10
    Firstly, play Trails of Cold Steel 1 first before this...as it picks up right where it left off.
    Preferably, play Trails in the Sky FC and SC, available on PSN or Steam before playing Cold Steel 1.
    Cold Steel 2 jumps right into the action. All the set up is pretty much done in Cold Steel 1 so this time around we have a pretty clear goal in mind. The formula is obviously different from    Firstly, play Trails of Cold Steel 1 first before this...as it picks up right where it left off.
    Preferably, play Trails in the Sky FC and SC, available on PSN or Steam before playing Cold Steel 1.

    Cold Steel 2 jumps right into the action. All the set up is pretty much done in Cold Steel 1 so this time around we have a pretty clear goal in mind. The formula is obviously different from Cold Steel 1 due to story circumstances. I don't really want to get into details about the story as it spoils Cold Steel 1.

    You will be disappointed if you are expecting major overhaul to the graphics or combat. Graphics remain the same, and combat has a few new additions but nothing major. Some really overpowered Master Quartz are in the game so if you want a challenge in the late game, stay away from those steroids.

    The music is still phenomenal, at this point you can safely assume Falcom JDK makes top tier music. Dubbing still mostly pretty good, from what I can see so far no translation errors, as expected of Xseed.

    It is kind of a shame that the very end of the game spoils some major stuff from Trails of Zero and Trails of Azure, which are not localized in the West yet at time of this review. After some debate, I would say skim(or just skip text) through the Epilogue/Gaiden chapters when they talk about Crossbell so they don't leave too much of an impression, this way by the time Zero and Azure comes out in the West hopefully you'd have forgotten all about it...    … Expand
  2. snakekill321
    Sep 9, 2016
    8
    A great sequel. If you are unfamiliar with the events of the first trails of cold steel play that one first, this is the direct sequel. the soundtrack and gameplay remain much of the same, but that is not a bad thing. These elements kept the same really makes it feel amazing and in the second one its really well done. The story is a little less well written, but it is still on par. OverallA great sequel. If you are unfamiliar with the events of the first trails of cold steel play that one first, this is the direct sequel. the soundtrack and gameplay remain much of the same, but that is not a bad thing. These elements kept the same really makes it feel amazing and in the second one its really well done. The story is a little less well written, but it is still on par. Overall a great sequel for a great game.… Expand
  3. ThatJRPGGuy
    Dec 24, 2016
    9
    The Legend Of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel II is probably one of the best JRPGs I have ever played. If you played the first game, the story excites you giving you the desire the to play the next game, I can honestly say I have felt this way about very few games. The story is one of my favorites that I will never forget, the characters of class 7 will always be favorite group students. TheThe Legend Of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel II is probably one of the best JRPGs I have ever played. If you played the first game, the story excites you giving you the desire the to play the next game, I can honestly say I have felt this way about very few games. The story is one of my favorites that I will never forget, the characters of class 7 will always be favorite group students. The game itself is great that you can freely cross save from PS3 to Vita.

    Interestingly about the game is that fact that you can make the characters play style the way you want to be, I could make Elliot (Best healer in the game) a tank if I wanted to. The game gives so much freedom which I find very important in RPGs,

    Gameplay, this has to be my favorite game when it comes to turn based combat. The characters unique styles of fighting makes the game so much fun! The replay value of this game is highly likable due to the nightmare difficulty for New Game+ mode and just to enjoy the story again.

    The reason why I don't give this game the perfect 10 was that the main story quest in the beginning was repetitive from the first couple chapters. I thought that they would change this from the last game, it was the only thing that was slowly losing my spark for the game cause it was back to doing favors for people in the main story, if quest were not main story, I would give it the perfect 10 but sadly that's what they just couldn't change.    … Expand
  4. xBroken2
    May 7, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's quite hard to find some turn base game enjoyable these days, but Trails of Cold Steel II, is quite enjoyable, oh wait not just Trails of Cold Steel II, but The Legend of Heroes series overall still has it to be quite fun.

    Part II takes right after the ending of part I, The gameplay of part II does not take much change at all, the story does hit a turning point at the start of part II and focuses on the war. Class 7 gets reunited again and work their way to stop the war. Fairy a normal story overall but it doesn't disappoint you. A lot of the characters are still lovable in many ways. I found it so fun to interact with other characters in the game. Although the story does take a turn in part II day to day avtiviy feels like its still here in part II. We have time to still deepen bonds with other characters as we did in part I after every core event or so. But it's not just with class 7, we go around and regroup all of the students. Trails of Cold Steel II does it really well not leaving out side characters. Side characters will always just be side characters but Trails of Cold Steel II, gives a good amount if importance to these side characters. Overall I really love and enjoined the game, this is coming from a The Legend of Heroes fan, so my review is pretty much all about the ups of it.

    For the Vita version sometimes the game will get a few FPS drop, but its not something that kills the game, it still works fine overall. For the PS3 version...I don't know anything about it.

    Until we meet again class 7, I bid you farewell.    … Expand
  5. Sydares
    Nov 26, 2016
    6
    Overstays its welcome in a big way, and the unfortunate load times really hinder any desire to explore the world. Completionists will find themselves glued to an FAQ or risk missing several hidden side-quests.
  6. SplitMind
    Aug 23, 2020
    7
    Trails of Cold Steel 2 carries forth all the things that made the first game so great, however it also brings a few things which are not so welcome.

    Firstly, there isn't a HUGE difference between this and the first game in terms of graphics, gameplay, characters and locations. This isn't such a bad thing, as the small tweaks made to gameplay are very welcome. There is a much more open    Trails of Cold Steel 2 carries forth all the things that made the first game so great, however it also brings a few things which are not so welcome.

    Firstly, there isn't a HUGE difference between this and the first game in terms of graphics, gameplay, characters and locations. This isn't such a bad thing, as the small tweaks made to gameplay are very welcome. There is a much more open world approach to this game, and that is excellent too, although I didn't really fancy going back to many places once I had explored them once.

    My biggest gripe with this game is that it is just too damn long and waffly. The turbo mode is a God-send in helping speed through this, but I was tempted to skip so much dialogue and much of the dialogue could actually be skipped without missing out on the general plot. I have grown to like all of the characters, however I think Class VII could have been better off with fewer members in the first game, as this adds to the waffle when every character seems to have to talk for the sake of talking. In addition to this, the game has a "finale" section which implies the game is ending, however there are quite a few hours of gameplay beyond this. This just made me want to rush through and see the credits roll. Some people might actually love this, but being a bit strapped for time I would rather have the whole experience truncated and compacted to be sharper and tighter.
    One little thing to mention also is that even on easy mode there are a few difficulty spikes. Usually these are bosses so it's not unexpected, however I did find this a bit jarring, especially the final boss who employs some very cheap tactics that marred my experience slightly.

    Overall, I loved this game, however the detractions I mentioned above mean I will be holding off on the sequels until I know I have the time to play them. If you like JRPGs, then you will most likely love Trails of Cold Steel 2. I reckon you could actually play this without having played the first, however you would miss out on a lot of character development and sentimentality.    … Expand
  7. eefeef
    Aug 31, 2023
    8
    It's even better than its predecessor. they have kept the best of it, reduced the worst of it, and made it fun with a bigger story and more epic design.
  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 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.
  9. MasterTiger4
    Aug 21, 2023
    10
    This game is absolutely legendary.
    Obviously, at least for 2, you need to play the First Trails of Cold Steel, while you can start fresh at Trails of Cold Steel 3 because the first game left on a cliff hanger and start fresh with a new class 7 with the third entry.
    It is turn base, party base game with full 3d movement and character placement is key for the best strategy to beat bosses.    This game is absolutely legendary.
    Obviously, at least for 2, you need to play the First Trails of Cold Steel, while you can start fresh at Trails of Cold Steel 3 because the first game left on a cliff hanger and start fresh with a new class 7 with the third entry.
    It is turn base, party base game with full 3d movement and character placement is key for the best strategy to beat bosses.
    The setting is based in a military academy following our protagonist Rean, think Final Fantasy 8 or Type-0, and spoiler if you have not played the first game so stop reading now.
    After the defeat of Rean at the hands of Crow, he find himself up north with Emma's talkative cat, where he grew up in. His mech, yes there are mechs in this game, has been damaged severely.
    Now he must rise up against the terrorists who attacked the academy and find his classmate comrades who have been scattered across the country.
    Political intrigued, massive plot twist nobody saw coming, are all present in the climax of this duology.
    Yes, there are 4 games and Reverie that follows Rean's story, but Class 7 at the academy ends in this story and is a satisfying send off for the two games. As Trails 3 starts with a new class, the old class 7 are there to assist at some point but take a bigger role in the 4th entry.
    You can play both the first and second one on Vita while future entries, that has better graphics, starts at 3 on the PS4 (both 1&2 are available on PS4 and PS3)    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best PS Vita Game of 2016
5
#5 Most Discussed PS Vita Game of 2016
9
#9 Most Shared PS Vita Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. GameCritics
    Feb 8, 2017
    85
    Minor issues and pacing aside, it’s incredibly easy to recommend The Legend of heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 2 to fans of the original. The storyline stakes are higher than ever, the additions to the battle system are intelligent and deftly handled, Laura’s back with her massive freaking sword, and the team of Class VII are as likeable a bunch as ever. For newcomers, my advice absolutely has to be repeated: start with the first game. It may a huge time investment given that both entries take approximately 70 hours each, but it’s worth it for anyone looking to experience one of the most well-crafted JRPGs in recent history.
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  2. Everyeye.it
    Feb 7, 2017
    85
    Quotation forthcoming.
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  3. SpazioGames
    Jan 18, 2017
    80
    More a continuation of the events of the first game than a proper sequel, Trails of Cold Steel II is "more of the same" done right, as the basic gameplay of the prequel didn't need changes. While a no brainer for veterans, this second chapter is not recommended for newcomers, who should pick up the first title to have an understanding of the world and characters.
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