The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV - Review @ PC Invasion

PC Invasion checked out the finale of the Erebonia arc - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV review -- A fine conclusion

Wrapping up the Erebonia arc.

Japanese developer Nihon Falcom has been responsible for some of the most ambitious JRPGs over the last 40 years. Chief among them is the Trails series, better known by franchise fans as Kiseki. The unique selling point of the Trails games is that they place an emphasis on world-building and character development above all else. This design focus carries over to Falcom's latest addition, Trails of Cold Steel IV.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV is the fourth and final game in the Cold Steel tetralogy. It's set directly after the events of Cold Steel III as both Class VII and new Class VII try to recover from the tragic ending of the last game. This time around, you're tasked with bringing together the team once again to take down the head of the Ironbloods, Gilliath Osborne.

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The finale we needed

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV is a fantastic game. Outside of the plot, not too much has changed from Cold Steel III, but that's mostly fine since that was also a great game. The gameplay balance tweaks and the addition of over 100 hours of new lore-related content more than make up for it.

Honestly, the only scenario in which I'd hesitate to recommend Cold Steel IV is if you haven't touched the Trails series before. If this is the case, consider looking into Trails in the Sky, Cold Steel I, or Cold Steel III as better entry points instead. Otherwise, this is one of the best JRPGs I've ever played. Its legendary world-building and character development are enough to justify the purchase. Combine that with its still very serviceable gameplay mechanics and turn-based design, and you're left with a game that is well worth playing.

Although it would have been nice to see a little more innovation from Cold Steel III, this finale to the Erebonia arc is still one of the best JRPGs I've ever played. The world-building and character development are as exquisite as ever, while the gameplay mechanics are still well above average, albeit unextraordinary. Regardless, assuming you have played at least Cold Steel III and know enough about the Trails lore, this latest addition is well worth your time.

Score: 9.5/10

More information.

It's a tad too pricey for me at the moment, yet I know I'll pick it up as soon as a decent discount hits. I must know how it all ends, this is such a wonderful series!

Actually the Erebonia arc is not over there is supposed to be a final crossover game in Japan that I doubt will get translated and ported though in the next few years.


Also a new arc in the Trails Saga is set for release in Japan by September 2021.

The story of Rean Schwarzer and his father (Cold Steel) is finished.

There will be more games in the Erebonian Empire.

Yes..Yes…words again the news-bit said finale of the Erebonia arc. I suggested it is not because another crossover game is in development beside the next Arc.

Fact is not every game in this series has gotten translated or will. Another fact is the crossovers rarely ever get translated outside of Japan. You might find a fan translation.

Four games in this series have never been localized or translated still.

The two Crossbell games will be released on Steam this fall in Japanese:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero
The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki 2010 The first part of the Crossbell arc

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure
The Legend of Heroes: Ao no Kiseki 2011 The second and final part of the Crossbell arc

I think fan patches are available.

Oh my goodness, so, let me get this right: we're going to get the Crossbell games?!?!? Shoot, that's just awesome news!!~

The first Crossbell game (Zero no Kiseki or Trails to Zero) has a fan patch available now. The second Crossbell game (Ao no Kiseki or Trails to Azure) is still being worked on - the translation is finished but they're still working out some bugs. You can check the team's progress and download the patch for the first game at https://geofront.esterior.net/.

I'm pretty sure they've said that their patch won't work on the Steam releases, the engine running it is too different. It works on a pc port (which was technically released in China) with options to include the voice acting from the remakes, but that seems to be what the Steam release is based on so it looks and sounds just as good, much better than the PSP version. If you want to support the developers you can buy the Crossbell games on Joyland (that Geofront link has explanations). Or you can… go fishing.