The legend of heroes, what lies behind this name is a legacy carried by a Japanese company named Nihon Falcom, whose throughout the years has been crafting some of the most ambitious world building. The sub serie Trail is one part of the said legacy, it abides to the simple and neat concept : every game within the sub serie must takes place on the same continent namely Zemuria. To be even more precise, Trail is made of multiple arcs, and each of them focus on one specific country in Zemuria. Doing so, different stories are interconnected, characters from different games cross path and so on. Trail of Cold Steel is the third arc, it proposes players this time to discover the infamous Erebonian Empire with a brand new main character : Rean Scharwzer. The challenge is double, Trail of Cold Steel 1 must respects its elders, and takes the first step to become one of them. And what would you know, Falcom actually does it in a pretty convincing way.
Meticulous and self aware of how some may portray their universe : convoluted, Falcom in this title outdo themselves and manage to properly introduce a main cast of 9 students, enrolled in a military school they will be tasked of traveling all around the country and accomplish various missions. This classic yet efficient setup, allows players to dive into the world through the eyes of characters that also have much to discover and learn. First thing first, they get to know each other, figuring out how to work as a team, spoiler alert : it won't be easy. There will be tension, arguments, and disputes making everything more believable. On the flip side, there are comedy moments and even some fluff, striking a balance between the two extremes.
While some games would either ignore or rush such bonding moments, Trail of Cold Steel 1 embrace this slice-of-life aspect without hesitation and that's refreshing. At last, a game which takes its time, my affection is not granted, putting some piano and violin over a wannabe sad flashback, 5 minutes after I met a character, it is just not enough for me. This deliberate slow burn coupled with good writing allows the main cast to escape typical archetypes, becoming more nuanced, deep and likeable individuals, a primal reason as to why the ending of this game is so impactful.
Regarding the quote on quote good writing, I'll try to prove my point without delving too much into spoilers. For instance, there is among the main cast a foreigner who will encounter cultural shocks, a clever way to introduce basics naturally and avoid awkward exposition scenes. Another example, early in the game Rean with 2 other classmates face a special opponent, later in the game the exact same fight occurs, this time around the player is free to choose any character. Using the same composition as the first encounter will trigger unique dialogues, showcasing Falcom's attention to details. Obviously, those examples are mere details, alone they do not do much, but there is plenty of them making the story a great, if not the greatest asset of this game.
As the story unfolds, Cold Steel 1 winks references, characters, and details that only people who played previous titles might understand. A gratification bow from Falcom to their fan base, a delicate pratice, with too many references the game would be a past worshipper, with not enough references or respect for its predecessors, it would be a no root delinquent. But once again credits where it's due, Falcom manages to balance everything making this title a great entry point for the franchise.
Without being directly related to the main story itself, an issue arises with the romance system introduced seemingly as a last-minute decision. If being allowed to choose a romance isn't necessarily bad per se, the game was not conceived with this idea in mind from the start. The main story does highlight a romantic tension between Rean and a certain girl, leading to inevitable frustration for players deviating from this "canon" route, players following the "canon" route will be left craving for more with a relationship that barely progresses. Does the main character always need to be the one and only plot device, the talk of all towns, and to possess a harem ? Well Falcom's answer is no, no, and yes. Very unfortunate, this romance system is a today defect and a burden to become.
Aside from that, there are no significant issues. The game could benefit from some more QOL, but the blissful turbo mode makes up for a lot. The combat system is a classic turn based JRPG, not the most unique system, it still offers a decent amount of character customization and strategy. There are a few fights that you cannot win, something that always gave me mixed feelings. Also dungeons are linear for the most part. To sum up, nothing but minor downfalls that cannot taint the charm of this game.
Not only charming, this game feels genuine and endearing. Maybe because of this weird blend of peculiar outdated graphics and top notch music. Maybe it's due to the vividly lack of budget contrasting with the actual result product, which by the way, put to shame a number of AAA productions in more than one department. Maybe it's because of Falcom's history itself regarding the conception of Trails games, from XSEED's disillusion and struggle facing the localization, to a prevented tragic event among Carpe Fulgur, to the unfortunate arrival of NISA into the dance. Or maybe it's just me being emotional despite being a cold cynical jerk.
To conclude, despite some flaws, Trail of Cold Steel 1 excels in its assigned tasks, a prowess later installments will struggle to replicate. There would be many things to say about this game that I've forgotten to mention, but I might as well advice anyone interested in this game or franchise to give it a try. I bet 50 miras you will enjoy this game.
Meticulous and self aware of how some may portray their universe : convoluted, Falcom in this title outdo themselves and manage to properly introduce a main cast of 9 students, enrolled in a military school they will be tasked of traveling all around the country and accomplish various missions. This classic yet efficient setup, allows players to dive into the world through the eyes of characters that also have much to discover and learn. First thing first, they get to know each other, figuring out how to work as a team, spoiler alert : it won't be easy. There will be tension, arguments, and disputes making everything more believable. On the flip side, there are comedy moments and even some fluff, striking a balance between the two extremes.
While some games would either ignore or rush such bonding moments, Trail of Cold Steel 1 embrace this slice-of-life aspect without hesitation and that's refreshing. At last, a game which takes its time, my affection is not granted, putting some piano and violin over a wannabe sad flashback, 5 minutes after I met a character, it is just not enough for me. This deliberate slow burn coupled with good writing allows the main cast to escape typical archetypes, becoming more nuanced, deep and likeable individuals, a primal reason as to why the ending of this game is so impactful.
Regarding the quote on quote good writing, I'll try to prove my point without delving too much into spoilers. For instance, there is among the main cast a foreigner who will encounter cultural shocks, a clever way to introduce basics naturally and avoid awkward exposition scenes. Another example, early in the game Rean with 2 other classmates face a special opponent, later in the game the exact same fight occurs, this time around the player is free to choose any character. Using the same composition as the first encounter will trigger unique dialogues, showcasing Falcom's attention to details. Obviously, those examples are mere details, alone they do not do much, but there is plenty of them making the story a great, if not the greatest asset of this game.
As the story unfolds, Cold Steel 1 winks references, characters, and details that only people who played previous titles might understand. A gratification bow from Falcom to their fan base, a delicate pratice, with too many references the game would be a past worshipper, with not enough references or respect for its predecessors, it would be a no root delinquent. But once again credits where it's due, Falcom manages to balance everything making this title a great entry point for the franchise.
Without being directly related to the main story itself, an issue arises with the romance system introduced seemingly as a last-minute decision. If being allowed to choose a romance isn't necessarily bad per se, the game was not conceived with this idea in mind from the start. The main story does highlight a romantic tension between Rean and a certain girl, leading to inevitable frustration for players deviating from this "canon" route, players following the "canon" route will be left craving for more with a relationship that barely progresses. Does the main character always need to be the one and only plot device, the talk of all towns, and to possess a harem ? Well Falcom's answer is no, no, and yes. Very unfortunate, this romance system is a today defect and a burden to become.
Aside from that, there are no significant issues. The game could benefit from some more QOL, but the blissful turbo mode makes up for a lot. The combat system is a classic turn based JRPG, not the most unique system, it still offers a decent amount of character customization and strategy. There are a few fights that you cannot win, something that always gave me mixed feelings. Also dungeons are linear for the most part. To sum up, nothing but minor downfalls that cannot taint the charm of this game.
Not only charming, this game feels genuine and endearing. Maybe because of this weird blend of peculiar outdated graphics and top notch music. Maybe it's due to the vividly lack of budget contrasting with the actual result product, which by the way, put to shame a number of AAA productions in more than one department. Maybe it's because of Falcom's history itself regarding the conception of Trails games, from XSEED's disillusion and struggle facing the localization, to a prevented tragic event among Carpe Fulgur, to the unfortunate arrival of NISA into the dance. Or maybe it's just me being emotional despite being a cold cynical jerk.
To conclude, despite some flaws, Trail of Cold Steel 1 excels in its assigned tasks, a prowess later installments will struggle to replicate. There would be many things to say about this game that I've forgotten to mention, but I might as well advice anyone interested in this game or franchise to give it a try. I bet 50 miras you will enjoy this game.