The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III

Nintendo World ReportJordan Rudek

9.5/10

For those willing to invest in playing through or reading into the first two entries, Trails of Cold Steel 3 is an unmissable experience. RPG fans of all kinds are sure to fall for this love letter to the genre. Meaningful side-quests, an engaging combat system, and a story that makes something amazing out of what could easily be a simple routine: these elements represent only a fraction of Cold Steel 3's achievements. The performance isn't flawless, but portability and lengthy RPGs go hand-in-hand, making this a must-own title on Switch. If you’ve never played a Trails game, this release h…

Capsule ComputersTravis Bruno

9.5/10

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III continues to craft an excellent story with solid combat and is handled with enough care that fans can rest easy when it comes to the series’ future.

Nintendo WireTom Brown

9/10

It's best to get this across right away - Trails of Cold Steel III isn't the best entry point for the "Trails" series, which first saw an English release back

Playstation LifestyleLucas White

9/10

I could practically trace my whole writing career via Falcom’s The Legend of Heroes series. As a whole, it’s been around since before I was born, but I was right there hustling as a budding games critic when Trails in the Sky dropped for the PSP. It wasn’t the first to be localized, but it was the first to really find an audience. Nearly a decade later, this world’s story is still being told. Spanning across multiple continents and real world gaming platforms, we’ve finally landed on the first native PS4 entry. Trails of Cold Steel III is the latest in one of the biggest epics in JRPG history ...

RPGSiteJames Galizio

9/10

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III brings the Erebonia arc of the Trails series to its second half - under a new western publisher. Here's how everything turned out:

WCCFtechFrancesco De Meo

8.5/10

The Trails series has managed, not without some difficulty, to become one of the most beloved JRPG series in the West still running today. Most of its success is thanks to excellent worldbuilding and writing, which makes the series fell more like a novel than a video game. The world feels more alive than any other JRPG setting, and even regular NPCs have their own personal stories that evolve throughout the games, helping to make the world feel alive and not centered on just the main characters.

KeenGamerLimarc Ambalina

8/10

Quite possibly the best JRPG series of recent years, the Trails of Cold Steel is a perfect mix of thrilling plotlines, rounded characters, and incredibly enjoyable combat mechanics. This Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 Review will go over the story, soundtrack, voice acting, dynamic combat mechanics, and more.

Pure NintendoKirk Hiner

7.5/10

For me, JRPGs are all about the adventures, the battle systems, and the melodrama. Everything else is decoration, and that decoration can interfere with the overall experience. That's what happened to me throughout The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III. If you enjoy the accessories, however, this game is absolutely for you.Read More

TheSixthAxisMiguel Moran

7/10

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III the third 80-hour RPG in a series of equally lengthy games. If you're a newcomer, it's a daunting and probably foolish task to try and play this game. If you're a die-hard fan of the Cold Steel series already, you'll get plenty of satisfaction out of the continued plot development and engaging combat. Even the most dedicated of fans, though, are likely to be turned off by the dated visuals and confusing Legend of Heroes crossovers that mar an otherwise impressive story-driven JRPG.

StartMenuHenry Stockdale

Unscored

Ultimately, these are straight ports and while they don't feel entirely necessary, it's the definitive way to play two solid RPGs. Cold Steel 3 sets the stage with a gripping story and entertaining gameplay, while Cold Steel 4 delivers an exciting conclusion that sometimes strains under its ambition. Together, they finish an integral part of one of gaming's most compelling sagas, and while I'm ready for the next adventure, revisiting Erebonia brought me no end of joy.

Analog Stick GamingJeff Young

Unscored

While the JRPG genre has seen a wide range of franchises spawning several decades, it’s rare for them to tell a connected story from game to game, often reinventing themselves with each iteration, rarely ever returning to them. The Trails series can then be looked as something of an oddity as it spa

Checkpoint GamingPedro Cooray

Unscored

It took me around 26 hours to finish Chapter 1 of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III. That’s this review in a nutshell. I completed every sidequest I could find, I beat every boss, and I watched every cutscene. 26 hours. Chapter 1.