The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

PC InvasionKurt Perry

9.5/10

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.

Pure NintendoKirk Hiner

8.5/10

The opening of Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV is so convoluted that it seems to be warning players to not start here. Thankfully, once it decides to get going, this conclusion to the series rarely lets up.Read More

Nintendo World ReportJordan Rudek

8.5/10

Just as it would be difficult to review the fourth book in a set or the third film in a trilogy, I’m struggling to straddle the line in tailoring this review to newcomers and fans of the series. To those who have never played Trails of Cold Steel game, let alone a Legend of Heroes game, it’s well worth the investment to start at the beginning with Cold Steel I and see the quadrilogy through to an incredible conclusion. Starting with Cold Steel III is fine, but hopefully we’ll see all four games on Switch eventually. For those who already know and love Trails of Cold Steel, it would seem…

Capsule ComputersTravis Bruno

8.5/10

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV pulls off a highly satisfying conclusion to this long running saga but character bloat and lack of improvements hinder the experience.

Playstation LifestyleJenni Lada

8/10

It has been five years since The Legend of Heroes: The Trails of Cold Steel’s saga began in the West. Gradually, we’ve seen the story of Rean Schwarzer, the Erebonian Empire, and even the people and territories adjacent to them and from other The Legend of Heroes games. There are a lot of feelings connected to The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV as a result. A sense of accomplishment is one, since this building conflict is finally going to be resolved. There’s also a sense of relief, since this will all be over. But at the same time, it’s somewhat overwhelming and exhausting. Especia...

Push SquareRobert Ramsey

8/10

Have you played through Trails of Cold Steel III? If not, take our advice and don't even think about trying Trails of Cold Steel IV. Apparently, the two games were originally meant to be just one big instalment in Falcom's long running The Legend of Heroes franchise — but the sheer scope of the saga forced them apart. Put simply, you won't have a clue what's happening in Cold Steel IV if you haven't finished Cold Steel III. And that's just for starters.

Worth PlayingChris "Atom" DeAngelus

7/10

The Legend Of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV is an RPG where the heroes of Class VII find themselves against the full force of the Empire in an attempt to stop its path of total domination.

VGChartzThomas Froehlicher

7/10

Solid gameplay is let down by a weak end-game.NOTE: This review contains spoilers for The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III. It's not recommended [...]

Checkpoint GamingEdie W-K

6/10

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV has been out in the West since 2020, but only on PS4. I imagine that most Trails fans will have purchased the game without delay on PS4, having had to wait for 2 years for its localisation. If you’re looking to purchase the game on the new PC or Nintendo Switch versions, I can only assume you are one of two types of people: either you’re a diehard fan looking to purchase the game again on a new platform, or a Nintendo Switch owner who has seen...

RPGSiteJames Galizio

6/10

Cold Steel IV finally ends the "Phantasmal Blaze Plan" arc for the series after nearly a decade, for better or worse.

TheSixthAxisMiguel Moran

5/10

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.

There’s no way I can write a review of Trails of Cold Steel IV that will allow me to talk about the game’s finest qualities. This is the fourth chapter of a series that you absolutely must play from the first chapter, else you’re going to miss the critical context in the narrative. So to talk about this game’s narrative is to talk about the three leading up to it. However, I also can’t talk about those previous chapters since, if you haven’t played them yet, you’re probably not going to want me to talk about their narrative. Given that the narrative is the entire reason to play T…