The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Early Enrollment Edition - PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

I love this series. You absolutely should play the rest first but Nihon Falcom did a good job with expanding the world in this installment. I felt a much stronger connection to the original Class VII but, since you find out how their lives have progressed since graduating from Thors throughout this game, it felt like catching up with old friends. The graphics won't blow you away as the textures can be pretty flat but it gives the world a really clean looking aesthetic. The character models all look amazing and, for the most part, the voice acting is award-worthy. My favorite all-around character, Sara, is a great example of both. Meanwhile Alisa, who is one of the most powerful characters in the game, started to sound more spoiled and whiny as the series progressed. This is a turn-based RPG series and each game in the series has over 60 hours of playtime and they all follow a very similar formula and can get repetitive. What keeps you going in spite of that is the growing relationships between all of the main characters and how you continue to learn more and more about their pasts and struggles. It feels more akin to an interactive anime than a traditional RPG but the format makes it more engrossing than the visual novels that are usually more synonymous with that description. I can't recommend this series enough.

Great series of games they take some time to finish but the story, characters, and music are absolutely amazing.

This game was a great continuation to the series. It felt very odd at the start with all the updates from the previous two games. I had been binge playing the series one after the other. If you've played the other 2 Cold Steel games you'll know what you are getting, another great game. However, it does have a few flaws that I will make note of, but it shouldn't deter you from getting the game. There are several parts in the game, mostly in the later half where the frame rate of the game drops often, the game is still playable but it is VERY noticeable. This happens in some towns and well as dungeons. I've read it's because the game was not optimized well. It looks good graphically and at times of lag there is a lot on the screen. You WILL notice this in your gameplay. I have played on the original PS4 system, but have read it is same on the pro version of the game as well. All that aside the game is still great. You dont get as many new skills when you level up in this game either however, so what you get towards the start of the game in terms of crafts stays for pretty much all of the game except maybe 1 or 2 more.

I’ll preface this review with saying you don’t “technically” have to play Trails of Cold Steel 1&2 to enjoy 3. That being said you will greatly benefit from having played Trails of Cold Steel 1&2 along with the Japanese games Zero and Ao since they help to bridge the gap between Cold Steel 2&3. There are references to the other games being made all the time new players will inevitably miss out on. It’s the difference between watching a Theatrical version of a movie vs a really good Director’s Cut that fleshes the story out a bit more giving needed context. Trails 3 continues the story of Rean Schwarzer and if you’re new to the series there will be a lot to love if you’re a fan of JRPG’s. The music, the turn based combat, the voice acting etc are all well done. The graphics have been given a decent upgrade since Cold Steel 1 & 2 and it shows. There are a few errors with the text in the translation but more often than not it’s correct. If you enjoy JRPG’s then you shouldn’t sleep on this series by any means. My hope is that one day Falcom will release all of the Trails games so we can enjoy them on the current gen consoles.

While breaking absolutely no new ground (seriously, they added maybe 2% new gameplay, tops, from the previous two titles in the series) ToCS3 is a worthy addition to the legendary game collective, even if completely engrossing yourself in its story requires a width and breadth of knowledge of the Cold Steel games, the Trails in the Sky games, and various titles not even released outside of Japan. Standard turn-based JRPG combat with no bells and whistles, but the characters you'll be controlling are so wonderfully, emotionally deep and detailed that you won't mind their bland, repetitive fighting escapades. Music and, especially, graphics are straight out of a PS2 demo reel, appalling in this era of AAA gaming wonders. Even something like Tokyo Mirage Sessions, a Switch/WiiU reject, has infinitely better looks. Story, when you can penetrate its arcane meatiness, is exceptional, making up for almost all other faults to a great extent. Yes it's painfully similar to Cold Steel 1, but it stands on its own as an example of excellent storytelling technique. Recommended if you like JRPGs or good stories all around.

Another great entry in the long running Legend of Heroes series. I'll keep buying these as long as they keep releasing them.

Most people buy this because they are already engaged into this series. I bought this early enrollment edition and got some freebies. I bought this at sales too. So, I cant complain. In fact, I am beyond satisfied. Walking out of Besbuy after a success treasure hunting really make my weekend. I have a coke in my hand, a nice game ready to be unwrapped, and saved some money for my purchase during the sale.

This game is really good, it’s a great turn based RPG And a great addition to the cold steel series. This game is really fun with its combat, story, and soundtrack. I would say you should play this if you’ve already played the previous legend of heroes games. But it can still be enjoyed by newcomers/ people who haven’t played the previous games. If your a fan of turn based RPG’s you’ll love this. I myself give this game a 9/10