The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
Eighth Trails entry, continuing Rean Schwarzer's story as an instructor.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III, a role-playing game from Nihon Falcom, launched in 2017. It marks the eighth chapter in the Trails saga, which itself belongs to the broader The Legend of Heroes series, and picks up after *Trails of Cold Steel II* (2014). The title first hit the PlayStation 4 in Japan during September 2017, with a worldwide release following in October 2019. Ports arrived for Nintendo Switch, Windows, and Amazon Luna in 2020, then for Google Stadia in April 2021, and finally a standalone PlayStation 5 version in February 2024. A sequel, *Trails of Cold Steel IV*, came out in 2018.
**Gameplay** The combat system stays true to the earlier *Cold Steel* games, offering a traditional Japanese RPG experience with turn-based battles. Falcom focused on making fights faster: transitions into battle are smoother, and players can assign more commands to specific buttons instead of digging through menus, though battles still rely heavily on menu navigation. A new mechanic, "Brave Order," lets characters spend "Brave Points"—a resource built up during combat—to trigger temporary effects like healing or stat boosts. Another addition, the "Break" system, gives enemies a "Break Gauge" bar; attacking chips away at it, and once it empties, the enemy becomes vulnerable for a single turn.
**Plot** The story unfolds two years after *Trails of Cold Steel II* and a few months after the Northern War, where Erebonia’s Imperial Army annexed North Ambria. Rean Schwarzer now works as an instructor at Thors Military Academy’s Branch Campus, leading the new Class VII. His students include Juna Crawford, an exchange student from Crossbell; Kurt Vander, a former royal guard from the Vander family; and Altina Orion, a member of the Intelligence Division and younger sister of Millium Orion. They later gain Ash Carbide, an orphan from Hamel, and Musse Egret, a noble lady secretly the heir of House Cayenne. Rean is ordered by the Imperial government to handle conflicts erupting across Erebonia—mostly stirred by Ouroboros, who are trying to reclaim their "Phantasmal Blaze Plan" from Chancellor Osborne—during the campus’s field exercises, with help from his old Class VII friends. On these missions, the group discovers that Rutger Claussell (the Jaeger King and Fie’s foster father) and Arianrhod the Steel Maiden (an Ouroboros anguis who is actually Lianne S
- developer
- Nihon Falcom
- release_year
- 2017
- platforms
- PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Amazon Luna, Google Stadia, PlayStation 5
- genre
- Role-playing video game
- series
- Trails (part of The Legend of Heroes)
- localization_publisher
- NIS America
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
- Developer
- Nihon FalcomNintendo Switch version ported by Engine Software. Windows version ported by Engine Software and PH3 Games.
- Publisher
- NIS America
- Director
- Takayuki Kusano
- Producer
- Toshihiro Kondo
- Programmer
- Toru Endo · Nobuhiro Hioki · Noriyuki Chiyoda · Atsushi Oosaki · Shingo Maekawa
- Writer
- Hisayoshi Takeiri · Yoshihiro Konda · Syunsei Shikata
- Composer
- Hayato Sonoda · Takahiro Unisuga · Yukihiro Jindo · Mitsuo Singa
- Series
- Trails
- Engine
- PhyreEngine
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4 · Nintendo Switch · Windows · Stadia · PlayStation 5
- Genre
- Role-playing
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The story begins two years after Trails of Cold Steel II, with Rean Schwarzer now an instructor at Thors Military Academy's Branch Campus, teaching a new Class VII. The group learns of the Divine Knights' origins as fragments of the Great One, a being created when the Sept-Terrions of Fire and Earth fused. The curse of the Great One influenced Erebonia for centuries, leading to tragedies including the Hamel tragedy and the Northern War. During a party at the Imperial Palace, Rean discovers his origins: Chancellor Osborne gave his heart to save Rean as an infant. Ash Carbide, manipulated by the curse, shoots the Emperor, leading Class VII to realize that Ouroboros, the Gnomes, and Osborne plan to unleash the Great Twilight, an event heralding the return of the Great One and the end of the world. Millium Orion sacrifices her life to protect Rean and Altina, causing Rean to lose control and slay the Nameless One, releasing the curse and beginning the Great Twilight.
Reader's Guide
Trails of Cold Steel III is significant as the first mainline Trails game developed exclusively for PlayStation 4, marking a shift away from PlayStation Vita due to declining international sales of the Vita and the larger PS4 userbase abroad. Its localization by NIS America, rather than Xseed Games, caused initial fan concern, but key staff from prior localizations were involved. The game introduced new battle systems—Brave Order and Break—while maintaining turn-based combat. Despite a drop in first-week physical sales in Japan compared to its predecessor, attributed to the lack of a Vita version, it achieved the highest digital sales in the series as of October 2017. The game's plot deepens the series' lore, revealing the origins of the Divine Knights and the Great One's curse, and sets up the sequel Trails of Cold Steel IV. Its release on multiple platforms, including a PlayStation 5 version bundled with Trails of Cold Steel IV, extended its reach.
Did You Know?
- The game was developed using the PhyreEngine game engine, like previous Trails of Cold Steel entries.
- Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo cited the decline of the PlayStation Vita outside Japan as a factor in choosing the PS4.
- The game's localization was handled by NIS America instead of Xseed Games, who localized the first two Cold Steel games.
- A PlayStation 5 version was released in the west on February 16, 2024, bundled with Trails of Cold Steel IV.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Trails of Cold Steel III?
It is the eighth installment in the Trails saga (a sub-series of The Legend of Heroes), developed by Nihon Falcom and first released in 2017. The game follows Rean Schwarzer as he continues teaching his Class VII students at the Ouroboros Academy while navigating escalating military and political conflicts across Zemuria.
What platforms is Trails of Cold Steel III available on?
The title debuted on PlayStation 4 in Japan in September 2017, then expanded to Nintendo Switch, Windows, and Amazon Luna in 2020, Google Stadia in April 2021, and a standalone PS5 edition in February 2024. NIS America served as the Western localization and publishing partner for the non-Japanese releases.
Where does Trails of Cold Steel III sit in the overall Trails timeline?
It is the third game in the Cold Steel sub-series and the eighth entry in the broader Trails saga. The narrative picks up directly after the events of Trails of Cold Steel II (2014), so players who have not experienced the first two Cold Steel titles will miss significant backstory.
Who is the main character and what role do they play?
Rean Schwarzer serves as the protagonist, acting as the instructor and de facto leader of Class VII at the Ouroboros Academy. His role blends tactical command in battle with mentorship, as he guides a diverse group of students through the geopolitical crises that define the Cold Steel arc.
Is there a sequel to Trails of Cold Steel III?
Yes, Trails of Cold Steel IV is the direct follow-up and serves as the concluding chapter of the Cold Steel sub-series. It continues Rean's story immediately after the events of the third game and wraps up the major arcs introduced across all four Cold Steel titles.
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