The Trails of Cold Steel franchise continues to impress me. Whether it's in depth added to its combat-based combat system or intriguing reveal in its growing storyline, Nihon Falcom is taking the series to interesting places. The way the developer built the great world and its political tension is fascinating, showing the events that took place back in the Trails in the Sky arc. Seeing how all this history and happenings are made has been an exciting part of the journey. Fans are often treated to cheap and engaging characters that feel rewarding for long-term investments. While the narrative is certainly a great draw, Trails of Cold Steel III is also a solid RPG to use, especially if you crave something that has a classic feel and modern feel.
As the third entry in this four-game arc, Trails of Cold Steel III sets the final stage. Instead of reducing focus or hitting back, Nihon Falcom goes all out, adding tons of new characters and maintaining a familiar face. The story takes about a year and a half since the civil war of the last entry. Protagonist Rean is a graduate and became a professor at the new branch of Torsors, which was reserved for expulsion and misconduct. After growing so close to the previous games (don't worry you'll see plenty), I was worried about how I would take to a new class, but the new faces brought a lot of intriguing dimension. For example, the former gunman Juna worked at Crossbell Police Training Center, giving an idea of how political people are affecting the area.
I grew to like a lot of new students, but not all of them are great. Musse is just bad; his main shtick is always beating on Rean, who is played and starts to hurry. The coolest scenes in the story reunite with familiar characters in past games. Everyone is living in Rean's life in a fun or surprising way, making these moments feel more satisfying if you are following a strong plot through multiple games. If you haven't already, there's a list of facial expressions that ties you in everything from the main characters to the detailed summaries that break down each game. You can get through this, but this story has the best information about playing the previous two entries.
The cold metal rails are content to maintain its old school structure, allowing you to steer the new Class VII to field assignments and interact with them during your off-season. Social features are always important, and this addition provides several opportunities to engage with your new students or classmates. You also have a camp where you can catch up, get more details or open up new side claims. But sometimes you have too much spare time, and the aspects of the school feel overwhelming, creating workouts before you get to the good stuff. Like previous installations, this installation is large and slightly hot. I love the way this builds a relationship with the world, but the fractions of bloodue conversations and brain scans that are supposedly addictive to test my patience.
The turn-based combat system has remained one of my favorites in recent years because of its many options. You are forced to use your head instead of spam attacks and special items. While the program is still focused on enemy weaknesses, character placement, and time, Nihon Falcom introduced some new things that will keep you on your toes. The break gap causes enemies to stop all action in order to turn. I liked saving all my information at this time so they pack a big pick, because watching the damage repair is very satisfying. Another new addition is the Brave Order, which lets you use the ability to change lanes, such as showing damage or taking partial damage. Adding them to my plan quickly became a new wrap to win boss battles. You can now create "Burst" with two linked characters, multiplying by 10 to eliminate damage. All of these new mechanics are amazingly competitive, and their timely addition is a destructive process. They make you feel powerful, and the satisfaction from designing smart strategies is harder than ever.
While I enjoy the fight, the holes need to be improved. For the better part of the game, he returns and passes the test in a bland gym. Aside from the battles, you get changed and go dragging to different destinations, the latter has long since passed, alongside the slogan about being able to see girls' skirts every time you wear one. The pit design is simply vacant; the whole floor feels sterile, with only different color schemes giving them any defining features. You fight in other places like forests, caves, and ruins, but they are very beautiful.
Cold Steel III's power lines surpass its weaknesses. While this story takes its sweet time to happen, it does offer many shocking results. I didn't spoil anything, but I will say that things continue to heat up and I can't wait to see what comes next. There is something special about following the characters for so long in various games – that attachment makes this journey so important. I just hope that the next entry will address the most severely flawed, because there is so much good here to be included in a couple of problems.
