The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is finally nearly here on PS4 and PS4 Pro. While earlier entries in the franchise from developer Nihon Falcom debuted on PS3 and PS Vita before seeing PC ports from XSEED Games, Trails of Cold Steel III has larger ambitions and is a PS4-only title that NIS America has localised and is publishing in the West in not only English but also with French text support. Trails of Cold Steel III is the third part of Falcom’s Trails of Cold Steel JRPG series that is a part of its larger Trails series that spans multiple games across different consoles. Trails of Cold Steel III releases in September 2017 in Japan and it arrives in English speaking regions over two years later. Here’s everything you need to know.
Trails of Cold Steel III release date
Trails of Cold Steel III releases on October 22 physically and digitally in North America, Europe, and digitally in India. It releases on October 29 in Australia and New Zealand physically and digitally.
Does Trails of Cold Steel III have a PC release date?
As of now, Trails of Cold Steel III is releasing exclusively on PS4. Earlier Trails of Cold Steel games have shown up on PC eventually so it is a possibility here in the next year or so.
Trails of Cold Steel III price
Trails of Cold Steel III costs $59.99 (Approximately Rs. 4,250) and is a full priced game.
Trails of Cold Steel III download size
The Trails of Cold Steel III download size is 39.7GB.
Trails of Cold Steel III resolution
Trails of Cold Steel III runs at 1080p on PS4 and a native 4K on PS4 Pro.
Trails of Cold Steel III frame rate
Trails of Cold Steel III runs at 60fps on both PS4 and PS4 Pro. In my testing so far, it holds the frame rate very well.
Trails of Cold Steel III save transfer
Unlike Trails of Cold Steel II that let you transfer your save data from Trails of Cold Steel I for bonuses, Trails of Cold Steel III has no save data transfer or bonuses.
Trails of Cold Steel III turbo mode explained
Trails of Cold Steel III in the West has an exclusive turbo mode akin to the one Falcom added in the earlier Trails of Cold Steel I and II ports. This mode is called High-Speed Mode and it lets you speed up just about everything including cutscenes and saves a ton of time in combat and exploration. You can activate it by pressing the left part of the DualShock 4 touchpad at anytime.
Trails of Cold Steel III dual audio
Unlike earlier Trails of Cold Steel releases on last generation systems and PC, Trails of Cold Steel III has support for both Japanese and English voice acting right from the get go. This was patched into Trails of Cold Steel I and II on PC and included in the PS4 remasters from earlier this year. Trails of Cold Steel III also includes a French text option which is new for the franchise. This game even had most of the English voice cast return with the same director which has resulted in fantastic voice acting as is expected of a Trails of Cold Steel release in the West.
Trails of Cold Steel III editions
For the physical release, there are two editions releasing for Trails of Cold Steel III. The basic retail release is the Early Enrollment Edition that includes a selection soundtrack CD and a small artbook. There is also the Thor’s Academy Edition that is the collector’s edition.
Trails of Cold Steel III Thor’s Academy Edition contents
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III for PS4
- Intelligence Division Files Hardcover Art Book
- Symphony of Class VII
- Einhel Keep Collector’s Box
- SteelBook
- 5 Postcards
- Mishy Plushie
Trails of Cold Steel III demo contents and demo save transfer
The Trails of Cold Steel III demo includes the prologue up until the boss fight. You can transfer your save to the full game and defeat the boss to unlock the prologue trophy in the final game. The demo has no trophies. The Trails of Cold Steel III demo is available in all regions on PSN for free.
Trails of Cold Steel III demo download size
The Trails of Cold Steel III demo is a 12.65GB download on PSN. Download it here.
Trails of Cold Steel III Digital Deluxe Edition contents
- Thors Main Campus Uniform
- Altina’s “Kitty Noir” Costume
- Musse’s “Coquettish Blue” Costume
- Juna’s “Crossbell Cheer!” Costume
- Rean’s Traveling Outfit (from Trails of Cold Steel II)
- Rean’s Casual Clothes
- Juna’s Casual Clothes
- Kurt’s Casual Clothes
- Altina’s Casual Clothes
- Musse’s Casual Clothes
- Ash’s Casual Clothes
- Standard Glasses Set
- Mask Set
- Hardcore Set
- Stylish Sunglasses Set
- Rare Eyewear
- Ride-Along Black Rabbit
- Ride-Along Elie
- Ride-Along Dana
- Ride-Along School Renne
- Ride-Along Ozzie
- Mascot Headgear Set
Trails of Cold Steel III digital pre-order bonus
All digital pre-orders include Juna’s ‘Lloyd Bannings’ Costume and Rean’s Unspeakable Costume.
Should you play Trails of Cold Steel I and II before Trails of Cold Steel III?
You can but you shouldn’t. This is a loaded question for sure because unlike most JRPG franchises, Trails assumes you know about prior events despite flashbacks and summaries available in newer games. The ideal way to experience Trails of Cold Steel III is having played all three Trails in the Sky games which are all available on PC and the first two are on PSP and PS Vita and both Trails of Cold Steel games. This isn’t even considering Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki that don’t even have an official English localisation. Both Trails of Cold Steel I and II are now available on PS4, PS3, PS Vita, and PC so there’s no real excuse.
Even if you decide to play this directly for some reason and skip both prior Trails of Cold Steel games, there’s a detailed in game summary with lots of flashbacks. This is one way to get into the series albeit not the ideal way. While expecting players to finish multiple entries across older and newer systems is a tall ask, I’d say the bare minimum is at least playing Trails of Cold Steel I and II since this is very much Erebonia’s story. Erebonia is in the Western part of Zemuria which is the continent where Falcom’s Trails series takes place. If you do end up starting with Trails of Cold Steel III and you most likely will enjoy it, make sure to look into playing earlier entries. Falcom games always reward those who spend more time in the universe.
Trails of Cold Steel III India price and PS plus pre-order discount
Pre-orders are now live on PSN for India and EU regions. The standard edition pre-order price is Rs. 3,499. PS plus members can pre-order it for Rs. 3,149. The Digital Deluxe Edition pre-order price is Rs. 4,799 with PS plus members getting it at a discounted price of Rs. 3,599.
Trails of Cold Steel III review
We will have a review for the game in the near future. It is very long but initial impressions are very positive with it being a noticeable step up on the earlier entries in almost every way.
