During the New Game Plus Expo segment, Nihon Falcom and NIS America showcased new footage of Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 4 which will be arriving on PlayStation 4 before other platforms. The final chapter in the Trails of Cold Steel saga launches exclusively on the PS4 on October 27th, 2020 before coming to Nintendo Switch and PC at some point in 2021.
Trails of Cold Steel 3 ended with an infamous cliffhanger, and fans have been clamoring for information on the final chapter ever since. While it lacks the same recognition as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Persona, the Trails series enjoys a dedicated audience, with "overwhelmingly positive" reviews on Steam and solid scores on Metacritic. It is also has some of the most impressive lore and world-building in the JRPG genre.
Despite this uniformly positive reception, Trails is something of a niche franchise, NIS America is a smaller publisher, and as a result, western JRPG releases are never a sure thing. Fans were thrilled—and relieved—to hear that the last installment of the Cold Steel saga would still be arriving later this fall, over two years after the Japanese release of the title. The delay is likely due to the staggering amount of localization required, including hundreds of pages of text, and hours of voice acting, if prior franchise installments are any indication.
The new Trails of Cold Steel 4 footage showed off the heroes of Class 7 squaring off against series protagonist, Rean Schwarzer. Little information is available about what new mechanics, if any, will be coming to the game's elaborate turn-based combat system, one of the best in the JRPG genre, which already boasts Xenogears-style mechs, magic, team attacks, and freedom of movement. NIS promises new minigames and puzzle games will arrive with existing pastimes such as fishing.
Trails isn't the only storied JRPG franchise to be receiving a western release this fall. A new title in the long-running Ys series, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, was also announced at NGPX. While both games have cultivated a devoted fan base, it is unlikely that they will become breakout hits with their latest installments, as each game relies on the continuity of preceding installments, whereas standalone series like Final Fantasy and Persona are immediately accessible to newcomers. Fortunately, with some games supporting PS5 to PS4 backwards compatibility confirmed, hopefully these fans can trade up to the next console generation and won't be left out in the cold.
PC and Switch players are doubtlessly disappointed that they will have to wait even longer to see how the story plays out, especially since the Switch is an ideal platform for enjoying JRPGs. But the delay may create opportunities as well. Definitive editions with extra DLC are common for delayed releases, and a bundle or compilation of all the existing Cold Steel titles may also be a possibility.
Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 4 is coming to PlayStation 4 on October 27, 2020, and to Nintendo Switch and PC in 2021.