The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II

94%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,890 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II Game Cover
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In Trails of Cold Steel II, civil war erupts in Erebonia after the Noble Faction's occupation of Heimdallr. Rean, the protagonist, embarks on a quest to find his Class VII friends and end the conflict, after escaping Trista with Valimar and Celine. This continuation of the Trails series offers a rich, engaging narrative with strategic combat.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Play​station Vita
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

94%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,890 reviews
story398 positive mentions
grinding42 negative mentions
  • Engaging story that picks up directly from the first game, with significant character development and emotional moments.
  • Improved gameplay mechanics, including the introduction of the Overdrive system and more freedom in exploration.
  • Excellent soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, with memorable tracks and themes.
  • Pacing issues, particularly in the first act and the lengthy epilogue that feels unnecessary and drawn out.
  • Some characters feel underdeveloped or sidelined, with the focus heavily on the main protagonist, Rean.
  • Repetitive boss battles where enemies often get back up after being defeated, undermining the sense of accomplishment.
  • story1,158 mentions

    The story of "Trails of Cold Steel II" is a direct continuation from its predecessor, delving deeper into the characters and the political landscape of the Erebonian Empire amidst a civil war. While many players appreciate the rich world-building and character development, some criticize the pacing and the reliance on dialogue-heavy sequences that can feel tedious. Overall, the narrative is praised for its emotional depth and engaging twists, though it may leave some plot threads unresolved, setting the stage for future installments in the series.

    • “The story is absolutely fantastic and the combat is what draws you to this game, also the characters are done well and fit the story.”
    • “The story picks up a month after the first game's ending and focuses on the Erebonian civil war as well as the events of Trails to Azure in Crossbell, and now Rean gets swept up into this whole mess with all his friends.”
    • “The story is engaging, the gameplay enjoyable and the turbo mode (to make the game go faster) is priceless when going back and forth some place.”
    • “The story is all over the place and loses the atmosphere which the first game managed to build up.”
    • “The plot is convoluted and newcomers will be left confused.”
    • “The story picks up quickly where you left it in the first game and the hours just flew by with this one.”
  • gameplay306 mentions

    The gameplay in "Trails of Cold Steel II" retains much of the familiar turn-based mechanics from its predecessor while introducing new elements like the Overdrive system, which enhances combat dynamics. Players appreciate the expanded character roster and semi-open world exploration, although some feel that the core gameplay remains largely unchanged, leading to moments of repetitiveness. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging mechanics and improvements, making it a solid continuation of the series.

    • “The game continues to bring in some fresh mechanics and makes it a new experience from the first Cold Steel game.”
    • “Though they've really expanded on all the systems in a clever way that makes the gameplay both familiar and new.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics in Trails of Cold Steel II are equally impressive, offering a traditional RPG experience with turn-based battles, a robust leveling system, and a variety of customization options.”
    • “In terms of gameplay, there’s little to be said about Cold Steel II compared to its predecessor, since there have been no meaningful changes.”
    • “The gameplay is roughly the same as the prior game except with many more of the new battle types introduced at the end of the first game.”
    • “The gameplay is standard turn-based combat and no different from the first game, save for some new power-ups.”
  • music176 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its emotional depth and orchestral quality, often highlighting it as a standout feature. While some noted that the soundtrack reuses themes from the first game, others appreciated the new tracks and the overall enhancement of the musical experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the best in the series, effectively complementing the game's narrative and gameplay.

    • “The music is incredible; I especially love how this series always uses a new battle theme for each installment, and each type of boss battle, but in sequel games, they always find an opportunity to bring back the music from the previous games as a treat.”
    • “The soundtrack is equally impressive, with a sweeping orchestral score that perfectly complements the game's epic scope and grand themes.”
    • “The music invokes strong feelings of nostalgia for what was going on in the game when you first heard the song, because like everything in this game, it's just so memorable.”
    • “As already written in the first part, the soundtrack for the Trails series is rather inferior.”
    • “The soundtrack lacks creativity and becomes monotonous.”
    • “Many tracks feel hollow and devoid of emotion, making them inferior even to the weakest songs in Zero and Azure.”
  • graphics83 mentions

    The graphics in "Trails of Cold Steel II" have received mixed reviews, with some praising the improved character designs and animations compared to its predecessor, while others criticize the overall aesthetic as outdated and reminiscent of earlier console generations. Many players noted that while the visuals are serviceable and maintain a unique art style, they do not significantly advance from the first game, leading to a perception of stagnation in graphical development. Overall, the game is appreciated for its storytelling and character development, which some feel compensates for its graphical shortcomings.

    • “The graphics and art style of Trails of Cold Steel II are beautiful, with a unique aesthetic that perfectly captures the game's sweeping landscapes and intricate character designs.”
    • “I was able to run the game on the highest graphics settings with a smooth framerate.”
    • “The visuals and animations also receive an upgrade from the previous installment.”
    • “The graphics are still mediocre and haven't been improved at all from the PS3/PS Vita versions.”
    • “It doesn't bring anything new to the table; neither the gameplay nor the graphics got any improvements, still exactly the same as CS1.”
    • “Outdated graphics even for the original 2014 release date on other platforms.”
  • character development55 mentions

    Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and polish, with many reviewers noting improvements over previous entries, particularly in the relationship system and story integration. However, some players express disappointment with the uneven focus on certain characters, feeling that not all receive adequate development, and criticize the gating of key developments behind specific gameplay elements. Overall, while the character development is a highlight for many, opinions vary on its execution and consistency across the roster.

    • “The character development in this game is turned up to 11.”
    • “This entry is incredible in so many ways and it makes up for the lack of AAA graphics with an amazing story, a very well-written script, great character development, and a fun battle system.”
    • “Character development is very well done, making you like the characters more and more as the story goes.”
    • “CS2 is too focused on Rean's strength development (there is barely any character development, in my opinion) while ignoring all other characters.”
    • “I will only really talk about two of the other characters since none of the others have any kind of character development at all.”
    • “One of CSII's biggest flaws, in my opinion, is the somewhat inconsistent character development in comparison to other Trails games.”
  • grinding49 mentions

    Reviews on the aspect of "grinding" in the game are mixed, with some players finding it tedious and excessive, particularly in the post-game content and certain dungeons, while others appreciate the minimal grinding required, especially on lower difficulty settings. Many noted that the fast travel and quality of life features help alleviate some of the grind, making it less burdensome. Overall, while some players enjoy the optional grinding for character enhancement, others feel it detracts from the overall experience due to repetitive quests and lengthy dungeons.

    • “Trails of Cold Steel series has a nice storyline, challenging battles, but not grinding. Characters have nice personalities and an easy-to-learn combat system.”
    • “Requires no grinding if you play on medium difficulty.”
    • “No grinding needed.”
    • “Combine that with an easily exploitable battle system and a very slow/tedious back-half of the game, and I cannot recommend this or the games coming after.”
    • “Unfortunately, they could not end the very engaging plot at the obvious point; no, they had to add an entire unnecessary epilogue with a huge, tedious randomly generated dungeon followed by a tedious, unnecessary boss fight.”
    • “It feels extremely grindy.”
  • emotional47 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with many players expressing deep attachment to the characters and being moved to tears multiple times throughout the story. The narrative is described as sweeping and impactful, filled with heartfelt moments, plot twists, and a mix of joy and sadness that resonates with players. Overall, it is considered a powerful emotional journey that enhances the gaming experience, making it a standout in the JRPG genre.

    • “The story is sweeping, emotional and affecting, resonant and positive.”
    • “An emotional journey, to be said, shines with not only friendship, love, altruism, kindness; but also with sadness and despair.”
    • “I don't think a video game has ever made me cry, yet this story managed to bring me to tears on 2 separate occasions.”
  • humor23 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of witty character interactions and situational comedy, with players finding joy in the banter among characters like Jusis, Machias, and Millium. While some moments are genuinely funny, others are seen as clichéd or less engaging, leading to a varied comedic experience. Overall, the humor adds a light-hearted touch to the game's narrative, making it entertaining despite some darker themes.

    • “There are also notable battle system changes since the past games; in fact, a certain character mentions exactly how I felt about the enigma to Arcus systems, which is quite funny.”
    • “Laura committed to growing in character and in the sword, Sharon a creepy but funny maid who is incredibly powerful, and Jusis, Machias, and Millium's banter always made me laugh.”
    • “Story and dialogue are both funny and entertaining.”
  • replayability18 mentions

    Overall, the game offers significant replayability due to its diverse character options, engaging storylines, and intricate gameplay mechanics. Players appreciate the depth of character interactions and the ability to uncover new scenes and elements in subsequent playthroughs, making it worthwhile for multiple runs. The inclusion of a new game plus feature and save transfer between titles further enhances the replay value, ensuring a rich experience even after the initial playthrough.

    • “The diversity of choice within the games is immense, and even when you have played through all 4 games and know the story, you will come back and play again because it is a great story with a lot of characters and great replayability.”
    • “It has a lot of replay value with the bond system and character builds as well as unlockable items.”
    • “The gameplay is really enjoyable, and the large amount of playable characters makes the replay value easily worth a second or even third playthrough.”
    • “This was my second run and very likely my last, while I have 3-4 replays of other titles in the series that are much more replayable.”
    • “Honestly, that is one of the things I enjoy about this game: for a single story arc, it has enough side stories that it holds enough replay value to really get your money's worth out of it.”
    • “You now have access to significantly more playable characters, though most of the guest characters are only there for one act or less.”
  • optimization15 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its solid performance and lack of crashes, while others criticize it for being poorly optimized, particularly on higher settings. Many users report that it runs well on lower settings, and the configuration options are noted as impressive. Overall, the game appears to perform well on a range of systems, though some players have experienced issues in specific areas.

    • “The game is well optimized, and the story builds upon the greatness of the first game.”
    • “Even the options menu (configuration tool) before launching the game is impressive; it has example images of what each video setting will do, their effect on performance, etc. If I were a game developer, I would be extremely proud to have made this product.”
    • “It amazes me how this game is really optimized even for an aging, potato laptop like mine.”
    • “The game is terribly optimized, but it will run fine on lower settings.”
    • “I ding it slightly for the graphics being meh and clearly unoptimized.”
    • “I am going to try looking up if there are fixes, but at the moment I am unaware of how to improve the game performance or deal with these bugs.”
  • stability8 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs and performance issues, particularly in the PC port, including freezing and frame rate drops. While some users experienced minor glitches that did not hinder gameplay, others faced more severe problems that detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the game's stability appears to be a concern for a substantial number of players.

    • “Regarding the PC version: I've only played it briefly so far, but everything about it looks and runs great from what I can see.”
    • “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or major bugs, which really enhances the overall experience.”
    • “I've experienced consistent performance throughout my playtime, making it easy to immerse myself in the game.”
    • “As much as I enjoyed the first game, I cannot recommend this only because the PC port is so broken and buggy.”
    • “I can maintain 30 fps with v-sync on and around 45-60 fps (sometimes dropping to 25 fps) depending on what happened on the screen without v-sync. Bear in mind that this is a laptop that freezes and went dead or got BSOD just by trying to play a 1080p YouTube video.”
    • “I love this game, but for some reason the screen constantly freezes. I can hear the game running and can move around or even open the menu, but it stays frozen.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is rated 7.5/10, indicating a slight improvement from previous installments. However, the narrative's disjointedness detracts from the immersive experience, particularly given the backdrop of the erebonian civil war, which feels surprisingly subdued despite its serious themes.

    • “The game picks up with the Erebonian civil war and how it has affected the various members of Class VII; yet despite being a story surrounding war, the atmosphere is uncharacteristically tame.”
    • “Therefore, a small upgrade in the atmosphere.”
    • “Atmosphere: 7.5/10”
    • “The story is all over the place and loses the atmosphere that the first game managed to build up.”
    • “The game picks up with the Erebonian civil war and how it has affected the various members of Class VII, yet despite being a story surrounding war, the atmosphere is uncharacteristically tame.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy includes a sequel advertisement following the main conflict, which some players found intriguing; however, the addition of a forced extra dungeon felt unnecessary and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “The game felt like it was constantly pushing me towards in-game purchases, making it hard to enjoy the experience without spending extra money.”
    • “I was really disappointed by how much content was locked behind a paywall; it felt like I was being forced to spend money to fully enjoy the game.”
    • “The monetization strategy ruined the pacing of the game, as it often interrupted the flow with ads and prompts to buy more content.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

98hMedian play time
136hAverage play time
81-200hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 13 analyzed playthroughs

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