Review for The Legend of Heroes: The Trails of Cold Steel II. Game for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 25/09/2014 The version for PC came out on 14/02/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 04/06/2019
The first thought that comes up when it comes to spin offs and above all second chapters is to ask oneself if they will be successful or if they will at least be able to repeat themselves and establish themselves at the same level as the previous title. Expectations, great promises and hopes surround them, as well as probably pressure and anxiety grip the developers. From this second chapter, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 2, we expect exactly this: that it is up to its predecessor, although it was only released for Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita, completely excluding the current gen.
Welcome returns
Rest after a long and exhausting battle is sacrosanct and, what is even more beautiful, is to wake up and see around you all the closest friends who have survived yet another fight. Unfortunately, this is not the case for Rean: the main protagonist of Trails of Cold Steel, in fact, he no longer finds any of his eternal fighting companions after his awakening. This will be his primary purpose: to find his closest friends who have disappeared for unclear reasons. However, just when he begins to reunite his group, a civil conflict will fall between his head and neck: Erebonia will in fact be affected by the struggle between the Imperial Army and the Noble Alliance, upsetting all the characters again, (old and new), and there will also be some twists.
The plot will therefore be, at all levels, comparable to that of the first episode: the themes will be similar but it will still be able to involve us without taking our eyes off the screen. In addition to the main trend, the cutscenes will deepen the points of view of the various characters, giving them slightly more depth than the previous chapter, especially as regards newcomers.
Perhaps the only flaw is the mountain of words that will invest us from time to time: the narration is verbose and the characters are nothing short of talkative. Furthermore, the new locations will not be very many: we will often find ourselves retracing paths and exploring cities already known during the first chapter. While this choice can rekindle the nostalgia effect, on the other hand it makes us turn up our noses a bit.
Cold steel returns
Never change a winning team: in fact the basic structure of the combat system of Trails of Cold Steel 2 is practically the same as that of its predecessor, without neglecting the addition of some welcome innovations. In addition to being able to walk freely on the battlefield, we will be able to use attacks, skills and spells as usual.
To vary things a bit Divine Knight battles have also been introduced: Rean in fact will be able to pilot a semi-mecha and take it into battle against other mobile suits, almost in full Xenogears style. To tell the truth they will turn out to be a little more static than the classic ones, as we will focus more than anything else on damaging specific parts of the body of the opponents, but they are still enjoyable.
Semi-revolution instead regarding the equipment of the orbs: previously, in fact, the slots to equip these spheres were unlocked through the sepith, now instead this currency will be spent to upgrade the slots, in such a way as to allow you to equip orbs gradually more powerful.
Also remember the persona-style link system between characters? It is precisely there that we find some other news: in fact, the Overdrive mode is present, through which we will be able to make the most of the connections between the various warriors, in fact having the possibility to perform 3 actions one after the other without the possibility of being interrupted . Overdrives will not be immediately available to all characters: they will be unlocked through special battles (called Trial Battle) where we will only use the two characters for which to unlock the special technique. Such battles will only take place when we open special, worthy, blue chests scattered around the world map.
Ancient flavors
Unfortunately, being developed for the previous generation, Trails of Cold Steel 2 does not hold up to comparison with the current titles regarding the graphics sector: it turns out to be, inevitably, dated even if well cared for. The models are clean, the colors bright and the style remains very "mangy", even if clearly with the new means available to the developers for Playstation 4 the results would have been totally different.
The audio sector, on the other hand, is kept within the standards: the OST which is well suited to events is engaging in battle; the same cannot be said for the dubbing which has not improved much compared to the already not very exciting one of the previous chapter.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 2 is certainly a noteworthy sequel that well maintains the levels already achieved with the first chapter. With a solid plot and a proven combat system, seasoned with some innovations, it manages to entertain and convince. Those who have already played the first chapter, as well as any lover of Jrpg, will do well not to miss it even if it must be taken into account that it is still a title for old-gen with all the related negative sides.
► The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is a JRPG type game developed by Nihon Falcom Corporation and published by Marvelous NIS America for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 25/09/2014 The version for PC came out on 14/02/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 04/06/2019
