In preparation for its upcoming E3 showcase, Nippon Ichi Software America announced the release date for The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III alongside another new trailer, which can be seen above. Note that the trailer contains some spoilers for those who haven’t yet completed Trails of Cold Steel II.
Trails of Cold Steel III‘s North American release date is September 24. It’ll release a few days later on September 27 in Europe and then on October 4 in Australia and New Zealand; it’s worth noting the release gap is much smaller for international fans of the series than it was for the first two games.
There’s no word on whether Trails of Cold Steel III will be ported to the PC; as of now, it’s still a PlayStation 4 exclusive title.
This entry in the series picks up a year and a half after Trails of Cold Steel II ended. The Erebonia Civil War is over, but there’s another, bigger war on the horizon with the country’s habitual enemy, the Calvard Republic, along with the Society of Ouroboros’ grander scheme for the country.
This time around, protagonist Rean Schwarzer becomes a professor at a new branch of Thors Military Academy. That means there’s a new Class VII, which NISA has been slowly introducing over the past two weeks, though Rean will meet up with Old Class VII periodically throughout the game.
Players can explore more of the Erebonian Empire than ever before, including — for the first time — the western half of the country, plus parts of the newly annexed Crossbell State.
Those who are wondering what a Crossbell is needn’t worry too much. The game will include an interactive opening sequence to get everyone up to speed on what’s going on, and the game’s official site has a wealth of information for that purpose too. Our series introduction is a good place to get all the basics as well.
Another big feature is the combat system, which includes entirely new components like the Brave Order system that provides buffs for party members.
Trails of Cold Steel III is available for pre-order now in two forms. The Early Enrollment Edition comes with the game, the “Branch Campus Student Directory” art book, and a selection of the game’s soundtrack. It’s available from GameStop, Amazon, and Best Buy for $59.99.
There’s also the special Thors Academy Edition, which includes:
- 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
It’s available for $99.99 exclusively from the NISA online store.
