The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III Demo Impressions

I had seen some footage of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III and didn’t think it looked that great. A demo has been available on the Nintendo Switch eshop for awhile for it but I decided not to download it. Then, one night, I was bored and decided to give it a go. What do I think of the demo? Is The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III demo any good?

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III demo isn’t extremely short but its not the longest demo I’ve ever played either. The demo does let you play through a section that is set later in the game and then backs up to the beginning where the main characters meet.

The story is a bit confusing and there is way too much dialogue in the demo. The cutscenes really dragged on sometimes.

However, Trails of Cold Steel has an amazing battle system!

It is a turn-based battle system but so unlike any I’ve ever played. In battle, different actions are tied to different buttons (A, Y, etc) and even the analog or directional buttons can be used to select things. The L and R button are used too and so is the ZR button! It sounds complicated but the in-battle menu tells you what all the buttons do. Its pretty easy and a lot of fun.

There are link abilities and many special moves that the characters use in battle. The special moves are especially flashy and cool looking.

I like that the battle system has a turn-order listing too. That reminds me of a strategy game or Final Fantasy 10!

I also think that the game’s out of battle menus are well designed too. So much to discover and play around with there!

The demo does let you explore a little bit. Exploration in the demo is pretty linear but it cool finding treasure chests and some breakable containers.

I didn’t hate the story either. Yes it was confusing and I wasn’t completely sure who everyone was but I kind of liked the characters.

Oh and the game’s graphics! Whoa. This is a very good looking game. I like the cel-shaded characters and how the environments look. I wish I could’ve seen more of the game.

If you can get past the confusing story and the expansive dialogue, you’ll find a great battle system and other cool things.

RPG fans should definitely check this demo out on the eshop! I wonder how the full game will be…

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III comes out on the Nintendo Switch on June 30, 2020. The demo is currently available on the Switch eshop!