Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is the first title of the Trails of Cold Steel subseries in The Legend of Heroes series of JRPGs. It follows the adventures of Rean and his friends as they go to a prestigious military academy and travel the continent.
The gameplay involves turn-based battles where you move characters around and unleash skills, known as Arts and Crafts, that can reach multiple enemies. The battle system is similar to Chrono Trigger, with these skills affecting enemies within a line, circle, or box.
Character progression is interesting as you equip various orbs to enhance stats, learn new skills, and acquire bonuses. This process is similar to the Materia system in Final Fantasy VII, although it's less easy to exploit.
When exploring locations, you can slash at enemies before starting battles to gain an advantage, uncover treasure chests, and speak to unique characters while completing side-quests.
Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel was released on the PlayStation Vita on 29 January 2016.