The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is the first title in The Legend of Heroes series' Trails subseries. It follows the story of Rean and his friends as they attend a prestigious military academy, travel across the continent, and uncover hidden secrets.
The gameplay involves turn-based battles where you move characters around to unleash skills known as Arts and Crafts, which can affect multiple enemies in a line, circle, or box. This system is similar to Chrono Trigger's skill mechanics.
Character progression is an intriguing aspect of the game, where you equip orbs to enhance stats, learn new skills, and acquire bonuses. While the Materia system in Final Fantasy VII shares similarities, it's much harder to exploit.
Exploring locations allows you to engage in slash attacks before battles, uncover hidden treasure chests, and speak with unique characters while completing side-quests.