It feels like we've been waiting ages for localization news on Trails of Cold Steel III, after the XSEED exceedingly-positive reception to the first two parts of the Legend of Heroes subseries.

It hasn't really been as long as we may think, since Trails of Cold Steel II only made its way here in 2016. But good news! After we've spent this time wondering if the game was coming — and whether it would be XSEED Games (who localized most Falcom releases in the West), or NIS America (who in 2017 brought over Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA) — NISA announced this morning that they will be bringing Trails of Cold Steel III exclusively to the PlayStation 4 this fall. Here, have a trailer:

So far, the news has been met with an intense combination of excitement and trepidation. The latter stems from the rocky state of Ys VIII's launch and NISA's decision to redo the localization, among other things. It's understandably made fans wary of seeing the Cold Steel games change hands mid-series. Even leaving quality aside, the XSEED team was careful about cataloging plot points and lore to keep things in order. Considering some Trails games contained well in excess of a million Japanese characters in their scripts, this is a good practice. Moving to a new company without this information on hand, regardless of who that may be, means losing access to those resources.

Clearly, NISA knows this will be a question on gamers' minds, so they state in their press release:

So that's encouraging! Hopefully we'll find out who it is soon.

And really, given that we've been worried that Cold Steel III and IV would remain in limbo, the fact that this game is coming at all is welcome news. NISA is also hosting a panel at PAX South tomorrow titled "JPN → USA : Danganronpa, Touhou, and Beyond" that will cover this and more topics. You'll be able to watch that right here on January 18, 2019 at 11:00 AM CST.

We'll hopefully gain a bit more insight into NISA's plans for the game tomorrow. Today, we have the new trailer above, and a handful of new screenshots in our gallery. Oh, and an image of the "Early Enrollment Edition" that will be coming, which will come with a 5-track mini-soundtrack and a "Branch Campus Student Directory" softcover artbook:

Of course, what major JRPG doesn't get an even bigger special edition these days? Behold the "Thors Academy Edition," already available to pre-order via the NISA Online Store for $99.99 USD. In addition to the game itself, this release includes:

• Intelligence Division Files Hardcover Art Book
• Symphony of Class VII
• Einhel Keep Collector's Box
• SteelBook
• 5 Postcards
• Mishy Plushie

Also, that giant box it comes in would not look bad on anyone's shelf, I'm just saying.

We're sure to learn plenty more on the game as 2019 continues, and we'll keep you updated as we learn more! The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is coming to PS4 this fall.

• The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel (PS3) Review
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel (PC) Review
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II (PS3) Review