The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is the seventh installment in the main Trails series, serving as a direct sequel to the events of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel. The game follows Rean Schwarzer to his hometown of Ymir with the assistance of bracer Toval Randonneur, but quickly finds himself and his loved ones caught in the crossfire of the war. Game progression is no longer tied to the school schedule structure of the original, with the game now centered around traveling the world rather than attending classes. If the player has a completed game save file from the prior game, it has an effect in Cold Steel II, with certain events and dialogues playing out differently based on choices and relationships built in the first game.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II picks up one month after the decisive collision that changed the fate of the entire nation of Erebonia. The speedy, tactical turn-based combat with the newly-developed “ARCUS” system returns, with all the bells and whistles players fondly remember, along with the new Overdrive mode, new means of transportation both across the land and sky, new allies, new dangers, and a renewed sense of hope as Rean tirelessly works to right the wrongs that have led the country to disarray.
