'The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel' Release Date, Trailer, News & Update: Popular Japanese RPG Game From Marvelous Out This Week!

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The highly anticipated Japanese RPG game "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel" from Marvelous is due to be released on Dec. 22, 2015.

After two years, XSEED Games is releasing the anticipated Japanese role-playing game (RPG) "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel" tomorrow, Dec. 22 for North America. It will be coming to the PS3 and the PS Vita and it supports Cross Save for both systems.

Watch the trailer for the new game below:

"Taking place on the same continent as the fan favorite Trails in the Sky offshoot of Nihon Falcom's storied The Legend of Heroes franchise, Trails of Cold Steel (Sen no Kiseki in Japanese) is the first in the series to tread Erebonian soil and explore the inner political conflicts of this oft-mentioned powerhouse nation in detail," the synopsis of the game as stated on the NIS America website.

"With a standalone story that also delves into the expansive lore that has become synonymous with the series, players can enjoy school life and bond with fellow students to earn new abilities in battle, take advantage of speedy, tactical turn-based combat with the newly-developed "ARCUS" system, and uncover dramatic events that stand to change everything these two opposing social classes stand for."

"Trails of Cold Steel" is apparently the first game in the "Erebonian Arc" and is a standalone story in the same universe as "Trails in the Sky" but at the same expand on the mythos of the entire franchise. The first game in the franchise was originally released in Japan in 2013.

The trailer reveals some of the key features including the Combat Link System for gameplay. According to Siliconera, it allows two characters to team up together to garner combat benefits including guard and healing. What makes the franchise unique is that it uses special attacks or abilities in the fight particularly the Craft, S-Craft and Art Skills. The Craft and S-Craft abilities are earned through character leveling up while the Arts are moves that use magic that can be gained from orbs.

According to IGN, the Standard Edition for both consoles costs $39.96 on Amazon. Meanwhile, the Lionheart Edition costs $10 more at $49.99. RPG Fan reports, the special edition includes a 100-page art cover of the game, a pin with an Erebonia crest, and "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II." The freebies will be housed in a box which will contain "Trails of Cold Steel II" when it gets released in 2016.