Aubrielle has her own column now on RPGWatch, in which she will discuss JRPGs. As you know the focus of RPGWatch is on western CRPGs, but there are also players out there that do like to play jRPGs as well. To cater to those readers and those who like to learn about them, Aubrielle starts this semiregular column.

In this episode Aubrielle start with an unofficial review of Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is the third volume in the widely-acclaimed Legend of Heroes series.  That makes it an odd place for NIS to go, since they haven't launched the second volume (the "Crossbell" story arc) for a western audience.  Still, Trails of Cold Steel is a standalone game; playing the second story arc helps your understanding of what's going on, but it's definitely not required.  Cold Steel is a solid RPG that can very much be enjoyed on its own.

Trails of Cold Steel takes you to the Erebonian Empire and enrolls you as a student of the prestigious Thors Military Academy.  As a member of the newly-formed Class VII, you'll complete tasks to help the student council, all while building relationships with your classmates that will translate into bonuses in combat.  The questing system will look familiar if you enjoyed Trails in the Sky; you're presented with a log and the game keeps track of the quests you finish and the ones you ignore.  That log will also tease your inner completionist, since it keeps track of the books and newspapers you've read, as well as the recipes you've collected.