The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II Thumbnail

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II similar games & best alternatives

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II

PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3 • 2018

Related articles

Quick resume

Civil war has broken out across Erebonia. After his narrow escape from Trista, Rean will take up his sword again on a journey with his Divine Knight, Valimar, in search of his friends from Class VII and a way to end the conflict before its price becomes far too dear...

Global score

93/100

Genres

Role-playing (RPG), Adventure, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Strategy

Similar games

    Pros

    • Deep and engaging story
    • Rich character development
    • Refined and strategic combat system
    • Open exploration with freedom
    • High replay value and content

    Cons

    • Slow pacing at times
    • Some repetitive backtracking
    • Graphics and animations feel dated
    • Final dungeon design criticized
    • Steep difficulty spikes in boss fights

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players have freedom to choose party members, explore open world areas, and decide how to approach dungeons and progression, though within game constraints."

      Capsule for Cubicle Quest Cubicle Quest

      "Players have freedom to explore previously visited areas and choose party members, with some open-world elements and non-linear exploration after early game."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      3

      "The game offers a moderately challenging turn-based combat system with strategic elements like speed stats and skill timing, plus a skill tree progression requiring planning and grinding."

      Capsule for Crystal Story II Crystal Story II

      "Combat system is refined and challenging with new mechanics like Overdrive; players engage in skillful turn-based battles and character builds."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -3

      "Focus is on personal progression and story; no mention of leaderboards or ranked competitive modes."

      Capsule for DEEMO -Reborn- DEEMO -Reborn-

      "Focus is on story and personal progression rather than player-vs-player competition; no evidence of ranked or leaderboard modes."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      5

      "Players invest hundreds to thousands of hours; the game has deep replayability and community content encouraging long-term engagement."

      Capsule for Command: Modern Operations Command: Modern Operations

      "Players invest long hours (60-100+), often replaying the game and eagerly awaiting sequels; strong attachment to story and characters."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -2

      "Gameplay centers on individual party management and personal relationships; limited multiplayer or cooperative play."

      Capsule for Agarest: Generations of War Zero Agarest: Generations of War Zero

      "Gameplay centers on individual party management and story-driven progression; limited multiplayer or cooperative play."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      2

      "Players customize characters' stats, spells, and equipment; limited creative freedom in gameplay."

      Capsule for Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time

      "Players customize character builds, combat strategies, and party composition; some creative freedom in gameplay tactics."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -4

      "Interactions emphasize mutual respect and friendship with characters; no evidence of exerting control or superiority over others."

      Capsule for Touhou Mystia's Izakaya Touhou Mystia's Izakaya

      "Interactions emphasize shared experiences and mutual respect among characters; no evidence of exerting superiority over others."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players immerse in a rich fantasy world with deep lore and emergent stories, providing strong escape from real life."

      Capsule for Conquest of Elysium 4 Conquest of Elysium 4

      "Players immerse themselves in a rich fantasy world with deep story and character development, providing strong escape from reality."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and love for the series; no indication of obligation or external pressure."

      Capsule for God of War Ragnarök God of War Ragnarök

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and love for the series; no indication of obligation or external pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      3

      "Players try new combat mechanics, explore various side activities and minigames, and experiment with different strategies."

      Capsule for Yakuza Kiwami 2 Yakuza Kiwami 2

      "Players try new combat mechanics, experiment with party builds and strategies, and explore new areas within the game."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      4

      "The game encourages discovering new areas, secrets, and side quests in a large world."

      Capsule for FINAL FANTASY VI FINAL FANTASY VI

      "Game encourages discovering new and previously visited areas with expanded freedom and side quests."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      3

      "Players can customize character costumes and accessories, expressing personal aesthetic preferences."

      Capsule for Fairy Fencer F Fairy Fencer F

      "Players customize characters with different outfits and equipment, expressing personal preferences."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      5

      "Strong fantasy setting with imaginative fiction, mechs, magic, and an overarching fictional narrative."

      Capsule for The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III

      "Strong emphasis on imaginative fiction, including mechs (Divine Knights), magic, and an elaborate fantasy world."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      4

      "Strong sense of community and belonging through interactions with a close-knit cast of characters."

      Capsule for Mutazione Mutazione

      "Strong sense of community and group identity through Class VII and other characters; players bond with the cast and story."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      4

      "Players experience character development, skill acquisition, and story-driven personal growth."

      Capsule for Honkai Impact 3rd Honkai Impact 3rd

      "Players experience character development, skill acquisition, and story progression that fosters personal growth."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Game is sedentary with no physical activity or health-related features."

      Capsule for Folklore Hunter Folklore Hunter

      "Game is sedentary with no physical activity or health-related features."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires focused attention and engagement; not designed for casual or background play."

      Capsule for Little Nightmares Little Nightmares

      "Requires sustained attention and engagement; not designed for casual or background play."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      3

      "Players form emotional connections with characters through dialogue and story, though not necessarily deep relationships."

      Capsule for 24 Killers 24 Killers

      "Players form emotional connections with characters through story and bonding events, though no evidence of deep real-life relationships."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      2

      "Players manage party members and make strategic decisions, indicating some leadership within gameplay."

      Capsule for YIIK Nameless Psychosis YIIK Nameless Psychosis

      "Players manage and lead party members strategically; leadership is exercised in gameplay decisions."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      5

      "Strong emphasis on accumulating items, upgrades, skills, and resources to advance character and story."

      Capsule for cyberpunkdreams cyberpunkdreams

      "Strong focus on accumulating items, upgrades, character levels, and story milestones."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      3

      "Game balances challenge and flow, providing satisfying tension release and emotional catharsis."

      Capsule for Persona 4 Golden Persona 4 Golden

      "Game balances challenge and flow, providing satisfying pacing and emotional catharsis."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Enjoyable music, voice acting, and visual effects provide sensory stimulation and emotional engagement."

      Capsule for Tainted Grail: Conquest Tainted Grail: Conquest

      "Enjoyable music, voice acting, and visual effects provide sensory stimulation and emotional engagement."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -2

      "Recognition is mostly internal or within the game world; no strong emphasis on social status or popularity."

      Capsule for Bellwright Bellwright

      "Recognition is mostly within the game world and community; no emphasis on social status or popularity."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Narrative immersion is the core of the experience, with deep plot, character development, and emotional engagement."

      Capsule for fault - milestone two side:above fault - milestone two side:above

      "Narrative immersion is a core element with deep plot, character interactions, and world-building."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      4

      "Turn-based combat and party management require tactical planning and problem solving."

      Capsule for Zoria: Prologue (2020) Zoria: Prologue (2020)

      "Turn-based combat and party management require planning, problem solving, and tactical decision-making."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      2

      "Some suspense and tension in combat and story moments, though generally controlled and balanced."

      Capsule for LIVE A LIVE LIVE A LIVE

      "Some suspense and tension in battles and story moments, though overall pacing is balanced."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      4

      "Players perceive good return on investment with extensive content and replayability."

      Capsule for Pumpkin Days Pumpkin Days

      "Players perceive strong return on investment with extensive content, replayability, and story depth."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      2

      "Combat involves fighting and defeating enemies, but also includes constructive elements like army building."

      Capsule for King's Bounty: Armored Princess King's Bounty: Armored Princess

      "Combat involves battles and defeating enemies, but also includes constructive elements like character growth and teamwork."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      3

      "Players manage resources and avoid failure in combat, with strategic defense and survival elements."

      Capsule for Persona 3 Reload Persona 3 Reload

      "Players manage resources and overcome threats in combat, emphasizing staying alive and strategic defense."

    Analysis

    A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story, Intimacy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Cooperation.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 30/04/2026