Awesome Music / The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

As is standard for a game in the Trails Series, Cold Steel is filled to the brim with Awesome Music. That said, even by their own high standards, Falcom hit this one out of the park.

Awesome Music pages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.

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Sen no Kiseki I/Trails of Cold Steel I

• The opening theme for Cold Steel I, "Ashita e no Kodou" ("The Pulsation of Tomorrow") acts as a perfect way for the Trails Series to kick off a new journey into the land of Erebonia.
• "Hokago no Jikan" ("Afterschool Hours"), a catchy tune that gives off Persona vibes and conveys the relief of being finished with classes.
• "Jiyu Kodobi" ("Leisure Day"), for providing upbeat music for Free Days.
• The main battle theme, "The Glint of Cold Steel", starts with lighthearted piano riffs before an electric guitar comes in to complete the song.
• "Ryo ni Kaero" ("Back to the Dorm"), which conveys the feeling of coming back home after a long day of work.
• "Sawayaka Na Asa" ("Refreshing Morning"), which conveys the, well, refreshing feeling of waking up in the morning.
• "Ken no Yugi" ("Blade Game/Game of Blades"). It's difficult not to get excited over playing something as simple as a card minigame when music like this is playing in the background.
• "Koekimachi Celdic" ("Celdic, the Market Town") has simple yet uplifting strings fit for a day in the countryside. On the more festive side of things, there's also "Oichi no Nigiwai" ("Bustling Market"), the theme of Celdic's Grand Market, which wouldn't sound out of place in an Irish town.
• The boss theme against quest monsters and monster chests, "Tie a Link of ARCUS!", is sure to push you to fight alongside your friends as a team in order to win. In fact, it was noteworthy enough to be used as the background theme for the One Minute Melee between Zero and Meta Knight. The Super Arrange version comes with updated guitars and violins and was even awesome enough to replace the original in Cold Steel II.
• "Hisui no Koto Bareahard" ("Bareahard, the Verdant City") has strings, a piano, and brass instruments fit for a city of nobles.
• "Amaoto no Gakuin" ("The Sound of Rainfall in the Academy"), for providing peaceful music during rainy days.
• "Don't be Defeated by a Friend!" A rather upbeat and lighthearted battle theme fitting for friendly bouts against your fellow classmates. There is even an unused Super Arrange version.
• "Even if Driven to the Wall", the low health theme. A really awesome and intense song that gives you the motivation to overturn the disadvantage!
• "Sokyu no Daichi" ("Land of Blue Skies"), the theme of the Nord Highlands, is a theme built around a pan flute and a guitar that portrays the feel of riding on horseback through vast areas of grassland. In contrast, "Nomadic Settlement" has a more peaceful melody comprising strings, woodwinds, and brass instruments that portrays the welcoming nature of the nomads that live there.
• "Emergency" ("Preparation for War"), the theme for military facilities in the Nord Highlands in chapter 3 after the ILF bombs the watchtower. An awesome track fitting of the Imperial Army.
• "Shinen e Mukau" ("Into the Abyss"), a dungeon theme played in locations with the presence of higher elements, sounds very mystical, chilling, and beautiful. It's a perfect theme for a place shrouded in mystery.
• The main boss theme, "Eliminate Crisis!" No guitars. No techno beats. Just pure orchestral awesomeness.
• "Kamihitoe no Kobo" ("Paper-Thin Offense and Defense"), the theme for Laura and Fie's swimming duel at the beginning of Chapter 4. An awesome and bombastic track that makes the scene awesome to watch.
• "Aka no Teito Heimdallr" ("Heimdallr, the Vermillion Capital") has a catchy tune that goes well with the city's bustling streets.
• "Kohan no Machi Legram" ("Legram, the Lakeside Town") has various woodwinds, old-style instruments, and even an accordion creating music that sounds straight out of a medieval town, befitting of Legram's role in Erebonian history and folklore.
• The theme that plays during the first part of the prologue, as well as the ending of chapter 5, "Atrocious Raid", is sure to get your blood pumping not just for the entirety of the Garrelia Fortress raid but also for the long road ahead of you. The Super Arrange Version is just as good and actually plays in Cold Steel IV for even more awesome moments.
• The amazingly awesome battle theme that is "Belief". Though it only appears during certain fights in the game, the fast-paced guitars and drums accompanied by a piano are sure to motivate you fight at your very best. The Super Arrange Version somehow manages to make it even more awesome by replacing the piano with a violin.
• The main menu theme, which captures the feeling of our new heroes embarking on their new adventures: "Artillery Class VII" ("Class VII").
• "Kokugin no Koto Roer" ("Roer, the Industrial Metropolis") instantly welcomes the player with its piano before adding in more instruments and drums, befitting of Roer's status as a city well ahead of its time.
• The theme that plays during the Sachsen Iron Mine dungeon, "Yono Isizuetaru Tameni" ("To Become the Foundation of the World"). Violin at its finest.
• "Exceed!" Another piece that doesn't appear very often but is no less awesome, with the powerful, emotion-filled guitars fitting the tone for the moments where Rean unleashes his Superpowered Evil Side.
• "Silent Exahalation", which plays during some of the games' more mysterious moments, sounds like something straight out of a neo-noir film.
• The beautifully somber "Gazing at the Flickering Flame" plays during some of the most emotional scenes in the game, most notably when Machias and Fie reveal their respective backstories and when Rean and his dance partner are, well, gazing at the flickering flame.
• "Thors Military Academy Festival", for providing lighthearted music during the slow portions of the game.
• "Asuo Tsukamu Tameni" ("To Grasp Tomorrow"). Both guitars and violins combine to create a theme worthy for the Final Dungeon.
• The Final Boss theme, "Oinaru Chikara" ("Great Power"). Orchestra and Ominous Latin Chanting combine with an underlying guitar riff to create a theme fitting for a final test of everything that you've learned in the game. Then, as an organ begins to play, the song transitions into a Triumphant Reprise of the opening theme as if to tell you to never give up after all of the trials that you've faced.
• "Opacity" ("Uncertain Circumstances"), a mysterious song, fitting the unease of Osborne's address, not to mention the mysterious apparent death of the Imperial Liberation Front, as well as the sudden disappearance of Crow...
• "Tekketsu Eno Requiem" ("Requiem for Blood and Iron"), an extremely ominous and awesome song fitting the Imperial Liberation Front.
• "Genso no Uta -PHANTASMAGORIA-" ("Song of Illusions -Phantasmagoria-"). The song that plays during the Wham Episode at the end of the game, after Osborne is shot. An awesome and ominous track befitting the Azure Abyss herself, Vita Clotilde, aka "Misty".
• "Unknown Threat", an extremely epic song, fitting the first battle between Class VII and the Panzer Soldats.
• The Post-Final Boss theme, "The Decisive Collision". Between the emotion-filled piano at the start and the fast-paced techno beats, the song perfectly conveys both the tension and the sadness of having to fight against one of your closest friends and allies for most of the game.
  • The equally awesome Super Arrange Version, meanwhile, plays in Cold Steel III during the final dungeon, as the theme for the first three sets of bosses.
  • Also, both use the melody of "I'll Remember You," the fake ending song from Cold Steel II.
• The theme that plays after the Post-Final Boss theme, "Yuiitsu no Kibo" ("One and Only Hope"), despite its hopeful title, conveys Rean's pain and sadness as he has no choice but to watch his friends fight a losing battle as he is forcefully being taken away from them. There is even an unused Super Arrange version.
• The ending theme, "I miss you" is, strangely, a pretty rocking theme, that plays after the Post-Final Boss scene.

Sen no Kiseki II/Trails of Cold Steel II

• The first opening theme for Cold Steel II, "Haairo no Senki" (Ashen Chronicles"), showing all the characters that will eventually show up, as well as showing off Class VII's new outfits.
• The second opening theme for Cold Steel II, "Senkou no Yukue" ("Where the Light Flashes"), is more emotionally driven than its predecessor but no less intense, setting the darker tone caused by the ending of the first game.
• The new battle theme, "Heated Mind", starts off slow but eventually grows into a fast-paced piece fit for the new tone of the game and Rean's newfound motivation as he embarks on a journey to find his friends.
• "Reunion", the first of three songs used in Cold Steel II for heartwarming moments.
• The theme that plays whenever Rean summons Valimar, "Awakening". Say it everyone: "Heed my call... Valimar, the Ashen Knight!"
• The theme for trial chests, "Bring Up Trust!", definitely does the violin justice.
• "Law of the Battlefield", the pre-boss battle theme for opponents in Act I. An ominous and awesome track that shows what you're up against.
• "Severe Blow". An intense battle theme complete with a rocking guitar that even borrows parts from "Fateful Confrontation" of Trails in the Sky.
• "Ichigeki Ni Kakeru" ("Gambling Strike"), an awesome track first used at the end of Act 1, Part 1 to fit the mood of the Imperial Army of Erebonia pulling a Big Damn Heroes on Xeno and Leonidas.
• "Altina", named after the eponymous character. A very mysterious theme that fits the character when you first meet her.
• "Take the Windward!", the snowboarding minigame theme. A catchy and energetic track that energizes and encourages you to do your best.
• "Transcend Beat". Pure, fast-paced techno beats from beginning to end.
• The new main menu theme of the game "Forward, Relentlessly" will make you feel empowered. Doubly so as this is Rean's unofficial Rousing Speech theme music.
• "A Quiet Decision", the second of three songs used in Cold Steel II for heartwarming moments.
• "To the Irreplaceable People", the third and final song used in Cold Steel II for heartwarming moments.
• "Mao no Gaika" ("Lucifen Lied"), the theme that plays for the emergence of the Infernal Castle at the end of the game. An ominous and epic orchestral track that fits the situation.
• Rean's unofficial Leitmotif in this game, titled "Blue Destination". In a contrast to "The Decisive Collision", the piano and strings convey a more heroic feel fitting for when Rean gets to do something awesome or is fighting with lots of things on the line. Later serves as a Dark Reprise during the Divertissement where you, as Lloyd and Rixia, end up having to fight Rean as he's forced to partake in Crossbell's occupation.
• "I'll Remember You", the ending of Cold Steel II. The melody is already beautiful, but along with the translation and the context of the song, it's hard for the fans to listen to it and not feel any emotion, especially sadness over Crow's death. An English version was released that is just as touching.
• Regardless of your thoughts of the Divertissement chapter, "Get Over The Barrier!" (which was recycled from Zero no Kiseki is perhaps the one thing fans can agree when it comes to discussion of what is good about the chapter.
• "To a Glimmering Tomorrow" may sound anticlimactic for the very final boss (kind of like how the final boss is in term of storyline) if you know of this without playing the game. Despite that, it's cheery and awesome, and it plays when Rean gives his Rousing Speech on how defeating the final boss shows the strong bond Class VII has which greatly helps the mood.
• "Season of Departure", Class VII's graduation as they part ways at Trista station. Even knowing that they will be separated from one another, this music gives the feeling that they will meet again.

Sen no Kiseki III/Trails of Cold Steel III

• The BGM that plays during the game's character introduction sequence, Spiral of Erebos, is declared to be one of the best openings of the game where it introduces all of the characters. So awesome, they decided to recycle the track because this also ends up being the final dungeon music.
• "Beyond the Journey", setting the mood to bring you into the next journey with faces new and old. Incidentally, the Instrumental Version is used for certain boss fights. The English version is no less catchy.
• "Brave Steel", is a bit more on the rock side compared to the previous Cold Steel battle themes, giving it a more action-y feel.
• "Sword of Biting Gale", a whimsical tune for the more light-hearted mecha battles, as well as being used whenever one of Rean's friends pulls a Big Damn Heroes and stops him from summoning Valimar or using Spirit Unification.
• "Hamel -Remains-", a remix of Sky SC's "Hamel," plays when Rean and the others visit the village. The poignant, yet eerie and sad tune is able to give imagery of a ghost town resulting from a tragedy.
• "Imbroglio" really fits the tension of the scenes its used. And if you listen closely, you can hear bits from The Enforcers.
• "Step Ahead", a fast-paced theme to take down the agents of Ouroboros to.
• "Lift-off!", the new theme song for Valimar and the Soldat fights where Rean and his students are fighting together to take on a huge enemy in one of the most upbeat and catchy songs ever.
• "Erosion of Madness", one of the most hard-rocking themes in the Trails Series, is perfect to get you pumped up for your first fight with Demon McBurn. It's also used as the battle theme for Chapter 4's final dungeon.
• "Proud Grudge" is another in the line of rocking pieces to take down those pesky mini-bosses.
• "One-Way to the Netherworld", an unholy, almost scary piece, setting the perfect move as you go through the penultimate dungeon to stop the capital from being plunged into darkness. Used again for fighting the Nameless One with Valimar and the Soldats.
• "Accursed Tycoon" has just the right amount of dramatic and rock elements to serve the theme of the Climax Boss, True Zoro-Agruga. It ends being used again as for first fight with the Nameless One.
• "Doomsday Trance", the Final Boss theme or rather, Rean making the Final Boss a Zero-Effort Boss where he curb stomps the boss so hard, he keeps on hacking at it long after it's dead. It's also the music where Rean finally releases what he can do and why he's been very afraid of his powers for so long.
• "Nageki no Refrain", or "Mourning Refrain". When fans heard it in one of the trailers, everyone thought it would be the opening due to how intense the melody and lyrics are, and were a more than a little disappointed when it wasn't. But there's a reason for this: it's actually the ending theme! And it ended up being a fitting choice as the insane cliffhanger ending can bring many new emotions now, along with its intensity.

Sen no Kiseki IV -The End of SAGA-/Trails of Cold Steel IV -The End of SAGA-

• The opening theme, "Ashita e no Kiseki" (“The Trails of Tomorrow”), is an uplifting rock piece that fits this game's theme of pushing through the bleakness of tomorrow to take back what is yours. It even gets put to good use in game during the fight against the possessed Rean as the New Class VII resolve to get their instructor to come back to his senses through force.
• "Seductive Shudder" is equal parts elegant and powerful with a fast-paced piano, a graceful violin, and an underlying guitar that hits all the right notes for a fight against an entity like Roselia. Bonus points also go to the triumphant reprise of "Nageki no Refrain" midway through the song, as if reminding players of what happened in the past to motivate them to finish the job in the present.
• "Burning Throb" starts with a light piano riff before growing into a rocking battle theme charged with emotion, fitting the tone of the story following the events of the previous game.
• "With Our Own Hands!!" for the mech battles combines the fast pace of "Transcend Beat" and the uplifting feel of "Lift-Off!" to give us the best of both worlds.
• To anyone who's stuck with the series since the beginning, "Lyrical Amber" perfectly captures the emotions of finally visiting Olivier's hometown. It heavily features the lute, his favoured instrument, and manages to sound both peaceful and mournful, given that when you first arrive here, he's presumed dead.
• "In The Darkness of Ignorance", a very somber and serious track where Rean is facing off against his greatest fear: his ogre self. Cassius ends up testing him to see if he's worthy of becoming a Divine Blade.
• "Unlikely Combination" as its name implies, has an unlikely combination of a Dual Boss fight with Rean and his students fighting together for the first time again, taking on Osborne and Arianrhod linked together in one of the most tense boss fights of the series.
• "Rivalry of the Seven -Excellion Krieg-" sounds so divine, especially since this is the music that plays when Rean and later on, Crow and Rean's students are dueling with a Divine Knight Awakener.
• "Steel Barrier" is an amazing track for the characters raiding the Gargantua battleship to disable the barrier blocking the way towards the 2nd Rivalry.
• "Endure Grief" fulfills the same purpose as "Step Ahead" in the previous game, and it's as fast and energetic as the latter.
• "Blue Stardust" is one of the more hard-rocking themes, and it ends up being quite fitting for the optional battle against Gilbert in his G-Apache. It would later return for 2 more battles in Reverie against the same opponent, fully establishing it as his theme.
• "Deep Carnival", McBurn's new boss theme. Another hard-rocking track that fits the boss fights it plays in.
• "Betting The Fate Of The World" gets players pumped up as they traverse through the Pales with five different teams, betting it all to open a path to Rean and Class VII to the final dungeon.
• "Majestic Roar", the final boss music on foot, really makes you feel that you're really fighting the reincarnation of Dreichels The Lionheart in the flesh.
• The Final Boss music "Celestial Coalescence" makes it really ominous and truly fitting for Osborne as he fights Rean, Crow, and new Class VII in their divine knights and soldats. Especially if he starts using his Rush attack where he summons a pillar of light that goes out of the Tuatha de Danaan, shows off the world getting engulfed in darkness and destroys the world! Enough that many players were miffed that the True Final Boss is just recycling the soundtrack from the final section of the final dungeon and that many felt that Osborne should have just been the final boss himself.
• The normal ending theme, "Ai no Uta" ("Love Song"). In order to completely get rid of the Curse of Erebonia, Rean decides to sacrifice his life to save the world. Crow and Millium decide to accompany him to finish his life journey. An ending theme that is sad but full of hope, although there's another, happier ending after this.