Best Video Game Soundtracks of 2019
Honorable Mention: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3
Senior Editor Hayes Madsen: Each game in the Trails series does a great job of capturing its themes and overall feeling into its music, and Trails of Cold Steel 3 might be the best example of that yet.
Cold Steel 3 takes place one year after the original game, as tensions rise between Erebonia and the country of Calvard. Rean Schwarzer is now an instructor as the Thors Branch Campus.
Although there’s plenty of playful and laid back story moments, Cold Steel 3 also amps up the drama to ridiculous new degrees. All of this is represented by the soundtrack, which is a wonderful dichotomy of dark and dramatic songs, along with more upbeat ones.
From the playful “Pancake on the Way Home From School,” to the haunting “Roots of Scar,” Cold Steel 3 has a massive diverse soundtrack with over 90 tracks.
Each and every town gets its own theme, helping to flesh out their unique personalities even more. Meanwhile, the game features some of the best battle themes of the entire series.
Cold Steel 3 does a great job of looping in themes and motifs from the past two games, as well as the Crossbell games and Trails in the Sky. It’s a unique ambitious soundtrack, that manages to enhance the overall experience in great ways.
