When NISA announced that it would be localizing Nihon Falcom’s The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3, there was some excitement, but also fair bit of concern. The last major project that NISA handled English localization for was Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, and it was riddled with issues. Thankfully, it seems that NISA is entrusting this latest job to some familiar faces.
The publisher announced (as per Gematsu) that Ryan Thomson, Brittany Avery, and Kris Knigge will be handling the localization. Thomson’s role is translator and proofing. He was also the translator for Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2. Avery should be familiar to fans of XSEED (who handled the previous The Legend of Heroes games). She’s worked as project manager and assistant editor on Trails in the Sky, project manager and quality assurance for Trails of Cold Steel 1, and project manager/lead editor for Trails of Cold Steel 2, among other games. For Trails of Cold Steel 3, she will be serving as localization producer and freelance editor.
Finally, there’s Knigge who is working as editor/consultant for Trails of Cold Steel 3. He served as localization editor for Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2, while also working on Yo-Kai Watch and BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. While the final product’s quality remains to be seen, the involvement of those familiar with the franchise comes as a sign of relief. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 is out in Fall 2019 for PS4 in North America and Europe.