The Cold Steel collection of RPGs — released by the developer Falcom during the past ten years — was an ambitious endeavor, accounting for the quantity of characters and storylines included. It took the creator several games to completely flesh out these cast members. The character Emma's narrative journey is revealed in parallel with Cold Steel’s primary plot, but it's via the gradual evolution in her abilities that we fully understand the depth of her emotional journey.
Note: This article features minor spoilers for the primary narrative of the Cold Steel games.
In Legend of Heroes: Cold Steel, Emma is a typical teenager, just as the other members of the academy's Class Seven. As the student leader, she's kind to all and strives to avert any disputes between her fellow students. While she approaches her studies with great dedication, she lives a double life. She's actually a sorceress, a part of the magical Hexen family. Attending Thors Military Academy is part of her true goal of mentoring Rean Schwarzer, the leader figure of Class VII, who is destined to awaken a Divine Knight.
In each Trails series game, the majority of characters have at least one ultimate ability, a unique skill that demands you to have a sufficient quantity of CP to execute. These finishing moves are intended to be your ace in each battle. S-Crafts are also a way for the narrative to narrate the transformations protagonists are experiencing. They can epitomize the refinement of a individual's combat prowess, such as Rean Schwarzer’s special ability Breaking Dawn in the fourth game, which he gains after earning the designation of master swordsman. In different instances, such as the witch Emma's, Nihon Falcom uses S-Crafts to convey the personal growth a character goes through.
When the war in Erebonia erupts in the first game, Emma Millstein's approach to the events is the idealistic but reasonable notion that fighting means attacking. The war spills over to the sequel in the series, where the two special abilities she possesses are her first S-Craft and Rain. These two are offensive techniques that affect every opponents on the battlefield.
When we have the opportunity to see the character Emma again in Trails of Cold Steel III, we observe a different girl. She has moved on from the academy, and after practicing with her family, the protagonist clearly to have understood an important truth about who she is. Even though she evolves into a powerful spellcaster, the character realizes that, above all else, she’s a defender. She is prepared to give up her own safety to protect everyone — but particularly Rean — out of harm's way. Her wish to fulfill this role is subtly indicated by her S-Craft, which in Trails of Cold Steel III transforms into her new defensive S-Craft.
When you execute the S-Craft Eregion, she conjures four semi-transparent magical towers, and magical walls appear joining them and surrounding the field of battle. The allies under the influence of this ability receive one or two stacks of total reflection, a buff that negates harm of all types. The character had at no point been a combative person, so she transitions to a defensive strategy, reflecting the protective attitude she had always extended to her allies.
It’s compelling to observe how Falcom employs a character’s skill set to complement the game’s story. Role-playing games often use dialogue or visuals to tell us what a protagonist is thinking. But Emma Millstein shows that right down to a spell can provide an extra dimension of meaning.
