🔗 Share this article

The Cold Steel series of RPGs — developed by the developer Falcom during the last decade — was an ambitious project, considering the quantity of individuals and storylines involved. It required the studio a quintet of games to fully develop these protagonists. Emma Millstein's story arc is developed in conjunction with Cold Steel’s central narrative, but it's by observing the gradual evolution in her skill set that we truly grasp the significance of her emotional journey.

Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for the primary narrative of the Cold Steel games.

In Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, Emma is a regular student, similar to the rest of the students of the academy's her class. As the student leader, she's approachable to everyone and works to prevent any disagreements between her fellow students. While Emma treats her academy duties very earnestly, she leads two separate lives. In truth, she is a practitioner of magic, a member of the Clan of Witches. Joining Thors Military Academy is a component of her underlying objective of assisting the protagonist Rean, the key individual of her class, who is fated to unleash a Divine Knight.

In each Trails series installment, nearly all playable personas have at least one S-Craft, a unique skill that needs you to have a certain level of skill points to use. These finishing moves are meant to be your ace in each battle. S-Crafts are furthermore a way for the game to depict the evolution characters are undergoing. They can symbolize the advancement of a individual's combat prowess, for example the protagonist's special ability his new technique in Trails of Cold Steel IV, which he gains after reaching the designation of master swordsman. In different instances, such as Emma Millstein's, Nihon Falcom uses ultimate abilities to communicate the internal transformations a individual experiences.

When the great war in the empire begins in the first game, Emma’s reaction to the events is the naive but understandable belief that battle means attacking. The struggle extends to the sequel in the series, where the two ultimate skills she has are Albireon and Rain. These two are attack-oriented moves that target all opponents on the battlefield.

When we have the moment to meet Emma again a second time in Cold Steel 3, we witness a different young woman. She has moved on from Thors Military Academy, and after honing her skills with her clan, Emma clearly to have realized an vital insight about who she is. Even though she becomes a powerful sorceress, she comprehends that, most importantly, Emma is a defender. She is willing to put others first to ensure everyone — but particularly the leader Rean — safe. Her desire to fulfill this responsibility is subtly indicated by her S-Craft, which in the third installment becomes Palace of Eregion.

When you execute the S-Craft Emma's new skill, Emma summons four semi-transparent magical towers, and barriers form connecting them and encircling the combat area. The allies benefiting from this technique obtain a few charges of Absolute Reflect, a effect that blocks injury of all types. She had not once been a combative individual, so she shifts to a defensive approach, mirroring the protective demeanor she had consistently demonstrated to her friends.

It’s intriguing to observe how Falcom utilizes a character’s powers to enrich the game’s narrative. JRPGs often employ dialogue or visuals to tell us what a character is experiencing. But Emma proves that including a skill can provide another layer of meaning.