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The Cold Steel series of RPGs — released by Nihon Falcom throughout the 2010s — was an large-scale endeavor, considering the number of characters and events involved. It required the studio a quintet of games to mature these characters. The character Emma's narrative journey is revealed in conjunction with the series' central narrative, but it's by observing the subtle change in her skill set that we fully understand the depth of her inner growth.

Heads-up: The following content includes light plot details for the primary narrative of the Cold Steel series.

In The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, Emma is a regular young woman, like the other members of Thors Military Academy’s Class VII. As the class president, she's approachable to all and aims to prevent any disputes between her peers. Although she takes her student life really seriously, she has a secret identity. In truth, she is a sorceress, a initiate of the Hexen Clan. Attending Thors Military Academy is part of her underlying objective of mentoring Rean, the central character of Class VII, who is destined to awaken a Divine Knight.

In all Trails game, most playable personas have at least one S-Craft, a powerful move that needs you to have a sufficient quantity of Craft Points to use. These ultimate abilities are meant to be your ace in all fights. These ultimate skills are additionally a way for the game to depict the transformations protagonists are undergoing. They can symbolize the refinement of a character’s technique, such as Rean's special ability Breaking Dawn in Cold Steel 4, which he acquires after earning the designation of Divine Blade. In different instances, like Emma’s, the developers employs ultimate abilities to express the internal transformations a character experiences.

When the conflict in the nation of Erebonia erupts in the first game, the character's approach to the circumstances is the idealistic but logical idea that battle means striking. The war extends to the sequel in the series, where the two S-Crafts she possesses are her first S-Craft and Zodiac Rain. These two are attack-oriented moves that target all foes on the arena.

Once we have the moment to encounter the character Emma again in the third game, we see a changed girl. She has completed her studies from Thors Military Academy, and after training with her clan, she seems to have understood an important truth about her own nature. Although she becomes a formidable spellcaster, she realizes that, above all else, she is a defender. Emma is prepared to put others first to ensure everyone — but especially Rean — safe. Her wish to take on this responsibility is subtly indicated by her special ability, which in Cold Steel 3 changes to Eregion.

When you use the ultimate ability Palace of Eregion, Emma conjures four translucent arcane structures, and barriers form linking them and surrounding the battlefield. The characters benefiting from this ability receive several instances of total reflection, a effect that prevents injury of any kind. Emma had never been a aggressive character, so she transitions to a supportive strategy, echoing the nurturing attitude she had always shown to her friends.

It’s fascinating to witness how Falcom uses a character’s powers to complement the series' plot. RPGs frequently rely on dialogue or cutscenes to show what a persona is feeling. But Emma Millstein proves that including a ability can contribute additional depth of significance.