Triangle Strategy - Thoughts
Triangle Strategy was released in 2002 on the Nintendo Switch by Square Enix. The head producer of the game was Tomoya Asano who was also the producer of a couple of other Square Enix games, Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler.
The game is akin to strategy RPGs such as Final Fantasy Tactics or Disgaea. The game released with favorable reviews, with critics praising the game for its combat systems, story and characters.
Triangle Strategy was commercially successful as well, selling over one million copies by December 2022.
I personally have an “interesting” relationship with strategy RPGs. I really love the idea and concept of most if not all strategy RPGS but up to this point, I had never rolled credits on one. I’ve attempted several, such as the aforementioned Final Fantasy Tactics and Disgaea but something always prevented me from finishing.
What I liked
The Conviction System
Triangle Strategy has an interesting game mechanic on top of its tried-and-true strategy RPG skeleton. The game mechanic is called the Conviction System. At different critical periods throughout the game, Serenoa - our main character - must make a decision about the path forward. To accomplish this, you as the player must seek counsel from your closest friends and allies. Once you’ve gathered sufficient information, it is up to you as the player to decide which route to take. This route will be different depending on the choice that is made, adding to the replay-ability of the game.
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I like games that offer choice, and this game does it in a very interesting way. It essentially puts you in the role of a general, planning out a course of action. The decisions you make can make other characters upset and some decisions force those characters to leave your party entirely.
The Story
Maybe at some point it will get old, but I am really digging this current trend of games that take some inspiration from books and shows in the vein of Game of Thrones. These more gritty, dark and realistic takes within fantasy RPGs is really hitting that sweet spot for me.
Triangle Strategy of course does just what I described. The story is political, it’s slow at times, but it’s also epic and dark and the twists and double crossings and other narrative tricks are all on display here. Whenever the gameplay got tough and I wanted to just be done (which wasn’t often), the story kept me going. I had to know what was going to happen and because of the choice, I felt like I had stakes in the story.
Perfectly Tuned Gameplay
I mentioned that I had never finished a game like this…ever. One of the reasons for that is there would always come a point at which I got overwhelmed or just couldn’t figure out the correct strategy to finish a battle.
The game is a strategy RPG, so there is naturally a lot of strategizing. Combat takes place on a grid overlooking the battlefield. You as the player will be responsible for moving your units to the best spot based on any given situation. Characters have weapons and special skills or even magic that they can use to attack. At its core, there’s nothing really unique about Triangle Strategy’s combat. If you’ve seen or played a strategy RPG before, a lot of this game is going to look familiar.
What makes the game special is how perfectly the combat is tuned. Triangle Strategy is a tough game at times, don’t get me wrong. But it was never unfair, and I never hit a wall where I struggled over and over to finish a battle. The gameplay is perfectly adjusted to bring a challenge but also keeps the momentum going.
What I didn’t like
Slow Start
The game does start a little bit slowly. The first hour is almost no combat and all exposition and story building. You meet some of the main characters, get up to speed on the state of the world and so on. I will only mention this briefly because it did not bother me that much and I feel like this beginning foundation really pays off as you progress through the story. I know that it will grate on some people though, so that’s why I’m putting it out there as a tidbit of information.
Overall Thoughts
Triangle Strategy is a wonderful game. The gameplay is complex but not too complex. There are many characters, and most are interesting. The Conviction System is a neat idea and something new for the genre and the plot is deep and engaging, especially after the first hour or so. The game does take a minute to get going and some of the main characters are less interesting than others. But overall, this a recommend from me, a person who has never finished a strategy RPG.
Where Can I Play This?
Triangle Strategy can be played on the Nintendo Switch or on PC via Steam.