Developed by Square Enix, best known for the legendry Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest series as well as many other stunning RPGs for over 30 years.
Triangle Strategy is an entirely new, tactical RPG game for the Nintendo Switch sharing some of its DNA with classic titles, especially Final Fantasy Tactics.
I wish the name had been changed from its development title I’m sure it has more gravitas in Japanese, but in English sounds like the most boring PowerPoint presentation or a business proposal.
Name aside, Triangle Strategy is a fantasy epic set in the land of Norzelia, ruled by three major kingdoms each with its own culture, resources, and skills.
While set in a time of peace these factions are still recovering from the Saltiron war 30 years ago and tensions are still high among the three.
The Duchy of Aesfrost keepers of rich iron mines and boast the best weapons and armour in the land.
The mysterious Holy State of Hyzante are known for their pursuit of knowledge but also its enslavement of a group of pink-haired people called the Rosella.
Hyzant is the source of all salt in the land making it an incredibly valuable commodity. In the middle stands Glenbrook, a neutral domain of merchants and warriors.
You play as young Lord Serenoa of one of the high houses of Glenbrook.
Eager to put their bloody history behind them Glenbrook and Aesfrost have begun a joint mining venture and Serenoa is also betrothed to a Frederica, an Aesfrost Lady, to strengthen the bonds between nations.
But of course, old rivalries, new discoveries and political machinations threaten to plunge Norzelia back into the depths of war.
It feels like it’s trying to be Game of Thrones in JRPG form - though nothing in the story was too shocking - but it was darker than I expected.
I do wish the antagonists were a little more human and I also wish the heroes were less noble and a little more morally grey as this would create a more realistic world and give decisions far more weight.
Triangle Strategy uses Unreal Engine 4 and features the HD-2D graphics style used by Octopath Traveler and up and coming Live A Live.
This method is very reminiscent of the RPGs of the Super Nintendo era, it evokes strong feelings of nostalgia from those who played 90s RPGs but with some impressive, fully rotatable, 3D environments and modern effects that look great on the Switch.
This pixel art style won't be to everyone's taste as it's less expressive the animations are charming and nostalgic like exclamation marks appears above heads.
However, characters are limited in how they convey emotions putting all the heavy lifting on the voice acting, which thankfully is great.
The particle effects look beautiful with glistening water, vibrant spells all looking superb, however, I did occasionally experience some framerate slowdowns when multiple spells and fires were happening, but it was infrequent.
The stunning illustrations by Naoki Ikushima on the box and for the character portraits do a wonderful job adding personality to the characters, I honestly wish there were more utilised in the game.
The game is heavy with story and exposition dumps even by JRPG standards, in order to get you acquainted with the world, its characters, their motivations and its history.
This really slows down the pace and can seem overwhelming at first, but the tempo does build as the game progresses.
The map phase shows all Norzelia and allows you to select your next objective, however you never really have many choices. It’s usually just select the next mission or watch a short Side Stories or Character Story that are only there for a limited time.
These continue the plot but aren’t interactive but they can add new characters or further background to your current teammates.
With the exploration phase, you can explore the environments to look for any tactical advantages, you can also find items like money or useful items subtlety shining in the light and most importantly you can talk to people to gain useful information that can prove useful when trying to convince your party which course of action to take.
From the map you can visit the encampment, this allows you to spend kudos, buy items, upgrades weapons and even take part in theoretical battles in order to gain experience and resources which makes no sense but the grinding can make some battles slightly easier if you become stuck.
This is usually followed by a decision phase if a choice is needed to be made. These can include where the party should head next or what your next move can be.
These decisions will have consequences that can lead to a completely different story path.
You are often presented with 3 dialog choices that represents one of the three convictions. The convictions are the three pillars of the game's story Utility, Morality and Liberty.
The game notes whenever you make a decision that leans to one of these key alignments and invisibly keeps track of them.
They are represented on the Scale of Conviction a flamed tri scale that 7 of your closest allies can use to vote on the next course of action.
The other characters vote based on what aligns with their convictions and Senoa can attempt to persuade them, his effectiveness at convincing them will be based on the choices you have made so far and which alignment you are leaning towards.
When convincing other party members at the Scales of Conviction, most of the time there will be three for one decision and three against with one undecided which usually means all you need do is convince the undecided member, this section rarely led to any surprises.
Combat is turn-based and you need to think tactically weighing up many options. Each character's speed in the battle affects their order, however, this can be altered by some spells and abilities.
I love the variety of the different units, as most of them cannot be used in the same way, some excel in direct combat but some work better in other situations.
Triangle Strategy is one of the few games where spending a turn using buffs or debuffs is actually critical in staying in the fight.
Placement of your units is key, as higher ground can lead to improved ranged attacks, distance, chance to hit and may even lead to critical damage, with the right units you can also knock enemies from heights to the ground.
The direction your unit is facing at the end of their turn is also important, if an enemy gets behind you, they’ll do extra damage.
Scarier still, any unit flanked on the opposite side by an enemy and attacked will also be hit by the adjacent foe, this can devastate friends or foes in combat which means you need to guard carefully while exploiting their positions.
When a unit uses a special attack, this costs TP the amount depends on the power of the move and units gain new more TP each round, this is important to keep an eye on with spell casters and they can deplete this fast making them almost useless.
While you may often be outnumbered and outgunned you do also have some tricks up your sleeve.
Once per battle you can use powerful special abilities called Quietuses that can help turn the tide, they must be purchased in the encampment using kudos points and can return a unit’s health, guarantee a critical attack, or force a character to lose a turn.
Kudos points are gained by exploiting an enemy’s weaknesses or attacking from higher ground, receiving a critical etc.
Unlike some of the Fire Emblem games, any unit who dies and is removed from the battle is not permanently killed off, they will be able to be called upon in the next fight fully healed which does lower the stakes a little.
If you fail the mission any experience, kudos, and conviction changes acquired are kept which mitigates the difficulty a lot.
The group never divides up e.g., Anna the spy is never caught snooping alone, some challenging smaller battles with one or a much small group would be a welcome change of pace as most missions are just "kill all the enemies."
Characters gain experience which improves their stats making them more effective in combat. They can also upgrade their class.
The unique class can be upgraded twice from Recruit to Veteran and finally Elite, these unlock more special moves, passive abilities, and stat improvements.
Weapons can also be upgraded with materials bought or collected in combat these upgrades improve a character’s base stats.
You can use accessories to help improve stats or grant abilities like a cloak that mitigates some of the damage when struck from behind or a ring that increases your character's health.
Sadly there is no multiplayer, which is a shame as the deep tactical combat could make for some really tense matches.
I was also disappointed that you can't play as the other two factions and discover more of their motivations as well as unique abilities.
The game also supports multiple playthroughs with several decisions that lead to different branching paths that can also change the ending, there are several possible endings.
A New Game Plus mode is also available once you have completed the game adding further replayability.
Verdict
Triangle Strategy is one of the most compelling titles on the Switch if you can immerse yourself in the world and its characters then you’ll find it a rewarding experience. The game juggles several complicated systems that are awesome once you get the hang of them.
Each unit feels distinctive in their design, character and playstyle and I cared for them all which is a hell of an achievement in a game with a fairly large cast.
If you're still on the fence a demo is available on the Nintendo eShop that will take players up to chapter 3 and will allow you to transfer save data if you pick up the full title.
Triangle Strategy is a fantastic title for the Switch and definitely one for old school gamers. From the retro-inspired graphics, the avalanche of dialog and world-building to the layered and complicated combat system it feels very much like a game from a bygone era and that's not at all a bad thing.
Triangle Strategy is available only on Nintendo Switch as a digital and physical release for £49.99 and is out March 4 2022
