Triangle Strategy is a tactical role-playing game developed by Artdink and published by Square Enix on the Nintendo Switch. The sport is similar to classic tactical role-playing games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre, some of my personal favorites of the genre. Triangle Strategy sets a brand new standard for tactical role-playing games going forward.
Triangle Strategy follows the story of Serenoa Wolffort in the realm of Norzelia. He's the heir to 1 from the high houses in Glenbrook, one of three major nations in Norzelia. An excellent war ravaged the location three decades prior to the start of game, and also the peace that followed is less-than-perfect, so Serenoa has been accustomed to seal a marriage alliance with Aesfrost. Right from the start, the wedding plans are interrupted when the king is killed and the world plunges into chaos. I love the world, right on the brink of achieving a greater peace, is totally flipped upside down right from the start. It doesn’t feel like it was done for pure shock factor either, that we greatly appreciated.
Serenoa sets off with his best friend, Prince Roland, in order to save the dominion. Political intrigue plays a huge role throughout the story of Triangle Strategy, with lots of depth found. Side characters have plenty of optional dialogue to help further expand the world of Norzelia, and I found myself often trying to learn as much as possible concerning the region. The story beats that occur through the game, like false flag invasions and old grudges visiting bear, make for an incredibly grounded story. While you will find elements perfectly that keep your fantasy feel alive, it's fair to state that it is much grittier than I was expecting.
While the story of Triangle Strategy is intriguing and dense, the gameplay is what many people are getting excited about when playing a tactical role-playing game. Thankfully, the game delivers with that front. Battles take place on a grid, in which you have to move Serenoa and friends around to optimize different attack strategies. There are a plethora of options with regards to participating in battle, with some working a lot better than others. There is a good bit of trial and error for players less acquainted with the genre, however the learning curve is not too steep. I had to spend a little bit to obtain a practice the battle system, but when I did I had been winning a lot more easily.
My main complaint when it comes to the gameplay is the insufficient customization for that characters inside your party. The progression for party members is linear, and therefore they can only play as the class their character is designated as. Sure, they can learn additional skills and talents which help while you progress, but the lack of choices when leveling up characters is disappointing. The marketing for that game attempted to hammer home the concept that choices matter, and so i was hoping those choices would extend past story beats into character setup. Still, the skills and courses are well designed and implemented. Choices might have improved the knowledge, but the lack of them does not mean that the gameplay as-is isn't incredibly enjoyable.
Another highlight of Triangle Strategy is the beautiful art style. I am a huge fan of the HD-2D designs that have become more prevalent in Japanese games lately, and Triangle Strategy delivers. The characters have very distinct looks to them, and also the various locations do as well. I really like the continual variety throughout. The interest to detail in even the smallest of areas, especially in the background of larger settings, is another massive positive for me. A vital underrated highlight for me personally is the excellent battle animations. Special moves have different visual components for them that usually blew me away because when detailed they are. I fell deeply in love with the stylized visuals of Triangle Strategy almost immediately, also it only improved when i progressed further and additional in to the game.
Triangle Strategy seems like an appreciation letter to classic tactical role-playing games in the better of ways. The storyline is compelling and detailed, and the characters you communicate with sense like they each matter. Artdink knocked it of the park aesthetically too, bringing the complex world of Norzelia to life within an incredible way. I loved every second of my time with Triangle Strategy, and i'm looking forward to future playthroughs look around the different branch options too. If you are a fan of tactical games with an enticing story, Triangle Strategy checks off all the boxes and is an absolute must-play.
Triangle Strategy is out now on Nintendo Switch.
