Review of the Triangle Strategy: it seems that this audacious move paid off.
Our Verdict
An expansive, intricate tale with far-reaching consequences, Triangle Strategy tests your convictions just as much as your tactical skill, with Norzelia itself an essential character in this tale of loss, leadership, and the divides in civilisation. A sublime tactical game with a gut-wrenching story of political and personal strife, I already can’t wait to play it again.
A few hours into Triangle Strategy, there was an instance that I will never forget. Playing the role of Serenoa, the ruler of House Wolffort, I guided my team members in making a choice that would likely result in a high human cost but may win us the fight. I spoke to my team and attempted to convince them in one manner, but I discovered that even if my prior deeds and the knowledge I had were persuasive, it wasn't sufficient.
No matter how hard I protested, the vote didn't go the way I wanted, and I was forced to live with the decisions we made, which were the decisions that my actions caused. I had to grapple with the kind of person my Serenoa had turned into, and while I had achieved a pyrrhic triumph, it still felt like a stomach hit. Triangle Strategy is full of these kinds of moments. I'm itching to go back through the narrative again and play it a different way, simply to see what I can alter, after finishing it and having to sit and consider the destiny of the world I visited.
Thus, despite its obvious name, what is Triangle Strategy exactly? This isn't Octopath Traveler, to start with. Although I really enjoyed Square Enix's prior HD-2D game, I do agree with the complaint that the eight separate stories somewhat diluted the storyline and made the various episodes seem a little sporadic and unimportant. Though, as I understand it, they come together in the end, what about the first hundred hours?
Nonetheless, it seems that the devs have taken this to heart since Triangle Strategy is almost the opposite of that narrative approach. Rather, it focuses on a single, expansive tale of political divisions among three countries, where each choice and every instant has a significant impact on the global community. Triangle Strategy is a big and epic story about a struggle for resources and the corruption of authority, with real political and human conflict pulling the globe apart. This is an intriguing tale, and Square Enix does a great job narrating it.
Triangle Strategy is essentially the story of three countries, their monarchs, politicians, and the shaky political alliances that keep them together. The three countries of Glenbrook, Aesfrost, and Hyzante reside in the region that is known as Norzelia. As the heir apparent to House Wolffort, you take on the role of Serenoa, a young man who must ultimately speak for the proud residents of Glenbrook in order to mediate a peaceful resolution and preserve the treaty that unites both territories.
Each nation decided to cooperate in order to guarantee that everyone may live in prosperity and share the riches and resources of each other in an amicable manner after a tragic conflict for resources that took place centuries ago. But there are still conflicts going on behind the scenes. The history of Serenoa is intricately linked to the growing tension between the countries, and the choices you make and the alliances you create have a lasting impact.
Serenoa's Conviction is one of the main game dynamics that is at work here. It is influenced by many conversation choices you choose as well as other gaming aspects. The style you fight, how many people you converse with, and other factors all contribute to shaping the kind of person your Serenoa becomes, which has an impact on every part of the plot moving forward.
Although both your allies and the nobles you encounter provide you with actionable alternatives, it is up to you to determine how you will attempt to lead. NPCs ask you questions about how you plan to assist the people of Norzelia and your method for settling political conflicts. It's a nice balance of overt and covert features that reinforce your beliefs and help you influence your party's actions as well as the direction of your plot as you travel Norzelia.
You have to make far more important choices later in the game, and each member of your party has one vote. This is where the knowledge you acquire along the route, together with your conviction, are crucial. Your arguments toward a certain conclusion may be informed by the information you've gathered if you've thoroughly investigated and talked with a variety of personalities.
Fortified by your conviction, this is a really intriguing take on the narrative. After I grasped these almost detective-like components, every region of this globe began to seem vital to my comprehension of the relationships and conflicts between every country. Additionally, there's a ton of possibility for many playthroughs as you investigate the various routes and results.
Discovering the settlements leads to quest-like tangents whereby information discovered in one corner might be sent to another person concealed away. Before these times, I often found myself saving and restarting when something didn't appear to go out as planned. Then, I would go back and properly discover the conversation and evidence I needed to find the truth.
Considering how much emphasis the game has on replayability, I will admit that although it still works, I would have preferred simpler options to just replay missions or chapters. In the meanwhile, these times spent touring communities, learning the truth about the region, and learning the locals' deepest secrets are intriguing and only serve to heighten the emotional impact of each conflict.
However, this does come at the expense of action; those who were hoping for Octopath's nonstop fighting will be let down. Although they don't happen often, battles do sometimes occur. Rather, the opening scenes put a lot of effort on establishing the significance of this universe and the individuals who inhabit it. Battles occur more often and get more complex as the game progresses since new features are constantly introduced to keep things fresh.
Although there are training bouts that you may choose to participate in at your encampment, generally, this game has less fighting than Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which offers a ton of side tasks to discover. In Triangle Strategy, every combat is an integral element of the primary plot, and spoken conversation will be a common occurrence in addition to swordplay.
Regarding combat, if you've seen the video, you'll see that Triangle Strategy is a parody of tactical role-playing games such as Tactics Ogre, Fire Emblem, and Final Fantasy Tactics. You take control of many characters at once, tactically maneuvering your pieces to encircle your adversaries and making use of both your weaponry and the environment. Since each member of Serenoa's army has unique skills, how you choose which characters to use will mostly rely on how you play and how vulnerable your opponents are.
There are plenty of alternatives and opportunities to create many more pals on your adventure, divided among warriors, magic users, animal tamers, and more. Subsequently, as each character advances in level, they acquire new skills and have the opportunity to eventually take on new roles, which further enhances their stats and skill set. Additionally, you may manage your resources to improve your expertise with weapons, however I didn't think the item drop rate seemed very generous. Although you may purchase items from a merchant and get prizes by extensively exploring cities, I never felt like I had enough to fully empower my crew the way I wanted.
You may also recruit additional allies later in the game; the people you can choose from will vary based on your choices and behavior. Some of these latter additions quickly became favorites of mine because of their distinct skills and ability to provide something new and intriguing to the combat. Being able to tinker with your squad this late in the game is extremely refreshing, and I can't wait to go through it again and find the characters I've missed.
Your ability to strike from a higher vantage point, backstab, or surround your opponent and assault from all sides, allowing your comrades to launch a secondary attack from the other side, all serve to improve the fighting experience. When you use advanced tactics successfully, you also get Kudos, which is a resource that can only be obtained during fight and is required to purchase certain products. The fact that Triangle Strategy encourages astute maneuvers like this in addition to having an excellent combat system is the cherry on top.
Because of their ruthlessness, your opponents will gladly surround you and use these cutting-edge tactics against you. This game has a wide range of difficulty settings, so even if simple mode might be really easy, I still suggest trying it at regular hard. This forces you to consider your troops and their unique abilities as well as the benefits and trade secrets that each level provides.
The diversity of locations is also extremely good; you find some pretty fascinating ways to interact with levels later on, and the various parts of the planet give some stunning panoramas. One really gratifying combat in a mining tunnel, for instance, has some pretty entertaining parts that are just never shown again. The diversity of fights here inspires a lot of confidence, and in my opinion, it pays off.
Don't worry if it all seems a little overwhelming. The creator has incorporated several pleasant techniques to ease you in, so it seems that they understand. Initially, at any quiet period, you may review your notes, any information you have gathered from speaking with the people, and an outline of the tale so far. This was incredibly helpful, since even while I was fascinated to learn about this universe, the sequences with a lot of exposition may make it easy to overlook the finer nuances. The amount of money you choose to spend in this universe is entirely up to you since merchants provide more information for purchase.
There are no actual downtime or opportunities to linger over vendors and other things since you're always moving forward with the plot. Rather, you are free to leave at any time from your own campsite. This encampment expands with you as you go, bringing with it new personalities, merchants, and activities.
You may practice your moves in training fights, upgrade your stats with new gear purchased with kudos, or just review the knowledge you've already acquired. Once again, I was really appreciative of the chance to review my party and my preparations and assess my situation in between fights. The tale really picks up speed once it gets going, so being able to take a break and reflect at your own camp is a great way to switch things up when you need it.
Naturally, your level of engagement with this universe and its narrative is greatly influenced by your comfort level with its presentation. Personally, I believe this HD-2D approach is better than Octopath Traveller as it emphasizes 3D surroundings more, has a completely customizable camera, and has nearly voxel-like 3D items concealed throughout the landscape. I was continually shooting screenshots, making excellent use of depth-of-field, particularly during the more dramatic and picturesque scenes.
Like that, I particularly like this movie's soundtrack, which is enormous and appropriately thrilling. It adds just the right amount of drama and a lovely, melancholy touch that perfectly complements the narrative. Sadly, apart from the horrible name, the voice acting was one aspect I wasn't too fond of. While Serenoa, Frederica, and Roland, the primary cast, all perform reasonably well with a very honest screenplay, the quality of minor characters soon deteriorates, and a couple really annoyed me with lifeless performances that pulled me out of situations.
Upon reflecting on my 50 hours spent with Triangle Strategy, I am really amazed by the intricate, captivating, and ever-evolving political drama that lies on top of a wonderful strategy game. The story's serious themes and the weighty consequences of some of your choices may surprise gamers. This may be the closest thing we have to a solid Game of Thrones video game.
This universe revolves on Serenoa's excellent moral exploration, the player's conviction levels, and the game's emphasis on outcomes and reactions. These elements all contribute to the constantly changing dynamics that reverberate across the globe and give each combat a sense of urgency. I don't believe the presentation will be for everyone, and there could be a little too much exposition for some, but I loved my time in Norzelia and the fights that determined my party's destiny.