The Scales of Conviction are one of Triangle Strategy‘s most unique features, and also signal one of the more compelling reasons to keep players intrigued for multiple playthroughs. For those expecting to leap directly into the fray, they may have a frustrating experience. Fortunately, the writing is engaging, and the main cast is compelling. Instead, the table setting is prioritized, almost as though Triangle Strategy were a visual novel. For a strategy RPG, there are shockingly few battles to fight in the first few hours of gameplay. This is far from a frothy fantasy story, but it takes a few hours to truly kick-off, particularly if players listen to the voice-over instead of reading dialogue at their own pace. As a new war breaks out, players must navigate twists and turns not only on the battlefield but in war councils and throne rooms, too. When a joint venture plan to open a vast mining operation together goes awry, Norzelia plunges into chaos and the fragile peace is shattered. Each region has something the other needs, and while they share a degree of harmony, trouble simmers beneath the surface. And in the middle is Glenbrook, where King Regna and his trusted allies in House Wolffort keep trade between nations flowing. To the southeast is the holy state of Hyzante, blessed with the world’s only source of precious salt, where the word of the Hierophant is law. In the frigid north is Aesfrost, masters of the forge and all manner of metalwork, where personal ambition and merit is of the highest value to those in power. In the land of Norzelia, three kingdoms share an uneasy peace thirty years after the conclusion of the Saltiron War. Players might be drawn to Triangle Strategy for its aesthetics, but it is the way that story and gameplay intertwine that make it memorable. Seeing the Unreal Engine used to render environments like this is a revelation. Interiors of palaces and fortresses are lovingly rendered, and water glitters and splashes in jaw-dropping fashion. There is plenty of environmental variety, from the snowy mountains of Aesfrost to the sparkling sands of Hyzante. That said, the world is gorgeous to behold. Some characters take absurdly long pauses between line deliveries, making a case for players letting the voices of the characters come to life in their head. One minor hiccup are the voiceover performances, which range from “pretty good” to “must-skip”. The pixelated characters may bear only a passing resemblance to their portraits, but the writing is still powerful and affecting. Role-playing games have long used abstraction as a tool to explore deeper themes, and Triangle Strategy does so too. Final Fantasy Tactics is often considered the gold standard for this type of game, but those who prefer the density of Tactics Ogre will have something to cling to here as well. That Triangle Strategy looks and sounds great should come as no surprise, but it is a relief to see Square Enix revitalize a style that they perfected in the PlayStation 1 days. Between battles players can engage in side conversations to see what NPCs are up to, and improve their units by equipping accessories or spending hard-earned materials to upgrade abilities and stats.īut the presentation is the first hook. The story is advanced by either observing a cutscene, or participating in turn-based battles, where players move units across a tileset to either defeat their opponents or fulfill some other objective. Players navigate a Game of Thrones-inspired world map, moving a cursor around to select the next main event to progress the plot. From menus to melees to music, Triangle Strategy is a treat to behold.Īs a strategy game, Triangle Strategy is very much in line with the games that inspired it. The lush pixels combined with excellent particle effects and beautiful character portraits were a standout from last year’s demo (back when this RPG was known as Project Triangle Strategy) of the game, and the final product upholds those same standards. Developed in the same HD-2D engine as 2018’s Octopath Traveler and the upcoming Dragon Quest III remake, Triangle Strategy feels like a nostalgic memory made real. Triangle Strategy makes an undeniably gorgeous first impression.
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