Triangle Strategy Review

A gripping SRPG

Reviewed by A.J. Maciejewski playing a Nintendo Switch on March 3, 2022 🔺

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As a huge fan of classic turn-based strategy RPGs, I'm very happy to say that Triangle Strategy is finally here and it's one excellent game.

Before I started playing Triangle Strategy, I didn't exactly know what to expect. It seemed like a throwback to genre classics such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Vandal Hearts so I was super-pumped to give it a go and now that I have, I must say that it isn't what I thought it would be. However, that's actually a good thing because Triangle Strategy forges its own identity in a unique way that will leave you hooked, especially if you enjoy watching intriguing plots unfold with each one of your decisions actually mattering. v1d30chumz 3-235-176-80

Funnily enough, even though I was expecting a straight-up SRPG, this open-ended narrative is what impressed me most about Triangle Strategy. You play as Serenoa Wolffort who's the son of a renowned warrior and he's joined by his bride-to-be Frederica Aesfrost, his family's steward Benedict Pascal, and his friend Prince Roland Glenbrook. As the campaign progresses, you'll be introduced to many more characters who will join your party from important folks to minor characters who you meet in interesting side-stories.

As the cast expands and the story unfolds, you'll find yourself wrapped up in a struggle among 3 nations and the campaign is broken up into story segments with plenty of decisions to make, brief moments when you can explore a small area while talking to people, voting sessions that dictate what will happen next as you try to convince your undecided allies to vote the way you'd prefer, and battles, of course. Meanwhile, everything you do alters the story in minor and major ways whether it's solidifying Serenoa's various convictions after speaking to NPCs or making decisions; some of which are frankly the toughest I've ever made in a game. Considering there are multiple endings as well as a New Game Plus feature, you'll definitely want to play through a few times to see how you can steer the plot.

I could discuss the story all day but I don't want to ruin anything so let's move on to combat. Whereas you can spend hours upon hours setting up your party in games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Triangle Strategy takes a much more streamlined approach as your options are limited when it comes to decking out your party members. Namely, you can equip accessories, promote characters through a linear class system, and unlock weapon upgrades with acquired materials. As someone who relishes strategically setting their party up before heading to battle, this aspect disappointed me but there is one saving grace that makes the lack of customization much easier to swallow.

Specifically, the wide range of characters that you recruit throughout Triangle Strategy allows you to think up clever combinations of party members to deploy together. You see; each party member has a very specific role in battle whether it's providing buffs, erecting walls, sniping enemies from afar, casting elemental magic, healing allies, pushing enemies into each other, altering the terrain, or whatever. There's a lot to consider and once you come up with an ingenious combo in order to overcome a particularly difficult battle, it's super-satisfying stuff. In fact, just thinking about it makes me want to try out a few ideas in the tavern training challenges. 😊

As you would expect, the battles themselves can last a substantial amount of time and you'll encounter plenty of truly ruthless situations that are incredibly rewarding to overcome. From an absurd amount of enemies to take on while fighting uphill to battles where foes unexpectedly spawn in the heat of combat, there's a solid level of challenge that had me hooked. With that being said, I found that I could exploit some battles which took away from the sense of reward. For example, I once got decimated by the enemy forces and only my archer remained alive against 6 opponents. So, I placed her up high and she eventually took everyone out as they couldn't reach her. Perhaps the developers shouldn't have designed maps where you can safely hide while gradually picking everyone off. 😅

Triangle Strategy masterfully accomplishes its blend of rewarding SRPG gameplay and engaging choice-driven story. If you're a fan of narrative-heavy games and tactical grid-based battles then it's a must-have game.