Among game developers, Square Enix has long been hailed as the king of the role-playing game. From Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest to Kingdom Hearts and Bravely Default, they have been consistently nailing the RPG formula since its earliest days in the mid-80s. However, its often forgotten that alongside those classic franchises, Square also used to be known for one other thing: tactics games. Though they aren’t well remembered today, series like Tactics Ogre, Front Mission, and Final Fantasy Tactics used to stand toe to toe with they’re RPG counterparts, and many fans consider them to be the best in their genre, even if their sales numbers didn’t reflect it. But with the passage of time and the ever-changing nature of the industry, it seemed that Square had decided to abandon that side of their legacy. Thankfully, that’s now begun to change.
Made in the “HD-2D” art style popularized by 2018’s Octopath Traveler, the aptly named Triangle Strategy is a strong spiritual successor to Square’s classic tactics catalogue. Its music and art design are pixel perfect, its sense of player choice is remarkably engaging, and its varied tactics gameplay is a step above anything else on the market. It may not do anything particularly new or mind-blowing, but the core of its experience is great enough that I can’t help but love it anyway.
As the story begins, the region of Norzelia appears to be at peace. After a decade’s long conflict known as the “SaltIron War,” the three ruling nations have held an uneasy truce. But when the youngest lord among the kingdom of Glenbrook, Seranoa Wolffort, takes over for his aging father and begins negotiating between the realms, he finds himself at the center of a struggle that threatens to send Norzelia hurtling back into the pits of war.
Throughout the 30-hour campaign, topics such as slavery, discrimination, and the nature of freedom are discussed at length, and it’s clear that a lot of thought was put into the inner workings of Norzelia’s political and social systems. Story scenes are decently written and thought provoking, while optional side stories help to provide a more cohesive world for those who want it. But in all honesty, there’s nothing present here that hasn’t been done better elsewhere before. This is a very typical fantasy world with very typical stories to tell, and no matter how well it may be executed, that is still a downside in my book.
The same goes for the characters. In both design and personality, it’s clear that the writers had a very strict image of what ‘medieval fantasy’ should be, and couldn’t bend even the smallest bit outside of that box. Dialogue has a strained, polite atmosphere about it that lacks variety or personality, which isn’t helped by a voice cast of mixed quality. While endearing and likable enough, Seranoa and his friends often feel like cardboard cutouts compared to the wild and inventive characters the genre is known for.
However, while little about this story is definitively great, there is one area in which it dramatically stands out: player choice. Throughout the campaign, you will make choices on the “Scales of Conviction,” which tasks you with convincing your comrades to vote in whatever way you feel is right. However, how you are able to convince them entirely hinges on the information you have available, which then relies on other choices you have made throughout the game. A seemingly insignificant tidbit you hear from an NPC may come in surprisingly handy down the line, and having access to the right information at the right time can make or break your ability to guide the course of the story. On top of this, the choices you make during branching dialogue trees adds to your “convictions,” which will impact certain story events and the ending you receive at the conclusion of the game.
It’s a surprisingly robust system that rewards player exploration and gives a sense of gravitas to even the smallest of actions, and I was consistently impressed by how effectively it encouraged my engagement with the world and lore. It’s not often that a game can get me to seriously consider the consequences of my actions, but the strength of these systems led to me thinking of Seranoa’s journey not as a game to be optimized, but as a legitimate world whose plight I should take seriously.
Once your decisions have been made, however, is when the real core of the game comes into play: battling. At least once per chapter, the characters will be put into a situation in which they must defend themselves from an enemy force, each with different terrain, unit types, and battle-specific gimmicks. One may task you with keeping a specific character alive or with defeating all enemies under a time limit, and each battle feels distinct enough to provide a new and interesting challenge.
To accompany this, Seranoa’s forces will grow and change as the story progresses, and each new unit has their own unique options to take with them into a fight. For example, Anna’s stealth and poison abilities make her perfect for sneaking behind enemy lines, while Hughette’s special arrows are well suited to keeping foes distracted and unable to attack. The available playstyles only get more interesting with each new addition, and I never stopped being impressed by the sheer quantity of options I had available. Every character felt useful and important to my strategies, and my hardest decisions often came down to just choosing who I wanted to bring with me into battle. This strength is what I believe most separates Triangle Strategy from similar games such as Fire Emblem: Three Houses. What it lacks in story and characters it easily makes up for with strong, engaging tactics gameplay.
Backing this up is the game’s presentation, which utilizes sprite-based characters alongside detailed 3D backgrounds and environmental effects. Just as was proved with Octopath Traveler, this style really does work wonders for creating beautiful locales and simple, yet effective character art. To some, it may seem rough compared to the illustrious ray-traced sunsets and 8K textures present in other games, but what it lacks in fidelity, it makes up for in personality and general appeal.
The soundtrack on offer is no slouch either. Composed by Akira Senju of Fullmetal Alchemist and Tales of Vesperia fame, this collection of tracks is catchy and memorable, knowing exactly how to emphasize the emotions of each scene and scenario. The many battle themes do an excellent job raising the feeling of tension surrounding your actions, and when it needs to pull out all the stops, certain story moments will smack you across the face with energetic, impactful melodies. Even moments of downtime are accented by sweeping orchestral pieces, and I never found any of it getting anywhere near stale.
Verdict
Even as someone who’s never been much into tactics games, Triangle Strategy was an almost nostalgic experience. Its pixelated art, catchy tunes, and rock-solid gameplay harken back to a simpler time, when game companies would take risks on smaller, less profitable titles to create new and interesting experiences. The amount of options it puts at the player’s disposal is unquestionably impressive, and its ability to create meaningful player choices is some of the best I’ve ever seen. Its story and characters may not win it any awards, but the core of the experience scratched an itch I never knew I had. If Triangle Strategy is anything to go by, tactics games should’ve come back a long time ago.
