General Information
Embroiled in the middle of all this is Serenoa Wolffort, heir to House Wolffort from the Kingdom of Glenbrook, his betrothed Lady Federica of House Aestrost and their companions as they were preparing for the strategic union of the two houses. Their navigation through this political turmoil across Norzelia is what Triangle Strategy's mediaeval fantasy plot centres on.
However, as much as Triangle Strategy fleshes out its cast and the individual human conflicts they deal with, its narrative revolves largely around the sprawling political tension across a continent. In Norzelia's kingdoms, such tensions range from racial segregation to covert aspersion to religious scheming. The continent's conflicts are well expounded upon throughout the plot and their magnitude even draw parallels to Game of Thrones' plot; complete with me occasionally losing track of names and their associations. This scope and the overarching focus on the political machinations of the land felt refreshing and gripping.
As Serenoa ventures across Norzelia's kingdom, he will also wear his newly-minted mantle of Lord of House Wolffort to explore the lands and mingle with the common folk, party members and fellow dignitaries. Such exploration and diplomacy provide insights from different angles which can help strengthen Sereona's convictions and inform subsequent decisions.
Indeed, one of the unique mechanics to Triangle Strategy is its "Scales of Conviction". At certain points during the game, we are introduced to choices which are decided by the party members' votes. However, their tendencies can be swayed through individual discussions where Serenoa's convictions can make the case for or against a particular choice. Once the inner circle has cast their votes, the plot branches and follows a path which differs from what another majority vote would follow. This further influences the game's ending, of which there are four. It's an interesting approach that gives the illusion of a democratic process to the narrative progression. Illusion because you can, over time, know towards which choice particular members will lean towards and can influence the votes accordingly. However, the way "Scales of Conviction" is weaved into the game is well executed enough to bring some welcome originality to the genre through meaningful in-game choices.
In between exploration and cut-scenes are battle sequences which are the meat of the action. These play out in a grid-based area where your party members and enemies take turns to make their moves. Before kicking off, you can (re)arrange the positioning of your companions as they each sport specific movesets and abilities. Some, like Hughette with her bow and arrow, are better placed at a height for a better vantage point; while others like the healer Geela are best positioned at the rear to provide support and have less chance of being preyed on by the enemy.
Such strategic positioning also becomes crucial during the course of battles as well. Attacking an enemy from behind will yield more damage as will attacking from high ground. Sandwiching a foe between two companions also yields a bonus attack from the other companion. Then there are magical abilities such as creating ice barrages to block the passage of enemies or electrocuting enemies on a wet area. You can further combine such elemental attacks with proper timing to deal damage creatively.
With a party that ranges from 8 to 12 where each member unlocks new abilities as you progress and level up, Triangle Strategy's combat is kept fresh and the tactical aspect adds a fun challenge. Encounters do get progressively more challenging, with some even requiring some do-overs as you identify which approach, roster and moveset is the most optimal in each scenario.
While the challenge does build up, the controls are approachable and easy to pick up. Unlike traditional turn-based JRPG, Triangle Strategy enables you to control the camera orientation, tilt the viewing angle as well as zoom in/out of the battlefield. This can allow for further strategic planning to decide where you position your character next. When positioning your character in their next move, there is also a handy indicator showing which enemies' attack that character will be susceptible to in that new position. You can further simulate your next moves to gauge their effectiveness prior to committing to them. This makes the gameplay more welcoming to newcomers to the genre.
Hoever, even if you can equip accessories to buff up certain stats of your companion, unlock new abilities and skills, and boost weapon attributes, you are not as free to change the equipment and weapons of your party members as in traditional JRPGs. This can be a divisive aspect of the gameplay but I easily made peace with it as it makes the experience more streamlined and approachable, while maintaining a highly tactical approach in execution.
What can also be divisive is the pacing of the game. While it introduces some welcome features such as the "Scales of Conviction" that encourages exploration and conversation with NPCs and a streamlined yet tactical combat, these are interspersed with lengthy cutscenes with eloquent dialogues. Don't get me wrong, I totally indulged in those narrative expositions but they can feel dragged, leaving the player wanting to get into the action.
Despite a rich lore and some interesting character arcs, some of the main cast, including protagonist Serenoa, often feel bland. Their strictly virtuous and predictable actions don't match the richer personalities of other NPCs. In addition, some of their conversations and voice acting occasionally feels unconvincing with their over-indulgence on niceties and etiquette, even in heated situations.
Having cutscenes fully voice acted adds to the overall presentation of the title; but it felt somewhat of a let down to find that exploration segments on the other hand aren't voice acted.
This review wouldn't do the game justice if it didn't touch upon the aesthetics. Triangle Strategy bears Octopath Traveler's iconic HD-2D looks and it's a treat. The melange of characters bearing retro-esque, yet detailed 2D pixel models and high definition, 3D environments blends well and gives the traditional tactical turn-based genre a familiar look that still feels contemporary.
Given that this is a PC game, you also have access to other graphical settings which you can tweak. These include toggling the background blurring effect on/off as well as adjusting the shadow, anti-aliasing and post processing settings.
Making its debut on a new platform, Triangle Strategy has been well worth the wait for PC gamers as it revamps the tactical RPG genre with a fresh coat of paint.
Triangle Strategy | Launch Trailer
