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Triangle Strategy is the Best SRPG Ever Made (No Spoilers)

triangle-strategy.large.jpg


This thread is my PSA to everyone who has overlooked the game, written it off as a AA average game that can be skipped because of its goofy name. Even people who played the demo and only saw the slower beginnings may not be aware of the true heights this game hits.

  • This is the best story ever in an SRPG, and it's not even close for me. I'm not completely at the end yet, but it's up there with some of my favorite video game stories of all time. It's honestly the FFVI equivalent of Game of Thrones. The political intrigue, betrayals and plot twists are genuinely interesting. It gets fairly dark as well.
  • This has some of the best choices in a video game I've ever played. You routinely have to make critical decisions at key points in the story that dramatically affect how the game plays out. At multiple points in the game I had to just sit with my thoughts for 5 minutes to try and actually decide which way I wanted to go.
  • The battles are actually challenging and the enemy AI is actually challenging. You have abilities that manipulate turn order, traps, weather changing, elemental interaction on the map, and tons of options to help you gain an edge in battles. I can't think of an SRPG that I think actually has better battles than this.
  • There are a lot of fantastic QOL improvements to the SRPG genre that make the experience as smooth as possible. Everything is clear and easy to understand, and displayed well in battles and outside of battles, with solid menus and lore texts.
  • You will genuinely want to replay the game to see other endings and choices, and a single playthrough can last 50 hours. This is not a small game and you'll get your money's worth for sure.
  • All the artwork is fantastic for the character portraits.
About the only negative thing I can think of is that the game is definitely story heavy, and that won't appeal to everyone. The game's ratio of story to battles is heavy weighted towards story scenes. If you can settle into the game's slow pace, then I think you'll love the game if you're a fan of any SRPGs.

It's an 83 on Open Critic, and I think it's shockingly underrated. I think that a lot of people skipped this game because of how many releases have come out recently, and over time the appreciation for it will continue to grow. For me, the title isn't hyperbole. I like this a lot more than Final Fantasy Tactics, and Fire Emblem.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
I havent played it but will do in June after my studying. Ive put it on hold with Elden Ring and Horizon 2.

Best ever? Looking forward to fighting out. FF Tactics, Tactics Ogre, Fire Emblem, disgaea are all amazing.
And Shining Force 3 is my favourite game of all time, so looking forward to see how triangle strategy compares ( what a poop name )
 

TheMan

Member
I was excited till I looked it up and saw that it was switch only. I actually do have a switch but one joycon port is borked and the second controller I bought simply stopped working after a couple of months, so the damn thing is cursed.

Do we know of an upcoming port?
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
I agree, I LOVE Triangle Strategy and so far my personal GOTY.

I love the it’s unique take on decision making, even games with choices you are the only one making that choice and other characters follow it but in TS other characters also making choices and sometimes it might not go your way and love this.
 
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Kokoloko85

Member
Haven't played SF3 unfortunately since its so hard to get. So I can't speak to that one.

Emulation is the best way atm.

Especially considering Shining Force 3 Part 2 & 3 never got an english release. So can only be played in english by fan translation patches. Well worth it.
I recently played Panzer Dragoon Saga on the mac, so saturn emulation is alot better then before

Does triangle strategy have a hub Or towns? Any movement and interactivity outside of combat sitations?
 
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Emulation is the best way atm.

Especially considering Shining Force 3 Part 2 & 3 never got an english release. So can only be played in english by fan translation patches. Well worth it.
I recently played Panzer Dragoon Saga on the mac, so saturn emulation is alot better then before

Does triangle strategy have a hub Or towns? Any movement and interactivity outside of combat sitations?
There's a minimal encampment to hit shops and do mental battles if you want to grind xp. Some locations let you walk around a small town map and talk to npcs as well. Its not a large portion of the game though.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
In my opinion Triangle Strategy reviewed too harshly by major sites, I highly enjoyed FE Three Houses but I feel TS does lot of things much better than that game, especially when it comes to its map designs and enemy AI.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
There's a minimal encampment to hit shops and do mental battles if you want to grind xp. Some locations let you walk around a small town map and talk to npcs as well. Its not a large portion of the game though.

That sounds sweet though.
Fire Emblem 3 houses hub is great but I miss the villages and npc’s from Shining Force, something Final Fantasy Tactics lacked if I remember correctly lol
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Fire Emblem 3 houses hub is great but I miss the villages and npc’s from Shining Force, something Final Fantasy Tactics lacked if I remember correctly lol
What I like about TS is the game encourages you to talk to towns people and explore the village, you might find new info and items that can help you in the game.
 
It's difficulty on normal is right in that sweet spot. Really hard if you just do the story missions and stick to a main crew. Or you can grind a few training missions, which are fun, and you can keep the challenge right where you want it for your skill level.

This is what really convinces me, as I am garbage at these type of games but love them nonetheless. I don't want it super easy though so knowing I can sort of grind is great, are there negative effects though? Like time passing?
 

Hinedorf

Banned
triangle-strategy.large.jpg


This thread is my PSA to everyone who has overlooked the game, written it off as a AA average game that can be skipped because of its goofy name. Even people who played the demo and only saw the slower beginnings may not be aware of the true heights this game hits.

  • This is the best story ever in an SRPG, and it's not even close for me. I'm not completely at the end yet, but it's up there with some of my favorite video game stories of all time. It's honestly the FFVI equivalent of Game of Thrones. The political intrigue, betrayals and plot twists are genuinely interesting. It gets fairly dark as well.
  • This has some of the best choices in a video game I've ever played. You routinely have to make critical decisions at key points in the story that dramatically affect how the game plays out. At multiple points in the game I had to just sit with my thoughts for 5 minutes to try and actually decide which way I wanted to go.
  • The battles are actually challenging and the enemy AI is actually challenging. You have abilities that manipulate turn order, traps, weather changing, elemental interaction on the map, and tons of options to help you gain an edge in battles. I can't think of an SRPG that I think actually has better battles than this.
  • There are a lot of fantastic QOL improvements to the SRPG genre that make the experience as smooth as possible. Everything is clear and easy to understand, and displayed well in battles and outside of battles, with solid menus and lore texts.
  • You will genuinely want to replay the game to see other endings and choices, and a single playthrough can last 50 hours. This is not a small game and you'll get your money's worth for sure.
  • All the artwork is fantastic for the character portraits.
About the only negative thing I can think of is that the game is definitely story heavy, and that won't appeal to everyone. The game's ratio of story to battles is heavy weighted towards story scenes. If you can settle into the game's slow pace, then I think you'll love the game if you're a fan of any SRPGs.

It's an 83 on Open Critic, and I think it's shockingly underrated. I think that a lot of people skipped this game because of how many releases have come out recently, and over time the appreciation for it will continue to grow. For me, the title isn't hyperbole. I like this a lot more than Final Fantasy Tactics, and Fire Emblem.
I'd be one in the category who completely overlooked this game, you got me interested!
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
The demo put me to sleep. I played 1 hour, probably 45 minutes of which was people standing in place & talking in circles.

Seriously, some anime-style games have the gift of gab where characters just yap on and on as if the writers are getting paid by the word.

Does it get better? Maybe I’ll get around to finishing the demo at least. But man, it made an abysmal first impression on me that’s for sure.
 

Pantz

Gold Member
This is what really convinces me, as I am garbage at these type of games but love them nonetheless. I don't want it super easy though so knowing I can sort of grind is great, are there negative effects though? Like time passing?
Don't think there are any negative effects. You can even go to your encampment right before you're placing your units for a story battle if you need to level up a bit.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
are there negative effects though? Like time passing?
There is no such mechanic in this game but it very hard to over level in this game because you get high EXP when a character under recommended level but as you get higher level you get way less EXP.

The demo put me to sleep. I played 1 hour, probably 45 minutes of which was people standing in place & talking in circles.

Seriously, some anime-style games have the gift of gab where characters just yap on and on as if the writers are getting paid by the word.

Does it get better? Maybe I’ll get around to finishing the demo at least. But man, it made an abysmal first impression on me that’s for sure.
In the beginning the game is very story heavy but it will have much better balance between battles and story later chapters and in my opinion the story is very much worth it and actual SRPG combat is super engaging.
 
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Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
It looks really cool, but I suspect that the second I buy it on the Switch, it'll get announced for the PC (where I'd rather play it.) So, taking a wait and see approach on this one. Still, pretty excited to check this out - not enough good SRPGs these days.
 
On chapter 11 now, the only thing i hate about this game is the pacing. The battles are a lot of fun but got damn after i finish one its like the day after Christmas knowing i gotta go through an hour of story and dialogue to get to the next one.

I enjoy the story but i feel like it could still be paced a lot better iwth more battles inbetween, at least twice the amount. It just makes me crave a new FFT even more
 
There is no such mechanic in this game but it very hard to over level in this game because you get high EXP when a character under recommended level but as you get higher level you get way less EXP.


In the beginning the game is very story heavy but it will have much better balance between battles and story later chapters and in my opinion the story is very much worth it and actual SRPG combat is super engaging.

Don’t listen to this guy^^^

If you don’t like the pacing of the story/battles it doesn’t get better. The story is good enough but if you’re not into what is essentially a visual novel with some battles inbetween then you aren’t gonna like this game. I thought the story segments would eventually slow down also and im past the midway point of the game and they only get longer, especially with the character stories and sidequest, which are all just essentially more cutscenes

Its 70/30 story to actual gameplay, maybe even less gameplay
 
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Boss Mog

Member
Unless Nintendo paid for it I really don't sell why they made it a switch exclusive. Maybe they figured Switch was the only place they could sell it for full price? I would've payed 50 on PS4 maybe (probably not though, let's be honest).
 

Sojiro

Member
It may not be the best in my book, but it definitely stands tall with FF tactics, Fire Emblem, Shining Force, and the like. I just finished this game last week and was shocked by how much I really enjoyed it and already want to jump in for another playthrough. The battles are intense, and definitely make the player earn their win, and I actually like the fact that there is no permanent death with characters, so you don't have to play every battle on the defensive and inevitably reset to save people.

The choice system is also really cool and agree that there feels like real weight to the decisions you make. There were a couple of moments where the option I wanted to happen (and tried my best to sway my way) didn't happen and I had to live with the consequences, which in a particular instance was a gut punch and not what I wanted to do.

There is definitely some merit to the criticism of the game's heavy story emphasis, but I personally really enjoyed the world of Norzelia and the political scheming going on between each nation, that I never minded the moments in between fights. Game definitely deserves more praise than it got, and hopefully more people give it a shot because it is damn good.
 
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Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Don’t listen to this guy^^^

If you don’t like the pacing of the story/battles it doesn’t get better. The story is good enough but if you’re not into what is essentially a visual novel with some battles inbetween then you aren’t gonna like this game. I thought the story segments would eventually slow down also and im past the midway point of the game and they only get longer, especially with the character stories and sidequest, which are all just essentially more cutscenes

Its 70/30 story to actual gameplay, maybe even less gameplay
Maybe my path was different because halt way through the end I got couple battles in row and not mention you have your mock battle in your encampment.
 
The battles are intense, and definitely make the player earn their win, and I actually like the fact that there is no permanent death with characters, so you don't have to play every battle on the defensive and inevitably reset to save people.
Yep. This game changed my mind on perma death completely. In nearly every battle I'll have someone go down and it makes it a lot more interesting. I just played one where I got rocked hard at the start and lost almost all my strongest characters immediately. Then managed to put my shield guy blocking a tiny bottleneck and kept 1 healer and archer behind him and turned the battle around with just a handful of characters left alive. Way more fun.
 
Don’t listen to this guy^^^

If you don’t like the pacing of the story/battles it doesn’t get better. The story is good enough but if you’re not into what is essentially a visual novel with some battles inbetween then you aren’t gonna like this game. I thought the story segments would eventually slow down also and im past the midway point of the game and they only get longer, especially with the character stories and sidequest, which are all just essentially more cutscenes

Its 70/30 story to actual gameplay, maybe even less gameplay
Its slow pacing throughout. But I thought its a bit heavier towards the beginning.

And it really is like Game of Thrones. The initial set up is slower to introduce everyone. Then once it starts moving I was glued to every story section.
 
Maybe my path was different because halt way through the end I got couple battles in row and not mention you have your mock battle in your encampment.


Mock battles are kind of mindlessly easy. They are only really good for getting your underleveled companions up to speed for me, i dont even strategize for them
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I'm loving this game so far (still only on like chapter 6) but yes it's definitely more of a visual novel with strategy battles. For a lot of people, that's a huge turn-off.

For example, my son started playing this and gave up after spending the first two hours of the game only playing a single battle.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Mock battles are kind of mindlessly easy. They are only really good for getting your underleveled companions up to speed for me, i dont even strategize for them
They are good to test out some of character unique abilities and how I could use them for actual battle.
 
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They are good to test out some of character unique abilities and how I could use them for actual battle.

Its just not as satisfying as a good storyline battle. I miss the pacing of something like FFT, TOLUCT, (and advanced games) or even FE where you are constantly being thrown into new unique maps and battles while still given a good amount of story during the battles and inbetween.

Really my main criticism is i want more actual game. I like the set classes and everything just give me more battles


This is the kind of game that is very unsatisfying to play unless you have at least an hour of undivided attention to give to it. You can turn this on for 30 minutes and not enter one battle. Which is weird to me for a portable game

Something like this makes far more sense on a pc or something
 
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Its just not as satisfying as a good storyline battle. I miss the pacing of something like FFT, TOLUCT, (and advanced games) or even FE where you are constantly being thrown into new unique maps and battles while still given a good amount of story during the battles and inbetween.

Really my main criticism is i want more actual game. I like the set classes and everything just give me more battles


This is the kind of game that is very unsatisfying to play unless you have at least an hour of undivided attention to give to it. You can turn this on for 30 minutes and not enter one battle. Which is weird to me for a portable game

Something like this makes far more sense on a pc or something
I think its been fine in small sessions. All the story beats are broken up into small chunks. If you have 40 min to play you could watch all the story available and play a mock battle. It is a lot of story but not hours at a time or anything, except the beginning of the game.
 

Fbh

Member
Yeah it's really good.
I'm on chapter 16 or 17 and even though I've been enjoying it from the start, both the gameplay and story just keep getting better.

-The story is great even though the setup of the world is rather traditional. They said they wanted to tell a story for an older audience and you can really tell as it deals with more political issues, moral grey areas and doesn't fall into most of the generic power of friendship shonen crap that has become so common in JRPG's. Also no annoying kids, no generic waifus, no annoying furry mascot and weeb bait crap.

- The decisions are fantastic, I like the whole voting system and I love that it doesn't fall into generic "good vs bad" options. There's almost always various valid options with equal advantages and drawbacks which seem to have significant implications for the story. Maybe when I replay it I'll see it's all smoke and mirrors but at least so far it seems like the current state of things could have been quite different if I had made different choices along the way.

- The combat is really fun. On normal it offers a good level of challenge with some surprisingly good AI and lots of options to play around with, the missions have also had some decent variety and even 20 hours in I'm still encountering new scenarios with their own unique gimmicks. I also really like how pretty much every character is unique rather than having them fall into standard classes with slight differences like other games.


But yeah it is very slow paced and story heavy. The main story definitely has more dialog than combat so I wouldn't recommend it to people who just care about the gameplay.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
What I like about TS is the game encourages you to talk to towns people and explore the village, you might find new info and items that can help you in the game.

Nice, Sounds like something Id like. Can you go back to previous villages or is it linear?
 

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
About the only negative thing I can think of is that the game is definitely story heavy, and that won't appeal to everyone. The game's ratio of story to battles is heavy weighted towards story scenes. If you can settle into the game's slow pace, then I think you'll love the game if you're a fan of any SRPGs.

If this is a negative for you, then I can't say your opinion on SRPGs is exactly something I'd bet a month of salary on. 🤔
 
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