• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

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

OuterLimits

Member
Just bought it a few days ago. Glad to hear the story is really good. I don't mind long periods between battles if I find the plot interesting.

Love strategy games, and surprisingly the Switch has a pretty decent amount of them.

I think I even bought every game in the Mercenaries Saga series. Yes, the quality isn't on the level of Fire Emblem obviously but the games are solid.

Brigandine is damn amazing also.
 

daveonezero

Banned
I really liked the 2nd demo. I was genuinely interested in the story. I thought the pacing was a bit boring but Its good to hear that it may be worth it.

I did like the combat. What difficulty are you all playing at? I like a challenge all the way through and like things to matter like buffs and heals. A good balance and makes you think. Is that Hard or Normal?
 
Last edited:

Dynasty8

Member
I loved FFT. One of the best games ever made imo. So this is good to hear...but there's no way I'll get a switch just for this. Any chance we'll see this on other consoles?
 

Y0ssarian

Banned
Better than the ultimate in srpg technology (Tactics Ogre Let us Cling together, Jeanne d'Arc & FFT War of the Lions)?
 

gradient

Resident Cheap Arse
I agree that's it's an outstanding SRPG.

My first playthrough was ~50 hours and that's with minimal grind on the mock battles. I played through making the choices I felt right rather than checking guides and it really did feel like the story was of my making and the consequences and choices directly correlated to my decisions earlier in the game.

As I said in the other thread, it's refreshing in that it's definitely a game that is built to be replayed. There are so many maps and characters I didn't get to see or play because my choices took me down a different path so after finishing the game I'm already keen to replay it and make different decisions so I can see the story play out differently and take me to different battles and choices.

I played on Normal and the AI pushed me pretty hard. Notably in one battle it all got so desperate that it ended up with EVERYONE dead bar 2 of my characters and the leader of the opposing faction all on low health and it came down to a desperate slap fight trying to make the right tactical decisions to take them before they could land a hit on either of mine. Intense and tons of fun.

I rank it above FFT and not sure where it stands against my favorite FE's. IMHO A good SRPG compels you to play it again and holds up on subsequent playthroughs so it needs another playthrough for me to decide where it sits. I'm definitely compelled to play again - the story and choices mechanic is that good, I just need to see if it remains as much fun the 2nd time around.

Absolutely fantastic game. SRPG fans need to get on it. It's sad to see it so overlooked and I've no doubt it'll become one of those games that gains high regard and recognition in years to come.

I even hope it gets a PC port so it can reach a wider audience. More people should play this one.
 
Last edited:

Shifty1897

Member
I agree with OP, the game is one of the best strategy RPGs ever. I rank it above Final Fantasy Tactics but below Tactics Ogre PSP.

The only negatives are the slow start and the voice acting. After starting a new game plus, I can definitely see how front loaded the plot is versus the late game. The pacing gets better after chapter 5, but the story segments will always be there.

The map design and difficulty tuning are nothing short of incredible. I never felt like I hit a brick wall while playing on normal. Every battle felt fierce, with narrow victories and only one or two characters still standing, to bitter defeats at the hands of overpowered boss units. If I lost, it was my fault. Losing a battle let's you restart with all your exp and levels gained, so even failure is still a means of progression. The mock battles are fun too, though as someone said earlier, they are easier than the story missions.

I can't recommend this game enough to anyone who considers themselves a fan of the genre.
 

pramod

Banned
Hmm this one looks just like FF Tactics and all the other isometric SRPGs out there.

I don't know why, I love strategy games, but I could never get into the FF Tactics/Fire Emblem/Shining Force/etc style of SRPGs. I find the battles and the gameplay in these style of games to be very tedious. You basically move one character at a time, put them next to an enemy, and whack them/cast a spell, etc. Repeat until you killed everyone.

Also I think calling these games "strategy RPGs" are a bit of a misnomer. They are just RPGs with tactical battles.

BTW I'm more of a Langrisser/Master of Monsters/Nectaris/Advance Wars sort of guy. But I guess those are more like true strategy games.
 
Last edited:

Alexios

Banned
Idk, FFTactics managed to make story scenes so epic with those chibi sprites interacting with/backstabbing each other and what not, does it really top that story and presentation? Other games like Vandal Hearts while good just weren't the complete polished package (game imba aside).

Story heavy is just a genre staple, it goes without saying. I just always doubted this game's writing based on the name alone, it's like if Fire Emblem was Weapon Triangle. That made it all seem a low budget little effort classic knock off wannabe a la I Am Setsuna, Lost Sphear and such 🤷‍♂️
 
Last edited:
Idk, FFTactics managed to make story scenes so epic with those chibi sprites interacting with/backstabbing each other and what not, does it really top that story and presentation? Other games like Vandal Hearts while good just weren't the complete polished package (game imba aside).

Story heavy is just a genre staple, it goes without saying. I just always doubted this game's writing based on the name alone, it's like if Fire Emblem was Weapon Triangle. That made it all seem a low budget little effort classic knock off wannabe a la I Am Setsuna, Lost Sphear and such 🤷‍♂️
I think SQEX must have finally heard all the criticism about their extravagant and ridiculous names; Final Duocedicm, Birth by Zipper 122.4^3/0((Origins)Finale). Now they're on a counter-trend of the most literal, completely direct and straight ahead names ever. Triangle Strategy, Dungeon Encounters, Voice with Cards. I think FFXVI will be revealed as FFXVI: People with Weapons. They just will always struggle with titles.

The game's very good!
 

gradient

Resident Cheap Arse
Idk, FFTactics managed to make story scenes so epic with those chibi sprites interacting with/backstabbing each other and what not, does it really top that story and presentation? Other games like Vandal Hearts while good just weren't the complete polished package (game imba aside).

Story heavy is just a genre staple, it goes without saying. I just always doubted this game's writing based on the name alone, it's like if Fire Emblem was Weapon Triangle. That made it all seem a low budget little effort classic knock off wannabe a la I Am Setsuna, Lost Sphear and such 🤷‍♂️

Yeah, the story segments are played out in the same way with the sprites and it does a decent job conveying the events while keeping that retro sprite acted drama feel.

The story really is spot on, but it's not some linear track, it really does vary depending upon the choices you make so there are a lot of different branches and those branches change your relationships with playable and non-playable characters, even going so far as to relegate them to pure story actors or playable members of the team.

I will also say the voice acting seems to greatly improve after the first 5 chapters. I honestly don't know what happened for some of the material, maybe they recorded it all in reverse and come the end the actors were just done and phoned their remaining lines in.
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
Idk, FFTactics managed to make story scenes so epic with those chibi sprites interacting with/backstabbing each other and what not, does it really top that story and presentation? Other games like Vandal Hearts while good just weren't the complete polished package (game imba aside).

Story heavy is just a genre staple, it goes without saying. I just always doubted this game's writing based on the name alone, it's like if Fire Emblem was Weapon Triangle. That made it all seem a low budget little effort classic knock off wannabe a la I Am Setsuna, Lost Sphear and such 🤷‍♂️
I don’t mind story heavy. FF Tactics & Xenogears are probably my 2 favorite JRPGs of all time.

But at least from what I’ve played of the demo, Triangle Strategy’s story is just excessive and moves at a glacial pace. They have this gift of yapping on and on to the point where every conversation feels twice as long as it needs to be.

First hour of the demo is about 50 minutes of introducing 1000 characters and showing everyday life in this kingdom and about 10 minutes of fighting against some random bandits (who I assume become important later on). Contrast that with e.g. the opening cinematic of Final Fantasy XII which accomplishes the same thing in a few minutes (life is happy in the kingdom, prince & princess about to wed, then all hell breaks loose) and it’s way more exciting.

IDK maybe it gets better, I’m tempted to give it another shot after reading all the praise here. But man it made a horrible first impression on me.

Demo carries into the full game so definitely try before you buy.
 
I don’t mind story heavy. FF Tactics & Xenogears are probably my 2 favorite JRPGs of all time.

But at least from what I’ve played of the demo, Triangle Strategy’s story is just excessive and moves at a glacial pace. They have this gift of yapping on and on to the point where every conversation feels twice as long as it needs to be.

First hour of the demo is about 50 minutes of introducing 1000 characters and showing everyday life in this kingdom and about 10 minutes of fighting against some random bandits (who I assume become important later on). Contrast that with e.g. the opening cinematic of Final Fantasy XII which accomplishes the same thing in a few minutes (life is happy in the kingdom, prince & princess about to wed, then all hell breaks loose) and it’s way more exciting.

IDK maybe it gets better, I’m tempted to give it another shot after reading all the praise here. But man it made a horrible first impression on me.

Demo carries into the full game so definitely try before you buy.
You didn't imagine it. It is unusually story heavy. But personally I found it more than worth it once I got into the pacing of the game and adjusted my expectations a bit. I can see how the game could be divisive though, and only on this one issue.
 

mcjmetroid

Member
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.
100% agree!!
 

Sentenza

Member
1- These are TACTICAL RPGs, not "strategic" ones.

2- The best tactical RPG of all time (and incidentally also the best STRATEGIC RPG -for real, this time, since involves large scale strategy beside tactical battles-) remains Jagged Alliance 2.

3- Even sticking just to more modern releases, XCOM 2 with the War of the Chosen expansion remains the king of the genre in the last decade or so.
 
Last edited:
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 )
You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar :messenger_clapping: (y) :messenger_sunglasses:

television here's to you GIF
 

SeraphJan

Member
For those of you that compare to FFT story wise

Its not whether which is better, they felt very different.

Triangle Strategy have grounded style of story telling like A Song of Ice and Fire

While FFT felt poetic and epic like Shakespeare with Fantasy

It felt more close to Tactics Ogre instead of Final Fantasy Tactics
 
Last edited:

Alexios

Banned
How is A Song of Ice and Fire more grounded than FFT? Frost zombie wight armies and their white walker lords, direwolves, dragons, giants, children of the forest, death gods, wizards, witches, wargs, greenseers and red priests? Just cos the language doesn't try to be flowery ye olde english or whatever (which Vagrant Story translators aced, the original translation of FFT on the PlayStation - or, naturally, the Japanese text - isn't really in the same vein, only the PSP and later releases of it took after Vagrant Story's style in that)? Or is there little daily magic while in FFT I guess its pretty common (same for the fantasy creatures out in the wild), though the story's about all the politics, warring and betrayals etc. (+ the evil god cult revival stuff I suppose), it's just a (big) thing in that world. I assume TS also has magic everywhere for gameplay too. Is there (good) Japanese VA?
 
Last edited:
How is A Song of Ice and Fire more grounded than FFT? Frost zombie wight armies and their white walker lords, direwolves, dragons, giants, children of the forest, death gods, wizards, witches, wargs, greenseers and red priests? Just cos the language doesn't try to be flowery ye olde english or whatever (which Vagrant Story translators aced)? That's a given. Or is there little daily magic while in FFT I guess its pretty common, though the story's about all the politics and betrayals etc. (+ evil god stuff), it's just a thing in that world. I assume TS also has magic everywhere for gameplay too.

is there Japanese VA?
There's magic in TS, but it's not a lot really. The game has very grounded political concerns, mostly grounded battle abilities, and the choice system emphasizes the balance between choosing based on morality or pragmatism.

The emphasis on pragmatism also gives the game a grounded feel, since you often feel powerless and have to make the best with multiple bad options. FFT has lots of grounded elements also, so it's ultimately going to come down to personal preference.
 
Last edited:

Evil Calvin

Afraid of Boobs
I'm liking the game. Only on chapter 4 but I play before I go to bed...hopefully and hour, and some nights I'll play for a bit and never get to any battles. Story is good but the game won't be for everyone.
 

Raven117

Member
FFTactics is the high water mark, but after the demo, I will be giving this a shot.

(Just too much came out in too short a window for me recently).
 

Sleepwalker

Gold Member
I like TS a lot so far although it doesnt dethrone Fire Emblem GBA (2003) as my GOAT. Or FF tactics advance as my second, its up there tho.

Try to play every night before bed altho the first few hours i would literally fall asleep because of so much exposition. Lol
 

Celcius

°Temp. member
better than final fantasy tactics? Better than valkyria chronicles 1 and 4? Better than shining force?

I only played the demo but didn’t really care for what I played
 

NecrosaroIII

Ask me about my terrible takes on Star Trek characters
It's about a war over salt and iron. That ruined it for me. A shame because mechanically it seems great
 

Pagusas

Elden Member
I dont know, this board told me Fire Emblem Three Houses was amazing.... and well it wasnt. Hard to trust when it comes to these games.
 
Last edited:

anab0lic36

Member
Qg4ilsD.jpg


Don't speak of best in the genre until you have played the above tbh... as that game is a damn near masterpiece, let down only slightly by some balance issues. (that fan made mods claim to address)

TS was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, but learning that it is so heavily stacked with story over gameplay, is disappointing to say the least, as story is not at all what I come to this medium for, its to engage my mind with interesting problems to solve and if I have to wait one hour (I hope people are exaggerating here) between being able to continuously partake in that, its going to be a real slog. I probably will eventually end up playing this, largely because we are so starved for actual good games in what is one of my favourite genres. But I will probably sooner go back to my FFT A2 playthrough that I started a while back before playing through this, simply because its giving me more gameplay for time invested.
 

Omnipunctual Godot

Gold Member
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.
Once I got to the binary choice midway through Three Houses, I stopped playing the game 40 hours in. It desperately needed a "fuck all of you lunatics" third option.
 
Last edited:

Shifty1897

Member
It's about a war over salt and iron. That ruined it for me. A shame because mechanically it seems great
I have to know, is salt being a rare commodity the issue there?

Salt was a rare commodity until the industrial revolution. Mining was expensive and dangerous and typically done by slaves because of the low life expectancy of salt miners due to mine shaft collapses, the heavy labor of mining, and dehydration from breathing in and touching all the salt.

If you think warring over spices is laughable, check out the Dutch-Portuguese war.

Lastly, salt is needed for human survival and in a world where salt mining hasn't been discovered yet and only one source of saltwater in the charted world exists, it would definitely be fought over.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk, stay salty.
 
Last edited:

Mozzarella

Member
So i'm not really sure about this subgenre and how many games it covers, does it cover Divinity Original Sin 2, Heroes of Might and Magic 3, XCOM and Jagged Alliance 2?
Or it only covers Tactics Ogre, FF Tactics, Fire Emblem and this?
Really confusing with all these subgenre names :p
 
Qg4ilsD.jpg


Don't speak of best in the genre until you have played the above tbh... as that game is a damn near masterpiece, let down only slightly by some balance issues. (that fan made mods claim to address)

TS was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, but learning that it is so heavily stacked with story over gameplay, is disappointing to say the least, as story is not at all what I come to this medium for, its to engage my mind with interesting problems to solve and if I have to wait one hour (I hope people are exaggerating here) between being able to continuously partake in that, its going to be a real slog. I probably will eventually end up playing this, largely because we are so starved for actual good games in what is one of my favourite genres. But I will probably sooner go back to my FFT A2 playthrough that I started a while back before playing through this, simply because its giving me more gameplay for time invested.
I've played it. And FFTA2.
 

SeraphJan

Member
Qg4ilsD.jpg


Don't speak of best in the genre until you have played the above tbh... as that game is a damn near masterpiece, let down only slightly by some balance issues. (that fan made mods claim to address)

TS was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, but learning that it is so heavily stacked with story over gameplay, is disappointing to say the least, as story is not at all what I come to this medium for, its to engage my mind with interesting problems to solve and if I have to wait one hour (I hope people are exaggerating here) between being able to continuously partake in that, its going to be a real slog. I probably will eventually end up playing this, largely because we are so starved for actual good games in what is one of my favourite genres. But I will probably sooner go back to my FFT A2 playthrough that I started a while back before playing through this, simply because its giving me more gameplay for time invested.
This is my childhood favorite on the SNES

The one you've posted is the remake, its actually better than the SNES version in some way, but way worst than the SNES version in the other way.

The remake did improve gameplay in terms of customization like FFT, but they also completely mess up the game with its level system and progression system at the same time, unique character does not felt unique anymore, some boss and special character lose its impact due to this, and that level system makes a lot of frustration too (every unique character comes with level 1?). My feeling towards this version is complicated, its good and bad at the same time. And maybe its just me, the remake also lost the atmosphere of the original, especially the dreadfulness.

Triangle Strategy in a lot of way are very close to Tactics Ogre than FFT in terms of story. They both have multiple path and ending with dilemma of choice, they are both very grounded compare to FFT, in some way Tactics Ogre (especially the SNES original) felt way darker than TS.

But gameplay wise they are very different, beside map and elevations, TS plays more like Fire Emblem with its progression system, with linear character progression path, and no weapon options.

Finally if you ask me which do I think is better TS vs TO, I would slightest vote for TO (no nostalgia, if nostalgia was included this comparison is going to be much more biased than this), but TS is as close as it gets in terms of quality, especially consider most modern SJRPG does not reach the same height anymore, TS is in a very good direction, I really hope they did well with this game.
 
Last edited:
So i'm not really sure about this subgenre and how many games it covers, does it cover Divinity Original Sin 2, Heroes of Might and Magic 3, XCOM and Jagged Alliance 2?
Or it only covers Tactics Ogre, FF Tactics, Fire Emblem and this?
Really confusing with all these subgenre names :p

Divinity is a CRPG, X-com is a tactical shooter, FFT and TO are Strategy RPGs.

The one thing they have in common is that they are isometric and turn based. But their underlying game systems are completely different.

This game is closer to FFT and Fire Emblem where you have characters and classes and rpg mechanics but you dont actually do much actual exploring. Its basically just different battlefields you go to. Same with X-Com but X-com isn’t really an RPG.

Divinity is closer to fallout and wasteland, open world rpgs with a lot of choice systems and customization.
 
Last edited:

SeraphJan

Member
Divinity is a CRPG, X-com is a tactical shooter, FFT and TO are Strategy RPGs.

The one thing they have in common is that they are isometric and turn based. But their underlying game systems are completely different.

This game is closer to FFT and Fire Emblem where you have characters and classes and rpg mechanics but you dont actually do much actual exploring. Its basically just different battlefields you go to. Same with X-Com but X-com isn’t really an RPG.

Divinity is closer to fallout and wasteland, open world rpgs with a lot of choice systems and customization.
Yeah, these game falls under SJRPG, although tactical, they are JRPG in essence.

The subgenre also include games like Langrisser, Fire Emblem, Spectral Force 3, Disgaea, Super Robot Wars, Vandal Hearts, Shinning Force etc.

Heroes of Might and Magic is also very different compare to X-Com, its more like King's bounty and Disciple franchise.
 
Last edited:
for anyone that cant stand the long story segments of this game, if you want something much closer to final fantasy tactics you should play Fell Seal.

One of its faults is that it doesn’t try hard enough to separate itself from FFT


Fell-Seal-3.jpg
 

Furball

Member
I like it but it is not beating FFT series , Valkyrie Profile Covenant , Tactic Orge , Valkyria Chronicle series. There are so many i like from those game more but I like this one more than FE and other SRPG .
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom