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Discussion Triangle Strategy - What was the consensus as far as SRPGs on Switch go?

Felony

Felony

pragmatic is this slap erratic catfish is
Wondering what the overall feeling towards this game was, now that the game's been out for quite a while and discussions have basically dropped all but off. I was really interested in it prior to release but the demo was so dry, it kinda turned me off to the point I forgot about the game entirely. Going through Unicorn Overlord has me reconsidering giving Triangle Strategy another chance, just because I haven't played a turn based strategy game in a long time (Three Houses didn't do it for me, and I overlooked Engage entirely, which maybe was a mistake?)

I've read people say the environments and stages are more interactive than Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre; is there any truth to that? What sorta interactions can characters have on them?

Pretty much what makes this a unique SRPG worth possibly trudging through a drier political story, if it doesn't become more expansive as the game progresses? I remember lots of positive online chatter surrounding release but then it just went quiet. Honeymoon phase or just the kind of game you enjoy and move on from?
 
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I think Triangle Strategy is an amazing game and has some very cool moments and maps to work with as with the different units you get to use. It has been a while but I think Triangle Strategy is still very high on my list of favorite SRPG's on Switch. Three Houses is my favorite though as the cast was really great and the way you could do customization was also cool.

Engage is ok story wise and amazing strategy wise. Unicorn Overlord is also great but I may see that one as the "lowest" of the four I just shared.
 
Dry, political stories are why I play these games lol.

I'm not really there for the strategy parts of SRPGs tbh, which is why I have no interest in FE Engage, but loved FE Three Houses. Triangle Strategy definitely delivered in terms of story for me, and the demo is very much indicative of the rest of the game in that regard. I only completed one route but I'd like to get back to the others at some point.

For the combat, I remember turning the difficulty down to the lowest setting and mashing through so I could get back to the story.

So Triangle Strategy is probably an 8/10, compared to Three Houses as a 9/10 for me. But yeah, you probably shouldn't care about my opinion because I don't play these for the battles.
 
In my opinion TS is a fantastic srpg, a high recommendation for fans of the genre. I will be replaying it soon, since I had a kick for Asano games.

So lets start with interactivity of the maps. In the game you will encounter character that have abilities that effect terrain, for example Frederica (pink hair) has fire magic and if the terrain has oil (from an item or environment) you can light it, causing enemies in that area to suffer. If the terrain is wet, you can use lighting magic to stun them. You can freeze puddles, etc. So its fun to use the map to you advantage. Also elevation plays a role. You get some odd character in the party that unique abilities that makes the playthrough fun.

As for the story, there are choices so you can do multiple playthroughs, but I think outside of the political drama and magic, its a story of struggles, which in this game is evident based on your resources. And there are some great heart to heart moments with the characters that make it worthwhile. But in the end it is a political story. If I were to compare it, it tends more in the Ogre side than the Tactics side.

Out of the srpgs I've played I would rank them as follow: Engage, 3 Houses, Triangle Strategy, Tactics Ogre (havent finish it). I would include Unicorn Overlord but its more rts and I just finished it yesterday so I am too biased lol. As for why Engage is in the top, FE is my favorite franchise and that game was a fantastic ride lol, outside of 3 Houses playtime (multiple routes) I've done 4 runs of the game and still have plans to do another.

To wrap up, TS is a very interesting srpg that tries to harken back to the classics while adding a dramatic story and choices that can change the fates of its characters.
 
I loved TS because it gives you difficult choices that are meaningful in terms of which direction the campaign goes, and can change the upcoming battle conditions, but also the options are well-argued by a cast of advisors who aren’t idiots. There also may be consequences for ignoring the things they think are vital.

Early battle spoiler-
For example, choosing to use your castles last ditch defences by setting the surrounding village ablaze. You can win the battle without doing it. Or partially doing it. Or not doing it at all. It makes the battle a lot easier if you do, at the consequences of torching your people’s homes that may affect other things.

Late game story spoiler
ultimately you’ll have to decide which causes are more important to you and there’s no right answer, you can go with your heart and still find steadfast allies abandon you because their own convictions differ

The game is built around trading off what’s practical, what’s right and the few vs the many vs your own obligations to your people, not just your powerful band of heroes. I enjoyed Unicorn Overlord too, but there are no real decisions of consequence in it- I’d have loved to have seen recruitment of some characters locked out if you chose to spare or recruit others.

All in all though, I think TS is easily on par with FFT/Tactics Ogre to me. An interesting story that rewards multiple playthroughs but feels more elegantly explained, it’s many decision points of greater consequence and a lot less bloated along the way. It stands on the shoulder of giants but isn’t lesser for it. Unicorn Overlord is closer to Fire Emblem in that it’s really all about the battle mechanics with a relatively simple story.
 
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SirArthur said:
for example Frederica (pink hair) has fire magic and if the terrain has oil (from an item or environment) you can light it, causing enemies in that area to suffer. If the terrain is wet, you can use lighting magic to stun them. You can freeze puddles, etc. So its fun to use the map to you advantage. Also elevation plays a role. You get some odd character in the party that unique abilities that makes the playthrough fun.
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This sounds pretty cool, actually.

Didn't realize the story had branching paths either.

PixelKnight said:
I loved TS because it gives you difficult choices that are meaningful in terms of which direction the campaign goes, and can change the upcoming battle conditions, but also the options are well-argued by a cast of advisors who aren’t idiots. There also may be consequences for ignoring the things they think are vital.
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I do enjoy having stakes when siding with factions and stuff.
 
I think back on Triangle Strategy quite a bit, and I really enjoy doing so - Such a great game, I hope there's a sequel but I'm not so sure it'll happen.

Not only one of my favorite SRPG's on the system but one of my favorite RPG's on the system. It's fantastic in all but name (haha)
 
"Finely-crafted SRPG combat with an emphasis on tactics rather than unit customization" is I believe the consensus. The story is where opinions divide. The demo is a fair representation of the full experience, I'll say. It's a bit drier, yes, due to all the introductory table-setting (if that's the demo you played, rather than the earlier sample which had a slice of two mid-point chapters) compared to when the stakes are raised, but the balance between dialogue and gameplay isn't going to shift meaningfully, and you should be able to judge whether you can see yourself getting invested in the characters and the larger struggle and carry those intellectual and emotional stakes into the scale of judgement segments to imbue decisions with meaning.

Don't bank too much on the environmental stuff. While it's there in some stages and elemental/weather interactions, that's not an important focus of the overall design and more of a nice bonus you occasionally take advantage of and thus not a reason to give Triangle Strategy a shot when you otherwise aren't interested. The pull really is how battles and plot feed into each other. If one half of that isn't working for you, this genre entry goes from classic to skip.
 
Probably the best of them. The big thing it has over the competition is that there's no class overlap. Like in Fire Emblem/Final Fantasy Tactics/Tactics Ogre you get your starter mage, who's functionally identical to the mage you recruit in chapter 4 and the one you recruit in chapter 18. Meanwhile in Triangle Strategy your mages all have their own spell list and passives that make them play completely differently. One of your archers can fly, while the other flier is a tank of all things. Of the two clerics in the game, one is an overhealer while the other specializes in emergency recovery. Then you have the real fun classes like the guy who can build ladders, the clown who can steal enemy skills (from the true final boss even), and the number mage who can nuke half the map.

It's also very hard to level grind your way to victory, which means that your team composition isn't just throwing in whoever you're building supports with + the guy who's going to solo the map. Your hero will get flanked and dismantled if you don't have him supported by a tank, the tank does better if you give them a defense buff, and the buff guy wants extra action speed from the time mage's haste spell, while your flying archer locks enemies in place with binding arrows. It's exquisite.
 
I have to say that the fact this has the same score as the first Octopath Traveler is an insult and I LIKE Octopath Traveler but the team simply improved their writing greatly (something that you can also see in OT2).

Sheldon said:
The demo is a fair representation of the full experience
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Is not, I thought that the story in the demo was kinda boring and slow but the pacing and quality becomes much better later on.
 
It was great and my favourite SRPG on the Switch. I played it on hardest difficulty and enjoyed every bit of it. It requires critical thinking and good understanding of the map layout and your units abilities to take advantage of it. Which is something Fire Emblem lost in the latest entries with the openess nature of most of its maps. Selecting your team and positioning it on the map before the battle is half the battle done before it even starts. There are really tight maps where the elevations and tile properties are key to the victory.
 
It’s excellent. I didn’t feel compelled to play more than one route, but I had a ton of fun on said route. Definitely my favorite Asano game, and one of if not my favorite SRPG of all time (which is admittedly a very small pool to pick from).
 
I haven't played Unicorn Overlord, but I have played most of the other games listed so far, and Tactics Ogre is the only one that gives Triangle Strategy a run for its money. It's really fantastic as far as gameplay goes, perfectly balanced and pretty replayable. The only negatives I can think of are the slow start, some iffy voice direction here and there, and that I don't feel too strongly about its plot, even after completing two of its main routes.

One of its strongest aspects is that, as Elementary mentioned, every character feels very distinct, which I appreciate as it's not too common a thing in the genre.

Felony said:
I do enjoy having stakes when siding with factions and stuff.
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This game's replayability is really built on choosing one ally over another at pivotal points in the story, so at the very least you can be sure it won't let you down on that front. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" might as well be the tagline of the game.
 
Triangle Strategy is fantastic. Once you get past its slow start it really picks up. Love its emphasis on positioning units properly to optimize their kits. I like how every unit is unique, the morality system is interesting and the branching paths are neat. The linear class promotion system also helps prevent the game from becoming another unit builder. The soundtrack is fantastic too.

It pretty much takes a lot of good things from Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre and Fire Emblem to make a really good game. If you like any of those games you'll probably like Triangle Strategy. It's definitely worth it if you can find it on sale or whatever.
 
the world-building is so so good man. the early hours are completely necessary for how fleshed out the world politics has to get, as it let the full story and characters have real weight.

something i completely love is when you can use your knowledge of the game's real-world events and history and just think "hey it would make complete sense if x political character with influence from x country was planning this right now, to be utilized at this point in time when our party will be at x area to maximize effect', make a decision off of that information, AND IT ACTUALLY JUST HAPPENS?

cause it's like yeah, of course it would. because these are all real living breathing intelligent characters with their own motivations and the story is smartly written so it plays out in such fascinating intricate ways. the elaborate set-up and building is exactly what allows it all to click and work harmoniously.

it matches Game of Thrones(the books) in political intricacy at times and that is the greatest possible compliment i can give to a story like this.
 
game-of-the-year-rocco-botte.gif


One of the GOATs.
 
I loved Triangle Strategy!
The way the Scales of Conviction choices were actually pretty difficult choices to make and had sizeable impact on the direction of the story and even what characters would stand by your choices was really cool.

The battles themselves were also great, making good use of elevation as well as unique map gimmicks and skills like being able to ride minecarts or set terrain on fire with fire spells.

It's a really engaging and fantastic SRPG and if you don't mind long and wordy dialogue sequences between battles, then it's an easy recommendation from me
 
Everything about it feels like a modern, wonderful interpretation of fantasy tactical RPGs before it- set in a reactive world that portrays real player consequence. The fights are ultra-engaging on many levels, the plot is genuinely very fun to interact with (if a bit gut wrenching) and I suggest you play ASAP. Also, use the Japanese vocals instead of the English ones, it's much better that way.

I waited so long for a Final Fantasy Tactics successor, and I believe it is here. Game of Thrones is a very apt comparison.

big lantern ghost said:
It’s great. Real great. Just ask @afternoon delight
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iu
 
That seems to be an unpopular opinion but I did not like it that much and I haven't finished it. I respect what the game tries to do with the branching story-line, the voting mechanic and all that, but the game is way too chatty, the story and factions felt completely telegraphed and generic to me, the tactical gameplay felt restricted and bland... I have to admit I've never been much of a fan of FF Tactics, Ogre and other Japan-developed tactical RPGs (I'm more into the Western X-COM/Jagged Alliance kind of games). So the main takeaway from this is as follows: if classic Japanese TRPGs have never been your thing and tons of (not so inspired) dialog can put you off, I doubt Triangle Strategy will change your opinion on these matters.
 
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Revolsin said:
something i completely love is when you can use your knowledge of the game's real-world events and history and just think "hey it would make complete sense if x political character with influence from x country was planning this right now, to be utilized at this point in time when our party will be at x area to maximize effect', make a decision off of that information, AND IT ACTUALLY JUST HAPPENS?

cause it's like yeah, of course it would. because these are all real living breathing intelligent characters with their own motivations and the story is smartly written so it plays out in such fascinating intricate ways. the elaborate set-up and building is exactly what allows it all to click and work harmoniously.
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Still disappointed in myself I had every player on the board pegged early enough that I could have littlefingered my way to a flawless victory on the first playthrough except I starked one seemingly inconsequential decision which lead to me not being in the right place at the right time and thus tragedy befell my house and the realm.

Disappinted in myself, but delighted with the game.
 
You've all convinced me. Went ahead and ordered it. The only thing I'm worried is going to be a bit of slog is the amount of dialogue and how long scenes run, but it also sounds like after making some decisions and progressing things'll probably become more engrossing. But since the actual combat and party management is what interests me the most I'm gonna give it a fair shake. That all sounds really, really good!

Unfortunately had to go the online route since it seems my only options are GameStop stores 40+ mi away in PHX... And I have no desire to fuck with that. So it'll be a week before I can let ya know what I think.
 
Just to throw my two cents in, I felt like the demo was kind of a slog because of all the exposition and introducing characters but when things get going the balance between story and gameplay felt just right to me. I loved the game a ton!
 
Saying that the writing is massively inferior to something like three houses probably isn't a very controversial opinion. That being said it had some pretty interesting mechanics that help differentiate it from its competitors. Still waiting for that DQIII remake.
 
That's what I'm hearing. The demo wasn't the best example of the game. I mean they never usually are, but the dialogue was overwhelming for that little slice. It seems like this one will require some investment when it comes to planning and choosing dialogue options, which should make it easier to follow along with as the story progresses. From I recall of the demo it just kinda threw you in and tried to explain the systems a bit too much. I'm horrible when it comes to absorbing information being vomited at me at 90km/h. Names and stuff, too. I have to slowly get to know what's what, who's who.

Looking forward to giving it a try!
 
Felony said:
You've all convinced me. Went ahead and ordered it. The only thing I'm worried is going to be a bit of slog is the amount of dialogue and how long scenes run, but it also sounds like after making some decisions and progressing things'll probably become more engrossing. But since the actual combat and party management is what interests me the most I'm gonna give it a fair shake. That all sounds really, really good!
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1. There is a skip function for every single speaking moment except the very brief interludes before a battle, when actually engaged.

2. Party management and actual combat is fucking aces. Play on Hard mode, the AI is much more challenging! (y)

Hopefully you enjoy, I think you will- then join us with your strengthened convictions!
 
Felony said:
That's what I'm hearing. The demo wasn't the best example of the game. I mean they never usually are, but the dialogue was overwhelming for that little slice. It seems like this one will require some investment when it comes to planning and choosing dialogue options, which should make it easier to follow along with as the story progresses. From I recall of the demo it just kinda threw you in and tried to explain the systems a bit too much. I'm horrible when it comes to absorbing information being vomited at me at 90km/h. Names and stuff, too. I have to slowly get to know what's what, who's who.

Looking forward to giving it a try!
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I’ll be interested to see how you get on with it, let us know what you think here :)
 
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Spectacular experience, with some fun maps, some even evolve over chapters. I was really impressed with the story as well, love Benedict as a character. Worth checking out if you don't mind more minute changes for units rather than big scale changes.
 
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I tried the demo and it wasn't quite for me. I liked the core gameplay and the graphics, but I thought that there was just too much dialogue that wasn't super compelling. I don't mind dialogue - I'm currently going through Persona 5 - but I didn't think that what was there was very good or interesting, if that makes sense. Makes it harder to sit through. Maybe it gets better after you play.
 
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The two best switch srpgs are Unicorn Overlord and Triangle Strategy, imo.

Yes, better than Tactics Ogre, P5T, Fire Emblem and Disgaea.
 
Felony said:
You've all convinced me. Went ahead and ordered it. The only thing I'm worried is going to be a bit of slog is the amount of dialogue and how long scenes run, but it also sounds like after making some decisions and progressing things'll probably become more engrossing. But since the actual combat and party management is what interests me the most I'm gonna give it a fair shake. That all sounds really, really good!

Unfortunately had to go the online route since it seems my only options are GameStop stores 40+ mi away in PHX... And I have no desire to fuck with that. So it'll be a week before I can let ya know what I think.
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I had to buy my copy from a different country entirely. Still was cheaper than digital, somehow. :ROFLMAO:

Hope you enjoy! Keep in mind, the game really is made to be played at least twice, you're very resource strapped in your first run. It's actually part of the fun, because you have to decide where to allocate resources in addition to making story decisions and combat decisions. Also very important: Roland is one of the strongest damage-dealers in the game, but he's a hit-and-run specialist, not a tank. Don't fall into the trap of expecting him to survive more than one hit.
 
Tailzo said:
The two best switch srpgs are Unicorn Overlord and Triangle Strategy, imo.

Yes, better than Tactics Ogre, P5T, Fire Emblem and Disgaea.
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I've only played the demo but I enjoyed my time with Unicorn Overlord a lot more than Triangle Strategy. They're have very different games, but everything about UO was more compelling to me than TS. Presentation, music, dialog, gameplay... I'll make sure to get a copy once I cleared a bit of my backlog.

I'd recommend to give it a look once OP is done with TS and if they still have a tactical RPG itch to scratch.
 
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