Triangle Strategy was an revealed back in 2021 during a Nintendo Direct as “Project Triangle Strategy”. At the time, a demo was made available and user feedback was gathered which ultimately shaped the game into what we have here now.

“Project Triangle Strategy” was eventually renamed to Triangle Strategy and this is easily one of 2022’s best tactical RPG games available on Nintendo Switch.

Three Kingdoms

In Triangle Strategy, players will take on the role of Serenoa, an heir to House Wolffort of Glenbrook. Serenoa inhabits the world of Norzelia which is further divided into three major kingdoms. These three kingdoms – Aesfrost, Glenbrook and Hyzante – each have a particular resource located within their borders.

Hyzante however has access to lifegiving “Salt”. Throughout history in Norzelia many battles were fought between these three kingdoms and eventually a great war known as the “Saltiron War” broke out. After a bitter battle, peace was brokered and trade agreements were set up between each kingdom. Set in the future, tensions between each kingdom are still high in Triangle Strategy and players will be drawn into a new tale.

Triangle Strategy kicks off with players being thrust right into the heat of battle. Frederica of Aesfrost arrives in Glenbrook and is attacked by bandits. Serenoa however happens to be around and the game immediately starts teaching you how to battle.

Battles in Triangle Strategy are turn-based and play out on a grid that’s placed over the environment. Players will issue orders to their units to move and attack. The game also features a height mechanic with higher ground providing a tactical advantage during attacks.

Tactical Gameplay

Players will issue their orders to their units, and after their attack or skill is used, will end their turn by changing the direction their unit faces. Have your back turned to an enemy at the end of a turn and you might end up taking additional damage when you’re attacked from behind. Players therefore have to move their units carefully and consider the direction they are facing in order to prevent additional damage from being done to them.

Triangle Strategy’s battle system is extremely reminiscent of games such as Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics but incorporates its own unique flavour into the mix. Using your units from higher ground to carry out attacks is great in action and the game’s extremely flashy attack animations and effects are excellent throughout. Casting spells in particular look amazing and seeing the attack animations play out never gets old.

Battles in Triangle Strategy involve a lot of units and there’s definitely a lot to consider when trying to take down foes. Enemy units can flank you for example and pull off dual attacks which trigger when you’re caught between two of them. You can do the same thing too though so trying to surround a foe should be a priority to ensure maximum damage is done per unit turn.

There’s a lot of different classes of units too with mages, archers, swordsmen, cavalry and more being made available. Players can also use the environment to their advantage by melting ice or setting fire to the ground. The tactical gameplay in Triangle Strategy has been nailed down perfectly and thankfully, the game includes a “Fast Forward” button too so you don’t have to sit around waiting for enemy turns to slowly play out.

HD-2D

Triangle Strategy’s story is where the game truly shines though some players might find this to be problematic. There’s a lot of talking in Triangle Strategy and the story segments can take an extremely long time to play out. The game separates itself into three phases with story, exploration and battles.

The story segments, while fully voiced, can drag on for extended periods of time and gamers who lack patience might end up getting annoyed by this. Exploration involves moving Serenoa around an “HD-2D” environment, similar to those seen in Octopath Traveler, and conversing with NPCs.

The pixel art environments in Triangle Strategy are beautiful, filled with detail and are a visual feast for the eyes. Players can rotate the camera and zoom in and out freely and this really helps with soaking up the gorgeous visuals in the environment. Battles, are self-explanatory and can take anything from 15 to 30 minutes (or longer) to play out depending on what you’re doing.

Players can also upgrade their units weapons and equip them with new items and accessories. Standard fare really for any self-respecting RPG title. This is done at an expeditions camp which can be accessed when out in exploring. Players will also be able to unlock new skills and abilities for their units too as they grow and level them up. These become necessary to win battles later in the game since battles do ramp up in difficulty quite a bit as the story plays out.

Triangle Strategy’s story is superb and involves a lot of very intense themes revolving around politics, trade and high fantasy. If you have the patience to listen to the voiced conversations and read the additional lore entries you find throughout the game, the world that Square Enix and developer Artdink have created here is ridiculously detailed and will suck you in.

Players can make story decisions in Triangle Strategy and will be presented with options to choose from at key points during conversations. These choices will affect how the story plays out and there are multiple branching story parts in the game which enhances its replayability factor a lot. Each chapter in Triangle Strategy takes around an hour or so to get through and since the game is on Nintendo Switch, this is great for pick up and play gameplay.

The soundtrack here features a lot of catchy tunes and the voice acting in the game is incredibly well done in both English and Japanese. There’s seasoned veteran voice actors who have lent their talents to Triangle Strategy and they have done a great job in bringing the characters to life. With that said, not all character interactions are voiced but the main story segments are and that’s where it really matters in this title.

Graphically, the “HD-2D” pixel visuals used in Triangle Strategy are great and players will definitely spend quite a lot of time zooming in and out and looking at the environments. It’s a shame there’s no photo mode in the game to be honest because it really does look great.

Final Verdict

Overall, Triangle Strategy is a solid tactical RPG title and one that will sink its claws in you and never let go. The long story segments aren’t for everyone though and those who lack patience might find this annoying or too slow.

If, however, you are a fan of titles such as Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics, Square Enix and Artdink have outdone themselves here. Triangle Strategy is a high fantasy epic that comes extremely recommended.