After the incredible success achieved with Octopath Traveler, Square Enix offers us another gem on Nintendo Switch, arriving on the hybrid console starting from the next 4 March. It is Triangle strategy, a tactical title that will not only lead us to fight on the now well-known checkered structure, but which will also force us to make important choices, which will significantly change the personal beliefs of our protagonist. On Nintendo eShop demo is available for free by Triangle Strategy, and we tested it to tell you more about the title before release.
This trial version gave us a preview game in primi tre capitoli of the game, which contains all the basic mechanics to learn in combat and beyond, for a total of 4 hours of adventure that you can take advantage of when the full title is released, exporting the save.
A difficult balance
The narrative setting of Triangle Strategy is Nortelia, a portion of the world that has seen three great kingdoms battle for the control of the resources present in it: salt and iron. After years of battles, the three kingdoms, exhausted by the conflict, have reached a sort of truce, and which sees as a background a joint work for the creation of an iron mine. These realms are that of Glenbrook, where trade is flourishing and which has always stood out for mediating between countries, that of Aesglast, which has a monopoly on iron in the cold mountains to the north, and the Holy Empire of Salus, which sees his city in the arid desert lands, surrounded by insurmountable walls and with the great saline lake in the center, the only source of salt in all of Nortelia.
The player will impersonate Serene, the young scion of the lineage of Wolfhort (one of the three great houses of the kingdom of Glenbrook, the most influential after the royal family) who will soon inherit the honor and burden of leading his family… and beyond. In fact, for a political question, he will not only find himself succeeding his father and war hero Lord Simon, but also to marry Frederica, a Roseliana and belonging to the kingdom of Aeslgast.
We will not progress further in the Triangle Strategy plot (try the demo if you are curious), but know that how events unfold will also depend heavily on the answers you will give and by your choices. In fact, Serenoa was entrusted with the command of the family Resolving Libra, which will be used together with trusted people to make the most important decisions. However, he will be able to talk to his companions, trying to convince them of his idea, but also listening to their points of view. However, the dialogues will also be important, and based on Serenoa's answers, his convictions will grow (Pragmatism, Freedom e Morality, which however will always remain hidden from the player) and influence how he is viewed by others.
The tactician for everyone
I fighting, although the demo didn't include a lot of them, they were a lot clear, with a basic system very intuitive and that it will certainly come back damn familiar to those who have already played turn-based titles of this genre. In fact, we will choose the initial formation of our units, where to deploy them among the available positions, and we will fight to reflect the victory conditions that are illustrated to us at the beginning.
Our comrades they will already have their basic role, that we will not be able to change (who magician, who healer, who warrior and so on), but with the class that we can to evolve in the way we prefer based on the way we play (a bit like it happens in the titles of the Langrisser series).
Very interesting how they will come exploited the elements, which affect both the status, Both on playing field: if for example with ice magic we hit an enemy, if the ground can do it, it will be covered with ice; it does not end there, because this ice can melt (even with the help of a fire magic) and become a puddle, which can in turn be exploited with the magic of lightning to spread hitting the units that stand on it. The height will also affect the battle, which can create positions of advantage or disadvantage, also affecting the range of attacks from a distance or damage inflicted.
Other than that, which could be scary, the gameplay in battle does not present (at least as far as we could see) extremely complex mechanicsAttacks will require stacks that will recharge with each waiting turn (similar to what happened in Octopath Traveler when we loaded abilities to increase the multiplier). Furthermore, while we choose what to do with each unit, we will be simulated the result of the clash, with the damage we would inflict if we confirmed the command. Very nice also the mechanics of the attacks of opportunity that are created when an enemy is between two allies (or vice versa), which offers numerous tactical ideas and makes the positioning of the units even more important, even the direction in which they will be facing at the end of the turn. to avoid attacks from behind.
For sure there will be a lot to discover within Triangle Strategy, and what we have seen so far with the demo we have definitely liked. A game that is light even if the themes are important (which you will discover in game), which streamlines a playful form that is sometimes extremely pompous, also alternating the combat phases with those of history and those of exploration. We will see what the outcome will be in the review!
