Genre: Tactical RPG
Year: 2022
Developed by: Square Enix
Published by: Square Enix
Platforms: Switch, PC
#87
Feeling Like: Strategic placement
Triangle Strategy is the most recent game that has found a home on the 500 and now seems as good a time as any to go into the peculiar difficulties I’m having with the rankings as a whole; what to do about the games I’ve played since the blog’s inception? I’ve cheated here and there, removing a few redundant entries and replacing them with with games like Triangle Strategy. But eventually I have to lock the list in; leaving off The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom seems heretical, but what do I do? Do I keep bumping off entries and replace them entirely? Does this become Theseus’ video game blog?
No. In the words of Tony Soprano – “let’s not go backwards now”.
So the plan is to finish the 500 as is, keep track of the ones I’ve beaten (as always) and eventually just have a fluid, evolving grand list. The originals will have links to their entries on the 500, but new ones won’t. I’m not sure what I’ll call this beast, but I think it’s fair that I stop after I hit number 1. I started this website as a mere writing exercise – when Snackbar went under, I still had a desire to practice my writing and have an excuse to play the latest and greatest. I’ve gone through huge ebbs and flows in terms of productivity, but 2023 will end up being the most fruitful by a wide margin. I’m both encouraged and discouraged by how far I have to go. I’ve gone thirty straight days with at least one entry, I’ve surpassed the previous four years output combined. And I still have 87 more to go.
Turns out, 500 is a big number. Far bigger than I thought.
So, why does Triangle Strategy get the honors and something like God of War: Ragnarok doesn’t? I wish I could tell you. I’ve droned and lamented enough about this, it’s time to tell you why Triangle Strategy is amazing. It’s not the most deep, or difficult, or long tactical RPG but it’s a terrific piece of entertainment. It’s the kind of product that makes me think the developers had me specifically in mind when they made it.
It was #3 in my Top 10 of 2022, and it was a tough call to not put it even higher. Here’s what I thought about it last year.
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The Switch may not have had many releases in 2022, but three of them are on my Top Ten. That’s a solid batting average and my silver slugger is Triangle Strategy. Aside from the boring name, which in all honesty doesn’t bother me in the least, it’s right up there with Ogre Battle 64 as my favorite strategy/tactical RPG ever. Everything about the game resonated positively with me.
It’s got a slow beginning and feels more like a visual novel at times. Fine by me! I love reading and I don’t mind periods of inactivity, gameplay wise.
It’s got the 2D-HD look, like a visually enhanced SNES game. Perfect! It’s my favorite art style ever, I never got tired of looking at my cute little sprites debate politics and engage in morally dubious behaviors.
You don’t get to choose which class of fighter a character is. What a relief – I find being able to customize anybody as anything tiresome and makes each character less unique.
I loved this cast of characters so much that I felt legitimately guilty about not taking somebody into combat. I made sure everybody got their fair chance; even the weirdest classes that built ladders or used a toy ball as a weapon got their licks in. The variety of weapons and abilities ensured that I couldn’t just repeat what I did in the last fight. I always had to be on my toes.
Aside from the stellar gameplay, I was intrigued by the plot. A lot of the “warring factions with political intrigue” twists have been done before, but what really got me out of my chair was the Scales of Conviction.
When a big story beat happens and you have to decide which direction your band of rebels will go in. Only the main characters will get a vote. You can influence character’s decisions if they’re on the fence by speaking with them about your own justifications, but this was such a neat feature simply because I was completely blindsided twice. I was positive that I had the votes secured to make a choice for the group only to be rebuked, like I was in some unpredictable Survivor Tribal Council. My own allies disagreed with me and, as a result, I had to face a different scenario than I expected, or wanted.
I loved this. I thought I knew or agreed with varying members of the group, only to slowly discover their values didn’t completely align with my own. And with themes like slavery, revenge, compassion and war at the forefront, it makes sense that not everybody will agree with my try-to-appease-everybody personality. This meant that every subsequent Scales of Conviction votes had me biting my nails in anticipation.
It’s one of the few RPGs where I was legitimately sad when it ended. I wanted more. The combat is so tight and the design felt entirely tailored to my own personal preferences that I could have easily endured another 15-20 hours. Since there are multiple endings, I suppose I could have gone back to do another playthrough but I didn’t want to make my first playthrough feel any less special. Triangle Strategy is right up my alley.
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Nothing more to be said, really. It takes longer than a year for opinions to settle and time to test. Will Triangle Strategy see a sequel, or any kind of lasting legacy? Beyond spot #87 on the 500, I can’t say. But it earned that spot, dismantling my previous notions of a locked in list. Its very existence on here may shake my own rules, but then again, there are always exceptions.
The 500 