Typical of most games published by Nintendo, Project Triangle Strategy has been mostly shrouded in mystery since its announcement back in 2021. Aside from a few character trailers released by Nintendo, information about Square Enix's next big RPG has been scarce. That all changed following the Feb. 2022 Nintendo Direct, however, as a preview has been released of what's to come—Project Triangle Strategy: Prologue Demo.
Project Triangle Strategy
Story
The story of Project Triangle Strategy takes place on the continent of Norzelia, a land once ravaged by a bloody conflict known as the Saltiron War. Three might powers reign supreme here—the flourishing Kingdom of Glenbrook, the frigid Grand Duchy of Aesfrost, and the divine Holy State of Hyzante.
You take control of Serenoa during the game's story, young Lord of House Wolffort and resident of Glenbrook. He has recently taken on the title of Lord Wolffort, and is on a journey to foster relations with and learn about the reigning powers of Norzelia.
Your decisions influence how the story is told, with different dialogue options determining which locations Serenoa will visit and characters he'll meet. You'll have to play through the game multiple times to experience the tale of Project Triangle Strategy in its entirety, with each path offering something new to the overall story.
Characters
Serenoa will encounter many interesting and complex characters during his journey, many of whom can be recruited to his cause. The choices he makes will determine which characters can be recruited, however, meaning you won't be able to obtain every character on your first playthrough. The eight playable starting characters are as follows:
- Serenoa Wolffort (Pictured top row, far left)
- He is the only child of Symon and has inherited his legacy, becoming the young Lord of House Wolffort. To learn what it means to be a Lord, he sets out on a journey across Norzelia. He wields a greatsword in battle.
- Benedict Pascal (Pictured top row, middle left)
- The reliable steward of House Wolffort, he is a friend to Symon and a mentor to Serenoa. He has used his intelligence and levelheaded judgment to overcome countless difficulties, earning the absolute trust of his liege. He wields a cane sword and support spells in battle.
- Frederica Aesfrost (Pictured top row, middle right)
- She is Serenoa's betrothed and the eldest daughter of the Aesfrost family. Shunned by her family because of her Rosellan heritage, she is driven to learn the truth of her ancestor's history and the reason for their mistreatment. She wields a wide range of destructive spells in battle.
- Geela Breisse (Pictured top row, far right)
- A practitioner of the arcane arts, she is Frederica's attendant and tutor in magic. She moved to the duchy from Hyzante after being drawn in by the allure of the Aesfrosti Archives. She wields restorative spells to heal allies in battle.
- Anna Pascal (Pictured bottom row, far left)
- After losing her parents, she was taken in by Symon Wolffort. To repay her debt, she was trained to become Benedict's right hand and an expert spy for House Wolffort. She wields daggers and takes an extra turn in battle.
- Erador Ballentine (Pictured bottom row, middle left)
- He is House Wolffort's master-at-arms and commander of its military forces. He is a loyal retainer to Symon, serving House Wolffort alongside Benedict since the Saltiron War. He wields a shield to protect his allies in battle.
- Roland Glenbrook (Pictured bottom row, middle right)
- A member of the royal family, he is the rebellious younger son of King Regna. Serenoa is his closest friend, and he can often be found sneaking off to visit House Wolffort. He wields a lance while riding on horseback in battle.
- Hughette Bucklar (Pictured bottom row, far right)
- A member of the Kingsguard. She dreamed of serving the crown as a young girl, and was eventually entrusted with Roland's protection after year's of hard work. She fires arrows from the back of a giant hawk in battle.
Related: Full list of changes in Triangle Strategy prior to release
Gameplay
You'll encounter two types of events while playing Project Triangle Strategy—main events and sub-events. Main events, indicated by a red exclamation mark, progress the story forward and are crucial to the plot.
On the other hand, sub-events are indicated by a green exclamation mark and are entirely optional. Sub events will disappear as the main story progresses, however, meaning you'll have a limited amount of time to complete them.
Like its visual style, Project Triangle Strategy's combat system appears to be somewhat inspired by another Square Enix title, Final Fantasy Tactics. Combat is turn-based, with the turn order being dictated by your character unit's speed stat. The turn order can be seen at the bottom of the screen during battle.
The battlefield is arranged in a grid-like format, and your character unit's movement value determines the number of spaces you can move. The blue tiles on the map are considered safe zones, while reddish-purple hued tiles are within an enemy's attack range, giving you a helpful visual when deciding your next plan of attack.
Every character unit belongs to a specific class, somewhat like job systems in other games, allowing them access to a wide list of different and unique spells or abilities. Each class is divided into three ranks—recruit, veteran, and elite. Serenoa and his gang will start out with recruit rankings but can be promoted to veteran or elite by visiting the Sundry Shop.
Project Triangle Strategy is shaping up to be a beautiful game, one that fans of Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics will absolutely enjoy. The demo, which includes the first three chapters of Project Triangle Strategy, is available now for download on Nintendo Switch. Your progress will be carried over to the full version of the game once it's released on March 4, so download it today to give yourself a head start!
Looking for more information about what games were announced during the Feb. 2022 Nintendo Direct? Be sure to check out All games shown at the February Nintendo Direct here at Pro Game Guides.
Published: Feb 10, 2022 06:42 pm