Triangle Strategy, Prologue Demo: we tried the first three chapters of the Switch exclusive
Triangle Strategy, Prologue Demo
Only a few weeks left until the release of Triangle Strategy, ArtDink's highly anticipated strategic JRPG. As already happened at the time of Octopath Traveler - with which it has in common not only the 2.5D graphics but also the producers Tomoya Asano and Masashi Takahashi - Nintendo has decided to publish a demo that will allow players to import the save into the final version and to continue the story beyond the third chapter where the test code, in fact, stops.We had the chance to try the Triangle Strategy Prologue Demo in preview: waiting for the review, here's what we learned about the beginning of Triangle Strategy and what our preliminary impressions are.
The beginning of the story
Triangle Strategy, an exploration phase The Debut Demo released about a year ago catapulted us into the middle of Chapter 6, therefore already a few hours from the beginning of the game and in the complete narrative confusion: we did not yet know the characters and their motivations, but we found ourselves involved in tragic events that saw the protagonist Serenoa Wolfhort flee, together with her group, to save her skin. The universe of Triangle Strategy is very reminiscent of Game of Thrones, if only because it is full of political intrigues, plots and families who want to make each other's shoes for the control of salt and iron in the land of Nortenia. The same artworks - which we can recall during the dialogues to read a very brief description of the character who is speaking - outline features that suggest a certain disposition, except to surprise the player with much more complex characterizations.As if to say that not you have to judge a book by its cover, and in this sense we already feel like promoting the well-kept Italian localization and its solemn register which gives the narrative an epic and chivalrous tone.
The first three chapters in the new Prologue Demo are entirely dedicated to the so-called world building: they explain to us how this world works and its delicate political balance, outlining the many actors in this Shakespearean drama, but they also serve to introduce the player to the foundations of the gameplay that will then develop in the following hours. You read and listen a lot - the dubbing in English is excellent and the music is fantastic - but you play relatively little: the first two chapters correspond to as many battles which confirm the mechanics known with the Debut Demo.
Demo news
Triangle Strategy, Serenoa is the protagonist of the story We invite you to read our previous tried to understand how the combat system works, but in short Triangle Strategy is a turn-based strategic JRPG reminiscent of Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre and Fire Emblem. Characters move when it's their turn in tile-based scenarios, within a space determined by their stats, and can attack, consume items, or cast spells and other abilities that consume a specific resource - Turn Points - which recharges over time. . Positioning is fundamental: attacking from behind guarantees critical damage, from above an important bonus, and if you take an enemy between two allied units, the damage multiplies in combos.The first chapter - in which the protagonist Serenoa meets his betrothed Frederica - is resolved in a clash with a bizarre band of brigands who betray a level of difficulty that is only apparently low. Apparently, because already in Chapter 2 things get complicated with a sort of boss fight in which a wrong move can cost the life of one or more units.
Triangle Strategy, multiple choices change the story. equivocal, in Triangle Strategy the units defeated in battle do not remain dead as happens in Fire Emblem at higher difficulty levels but, remaining excluded from the battle, they lose all the greedy experience points they would have gained in their turns. This can cause a discrepancy in the average level of the battalion, but fortunately the Prologue Demo reveals some interesting features also from this point of view.
Starting from Chapter 2 it is in fact possible to access some services of the Camp, one space in which we can enter during some specific moments of history or when we are on the map of Nortenia. Here we will be able to buy resources and consumables from a vendor, spend the Prestige Points earned in battle to enrich the Information Archive or buy new Cards to use in combat at the right time, or consult the blacksmith and the tavern.
Triangle Strategy, the Nortenia map The first will allow us to upgrade weapons by spending money and materials: each character wields a weapon that we can develop by choosing various bonuses, and therefore increasing the HP or accuracy in attack. The weapon is therefore predefined for each character and "evolves", limiting the equipment to two accessories per unit. The reason is simple. Triangle Strategy's Prologue Demo answers a question we've been asking for a whole year: are there classes? And the answer is: yes and no. In fact, we discover that each character represents an archetype - Frederica is a sorceress, Geela is a healer, Serenoa is a warrior and so on - and therefore basically she cannot change class ... but she can enhance her a little like it happens in Fire Emblem, satisfying some specific requirements. The "promotion" - let's call it that - gives the unit new abilities or spells, improved statistics and more elaborate sprites that mirror the new status quo.
The tavern, on the other hand, allows us to face "imaginary" battles against various enemy formations: useful for experimenting with new strategies, training characters and scrapping extra money and materials to improve weapons and classes. It was a rather obvious function, to be honest, but at least we know how it works and where to find it.
Diplomacy and strategy
Triangle Strategy, beware of friendly fire The Prologue Demo also allowed us to peek better into the system of narrative ramifications linked to the choices that we will have to make, in the role of Serenoa, in certain moments of the story. In practice, the narrative unfolds through three alignments or beliefs: pragmatism, freedom and morality. The answers the player gives to certain questions, or the choices he makes, increase one of these three alignments, but the player cannot see which one and is therefore induced to decide on instinct what to say or what to do. His predisposition towards a certain belief should skew the story and, presumably, lead to different endings. For now this system has given us a concrete taste only in Chapter 3.In the two initial chapters, however, the mechanism has followed in the footsteps of the prototype seen in the Debut Demo a year ago. On the vast majority of occasions we have chosen between three responses that have led the conversation in different directions, without however significantly altering the course of history.
Triangle Strategy, the Italian dialogues are solemn and cared for During the sequences of Exploration, in which it is possible to move freely as in a normal old-fashioned role-playing game and interact with the NPCs, you can collect information that will then guarantee us additional options in certain dialogues. In Chapter 3 this system allows us to convince our comrades to choose whether to visit the Grand Duchy of Aesglast or the Holy Empire of Sabulos: each of the seven should vote for one or the other option, and then democracy will decide the goal. of the trip. Serenoa, however, can discuss individually with her companions and induce them to change their mind by offering food for thought relating to their interests or characters.
The vote determines the development of the narrative. Chapter 3 is in fact divided into Part 1 and Part 2: after the vote there is a real crossroads - schematized on a special screen - and the story continues in Aesglast or Sabulos. In our game we visited Sabulos, delving into some important subplots that will probably develop later, and we returned home with a new follower.
Triangle Strategy, the 2.5D graphics are very suggestive Corentin, the magician who is joins the Serenoa clique by choosing Sabulos as their destination, casting spells of ice that can freeze the ground, slowing movement and decreasing accuracy. Triangle Strategy offers an interesting elemental interaction system: by casting a fire spell in the same area, the ice evaporates and turns into water that forms puddles on the ground. As you can guess, an electricity spell uses the conductive ability of water to inflict more damage on enemies - and allies! - in the same area. The mission of Chapter 3 demonstrated that artificial intelligence is perfectly capable of devising these strategies and exploiting the weaknesses and resistances of the units to its advantage. In spite of what it initially seemed, Triangle Strategy would seem to be a challenging title that will test fans of a genre that, by now, is also too rarely played.
It seems that the new ArtDink JRPG really puts a lot of meat on the fire, both in terms of narrative and in gameplay. The first three chapters proposed in the Prologue Demo impressed us very positively and we can't wait to continue the adventure and tell you if the rest of the game maintains the same, very high quality levels. Stay tuned for the review.
