Announced at this week’s Nintendo Direct, Project Triangle Strategy is a brand new SRPG from Square Enix. It’s also the company’s new 2D-HD title which employs beautiful pixel art sprites and an art style similar to Octopath Traveler. While the game’s isn’t set to be released till 2022, here are a few things you should know about the game.
The Scales of Conviction
Probably the biggest and most interesting mechanic we got to see during the presentation, The Scales of Conviction are central to pretty much everything you do in Project Triangle Strategy. In between your major battles, your characters will gather together as a council and decide on how best to proceed.
For instance, in the debut demo, we were given the choice of either surrendering Prince Roland to the enemy or fighting back. The council then has to come to a decision together and decide how they want to respond.
While most characters may lean towards one particular side, you can potentially persuade them to see things your way if you have enough information.
The Scales focus on three values: morals, liberty, and utility. This can factor into your play style and how you want to shape your character, and will likely lead you down some interesting paths in Project Triangle Strategy.
The Characters You Recruit Depend on How You Play
Speaking of which, the story will change quite a bit depending on the decisions you make. Surrendering the prince, for instance, could potentially allow you to avoid a fight altogether, letting you conserve your resources for another battle.
In addition to that, while you’re out talking to NPCs, various dialogue options will pop up, which will also affect the Scales of Conviction. Leaning one way or the other will determine the kinds of characters you can recruit to your party, so there’s plenty of potential replay value here.
Ability Points Instead of Mana
In most RPGs, you’d have to expend MP or mana in order to use spells and abilities. However, Project Triangle Strategy adopts a slightly different approach. Similar to the boost points you got in Octopath Traveler, Triangle Strategy lets your characters earn an ability point with each turn.
The more points you have, the more abilities you can execute. For instance, a single-target healing spell can cost one point, while an AoE spell will set you back two points.
Instead of managing MP and replenishing it whenever you get low with an Ether, Triangle Strategy forces players to think about when to expend their ability points, and when to save it.
The combat system is a little slower-paced as a result, but it certainly adds a new layer of strategy to it.
You Can Exploit the Terrain and Environment
Most SRPGs will feature terrain damage in some way, but from what we saw of the presentation at this week’s Direct, there’s quite a bit to do with the environments in Project Triangle Strategy.
For instance, freezing the ground with an ice spell and melting it down with a fire spell will produce water. And once you get far enough into the game to get access to lightning spells, you could even zap the water to electrocute any enemies standing in there.
In addition to that, height plays an important role in the game. Some abilities can only be executed if your character is standing on a higher platform than your enemies, and you have the potential to deal more damage from higher up as well.
Aside from just straight up attacking your opponents head on, there are so many other variables to consider when checking out a new level, making the game’s combat feel even more nuanced.
A Story of Political Intrigue
Finally, you probably already saw this one coming as Project Triangle Strategy very clearly wears its FF Tactics inspiration on its sleeve. Similar to Tactics, Triangle Strategy also features a plot of political intrigue and backstabbing, and tricky maneuvering as you try to figure out how to get out unscathed while keeping your nation intact.
The three main factions in the Saltiron War feel distinct and unique, and even within the ‘good guys’ faction, the Scales of Conviction system makes sure that all of the characters are equipped with their own views and motivations, which creates meaningful conflict that will force players to question their own decisions.
It’s a fascinating setup that has a lot of narrative potential, and we’re definitely excited to see more of it.
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