Team Asano, the developers behind hits like Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default, have popularized the HD-2D style. This style a unique fusion of retro pixel art and modern graphical effects, offering a nostalgic pixelated aesthetic, enchanted by dynamic lighting, water effects, detailed environments, and smooth animations. After the release of Triangle Strategy on Nintendo Switch back on March 4, 2022, Square Enix is once again bringing back the “old” and into the hands of the two other major platforms, Xbox and PlayStation reflecting their renewed focus on multi platform availability. 

A Very Narrative Driven Game with LOTS of Text

The story of Triangle Strategy is focused on the complex political and military tensions between the major players in the continent of Norzelia and the aftermath of the Saltiron War from decades prior. The major kingdoms are Glenbrook, Aesfrost, and Hyzante. Each kingdom has its own distinct characteristics and motivations.

Glenbook is known for its strong sense of tradition and diplomacy. It’s a kingdom that values honour and has a long standing history of balancing power and alliances. This played a big role in the Saltiron was, as they were caught in the middle of the conflict. 

Aesfrost, on the other hand, is a more militaristic and hard kingdom, known for its cold climate and focus on military strength and expansion. During the Saltiron War, they hold the iron.

Lastly, Hyzante is a theocracy, deeply focused on religion and control of the salt which is crucial to the economy and the war.

✅ main scenes are fully voiced acted
✅ auto-progress dialogue
✅ dialogue logs and ability to replay the voice acting
✅ check profile of anyone talking at any time

The game follows Serenoa, heir of House Wolffort in Glenbrook, along his closest advisor Benedict, his best friend and prince Roland, and his betrothed, Frederica. It is a story rich with moral dilemmas, political intrigue, and an impactful narrative driven by the choices that we make. The story spans 20 chapters, each varying depending on the paths you take. However, it isn’t for the faint of heart. While it’s text-heavy, the game offers convenient features in case you get lost. It has auto-progress option allowing you to sit back and enjoy the voice acted narrative. Also, at any point you need a refresher of what was said or have forgotten any of the characters currently talking, you can press the Triangle button on the PS5 brings up a character profile as beautifully hand drawn character art.

The deep story can also be recalled using the War Chronicle tab in the menu showing you the paths you’ve travelled, the different side stories each playable characters has, as well as any notes and lore you encounter. Each chapter usually includes one major battle, surrounded by in-depth storytelling which may turn away those who prefer a more gameplay focused experience. 

The Triangle of Values: Utility, Morality, and Liberty

Triangle Strategy is a tactical RPG from the tactical, simulation experts at Artdink, that centers around the concept of balancing multiple strategic and moral dimensions. The game challenges players to navigate difficult choices that weigh the needs of the many against the few, and immediate rewards against long-term consequences. This triangle of values or convictions, as featured in the game in simple conversations  and actions as well as in major plot points, are Utility, Morality, and Liberty. These values ensures that each decisions are impactful and adds depth to the player’s journey. It’s this thoughtful balance that sets the game apart. 

✅ conversations with NPCs affects Utility, Morality, and Liberty
✅ these hidden values affects major plot decisions
✅ path through the story change depending on votes between 7 members
• Scales of conviction creates high replay value 

In Triangle Strategy, the game is structured around a series of key decision that points where the party must vote on important choices that influence the story’s direction. Each of the seven main characters has their own personality and convictions, so their votes and the outcome of these decisions can vary depending on how you as Serenoa, have shaped the narrative up to that point.

For example, Benedict is more of a strategic thinker that values utility and the practical aspects of decisions, often pushing for choices that lead to the best outcomes in therms of efficiency and resources. Or there’s Frederica, your betrothed, who emphasizes morality and the well-being of the people, as well as the importance of unity and fairness. Lastly, Roland, your best friend as well as one of the princes of Glenbook, is a compassionate leader, with a strong sense of justice and a desire to protect his kingdom and its people. His convictions tend to lean towards morality and unity. Depending on the actions and choices Serenoa has made, and how you speak with your party members will dictate the proficiency in which you are able to influence them.

A Classic Tactical RPG

• Grid-based battlefield
• Elevation, positioning, weather, & elements play an important role
• NO friendly-fire
• Four difficulty settings
• Only 1 major battle per chapter
✅ Retreat system retains all experience gained ensuring constant growth 

Using Final Fantasy as the classic benchmark, Triangle Strategy focuses more on modern presentation and narrative-driven choices than it does on deep tactical layers and complexity. However, this doesn’t mean that Triangle Strategy doesn’t have anything to set it apart. Tactically, Triangle Strategy feels easier in comparison, due to the lack of friendly-fire as well the their Retreat system allowing you to retain all experience gained if you choose to start the battle from the beginning ensuring your characters’ growth through trial and error. It also has four difficulty settings that determines both you and your enemies proficiency to attack as well as the enemy’s aggressiveness.  Apart from the staple importance of elevation and positioning, the game places importance on weather and how the game’s elements and terrain is affected by it.

✅ Terrain can react to elements
✅ Kudos currency reward for utilizing your tactical prowess

The game has four main element types: fire, ice, lightning, and wind. They add a depth to the tactical gameplay in the way that they react to each other, taking into account the battlefield’s weather and terrain. Fire, for instance, can ignite terrain and cause damage over time if units are standing in those areas. Furthermore, if the terrain was previously hit with ice magic causing it to be frozen, fire can melt that surface and cause it to be wet. Lightning can then chain between areas covered in water hitting any enemies standing in those areas. 

The weather system is another cool layer. Different weather conditions, like rain, breeze or fog, can affect visibility, movement, and the effectiveness certain abilities. For instance, rain can make lightning attacks more potent, create puddles to use for chaining lightning, or put out fires. All these elements together really make for a dynamic and engaging tactical experience.

Utilizing these tactical strategies not only reward you with advantages against your enemies, but doing so will reward you with one of the game’s most important currencies, Kudos. Hitting enemies from behind, using the terrain to your advantage, or hitting multiple enemies with a single attack are ways you can earn Kudos. You spend Kudos for upgrading your units, purchasing lore, and special abilities called Quietus. So the more you strategize and complete objectives efficiently, the more kudos you’ll get, which in turn lets you customize and strengthen your team.

HD-2D, Beautifully Realized

✅ Beautiful HD-2D art style
✅ well designed environments and levels
✅ Impactful sound design
✅ Fully voice acted main scenes

Triangle Strategy’s HD-2D art style comes to life, much like Octopath Traveler that popularized it. It blends pixel art with 3D elements, so you get these beautifully detailed characters and environments that have this kind of nostalgic, retro vibe but with modern lightning and effects. The result is really immersive and visually striking, especially during tactical battles and cutscenes.

The world and level design in Triangle Strategy uses a detailed, isometric perspective that gives a sense of depth and tactical complexity. The stages used during exploration mode is the same as the battle which adds to the strategic aspect allowing you to truly scope an area before a battle. The environments are varied with different terrain types, elevation changes, and interactive elements that influence strategy and come together to create an engaging tactical experience. 

To complement this beautiful art style is Akira Senju’s orchestral and medieval-inspired music to really set the tone for the different environments and battles. The sound design is fantastic, with ambient sounds like wind, footsteps, and clashing of swords, are all crafted to enhance that tactical, medieval vibe. It’s a really cool mix of elements that adds a lot of depth to the game’s atmosphere. 

The overall presentation of the world, sound and graphics are perfectly captured and a great companion to Triangle Strategy’s wonderfully woven narrative along with fantastic voice acting available in both English and Japanese.

ACCESSIBILITY/OPTIONS

✅ 9 language options 

Triangle Strategy is available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. 

The Too Long Didn’t Read

Triangle Strategy is a well produced, well delivered game with fantastic visuals, sound and tactical gameplay. Square Enix’s trend of remastering classic Japanese Role Playing games with modern quality of life features and graphical effects is evident in this game. However, much like this text-heavy review, it isn’t a game I would recommend to those looking for a more gameplay focused experience. I would, however, greatly recommend it to those who love a deep, politically driven narrative, with heavy emphasis on character development, and player driven choices that impacts the course of the game. With several endings, paths to take, and party members to recruit along the way, Triangle Strategy delivers a wonderfully woven tale.

Triangle Strategy released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox on August 20, 2025 and the game was played on a PS5 Pro.

We’d like to thank the publisher, Square Enix, for the code.