Project Triangle Strategy

 I was hardly going to do aught else

I seem to be all aboard the full-RPG train of late, talking about all the cool new projects coming our way in the world of true squad-based turn-based role playing goodness. But that is simply the consequence of trailing a genre that appears to be exploding with vibrancy and individuality on the main stage of late, almost in direct defiance of the way in which lesser RPG-lite games have become almost synonymous with the mainstream right now. You know what I'm talking about; the sorts of games that put a progression system inside of an unlock tree, throw in some stats on gear and suddenly go around calling themselves an RPG? (Okay, in fairness Assassin's Creed has also added incredibly miniscule choice moments, but I hardly think that crosses the threshold either.) To me those have always been the sorts of games that hold the trappings but lack the substance, which isn't to say those types of experiences are always bad; but their actual RPG potential is usually sorely lacking. But the pendulum is starting to swing in the past few years, and great role playing games, that don't even have to be traditional, are getting spots of honour in industry marketing events. Including this one title which lacks any name but its current working title; Project Triangle Strategy.

How often do you hear of a published game from a studio as large as Square Enix which still only has its working title? You'd be forgiven for assuming, under such a situation, that this is probably a ludicrously bare-bones titles that has only recently entered development and won't be seen for a good number of years; however we're already being told to expect a 2022 release date: so make of that what you will. Despite all indications pointing to it being unlikely, somehow we have this ludicrously polished and genuinely gorgeous looking gameplay trailer for this interesting title that looks right out of the stock of Bravely Default. And if you're still wondering about how 'confident' these developers really are in the face of a relatively close release date: They're confident enough to put out a free demo on the Nintendo Switch store!

Nothing quite says "We're proud of what we've made and are pretty sure you're going to like it" like just giving the general public a go at it, and the team's own words about how they're still tweaking things and how they want feedback, generates decent rapport with the public. Yet even without playing the demo it's easy to see straight away whether this is a game that has the potential to be something you hate or love, and having played the demo myself I can offer one word to clear that up for anyone who hasn't given it a shot yet. X-Com. Yes, I know I invoke that name far too often on this blog but this time I'm being as serious as I can be when I say this is a game that seems to breath the very air that X-com does. (Although, I'm told a much more apt connection would be 'Fire Emblem'; I've never actually played Fire Emblem so I can't put my personal weight behind that.) 

If you're looking for tactical heavy gameplay the relies on positioning and initiative to decide the flow of combat, then this is the exact game for you. There may not be any mechanic for taking cover and waiting on percentages for whether or not you hit. (Or at least not visible percentages) instead we have combat scenarios where the player is expected to deal with movement turns to put characters in the right spot (behind an enemy to do 'backstab' damage but not in a position where they themselves can be backstabbed) and eventually work to have the entire team working in unison. (Placing enemies in such a manner that when you hit them, an ally positioned on the other side can perform a follow-up attack) All tactics seem to come back to positioning, with height bonuses and reach weapons adding extra layers in there for prosperities sake. And I'd imagine that resistances and weaknesses will have their part to play by the endgame too. 

But the game isn't all combat, and in fact we're looking at a developed narrative here with characters that promise to tell a sweeping story of war, betrayal and conquest. For whilst it might be hard to gauge the worth of a tale from a mere demo, I can at least conclude that from what I've seen the team have ticked off every single box in the 'vaguely medieval/magical' kingdom drama checklist. Errant Prince on a journey to reclaim his kingdom, evil dukes twisting justifications for war, sibling drama which sets blood against blood and an entire world stage which is simplified into but three adversary kingdoms. Wouldn't history be grand if every single skirmish could be whittled down to the only three big kingdoms in the land? But don't misjudge me, I mock with appreciation; there's something unendingly charming about these somewhat familiar medieval-fantasy stories. I approve.

Much to my surprise, the story sections for this demo were completely voice acted with a rather decent cast to boot! A game in this style could have easily gotten away with a fully text-book story, but I suppose when you have Square Enix providing the purse strings you'd be remiss not to splash out on a good voice actor or two. It does certainly help put some passion into the dialogue which (and bare in mind I'm taking this from a snippet about halfway through the game, so there's going to be some missing context and such) reads a little dry. I'm also a fan with the way in which the player has the opportunity to interact with companions outside of gameplay and story sections during a 'exploration mode', and am curious how that's going to play into the wider game. (Optional hangouts is my lifesource; Persona has conditioned me this way)

However if there's one concept I like, yet am still iffy about, it's the presentation of information. Let me start with convictions. This is a concept that comes into play during exploration mode wherein you make choices that decide the sort of person your character is, thus effecting their reputation which will influence whether or not people join your cause down the line. I love that idea, it's like a shoot-off of Pillar's of Eternity's 'disposition' system. However, inexplicably, the game decides not to show you your stats towards your disposition out of what I can only assume is a desire to have you make choices that are truer to you than to meta-game. I understand the concept here, kind of, but I think that for a role-playing game where we're encouraged to take on a character, wouldn't it behove players to know the sort of person their crafting with their choices? Whatsmore, how about repeat playthroughs when I want to form a different party? Why not allow me to see the path I have to take to create the team I want? Then there's the abilities of character's that have descriptions like "Has a chance to cause blindness." What chance? How am I supposed to choose which disability-move I want to try if I don't know how likely they are of landing? Sometimes being coy really helps the immersive-aspects of the world, I know, but with a tactical RPG the more information you give is just giving more power to the player. (Something I thought this team would be familiar with since they made the ingenious choice of showing spots where the enemy can reach you before you move there so you can plan accordingly.)

That is all just miniscule in the grand scheme of things, however, because Project Triangle Strategy looks fit to become something really special when it launches, irregardless of my little gripes. Aside from the game looking just delectable, the raw foundation of the gameplay feels so solid, and I say this from the position of someone who's actually had the chance to play it! (Which you could be too; demo's free!) If they manage to rope a solid narrative behind this, alongside some really great stages that take advantage of the decently tough groundwork, I could see myself genuinely falling in love with the X-Com for Switch experience. I could gush about this game all-day, but I should probably wait until the game develops a bit more so we can see the other ways in which the team want to differentiate this title so it can really be something unique. (As that might perhaps be my one other lingering nag about everything thus far) Besides, I have an event very near and dear to my heart later today... (Edit: Stone Ocean was announced! Hype.)