Nintendo announces stunning new RPG Project Triangle Strategy for Switch. Here’s everything you need to know
Project Triangle Strategy. Nintendo)
Announced at a Nintendo Direct video event on Wednesday (17 February), Project Triangle Strategy is a brand new tactical RPG from Square Enix for the Nintendo Switch.
It’s the latest in the HD-2D series that began with Octopath Traveller on the Nintendo Switch, combining stunning 3D environments with 2D sprite characters. It features a tactical grid-based battle system and a story filled with intrigue and decision-making, which fans of Nintendo’s own Fire Emblem series will feel right at home with.
Though it’s set for release in 2022, a Nintendo Switch demo is available to play now. Here’s everything we know so far.
A war of three nations.
Project Triangle Strategy. (Nintendo)
Project Triangle Strategy (working title) takes place on the continent of Norzelia. Three nations – the flourishing trade nation Glenbrook, the land of ice Aesfrost and the Holy State of Hyzante in the desert – feud over limited supplies of salt and iron that fuel the world, leading to a conflict known as the Saltiron War.
Decades after the war, the nations are in conflict once more. You’ll play as protagonist Serenoa Wolffort, heir to House Wolffort, and a group of heroes from the nation of Glenbrook caught in a web of conspiracies as they fight to save their kingdom.
Throughout the story, you’ll be faced with difficult decisions balancing utility, morality and liberty to shape the narrative and deal with the consequences. Choices will not only impact the story, but which characters will join your cause.
The demo takes place part-way through the Nintendo Switch game, with the nation of Glenbrook under attack. Politics and deceit are key drivers of the plot, as the heroes seek to escape a grave fate. Already they make an intriguing bunch of swordsmen, conjurers, shieldbearers and more who assist one another on the battlefield and all have strong individual motivations.
Tactical battles.
Project Triangle Strategy. (Nintendo)
Similarly to games like Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Final Fantasy Tactics, Project Triangle Strategy has a grid-based tactical battle system. Players manoeuvre their party members individually around the battlefield as they outflank enemies and unleash attacks and magic abilities. Initiative, set by each character’s speed, determines the order of attacks.
Here, the attack range of your characters is determined by location and equipped weapon. Archers, for instance, can be placed on higher terrain to increase the range of their shots. What’s more, your characters can team up in a variety of ways. Flank enemies from two sides and you’ll be granted an extra hit from behind. Link attacks together as you bounce enemies between characters. Magical elements can also be combined to affect the terrain: combine fire and ice to create new water terrain, for instance, which can then be electrified to attack multiple enemies.
Between battles and story scenes, you’re free to explore your surroundings and gather information from allies. The camera can be moved freely too to fully take in the beautiful environments.
Setting up critical backstabs and surrounding enemies for follow up attacks feels incredibly satisfying. It certainly adds a layer of depth to the battles, making positioning as vitally important as your arsenal of attacks.
When is Project Triangle Strategy out?
Project Triangle Strategy is set for release on the Nintendo Switch in 2022. The demo is available to play now. This is undoubtedly shaping up to be a must-have RPG.
