In Triangle Strategy, players play as a young Lord of an important house. He is named Serenoa, and a lot of changes are coming into his life, including his upcoming alliance marriage with Frederica Aesfrost. These changes require him to make difficult choices.
Choices in Triangle Strategy
In the beginning, players get to meet the main characters of the story. They are introduced to Serenoa, his fiance Frederica, Benedict Pascal's servant, and most of Serenoa's friends, family, and court. Each of these people are interactable while exploring the world of Norzelia. Occasionally, an NPC will appear with a green exclamation point over their head. This means that when Serenoa talks with them, players will have to choose between several dialogue options.
The Conviction Scale in Triangle Strategy
Each of these interactions will have three dialogue options. Depending on which a player chooses, it will alter Serenoa's Convictions and stats. While some of these dialogues seem inconsequential, each changes Serenoa's attitudes and thoughts, influencing how he interacts with the world and tipping his worldview. With each choice, Triangle Strategy adds points to one of three invisible stats. These stats are:
- Utility - Self-preservation
- Morality - Justice and equality
- Liberty - Freedom or being free-spirited
During the opening battle against the brigands that attack Lady Frederica, players make their first choice of these three options. They are labeled to show players what these choice types look like in-game.
- The Morality choice is: "You needn't know who. Surrender now and we can resolve this peacefully."
- The Liberty choice is: "You two bear a striking resemblance. Might you be father and daughter?"
- And the Utility choice is: "Who are you, exactly? A band of common brigands, from the look of it."
Depending on how players have chosen, it will alter Serenoa's ability to persuade his companions to make certain choices. Fairly early in the game, players learn that the most significant decisions of the game are made as a group.
The first of these choices is determining whether Serenoa will visit Aesfrost or Hyzante, which was a choice they could make in the demo of Triangle Strategy. Everyone in the party can be persuaded to lean one way or another with the right arguments.
Unfortunately for players of this Tactic-like JRPG, these three very important stats are not something they can check throughout the game. Players will have to go through the game several times to see how each choice alters the future, how the Convictions change who joins their party, and which choices make the game's story move in the way players wish to go.
Triangle Strategy is available for Nintendo Switch.