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Geek Interview Triangle Strategy And The Power of Players' Voices

Geek Interview: Triangle Strategy And The Power of Players’ Voices

The rise of the strategy role-playing genre has been spearheaded by Square Enix in recent times, with the excellent Triangle Strategy released on the Nintendo Switch to great acclaim, along with The DioField Chronicle in the pipeline. Needless to say, fans are excited for more, and while there will still be some waiting involved, understanding the vision of developers can help us see what the future entails in some form or another.

It is with this belief that we sat down with Triangle Strategy producer Yasuaki Arai for a short chat about what made the game such a huge hit, and the potential of the future for this breakthrough title.

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Triangle Strategy producer Yasuaki Arai

If you have dipped your toe into the world of Norzelia, then you are well aware of the system that is the Scales of Conviction. Key decisions are made not without consequences, and considering that everyone’s voices matter, choosing to ignore their beliefs and convictions can lead to disastrous effects.

“The Scales of Conviction system, which represents the choices that players are forced upon when making decisions, was decided by Mr. Asano (another producer on the game). I think it is a great iconic key item to symbolise the title,” Arai explained.

Before the current system was implemented, the idea of gift-giving was bandied about, only to be shot down by testers. Just like how Square Enix made listening to fans a key priority, players have to do the same to succeed on some level in Triangle Strategy.

It is through this learning process that allowed players to learn more about each of the characters in the game, giving the narrative process more room to breathe, and incentivising players to immerse themselves in the ongoing conflict. 

“However, since it was unpopular among players when we conducted the user test, we settled on this system instead, which made players collect information first by searching for it, and then move on to persuasion.”

And once all the talking is done, the clash of might begins, and with combat being such an integral part of the game, we were eager to find out more about this particular aspect in this Square Enix title.

Arai shared that it would not be possible to deliver a balanced and satisfying combat system found in Triangle Strategy without some help, and that is all down to the team at partner developers Artdink, which “did a wonderful job in balancing the dynamics of the game” while Square Enix was responsible for conducting playtests and garnering feedback from the community before an outcome was reached. 

Together, the two studios spent much time “during the development process to carefully deliberate on feedback gathered and proceeded accordingly,” resulting in combat that offers plenty of strategic depth and tactical opportunities.

And as much as players are satisfied with their lot at the moment, Square Enix is well aware of the community’s wishes if more is to come their way for Triangle Strategy or something in the same vein.

“We are aware that there were many comments made with regards to character customisation, as well as the balance in the game’s story progression and the number of battles. Should we get another opportunity to create another title, we will strive to make it better,” shared Arai.

Judging from their track record thus far, at least for this game, that is some good news. Here’s hoping we will see more from this team in the coming months and years.

Triangle Strategy is available on the Nintendo Switch for US$59.99.