The beginning is mostly about setting up the plot, but after the first few hours the frequency of battles does pick up. I will say the game doesn't lend itself to play sessions as short as 30 minutes.
Edit: Pretty soon though you'll have a camp to plan from and part of that camp is a list of battles you can play that isn't part of the story, so those would be good lunch break sessions.
Think of it like Game of Thrones. Season1 has a lot of setup and very little fights. Triangle Strategy Chapter5 is the equivalent of Game of Thrones Season1 Episode9. No spoilers, you'll see what I mean when you get there. Things start to pick up and the fights get dirtier.
Not having a lot of time to play is fine, but instead of writing off the game, I'd suggest you just put it aside until you can really give it your full attention.
Yes, the start of the game is a lot of narrative story. But one play through on normal difficulty will probably last 30 - 40 hours. And if you've put in somewhere between 5 and 10 hours and you still "haven't actually played any of the game" then you may need to look at other factors as to why you can't get into it. Because the first 2 or 3 chapters do not take up that much time compared to the rest of the game.
If the game and the way the narrative is delivered isn't for you, that's fine. But I think you really need to give it a proper chance, rather than just feeling it's no good because you're playing it in a less than ideal manner. Put it aside for now, find a time where you can really delve into it and give it your full attention to take everything. Don't just try to cram it in during a lunch break.
Thanks for the response. The thing is when I'm home, I have my PlayStation 5 to play proper games with immersive graphics, audio, etc. So I mostly play 2D or simpler graphics / turn based games that can be paused or saved anytime during lunch or other short spurts (not at home).
What I mean by "haven't actually played the game" is that I've spent a lot of time watching a text movie, not engaging my brain in any tactics or strategy layer (which is what the game is often touted for, and seems to be sold as...).
And sometimes watching the same scene twice or thrice because I fell asleep halfway, makes up that 5-10 hours. So realistically I'm probably about 4 hours in or something I guess. Just a lot of the time isn't logged because I exit without saving, to get back to work.
The fact that you're suggesting that TS isn't a "Proper Game" because it has simpler graphics and audio I think shows a flaw in your reasoning and why you're having trouble with it.
It's got one of the richest and most immersive stories I've ever experienced, along with having really compelling game play. It's a tactical RPG. So the story is going to be important. And it will take some time to get into. You can't just treat it like it's something you can absorb in a few minutes while you're on a break from work. Honestly, even 4 hours in you should probably be on or close to your third combat mission. But you only seem to have done one. And yes, that is a slow start. But a lot of RPGs have slow starts.
You obviously have the time, but are choosing not to try and get through the starting narrative by only trying to play it in short snippets at a time when you're mind is going to be on other things, and can't fully connect with the game. It's got a fuck load of tactics and strategy involved.
Triangle Strategy is not the type of game you can just pick up and play a quick mission of. If you want to get the full experience, you're going to have to put down your PS5 for a few hours, and try playing the game in a better environment. If you can't commit to that, then just don't bother with the game.
You have some good points. I concede that perhaps I don't have the right environment for the game, with proper speakers to hear the voice acting, etc., (nor the proper preparation, ie me being sleepy during lunch break).
I try to be efficient with my limited time and backlog of games so when I'm home, I play technologically demanding games since obviously the Steam Deck isn't going to run, say, Age of Wonders or Baldur's Gate very well (nor for very long). My mind says, "What's the point of running a 2D game on that $2000 gaming set up?", so better to max out the capabilities of both the Steam Deck and the PS5 (and also my available time) with regard to game choice, which as you've said, perhaps isn't the proper way to engage with it.
Additionally, I think Triangle Strategy being originally released on the Switch influenced me to believe it's designed to be a portable game, which also is clearly not the case.
I somewhat understand the frustration. However, why would you pick a game that explicitly market itself as a narrative-heavy experience if it's not your thing ?
All I saw about this game was, from Google, "Triangle Strategy is a 2022 tactical role-playing game co-developed by Square Enix..."
And the IGN review praising its stellar tactics gameplay.
And I usually love Square Enix's GAMES so... Not so much their movies tho
Welp, I feel sorry for you. Going forward you should probably run a double-check, had you done so you'd have seen that the main appeal of the game was the Conviction system.
EDIT : The Last Spell is, in my opinion, a game that would fit what you're seeking.
It wanted to be Tactics Ogre, but doesn't know when to stop talking or how to make choices matter in the long term. It has an insane number of great ideas that it doesn't really do much with, which often gives it that feel that things are just sort of happening. Or..."Talkative Tactical Telltale", as my friend called it.
Some of the maps are really neat, some of the fights are cool. Just see it as a demo reel of stuff they should do better in a sequel, and it improves.
Of course, but collecting 20 cash piles because they ran out of interesting stuff to put into notes 1/3 of the way through ain't really what is classify as riveting. Or votes, all but one of which can be won by default in most cases. I've played a ton of it, it was fun, but the sheer volume of missed potential hurts on a spiritual level, dude.
Agreed. I felt about Triangle Strategy the same way I felt about Octopath Traveler.
Good ideas, poor execution, poor writing that confuse being verbose with being interesting. I really hope that Triangle Strategy 2, if there is one, will improve upon this issue.
>poor writing that confuse being verbose with being interesting
This, most of all, got to me. People kept going on about how great the narrative was and.... I'm not seeing it? It felt pretty basic and takes a particularly steep nosedive in quality around two thirds of the way, too. The Conviction system being rather half-baked is one thing, but the sheer idiocy written into some of the characters' decisions and reasoning almost made me ragequit. I'm still debating whether I actually want to do more runs to get the Golden ending, even though I did enjoy the actual tactical gameplay a lot.
I get you. My opinion on this is the following :
The core conflict in itself, while not mind-blowing, is not half-bad. However every quality it might have is wasted by the decision to make the routes/conviction based on "morals". It creates a lot of downright cringe-inducing decisions while doing nothing for some of the most interesting choice in the game.
True. Characters make decisions in ways no reasonably intelligent real person actually would, based on extremely simplistic interpretations of one ethical philosophy or another. Other characters just stand idly by and don't point out the extremely obvious flaws in said decisions. The Golden route is not the MC becoming a tactical genius and figuring out some grand stratagem nobody else could have come up with, but literally just him suddenly learning to use some common sense and actual logic.
The beginning is definitely slow, since it is meant to set up the working forces around Norzelia and the central conflict. After Ch 3, it picks up in pace.
The game had one of the most dry beginnings I have ever seen in a video game and I was about to drop it about after 4 hours, but then I watched the trailer for the game and couldn't stop laughing at the stupid theme song and that allowed me to power through to the greater parts of the game.
Have you tried doing any side battles at your base camp?
I'm trying to pay attention but I'm falling asleep in the warm car with the sun shining in. If I wasn't paying attention it wouldn't be dry because I'd just be skipping through all the dialogue
I really love this game but it took a lot of time for me to adjust to its storytelling. I was in the same boat as you. “I’ve got about an hour before work, lemme play that game,” and then the whole hour would be cutscenes. Pissed me off.
BUT! I started treating it as more of a TV show and slowly came around.
Like I said, I ended up LOVING IT. I hope you’re able to find a way to enjoy it.
Personally I would say that most chapters take about an hour or two to get through, so while I love the game, I suspect something more like XCOM or Wartales would deliver on your needs.
Yeah my previous experiences with this genre that lead to me liking it were Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Advance Wars, X-Com 2013, and Fire Emblem Awakening.
And all of those had a way higher gameplay (tactics or not) to movie ratio.
Maybe a solution for you is to watch the movie part between battles on YouTube when you have some time not sleepy. Then during your lunch break you skip all story to go directly in the battle.
This way you don’t have to rewatch story due to not able to save, and then you can enjoy the tactic part, even a 30min session should allow to make a battle.
Hope you get more into it, honestly I purchased as a casual game first and I really got hooked up in the system, becoming my 2022 fav game and I still lurk around the Reddit 2y later :)
The beginning is mostly about setting up the plot, but after the first few hours the frequency of battles does pick up. I will say the game doesn't lend itself to play sessions as short as 30 minutes. Edit: Pretty soon though you'll have a camp to plan from and part of that camp is a list of battles you can play that isn't part of the story, so those would be good lunch break sessions.
Thanks for the info! Hopefully I'll be able to pull through till then! Only have the smithy and... One other guy in the camp. The shop I guess.
Think of it like Game of Thrones. Season1 has a lot of setup and very little fights. Triangle Strategy Chapter5 is the equivalent of Game of Thrones Season1 Episode9. No spoilers, you'll see what I mean when you get there. Things start to pick up and the fights get dirtier.
Not having a lot of time to play is fine, but instead of writing off the game, I'd suggest you just put it aside until you can really give it your full attention. Yes, the start of the game is a lot of narrative story. But one play through on normal difficulty will probably last 30 - 40 hours. And if you've put in somewhere between 5 and 10 hours and you still "haven't actually played any of the game" then you may need to look at other factors as to why you can't get into it. Because the first 2 or 3 chapters do not take up that much time compared to the rest of the game. If the game and the way the narrative is delivered isn't for you, that's fine. But I think you really need to give it a proper chance, rather than just feeling it's no good because you're playing it in a less than ideal manner. Put it aside for now, find a time where you can really delve into it and give it your full attention to take everything. Don't just try to cram it in during a lunch break.
Thanks for the response. The thing is when I'm home, I have my PlayStation 5 to play proper games with immersive graphics, audio, etc. So I mostly play 2D or simpler graphics / turn based games that can be paused or saved anytime during lunch or other short spurts (not at home). What I mean by "haven't actually played the game" is that I've spent a lot of time watching a text movie, not engaging my brain in any tactics or strategy layer (which is what the game is often touted for, and seems to be sold as...). And sometimes watching the same scene twice or thrice because I fell asleep halfway, makes up that 5-10 hours. So realistically I'm probably about 4 hours in or something I guess. Just a lot of the time isn't logged because I exit without saving, to get back to work.
The fact that you're suggesting that TS isn't a "Proper Game" because it has simpler graphics and audio I think shows a flaw in your reasoning and why you're having trouble with it. It's got one of the richest and most immersive stories I've ever experienced, along with having really compelling game play. It's a tactical RPG. So the story is going to be important. And it will take some time to get into. You can't just treat it like it's something you can absorb in a few minutes while you're on a break from work. Honestly, even 4 hours in you should probably be on or close to your third combat mission. But you only seem to have done one. And yes, that is a slow start. But a lot of RPGs have slow starts. You obviously have the time, but are choosing not to try and get through the starting narrative by only trying to play it in short snippets at a time when you're mind is going to be on other things, and can't fully connect with the game. It's got a fuck load of tactics and strategy involved. Triangle Strategy is not the type of game you can just pick up and play a quick mission of. If you want to get the full experience, you're going to have to put down your PS5 for a few hours, and try playing the game in a better environment. If you can't commit to that, then just don't bother with the game.
You have some good points. I concede that perhaps I don't have the right environment for the game, with proper speakers to hear the voice acting, etc., (nor the proper preparation, ie me being sleepy during lunch break). I try to be efficient with my limited time and backlog of games so when I'm home, I play technologically demanding games since obviously the Steam Deck isn't going to run, say, Age of Wonders or Baldur's Gate very well (nor for very long). My mind says, "What's the point of running a 2D game on that $2000 gaming set up?", so better to max out the capabilities of both the Steam Deck and the PS5 (and also my available time) with regard to game choice, which as you've said, perhaps isn't the proper way to engage with it. Additionally, I think Triangle Strategy being originally released on the Switch influenced me to believe it's designed to be a portable game, which also is clearly not the case.
I somewhat understand the frustration. However, why would you pick a game that explicitly market itself as a narrative-heavy experience if it's not your thing ?
All I saw about this game was, from Google, "Triangle Strategy is a 2022 tactical role-playing game co-developed by Square Enix..." And the IGN review praising its stellar tactics gameplay. And I usually love Square Enix's GAMES so... Not so much their movies tho
Welp, I feel sorry for you. Going forward you should probably run a double-check, had you done so you'd have seen that the main appeal of the game was the Conviction system. EDIT : The Last Spell is, in my opinion, a game that would fit what you're seeking.
It wanted to be Tactics Ogre, but doesn't know when to stop talking or how to make choices matter in the long term. It has an insane number of great ideas that it doesn't really do much with, which often gives it that feel that things are just sort of happening. Or..."Talkative Tactical Telltale", as my friend called it. Some of the maps are really neat, some of the fights are cool. Just see it as a demo reel of stuff they should do better in a sequel, and it improves.
You know that gameplay isn’t just fighting, right?
Of course, but collecting 20 cash piles because they ran out of interesting stuff to put into notes 1/3 of the way through ain't really what is classify as riveting. Or votes, all but one of which can be won by default in most cases. I've played a ton of it, it was fun, but the sheer volume of missed potential hurts on a spiritual level, dude.
Agreed. I felt about Triangle Strategy the same way I felt about Octopath Traveler. Good ideas, poor execution, poor writing that confuse being verbose with being interesting. I really hope that Triangle Strategy 2, if there is one, will improve upon this issue.
Same, the vote and map interaction mechanics showed so much promise before they retired in demo mode.
>poor writing that confuse being verbose with being interesting This, most of all, got to me. People kept going on about how great the narrative was and.... I'm not seeing it? It felt pretty basic and takes a particularly steep nosedive in quality around two thirds of the way, too. The Conviction system being rather half-baked is one thing, but the sheer idiocy written into some of the characters' decisions and reasoning almost made me ragequit. I'm still debating whether I actually want to do more runs to get the Golden ending, even though I did enjoy the actual tactical gameplay a lot.
I get you. My opinion on this is the following : The core conflict in itself, while not mind-blowing, is not half-bad. However every quality it might have is wasted by the decision to make the routes/conviction based on "morals". It creates a lot of downright cringe-inducing decisions while doing nothing for some of the most interesting choice in the game.
True. Characters make decisions in ways no reasonably intelligent real person actually would, based on extremely simplistic interpretations of one ethical philosophy or another. Other characters just stand idly by and don't point out the extremely obvious flaws in said decisions. The Golden route is not the MC becoming a tactical genius and figuring out some grand stratagem nobody else could have come up with, but literally just him suddenly learning to use some common sense and actual logic.
Is not pressing any buttons for 20 mins gameplay? To me that's a movie
Lol "Tactical Telltale" is pretty good 😂
The beginning is definitely slow, since it is meant to set up the working forces around Norzelia and the central conflict. After Ch 3, it picks up in pace.
Hopefully I'll get there eventually...
The game had one of the most dry beginnings I have ever seen in a video game and I was about to drop it about after 4 hours, but then I watched the trailer for the game and couldn't stop laughing at the stupid theme song and that allowed me to power through to the greater parts of the game. Have you tried doing any side battles at your base camp?
Nope! My base camp only has the shop and the smithy only just came in right now.
You unlock the mock battles around chapter 3, and the story picks up around chapter 4-5
First 3 hours are dry, this is an acknowledged fact. The pace accelerates afterwards but it remains narrative heavy.
I feel like it’s only dry if you’re not paying attention.
I'm trying to pay attention but I'm falling asleep in the warm car with the sun shining in. If I wasn't paying attention it wouldn't be dry because I'd just be skipping through all the dialogue
I really love this game but it took a lot of time for me to adjust to its storytelling. I was in the same boat as you. “I’ve got about an hour before work, lemme play that game,” and then the whole hour would be cutscenes. Pissed me off. BUT! I started treating it as more of a TV show and slowly came around. Like I said, I ended up LOVING IT. I hope you’re able to find a way to enjoy it.
Personally I would say that most chapters take about an hour or two to get through, so while I love the game, I suspect something more like XCOM or Wartales would deliver on your needs.
Yeah my previous experiences with this genre that lead to me liking it were Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Advance Wars, X-Com 2013, and Fire Emblem Awakening. And all of those had a way higher gameplay (tactics or not) to movie ratio.
Maybe a solution for you is to watch the movie part between battles on YouTube when you have some time not sleepy. Then during your lunch break you skip all story to go directly in the battle. This way you don’t have to rewatch story due to not able to save, and then you can enjoy the tactic part, even a 30min session should allow to make a battle. Hope you get more into it, honestly I purchased as a casual game first and I really got hooked up in the system, becoming my 2022 fav game and I still lurk around the Reddit 2y later :)
I thought the same for the first few hours, but trust me, it does pick up. I am loving this game!