Reviews for Square Enix-published Triangle Strategy have come in, and indicate a positive reception. As a tactical RPG like Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem, it has big expectations to live up to. So how does Triangle Strategy's Metacritic score compare to those of FF Tactics and Fire Emblem games?
First announced in February of 2021, Triangle Strategy is an RPG strategy game that focuses on tactical combat, character progression, and a branching narrative in which protagonist and prince Serenoa navigates a political conflict and war over salt and iron. Triangle Strategy's various difficulty modes offer something for fans of story and challenges alike, combining the narrative-focus of JRPGs and the tactical decision-making of traditional strategy games like XCOM. The resulting combination creates a genre of tactical RPGs with origins in Japan in the 1980s that has since become quite prolific.
Triangle Strategy is thusly one among many in its genre. Games like Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics are immensely popular, with numerous beloved entries in both franchises. Fans of these games will likely enjoy the new release. So far, critics and fans seem to agree based on Metacritic's aggregate scores.
Metacritic Scores For Triangle Strategy, Final Fantasy Tactics, & Fire Emblem
As of March 7, Triangle Strategy has a rating of 82 based on critic reviews and a score of 8.4, indicating generally favorable reviews. 1997's widely popular Final Fantasy Tactics has a similar score of 83, with a notably higher score of 9.1 indicating universal acclaim (notably, many reviews for Final Fantasy Tactics were written a decade or more after the game's initial release). The modern Fire Emblem franchise, possibly Triangle Strategy's best comparison, tends to have ratings in the 80s, with 2019's Three Houses holding a rating of 89 and 2013's Awakening standing at 92, the highest of the series.
A handful of the aggregated reviews for Triangle Strategy praise aspects it shares with Fire Emblem - the breadth of recruitable characters and complexity of battle scenarios, among others. Some reviews plainly state that fans of FF Tactics and Fire Emblem will enjoy Triangle Strategy. The games are far from identical, but the similarities play up the strongest aspects of the tactical RPG genre to great success.
While the numeric ratings on Metacritic indicate the overall quality of games rather than examining specific aspects, the more detailed reviews of Triangle Strategy are telling. Players and critics think that Triangle Strategy is good - about as good as other high-profile tactical RPGs, and certainly a worthy entry in the genre. Those who enjoy Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics will likely find satisfaction playing Triangle Strategy.