Project Triangle Strategy is an upcoming tactics RPG that is very much following in the footsteps of Final Fantasy Tactics. The new game is taking a lot of the mechanics and concepts pioneered by FF Tactics and expanding on them with the more than two decades of experience Square Enix has picked up in the genre. It seems like Square Enix is pulling inspiration from many of its other projects like Octopath Traveler, but Project Triangle Strategy wears the FF Tactics DNA on its sleeve. While fans are waiting for more information about the new game, it's a perfect time to revisit Final Fantasy Tactics.
FF Tactics was already building on past successes from games like Tactics Ogre when it released back in 1997. The game quickly garnered acclaim from fans and critics for its blend of classic Final Fantasy tropes and style with its tactical grid-based combat system. It had built up the Job system from previous entries, specifically FF3, and featured a story rife with political intrigue and personal drama. Many fans felt that the relatively smaller scope of its story and world helped its narrative and characters flourish. Project Triangle Strategy is certainly trying to follow in its footsteps, so fans excited about the new game would do well to either replay FF Tactics or experience it for the first time.
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Of all the reasons to play FF Tactics before Project Triangle Strategy, the biggest one is simple. FF Tactics is a very fun game for fans of JRPGs and strategy games. The mechanics are easy to grasp but quickly deepen. An initially shallow pool of different Jobs and abilities quickly becomes a sea of options. The ability to effectively multiclass into different Jobs opens up hundreds of different options for building the kinds of units players want to bring into battle. While not much is known about Project Triangle Strategy beyond the early demo, FF Tactics is a good way for fans to get a sense of what to expect from its gameplay.
The art style of Project Triangle Strategy more closely resembles Octopath Traveler, it seems pretty clear that its narrative is more similar to FF Tactics. The demo and trailer showcase a world where players quickly find themselves embroiled in political strife, and make important decisions that will affect later events. There was a degree of player choice in FF Tactics, like choosing to execute enemy soldiers or take them prisoner in certain encounters, but there wasn't much impact from those decisions. Outside of in-the-moment effects, the choices more helped players feel responsible for the protagonist Ramza's actions. But the plot itself revolved around class politics and strife before expanding in classic Final Fantasy style to include supernatural elements.
Fans of FF Tactics hold the game in a special place, and likely already have Project Triangle Strategy on their radar. Luckily for those that wish to play FF Tactics ahead of Square Enix's new strategy outing, it's pretty easy to get a hold of the game even if they don't have the original disc and a working PS1/PS2. Anyone with a PSP can enjoy the well-executed War of the Lions rerelease, which features extra character Balthier from FF12 and beautiful cel-shaded cinematics. It seems like Project Triangle Strategy is the closest thing to a new FF Tactics for a while, so it's built up excitement fairly quickly. But either way, waiting for Project Triangle Strategy is a great time to revisit Final Fantasy Tactics.
Project Triangle Strategy is in development for the Nintendo Switch.
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