The strategy genre seems to be on the rise. Fire Emblem: Three Houses enjoy major success not too long ago, PlayStation recently fans learned about a strategy game starring Marvel superheroes called Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and earlier in 2021, Square Enix revealed Project Triangle Strategy, a new HD-2D strategy game. Rather than dropping its original codename, Square Enix’s game seems to simply go by Triangle Strategy now, but it doesn’t necessarily need a new name to turn heads. Triangle Strategy turned heads from the moment it was announced by looking like a spiritual successor to Final Fantasy Tactics with Octopath Traveler‘s art style, which is fitting since Octopath‘s developers are involved in Triangle Strategy.
Luckily for fans interested in that combo, Square Enix released a demo for Triangle Strategy as soon as the game was announced. In the latest Nintendo Direct, Square Enix returned to Triangle Strategy, thanking fans for the thousands of comments it had received from fans testing out the game. Perhaps more importantly, Square Enix revealed ways that it’s changing Triangle Strategy to match fan feedback. This is a fantastic gesture from Square Enix. Although Triangle Strategy is far from the first game to release a demo, very few games actually make drastic changes based on fan commentary. More studios should be so willing to hear out the opinions of their games’ fans.
Triangle Strategy’s Excellent Example
Square Enix’s approach to the Triangle Strategy demo was bold from the start. Plenty of games release demos, but not every game gets a demo on the same day that it releases. What’s more, the Triangle Strategy trailer explained the game in extreme detail, showcasing everything from the impact of the environment in combat to its choice-based storytelling. Square Enix was clearly eager to get opinions on Triangle Strategy because, between the quick demo and the lengthy explanation of the game, it told fans in advance that it would collect their feedback later.
Some seven months later, Square Enix revealed the result of its demo. Lots of things about Triangle Strategy are getting improvements based on the 25,000 fan surveys completed via the demo. Improvements stemming from the demo include better loading times, more difficulty options, greatly expanded camera controls, dialogue upgrades, and much more. The Triangle Strategy demo clearly wasn’t just intended as a marketing tool, showing off Square Enix’s next product. On the contrary, Square Enix’s remarkable openness about its plans with Triangle Strategy and its eagerness to work together with fans serve as a great example for other studios interested in releasing game demos.
Triangle Strategy and the Power of Feedback
Every game’s fanbase has the potential to deliver refreshing perspectives on the game, and yet fans often don’t get the chance to speak their piece until it’s too late. Cyberpunk 2077 serves as an excellent example. If CD Projekt Red had created a demo for Cyberpunk 2077 some months ahead of release with the intent of seeking fan feedback, its final state could’ve been very different. Executives and developers alike would’ve received negative feedback from fans while the game was still in development, potentially discouraging the studio from releasing the game prematurely. Cyberpunk 2077 could’ve been spared a lot of trouble by checking in with its community.
What’s done is done, of course. While a feedback-driven demo can’t help Cyberpunk 2077 now, it could certainly help CD Projekt Red’s next game, or any other new game from any other studio. Triangle Strategy will be a dramatically different game thanks to the demo that Square Enix put out, and that should be more than enough proof to other developers that there’s value in demo surveys. It’s one thing to let players try a game before they buy it, but it’s another thing entirely to improve a game after players test it out. Hopefully, Triangle Strategy‘s demo model encourages some other developers to follow in its footsteps.
Triangle Strategy releases on March 4, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
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