Pen-and-paper RPGs couldn’t survive on a console.
Pitfall couldn’t compete against Tomb Raider. The first Final Fantasy couldn’t
compete with the most recent sequels. Yet when it comes to the strategy genre,
such a comparison does not ring true. Incredibly, strategy games with minimal
graphic detail and mounds of text information can exist alongside the high-end
real-time gameplay of Sins of a Solar Empire.
This is particularly evident by the release of
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Iron Triangle, a turn-based strategy game developed
specifically for PS2. Graphical detail is not this game’s strong point. Rather
than display the building of an empire, the wrath of a battle, and the turmoil
of a society that loses respect for its leaders, Iron Triangle wants you to
imagine these occurrences. Their in-game presentation isn’t much more than a
cluster of nonspecific polygons and text messages that describe each event.
That sacrifice, no matter how absurd in today’s
high-tech world, is not entirely unjust. In place of the presentation is a deep
and thoughtful strategy game that was made for players who want to be
overwhelmed with stats, options and responsibilities.
Iron Triangle requires a certain degree of
patience. Unless you’ve spent some time with KOEI’s previous strategy game
efforts (Romance of the Three Kingdoms or other Nobunaga’s Ambition releases),
don’t start this game until you’ve got an hour or two to walk through the
tutorials and begin experimenting with the main quest. The tutorials are very
helpful in explaining each basic and major gameplay concept. If you forget what
you’re supposed to do, the latest task can always be viewed by pushing the
select button. Best of all, the tutorials are purely optional; if you think
you’re ready to get started, the game lets you jump right in.
The controls are simple enough, albeit with as
many options crammed into each button as possible. As with any strategy game,
you’ll use the left stick to move the cursor and the right stick to adjust the
camera. Attacks, however, are not performed with a click of allied units and the
selection of a specific target. Rather, you’ll call up a menu screen, which
links to several other menu screens, make the necessary adjustments, and carry
out your assault.
More specifically, the entire game works on a
massive stat- and selection-based scale where nothing can be done with one basic
decision. Units are clustered together based on the number of troops you wish to
send into battle. They must be led by officers, whose individual stats can and
almost always will influence the outcome. Money is a constant worry because you
cannot fund a war (or protect yourself) without it. Food is needed to feed your
men, and new training academies must be built to increase your battle success
rate. Technology is also an area of concern – without the proper tech on board,
your attacks will be severely limited.
As a result, micromanagement is a key element of
Iron Triangle. You aren’t merely a participant of each element – you are the
commander in chief. Every detail matters and almost every decision takes up
resources (troops, officers, gold, etc.). Iron Triangle is a game of frequent
tradeoffs. Officers do not disappear until they die, but if they’re all
preoccupied with the Temple or Garrison you’ve instructed them to build, there
won’t be anyone left to fight.
Iron Triangle is technically a turn-based
strategy RPG but contains several real-time moments. Ex: your enemies don’t have
to wait to attack. They don’t have to wait to build up their forces just because
you’ve decided to spend 20 minutes on a particular task. Two game phases, active
and planning, are merged together to give the player some guidance. The latter
phase is automatically triggered every time you access a menu screen.
Thus, if you’re in the middle of a battle and
decide that some of your men should be sent in to incite rage within the nation,
you’ll press the square button to bring up the first menu, click on strategies,
click on incite, and go through the rest of the motions. Once this begins, time
no longer moves forward, thus preventing the battle from raging on. But once you
click the active phase, your latest commands will be issued along with the
continuation of the previous commands that have not yet finished.
It’s all very overwhelming and, without going
through the tutorial a couple of times, can be very confusing. Even then Iron
Triangle is not at all an easy game to grasp. Unquestionably, it is the kind of
strategy game that was designed for one specific audience. Those players will
appreciate its depth, love its longevity, and not care about the overwhelming
factors. They also won’t care that, when a great accomplishment is made, the
visuals barely reflect what has been done. For everyone else, however, Iron
Triangle may be too much to bear. I strongly recommend that turn-based strategy
fans give it a try, but if you do not love it well before the tenth hour you
probably never will.
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Gameplay: 7.5
Turn-based strategy gaming with loads of menus and micromanaging.
Graphics: 2.5
These aren’t the worst graphics ever seen, but the problem is, you don’t see
much at all. This is a game where the menus, statistics and other info count for
everything and the visuals count for nothing.
Sound: 7.9
Ignore the basic sound effects and enjoy the soothing, war-filled music.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
It’s not so much a hard game as it is one that is very overwhelming.
Concept: 7.5
Not a huge departure from Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rise to Power.
Overall: 7.5
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Iron Triangle is for the hardcore gamer willing to take
on all strategy games, not just mainstream hits.
