With the success of 2018’sOctopath Traveler,and the recent release of tactical RPGTriangle Strategy, the HD-2D art style that each game employs has been at the center of much respective praise. The style leans heavily on the pixel art of old Square Soft role playing games, but provides sharper textures, and a more impressive color palette, bringing the retro aesthetics into the present.The HD-2D visuals have the potential to be replicatedon a number of games and franchises, but withFire Emblem’s continued success on Switch, it’s in a prime position for a visual makeover.
Fire Emblem’sorigins lie firmly in the sprite-based era of the Famicom, withFire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Lightreleasing in 1990. As time has passed, the series' visuals have changed drastically, with the most recent entry,Fire Emblem: Three Houses,sporting a sharp, anime-inspired art style. It’s a significant change from the series' humble beginnings, but asTriangle Strategyhas fans swooning at its pixel aesthetics, it could be an exciting change of pace to seeFire Emblemreturn to its blocky roots sporting an impressive HD-2D look.
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Triangle Strategy’s Innovation Could Be Fire Emblem’s Salvation
Triangle Strategy’s stellar gameplay shows that the tactical gameplay approach still has the potential to impress and provide tense combat encounters, despite its lack of any real-time elements. The grid-based battlefield and menu-focused actions offer more than enough enjoyment throughout the game’s 40-hour journey. As the gameclearly learns much fromFire Emblem, the potential forTriangle Strategyto return the favor is evident, especially in the art department.
Releasing a newFire Emblemtitle in 2022 makes a lot of sense, and the HD-2D visuals feel far more at home on a tactical plane, rather than a typical, turn-based battle layout. Characters feel like pieces on a chess board instead of low-res versions of fully-realized characters, and withFire Emblem: Three Houses' deep combat mechanics and intricate character leveling, HD-2D would be a gorgeous return to a retro-infused presentation while maintaining the same attention to detail the series is known for.
Furthermore, the murky colors and ominous lighting present inTriangle Strategyadds to the tone greatly. With much of theFire Emblem: Three Housesstory draped in war, the textures made popular inOctopath Travelercould be more suitable, even, than the anime-esque art that theFire Emblemseries looks set to use moving forward.
HD-2D Is All The Rage
HD-2D is an approach to visuals that are to beutilized once again with the remaster of cult classicLive A Live, announced at February’s Nintendo Direct presentation, so the likelihood of more games utilizing the art style is high. The presentation is something that wonderfully harkens back to RPGs of old, while giving new fans more than enough to appreciate. There are plenty of beautiful scenes in bothTriangle StrategyandOctopath Traveler, and using something similar could revive series' of old and refine the current trajectory ofFire Emblem.
Fire Emblem’s identity lies in its combat, and asTriangle Strategyproves HD-2D is perfect for the tactical RPG genre, the former is free to go in a number of different directions. Unlike titles likePokemon, which are known for turn-based skirmishes and pocket monster collecting almost exclusively on handheld consoles,Fire Emblemhas seen mainline entries on the 3DS, Wii, and Super NES, and has altered its formula somewhat drastically along the way. The heart of the series lies in its characters and gameplay, two components that certainly wouldn’t suffer and could even prosper from HD-2D graphics.
Fire Emblem’s impressive resume of iconic titles maintains its quality by adapting to the needs of modern audiences. From ditching the weapon triangle of old, to adopting aHarry Potter-inspired narrative forFire Emblem: Three Houses, the series' sky-high reputation has never got in the way of its willingness to change. AsTriangle Strategybrings forth an aesthetic that would fitFire Emblemlike a freshly forged gauntlet, adopting the HD-2D graphics to any future title could unlock huge potential for the franchise.
Triangle Strategyis available now for Nintendo Switch.
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