Game Reviews

Triangul8 review - "A clever but spartan two-player strategy game"

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iOS
| Triangul8
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Triangul8 review - "A clever but spartan two-player strategy game"
|
iOS
| Triangul8

Triangul8 is kind of like a combination of Noughts and Crosses/Tic-tac-toe and Othello/Reversi.

Come to think of it, why do all of these tactical two player games have alternative names?

Never mind about that. Focus on the task at hand. Because believe me when I say you'll need all of your brain power to compete in a round of Triangul8.

The magic number

That's not to say that Triangul8 is complicated, as such. In fact it's quite simple.

Each round starts with a red triangular on an empty triangular grid. You and your opponent (whether AI or human) will then proceed to take it in turns laying your own coloured triangles down.

You can position your playing pieces anywhere, as long as one of their three sides touches that of an already-laid piece.

The goal is to form a larger triangle that encloses or incorporates the red triangle, with your own tiles forming the three points. To all intents and purposes the red tile becomes your colour in the formation of this larger triangle, so it could be used to form one of the three corners itself.

Angles of attack

Given how simple the rules are, the strategic permutations here are quite impressive.

You need to constantly be on the watch for emerging triangular patterns in multiple sizes and both orientations. What is your opponent building towards? Are they throwing you a dummy, setting up traps, or playing reactively?

I can quite imagine that multiple tactical approaches and starting moves will emerge over time, just as with any other tactical board game.

It makes sense that the developer has referred to Triangul8 as a kind of simplified 'chess killer'. It also makes sense that they've made a physical version of the game to accompany this digital one.

Must tri harder

Indeed, I get the impression that Triangul8 will make for a much better physical game than it does a mobile game. There's just something a little spartan and austere about this mobile iteration that leaves me unsatisfied.

You get a single player mode where you play one-off games against an AI opponent and a same-handset two-player mode. That's it. No leagues, online options, rule modifiers, or anything else of substance.

There are different triangle designs to obtain, but this is purely a cosmetic effect.

Triangul8, then, is a smart idea for a brand new physical board game. It could well take off in such tactile circles. But if it does, something tells me this won't be the ultimate mobile interpretation.

Triangul8 review - "A clever but spartan two-player strategy game"

Triangul8 is an intriguing attempt to make a brand new tactical board game to rival Checkers or Reversi, but this mobile iteration is too bare bones for its own good
Score
Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.