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.

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.