Triple Triad Gold is based off of the popular game-within-a-game in Final Fantasy VIII. It is a simple number card game in which both you and an opponent try to win by having the most number of cards in your color at the end of the game. The gameplay is somewhat similar to the board game "Othello" or "Reversi.
Two players play on a three by three grid. Each player has five playing cards, chosen from over 100 available cards. Each card has four numbers on it, representing the "power" of the card on each of its four sides.
When placing a card down next to another card already on the board, the number corresponding to the borders where the two cards meet are compared, and if the number on the card being place is higher than the card on the board, the weaker card's color is changed to match the color of the player playing the card. After the ninth card has been placed, whichever player has the most cards of his or her color on the board wins. The winner gets to take a card from the loser's set.
The gameplay is very simple to understand, but the strategy of the game is what will take a while to master. Fortunately, this game is very easy to navigate. There is
a single player practice mode in which you can build your collection. You start with the lowest level cards, and the more you win, the better cards you'll get. There are three levels of computer difficulty, and you will receive better and better cards in each level. If the gameplay ever gets old, there are many options and rules that you can implement within each game, adding to the strategy. There is also a multiplayer option to battle against human opponents as well.
The graphics of the game are nothing special, and aren't really important for a card game such as this. It is impressive how similar the game looks and feels like it did in FF8 though.
Verdict: A very good port of the popular card game of Final Fantasy 8. If you've played it before you know how great it already is, and even if you haven't, it's a great strategy game that is fun and easy to pick up.
