When in chapter 3 I first encountered the scales of conviction, I dismissed them as a gimmick. Yeah, you can choose to either travel to Aesfrost or Hyzante, but in chapter 4 you will be back on exactly the same linear path, regardless of your choice. But it turns out that in chapter 7 the scales of conviction become a far more serious choice, because the choice changes the next 4 sub-chapters of the game, and significantly change the tone of the story. And as far as I can see, in chapter 9 the choices become even more impactful. And because all battles in Triangle Strategy are staged, you can by making different choices have at least one very different second playthrough.

What doesn't change, however, is the basic structure of each chapter. Unless you skip the dialogue or grind mental mock battles beyond the point where that is useful, you will spend more than half of the game in dialogue and story, and less than half in gameplay activities like character management and tactical battles. That certainly isn't for everybody.

[Spoiler Warning!] Games with a lot of story frequently have some sort of philosophical message they want to convey. In Triangle Strategy that message appears to be not only that choices matter, but also that choosing the less moral thing leads to easier outcomes, while taking the high road is significantly more difficult, but is the only way to get to the best ending. I find that message a bit naive. And is somewhat sabotages the advantage of the game of you being able to replay it through a very different story; yes, you can, but there is only one "morally correct" path, and if you deliberately make different choices in your next replay, you will be forced to behave a lot less like a hero. I am very tempted to restart the game, and take the less moral, easier path first: It appears as if that is what you are supposed to be doing, so that the game ends up "enlightening" you, and you take the "golden" path in the second playthrough.