The resolution of geometric frustration in systems with continuous degrees of freedom often involves a cooperative inhomogeneous response and superextensive energy scaling. In contrast, the frustration in frustrated Ising-like spin systems is resolved uniformly. In this work we bridge between these two extremes by studying a frustrated model composed of $N$-state spins, and varying $N$. The expected cooperative response, observed for large $N$, is strongly attenuated as $N$ is reduced, in a nontrivial way. Moderate $N$ values show unique topological-like phases not observed before in frustrated models.