Feel like it’s headed that way and wonder how some of us old timers feel about this direction.
Personally I hope with each title they don’t just create a new story, characters, and universe, but also experiment with turn based again given the success of OT2
I like all sorts of battle systems. There’s some nice perks to the battle systems they used in the likes of 15 and 16, but I really do love turn based combat and perhaps what I absolutely miss the most is control over my party members. Heck, I wish we could even just have a gambit system like 12 so that I can at least control my party member’s strategy, even if not them (though 12 also did let you take control of anyone – just it was too tedious to do for anything other than infrequent moments).
Most specifically, I’d love to see a battle system like 10 return. It was one of my favourite for battle systems. Sure, ATB is nice and perhaps the most Final Fantasy, but the dynamic turns of 10 was very cool. I also really liked that it let me take time to think and plan out my moves. I could take a look at how each possible move would affect the upcoming turns. The whole turn order was super strategic. Being able to see when your enemies would attack was a big part of that (I don’t recall any variant of ATB allowing that), because I could do stuff like “I have 3 turns before the enemy, so I can just press the attack instead of healing”. Actually, I dunno why 10’s battle system has never been used in any other game I’ve played (if you know any, lemme know!).
Same, I miss having different characters that are specialized. One of my favourite things about FF is the different party members interacting with each other. Being able to control those characters made it feel more intimate to me. Comparing 9 and 10 (my two favourites) to 15 and 16 makes me really miss those moments.
If you liked 10’s battle system I’d recommend the Octopath Traveler games to you. I’ve only played the first one but it’s combat is very similar to 10, with some additional features. I’ve heard the second one is the same but has a better story and character interactions so if you don’t feel like playing the first one I’d say you can skip it and go straight to 2.
The mobile final fantasy game DFFOO uses that turn system. You can see when the big baddie is going to have a turn, and in their system you can also delay or delete their turn giving yourself more time.
Plus you can play as any character FFX included. It’s a lot of fun.
That’s true. I love X. And it’s not so much about it having to be turn base. But about having control and having time to think and respond and strategise was what made it so engaging.
it was always the intention: turn based battle was because of hardware limitation. So I’m ok with them doing what they want without limitation.
When I want to be along for the ride in a story-based RPG that doesn’t require much from me, I’ll play FF.
When I want to play a challenging and strategic turn based game, there are plenty of other options out there.
We probably still see ocationaly some turn based game like in world of final fantasy, but the series experimenting with it’s battles systems since Final Fantasy XII or maybe even since FFX. It’s no simple turn based for many years now and that how the series goes on. I don’t mind it anymore because i like some of theses system and some are quite unique. There are still other games that stay turn based to i let the ff devs do what they like.
I’m fine with the lack of turn based, but I want more substance than I am getting from 16 and 7R. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed both games, but they have their faults. The combat is fun in both games in very different ways, but with 16’s combat it started to feel really shallow by the half way point. I think I prefer the way 7R does it, trying to mix both turn based and action.
I just hope they don’t stop reinventing, because while this is fun, this isn’t ‘it’ yet.
After being such an old series you’d think they would have it. But that’s actually my point. I think there will be a time where it’s “it” for you but not for other people because of how it’s expanded so much. So I’m not “waiting” for them to get “things right” finally because that’s clearly not how they’ve ever done.
Instead I would just enjoy each one for what they are and then further enjoy whatever they try next. Every combat style gets tiring after a few iterations. Generally speaking an audience always will grow out of a series if it refuses to change. And to me FF is the series that pushes to do something new because if they don’t do it, other jrpgs simply refuse to because they can’t afford to “try” things. That’s their role in the industry, FF is a leader in this way where they can invest into new ideas.
And people who don’t accept it will forever be unhappy and that’s a CHOICE they make. To not see things for how they are and think “oh they’ll come to their senses eventually.” This is what every parents often thinks of their kid instead of realizing maybe they just have it aalllll wrong that it’s so hard to see it.
I’m alright with it, but yeah I think the key is continued experimentation, including combat, as the series has always done.
Also that sort of combat does live on in bravely default, octopath, etc. Do I need it to be in a game with “Final Fantasy” on the front? Probably not.
More so than “turn based” I lament the loss of party management. I’m really enjoying 16, and I like having Torgal and other allies with me, but it’s a shame there’s not more direct interaction / management. Even something like gambits would help.
I’m a big fan of 7R’s hybrid combat, and I’d like to see them use an evolution of that for a new game tbh. Looking forward to seeing how Rebirth enhances it.
As long as they keep trying something new I won’t complain. I prefer things that allow me to strategize, so things like turned based, or gambits, are great. I hope they don’t just stick to action combat.
Depressed.
But at this point nobody should be surprised. We should expect that what we once knew as “final fantasy” is not and will not ever again be what gets published, and they haven’t given us any reason to think it was going to be something different.
That said, I think its a mistake not to be publishing multiple “Final Fantasy” (subtitled side by side series) games that cater to both crowds. But I guess this was the way they wanted it and its what we get.
As long as they don’t pull this with dragon quest nobody gets hurt
I had to edit this a few times, I’ve a lot of mixed feelings. I LIKE action RPGs. I really do. Its just that things didn’t evolve into this so much get replaced by it.
I know the feeling. We are a long way from the 90s era square and we do have to accept that’s never coming back. I’m happy they’re evolving and reinventing. I just don’t want it to be chasing trends. 15 felt like a response to the growing popularity of open worlds at the time and 16 felt quite on trend with character action. While I’m loving 16 I also love FF because it plays to the best of its own drum. So hopefully they had to in 16 to reclaim the lost credibility from this title and keep moving from here.
