With the upcoming (possibly final) DLC, Rising Tide, coming to the latest entry in Square Enix’s Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XVI, it made me want to reflect on the series itself in various ways. This will probably be a multi-part reflection and discussion since there is SO much ground to cover in this 16-mainline-entry (so not counting spin offs) franchise.
In this first Final Fantasy Reflection, let’s talk about the battle systems in the series.
TURN-BASED:
Home of the traditional JRPG gameplay system, turn-based combat was how Final Fantasy rooted players into exploring bright and colorful worlds. You came for the story and had an excellent combat system (barring FF II – we say this only because there were sooooo many systems in this particular game that affected hits, stat growth, speed, etc. It could be a whole post in and of itself!) to boot.
This was so prevalent, the first three games in the series were traditional JRPG turn-based combat, meaning the speed stat for these characters was the determinant on who attacked first. And while class choice did somewhat influence stat growths, sometimes, RNG was for you and you had a very speedy monk; other times, the RNG smote your thief to be the slowest in the party. It wasn’t until the job system, came out with FF III, helped guide stat growth a bit more when choosing a class for your characters, which was affected more by job level instead of character level – think mastery of a job if you’ve never played it.
Because of this system, at least in my opinion, it was pretty easy to figure out turn order and planning attacks. While the older games had their flaws, the original Final Fantasy games still have a charm that invites replayability time after time. Mix in the changes from the Pixel Remasters (more discussions on those to look forward to later), and you’ve got another 20-40 hour time sink to put into those three games alone.
ACTIVE TIME BATTLE:
With Final Fantasy IV, a drastic change was made to the battle formula – the introduction of the Active Time Battle (ATB) system. Replacing the traditional turn-based reliance on going back and forth between enemy and player attacks and issuing commands before the attack phase, the games became more fluid and reliant on not only the speed stat, but also issuing commands in real time. Each character was given an ATB bar, which filled based on their speed; the higher their speed stat, the faster their meter filled. Once the meter filled, they executed their command. It also gave way to Preemptive Strikes (player character bars are all filled at the beginning) and Back Attacks (same happening but with enemies having the advantage), giving another element of variance in encounters.
This was a literal game changer, giving players more of a sense of urgency to issue commands faster than the enemy and min-maxing the usage of their meter. Looking away for five seconds means five seconds where a character is sitting on a full ATB bar with no command given while the enemy bars are filling to attack. Real-time combat mechanics were far and few in games at the time, so this gave Final Fantasy IV through IX (plus X-2) an edge over the competition and an additional facet of engagement with Final Fantasy players.
As someone who first played through Final Fantasy III as my first game, it was a massive adjustment (I went into VII as my next game, no regrets at all). However, I felt a sense of control and really enjoyed the shift of combat styles through the series. Even how FF VII Remake played the ATB system into the different commands aside from the more action combat-based regular attacks was an absolute charm and great way to blend modern and classic battle styles.
Fun fact: the ATB was so unique, Square Enix actually filed patents related to the system itself. Hence why we’ve actually never seen it outside of Final Fantasy (and Chrono Trigger!)
COUNT TIME BATTLE (FF X):
The combat system used in Final Fantasy X was one that could be seen as a true evolution of the turn-based combat seen in earlier entries. Again, relying on the speed stat, each character was given a turn; however, if speed was higher in one character (looking at you, early-game Rikku), they were given more actions to use in combat.
The unique Sphere Grid feature in the game allowed all characters to eventually boost their Agility stats and could eventually have all more-or-less equal stats if all nodes are taken in their paths. However, this unique feature wasn’t utilized in future titles. It’s up there with my favorite combat systems in a JRPG.
ACTIVE DIMENSIONAL BATTLE (FF XII):
This is the first time a Final Fantasy game had allowed freedom of choosing to battle or explore, allowing encounters to be visible in the main overworld. There was no loading screen, no transition; you went immediately into battle upon engaging an enemy. It was a seamless transition and allowed more freedom to the player.
There was also movement control in battles too, allowing player controlled characters to move freely in the space. This was incredibly important when using Area of Effect (AoE) spells and commands, again, adding another level of strategery (challenge me on that word) for the player to utilize.
It’s possibly one of my favorite combat systems due to the amount of engagement the encounters require from players. They also tend to speed by pretty quickly and allow for a quicker use of the Chain system of killing similar monsters for increased chances for rare loot drops.
COMMAND SYNERGY BATTLE AND PARADIGMS (FF XIII):
The CSB system was an evolution of the ATB system, and allowed for characters to take on different roles in a battle through Paradigm Shifts (think Jobs but not) where one character can play the Paradigm of Medic (healer), and then switch to Commando (damage dealer). Everyone had an individual ATB, but there were three sections total; a regular attack would cost one bar but a high level spell like Blizzaga could cost as much as all three.
It was probably the system that jived the least with me, hence the little bit of text related to it. I could see where people would favor it due to the flexibility it can give in battle and allowing for some pretty neat setups, but in the end, that’s a lot to manage – I’m a fan of stationary jobs, or ones I can change BETWEEN fights, not during them.
ACTIVE CROSS BATTLE (FF XV):
The AXB system was one that actually hooked me pretty deep, but in summary, it was the first foray into a more action-based gameplay with elements of previous games. With control of only the main character, Noctis, and the remaining party members being AI (at least until the Royal Edition released), the player could dash across a field and actively engage the enemy. The party members would auto-attack enemies while having special abilities which could be called upon once their ability gauges charged enough. There is access to dodging, regular attacks as well as changing a set of four weapons at a time in battle, with the ability to change weapon classes out of encounters.
The combat system also allowed players to craft their own spells through elemancy. You can harness essences of Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder while collecting ingredients as loot in encounters or completing quests. This means by combining certain ingredients, spells may have different effects, and the more rare the ingredient was, the more potent the spell was or the higher number of times you can cast it before you had to build another spell.
I really enjoyed this system despite many FF purists seeing it as un-Final Fantasy as the lack of chocobos or magic crystals. I’m a fan of action-oriented combat, so this system naturally fit with my play style.
ACTION BASED COMBAT/HACK AND SLASH (FF XVI):
Again, possibly one of my favorites in the modern era is the just pure and simple combat from FF XVI. Spoilers for the game ahead for anyone reading.
Still here? Good! The system puts aside most RPG elements (except for a sword, vambraces and a belt) in favor of a very customizable and fluid, action combat system. As the story progresses, Clive gains access to additional Eikon abilities and has the access to equip three of them at a time with two skills to pair with the selected Eikonik ability. So, for instance, my favorite combo was Garuda’s Deadly Embrace ability paired with Upheaval from Titan and Impulse from Bahamut. The customization makes the combat some of the most fun I’ve had in a game.
Separate from normal fights are the hunts for much stronger enemies with rare loot drops. Without proper planning, S-Tier enemies like Atlas or Svarog will put you down quickly. And even separate from these are the epic Eikon fights, essentially boiling down to two kaiju-like monsters battling it out. Players typically control Ifrit, Clive’s Eikon, and participate in similar fight mechanics as to regular fights, but on a scale that can only be described as magnanimous (Google Titan Lost).
REAL TIME BATTLE (FFVII: REMAKE AND REBIRTH):
Finally, we have the more recent, and one upcoming, games to go over – the modern retelling of Final Fantasy VII. Broken over multiple games, the modern remade version of the game forgoes the traditional turn-based combat in favor of something more action-based. This real time battle system allowed players to step into the role of Cloud and company quickly. Each character would attack in real time as if playing FFXV or XVI. There were still ATB gauges, but they were used similar to FFXIII, where special commands or spells used up between one to three parts of the gauge.
Battling through bosses in this format is incredibly engaging and allowed for a lot of customizing to suit the player’s playstyle. Additionally, the ability to control other characters such as Barrett or Tifa was a charm. Going from Cloud’s Buster Sword to Tifa brawling various enemies gave way to varying up the combat enough to keep me wholly engaged.
While it’s quite a bit to take in, and Final Fantasy has gone through so many other changes over the years too aside from combat. What are some of your favorite combat systems in the series? Any high points? Or any gripes and moans and groans? Off topic, will FFXVI ever come to Xbox or will it stay at home in the PlayStation environment and its list of exclusive games? Let us know!
You must be logged in to post a comment.