The Final Fantasy VII remake is a perfect example of Square Enix’s core design philosophy when it comes to combat systems — which is to say, there isn’t much of one. Sure, the series has its roots in “traditional” RPG battle systems, but this franchise has reinvented the foundation of its main gameplay challenges more times than any other JRPG. That’s at its most apparent looking with Final Fantasy VII, a turn-based game with a slight real-time twist, and its remake, a real-time action game with a slight turn-based twist.
This combat overhaul has reignited a mild debate among FF fans, whether the mainline games should have stuck to turn-based combat or not. Personally, I believe that as long as Square’s side teams continue to deliver solid new games that hit the same sweet spots as the Final Fantasy of old, it’s great that this franchise keeps experimenting with new ideas! It’s an accomplishment for a series to last over three decades and for its gameplay to never feel stale. It’s not always a hit (there’s a reason XIV fans don’t glorify 1.0), but it’s never stale.
This makes the Final Fantasy franchise an excellent case study of the countless ways games have reinvented the art of combat. Sure, there’s a lot to love about these games other than reveling in wanton violence. But combat is extremely common in games (especially RPGs) because it makes an excellent excuse for testing various skills and creating narrative conflict. This franchise is effectively a Swiss Army knife of combat systems, with an answer to every warrior of light’s very particular tastes for bloodlust.
It’s a very poorly kept secret that I prefer action RPGs over turn-based RPGs, and I especially love hack-and-slash combat. I love combat systems that reward aggressive, impulsive, and reactive gameplay, putting the flow of battle into the player’s hands. Out of all of Final Fantasy‘s games, nothing embodies that hack-and-slash ideology better than Kingdom Hearts III, despite Nomura’s best efforts to not make it an FF game. Even though my honeymoon period with KH III is long over and I’ve come to admit it’s a much more flawed game than I anticipated, as far as sheer combat mechanics go, it’s exactly what I love most.
More than any other Kingdom Hearts game, KH III is packed with mechanics that enable and reward aggressive and proactive playstyles. Sora’s moves are more robust than ever, allowing him to quickly dart around the field and sweep groups of enemies into quick, heavy-hitting combos. The more aggressively you fight, the more you are rewarded with additional firepower via Grand Magic and form changes. The ability to change weapons on the fly lets you switch between strengths to suit your whims. And his party members are far more interactive and helpful than any other action RPG AI I’ve fought alongside (which is a low bar, but credit where credit is due, teammate combo finishers are rad). I love this system for little reason other than shameless hack-and-slash power fantasy fulfillment, but these mechanics are fine-tuned for that fantasy.
My one main gripe with these battles is that KH III‘s enemies are so lacking that I never felt like this system gave me the chance to flex its muscles to the fullest. That’s more of a criticism I have against the difficulty curve than the battle system itself, hence why I’m still naming it my favorite system. That said, I still have yet to play the Critical Mode DLC which may or may not have amended that. I would have played it by now, but I’m an information addict who loves to explore new and unusual systems as much as binge on my favorite gameplay styles. Yet Kingdom Hearts‘ gameplay is a huge departure from everything else Final Fantasy has done, even against the likes of FFXV and the FFVII remake, so I asked the other guys on staff what they prefer…!
Source: Destructoid What is your favorite Final Fantasy combat system?