The next Final Fantasy is an action RPG. How does this make you feel?

[Death Penalty]

For as long as the series has been, Final Fantasy has always been a turn-based JRPG. It's a law that seemed set in stone alongside improbably sized weapons and protagonists with a lot of product in their hair. Spinoffs and sequels can do what they like. We've even had two numbered titles that were MMOs rather than the usual single-player experience. But the core titles, the ones that weave the massive character-driven stories, have without fail been turn-based.

Then, suddenly, Final Fantasy Versus XIII was rerevealed as Final Fantasy XV, and a tradition as old as the legendary series was done away with just like that. No ATB bar, no taking turns, no selecting your next move as your enemy waits patiently. Your characters run freely on the field, slicing and dicing their foes in a manner more commonly seen in hack and slash games than in what we've come to expect from Final Fantasy. There's no denying that it's a massive departure from tradition, and that by simply being an action RPG rather than a turn-based RPG XV will play like a completely different game from any Final Fantasy before it.

How fans will take this remains to be seen. I myself have seen reactions ranging from relief and joy to uncertainty to naked outrage. I thought, where better to find the honest reactions of others than here in the forum of one of the most earnest Final Fantasy fan communities I have ever come across? So please, tell me, how does this sudden change make you feel? Is it something you've been wishing for, something you've been dreading? Do you think Final Fantasy should have stayed true to its roots, or do you think it needed a bold new direction?

For my part, I have always been a massive fan of the Kingdom Hearts games. In particular, their battle system is one of the freshest and most plain fun systems I have ever seen incorporated into a JRPG. It's fast, it's satisfying, and I think giving a core Final Fantasy title this system, with all the money and polish that will come along with it, is one of the best decisions that SE has ever made. The visual grandeur, the Advent Children-like battles this could allow XV to achieve, are just staggering ideas to me. In a turn-based system you would be hard pressed to find something like the Leviathan fight in the re-reveal trailer, and in my humble opinion battles of this epic level and scale are how Final Fantasy will make its mark as a series in this next generation.

That said, to see the turn-based Final Fantasy go the way of the dinosaurs would make me incredibly sad. I don't think that turn-based combat has no place in this bold new generation, and I don't think it has no place in a core Final Fantasy. While I don't think they should limit themselves by saying Final Fantasy has to be turn-based, neither should they limit themselves by saying Final Fantasy can no longer be turn-based. It is the original heart and soul of Final Fantasy, and almost every fan who fell in love with the series fell in love with a turn-based JRPG.

How about you? What do you think of all this?

 

[Dollow]

Looks cool and fun, what more can you want outside of it being a good game.

 

[Ariana]

I think, first and foremost, I'm excited about the new direction they're taking Final Fantasy. After all, the series has always been held in high regard in terms of the continuous evolution of core concepts. While Final Fantasy XIII was a step in a new direction, it didn't sit quite well with me. Perhaps the ultimatum the design team was given a year prior to its release is the reason for that, but whatever the reason, the game took risks. Nomura is doing the same, on a far greater scale, with XV. I think that the loss of a turn-based system for one Final Fantasy game isn't a bad thing, as long as Square Enix doesn't decide against finding another creative way to breathe new life into it.

Anyway, enough rambling. I'm looking forward to playing XV, and seeing what the continuous evolution of Final Fantasy has in store for us with this title!

 

[Tsukiyomi]

I'm very excited myself. While I am a big fan of the ATB/turn based battles, I was also always open to new things, plus if the action is even remotely similar to Kingdom Hearts I might just die.

 

[Squirrel Emperor]

As long as the repetition/button mashing is disguised well, which was pretty noticeable in Kingdom Hearts II. I think I’ll be ok.

 

[Keriaku]

Honestly, I feel like the deal breaker will be how the development system is handled. As Kingdom Hearts itself has shown, Action RPGs can vary wildly based on how character development is handled. And beyond that, it's really just about how it 'feels', whether it feels more strategic or more reflex-based. And as shown in interviews, Nomura is aware that the game needs to 'feel' more similar to Final Fantasy then a hack and slash. Based on all this, I'm not particularly worried. I welcome the evolutionary possibilities it'll inject into the franchise.

 

[ShinGundam]

To me, much better than a decade of MMO style and automated stuff.

I just hope they manage the world building and pacing better than what we have nowadays.

 

[Tani]

An excellent question. My answer is yes i am in favor of such a change in the style and direction for this one game. Being a die hard fan of Kingdom Hearts i think its awesome what Nomura is doing with this game, its pretty unique in its own way. But i dont think its a "sudden" change, we've already seen a change with FFXIII series. After XIII ends i think this is the perfect step to take in terms of gameplay development. Also being the one who has played all the classics i dont want it to be an end to the turn based system gameplay. I hope that the future mainstream games come back to turn based style like the old days. Im open to both ways, both are extremely fun and for now Im happy with the way SE is heading

 

[Snow Villiers]

Due to Versus XIII being a spin off, and them not wanting to change the core game play of the work they had already progressed on before making it XV, I feel that they haven't exactly scrapped the turn based rpg element of the game, but rather it would take too much time to change it. I believe that XVI will be a turn based or at least a mix of the two.
I welcome change, and it may be needed if Final Fantasy is to be a huge mainstream hit (So that other people actually try it, unlike many of my friends who have yet to play a FF game.) again.

 

[yeah_93]

It's great for me. I always disliked the random battle-turn based gameplay of older FFs. As long as it doesn't feel like button masher, I'm cool with it.

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

Looks far more ambitious than 99% of the JRPG/WRPG battle systems out there.

 

[APZonerunner]

I'm ok with it, as long as the combat is more interesting, varied and nuanced than Kingdom Hearts. My big fear is it'll be like those games, which are in my mind the RPG equivalent of the Dynasty Warriors games gameplay-wise and the worst part of that series.

Some of my favourite RPGs of all time are action-based, but I think the thing I'd say is that not too many of the great ARPGs of the 3D era have come out of Japan. Hopefully FF15 can right that in a big way.

 

[Fleur]

I welcome it. My RPG history has predominantly been full of turn-based battle systems, and my exposure to action RPGs has been comparatively recent compared to others and ever since, it has become my preferred style of combat for the genre. No doubt after a certain while the saturation point will kick in again and I will find myself yearning for a new renaissance of turn-based games, but until then, I've no qualms with a mainline game sporting an action battle system.

I'm just waiting to see in greater detail how this will be executed. The 2011 trailer, frankly, did very little for me. I saw a generic hack-and-slasher with a menu HUD, and the occasional turrets. In fact, I had flashbacks to Crisis Core, a game that I felt was hollow and bereft of anything special except for the distracting and unwieldy slot machine DMW. It looked disappointingly run-of-the-mill and bereft of anything really special, which is why I'm now particularly hopeful about what we've seen. Being able to teleport across distances, even across vertical surfaces, as well as being able to clamour onto high-up objects and platforms - if done properly with enough of the potential depth it's virtually asking for - may just be what FFXV needs to set itself apart from other action RPG combat systems.

Nevertheless, I would like to see more turn-based battle systems though. If FFXVI returns with it, albeit in a different way as subsequent FF games constantly do, I'll support it all the way. It's a bit of a shame to see the turn-based system's virtual extinction outside of handhelds and mobile devices, and it got to the point that I've been supporting the XCOM games' success. And for the success of turn-based indie games. I'm unconvinced that we've now reached an age where a big-budget turn-based game is no longer a seller.

 

[Zero]

It wouldn't be Zero's first choice for a Final Fantasy battle system but a change of pace may turn out well. It's interesting nonetheless.

 

[LeonBlade]

To express my feelings on Final Fantasy XV and it's battle system, I'll say that I myself have been designing a game for years since I was in elementary school, and everything that Final Fantasy Versus XIII/XV has shown to have is exactly how I would have done it in my own game.

 

[Death Penalty]

snip

While I can't agree with you on Crisis Core or the 2011 Versus trailer- both of which blew me away personally- your post is excellent and rings very true to me. I went through the same thing where for the longest time I was a turn-based fanatic. It's only relatively recently in my gaming history that, like you, action RPGs began to sway me to broaden my RPG horizons. I see it just as you do, as a possible renaissance that could allow Final Fantasy as a series to branch out into wonderful new things- and like you I'd prefer if they also made room for the things that made them famous in the first place. I don't think there is no room for turn-based AAA Final Fantasies. It's the lack of innovation at fault there, not being turn-based itself.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a thought-out response.

 

[masterlobo]

Strictly speaking, Final Fantasy hasn't been turn based since the introduction of the ATB with Final Fantasy IV.

ATB is actually the staple of the series. You could say ATB has been present in one way or another from FF IV to FF XIV A Realm Reborn (through the global cooldown), with the exception of FFX.

Only 3 titles so far have abandoned the concept of instanced battles though, FFXI, FFXII and FFXIV.

Anyway, what seems to alienate old-school players is the style of the newer entries. Ever since XI, the series has started changing more drastically. It's easy to see FF1 to FF10 and say 'oh, it's a FF', but since XI it has become harder. It looks like a different game, so does XII with the Ivallice touch (which makes it feel like it's very own series at times), XIII with its crazy designs and sci-fish touch, and XIV with a clear western influence. XV seems to continue the trend, with a more realistic and dynamic look. Of course, they still have those things, tropes and themes that maintain what I like to call "The Final Fantasy experience".

I personally love these changes which maintain the series fresh, creative and evolving. Some people cling to the past too much...they should realize they can still play those games and ignore the new ones if it affects them that much, but oh well, you know what they say: 'haters gonna hate'.

So, to answer your question, and as a TL;DR: I am very excited about FFXV, I have been for a long time, and I think it looks AWESOME. And the details we've heard from interviews make me drool...

Edit: I wouldn't mind a back to basics FF tho, a turn-based experience...sure, why not? Lost Odyssey was great!

 

[masterlobo]

Oh my god, best post ever.
Edit: Only thing I would change is "2 great FFXIII games and 1 freakin' awesome LR game"

I didn't make that image

I actually like XIII, XIII-2 and I'm looking forward for LR

But aside from that...that image is pure truth!

 

[Kumomeme]

if watching final fantasy advent children and others final fantasy clips/cutscene that involve battle scene,we can see how good visual works making fighting scene... see how the main character pulled stunt is something able to immersed audience with the game,,story and character..im fine with this as long final fantasy element like magic,mechanic,atb,number hits count and others were presence...as long it has final fantasy feeling ..square also it seems want to replicate the feeling of battle as in the ffvii advent children .. i hope not only they trying to innovate battle system,they also will improve exploration and mechanic features..with technology improving,with new graphic engine capable to pull out prerendered quality of games it great to see favourite character or monster more detail and realistic....

 

[ShinGundam]

I'm ok with it, as long as the combat is more interesting, varied and nuanced than Kingdom Hearts. My big fear is it'll be like those games, which are in my mind the RPG equivalent of the Dynasty Warriors games gameplay-wise and the worst part of that series.

Some of my favourite RPGs of all time are action-based, but I think the thing I'd say is that not too many of the great ARPGs of the 3D era have come out of Japan. Hopefully FF15 can right that in a big way.

Comparing KH to Dynasty Warriors? please.
The missions, area structure and multiple characters makes DW a different game. Also, XV already looks a step up over auto-pilot XII and XIII.