Despite receiving near unanimous praise from critics, there’s a small but very vocal contingent ofFinal Fantasy 16players that are unhappy with the new direction taken by Creative Business Unit 3 and its development of the title. Most notably, the shift from the traditional turn-based combat associated with the series to a fully real-time character action combat model has proved to be divisive among fans, with many decrying the action-oriented latest entry as not being a “real"Final Fantasy. However, this reverence for turn-based combat almost completely ignores the precedent established by other recent JRPG series, including the highly-regardedXenoblade Chronicles 3and its predecessors on Nintendo Switch.
Combat in theXenoblade Chroniclesseries is not purely turn-based but instead heavily dependent on automated actions and cooldown timers, very similar to an MMORPG. In what is perhaps the best iteration of the series yet,Xenoblade Chronicles3’s version of this combat model is the most fully-realized version of this system, offering players plenty of options in how they strategize encounters and synergize with party members. And whileFinal Fantasy 16does admittedly do away with some of the more commonly expected RPG mechanics that fans associate with the series, the switch from turn-based combat to something more action-oriented has beeninched toward sinceFinal Fantasy 13and embraced by other JRPG franchises,Xenobladeincluded.
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Acceptance Of and Praise For Xenoblade Chronicles' Combat Speaks to a Double Standard
The mixed reception toFinal Fantasy 16’s combat comes as a surprise given howXenoblade Chronicles' combat is almost universally appreciated. Despite not being a purely turn-based system, millions of RPG fans have sunk hundreds of hours intothe world ofXenoblade Chronicles 3, and the combat in each of theXenobladegames is arguably the star of the show. After all, it’s likely the activity that will eat up the majority of players' time spent in-game. The praise forXenoblade Chronicles 3coming from some of the same fans who are unhappy withFinal Fantasy 16speaks to a bit of a double standard in how fans treat theFinal Fantasyfranchise.
Of course,Xenoblade Chroniclesis a newer franchise without even a quarter of the enduring legacy ofFinal Fantasy, and it also isn’t one of the two franchises responsible for establishing the genre’s blueprint. Still, it’s not reasonable to expect that each game intheFinal Fantasyserieswill adhere to the exact same elements and mechanics of its predecessors and refuse to evolve with the times. In fact, one of the main points of emphasis of theXenoblade Chroniclesfranchise is to provide players with a modern JRPG that maintains the classic feel of many fans' most-beloved games. Ultimately, it seems as if many fans who enjoyedXenobladewouldn’t take issue with the latestFinal Fantasyif the title was from a different franchise.
Fans of Turn-Based Combat Didn’t Show Up in Big Numbers for Octopath Traveler
For those longtime RPG fans that only enjoy titles with purely turn-based systems, there are several quality newer titles. Square Enix itself has brought classic-styled RPG mechanics back into the zeitgeist with bothBravely DefaultandOctopath Traveler, and both of these titles feature combat systems more reminiscent of the 16 and 32-bit RPG greats. Unfortunately, the truth is that these titles can’t begin to compare withXenoblade ChroniclesandFinal Fantasyin terms of sales, indicating that most players seem to prefer combat systems that evolve beyond the turn-based model.
For a mainlineFinal Fantasytitle to return to its turn-based roots, there would have to be incentive for Square Enix to do so. Ultimately, the sales and critical reception to newer JRPGs that embrace real-time or hybrid combat systems (such as theFinal Fantasy 7 Remake’s brilliant blending of turn-based with real-time action) are making purely turn-based games a niche. With eachFinal Fantasydramatically switching up its mechanics from title to title, it’spossible thatFinal Fantasy 17will course-correctin some ways, but the likelihood of it going back to being strictly turn-based seems very slim.
