Hironobu Sakaguchi had designed the first Final Fantasy game as a standalone title. So, when they were designing the second title, rather than building more games in the same world, they designed a whole new narrative. It was done with the simple goal of carrying over thematic elements instead.
In hindsight, that was a brilliant move. Not only did it allow them to create a brand-new narrative every time, but it also allowed them to rehaul entire gameplay systems. Since this was something that their audience came to expect, they now had a clean slate in which to innovate. Thus began the evolution of one of the biggest franchises in video game history.
The evolution of Final Fantasy’s combat
Of the many innovations the Final Fantasy team has come up with, nothing has been as game-changing, fun, or divisive as the combat mechanics. In Final Fantasy 16, all combat is real-time with a limited ability to give your pet companion, Torgal, commands. It’s a far cry from the Turn-based origins of Final Fantasy combat.
In the beginning
The first 3 iterations of FF used a simple system of turn-based combat where you assigned actions to each of your party members. When you were done, the battle round would initiate. The party and enemies would take their turns in a seemingly random order, after which you assigned actions again. This is a pretty straightforward digital application of a standard pen-and-paper RPG like DnD.
But as the player, you don’t know everyone’s initiative order and thus can’t predict when the enemy will take their turn. This system works but, in a long playthrough, could become boring and repetitive.
With Final Fantasy 4, Hiroyuki Ito designed the Active Time Battle, a system that became the foundation of most of the mainline titles’ battle systems. This system started every battle and the actions of all party members and enemies ran on this timer.
Now that the battles were live and the enemies had already begun their actions, as a player you had to immediately assign your actions to the party. Depending on the action, they would take varying amounts of time to complete, and it added an additional level of strategy to defeating enemies. You needed to understand the variety of actions available to you and how long they would take to complete and roll them out in the correct order for a win. This system is the best example of the kind of strategy a player had to use to complete the game.
Riffing on ATB
As the series got older and the games more complex, the designers began creating versions of the Active Time Battle system. Final Fantasy 10 introduced the Conditional Turn-based Battle where we got to see the order in which the characters would fight. Here, characters who were faster would get more turns since they moved faster on the ‘timer’. Thus, understanding what each character could do was key to winning these battles so that you could capitalize on their strength.
In Final Fantasy 11, we see real-time battle come up for the first time. The party now automatically engaged with enemies at a basic level. You only needed to manage your character and issue special commands/moves for party members. This was combined with the ATB system in 12 to bring back strategic elements while still providing the player with the ability to move the character around.
In Final Fantasy 13, the player controlled a party leader with the ability to give team action commands, rather than individual member commands. By the time we get to Final Fantasy 15, we are able to switch characters to change up our strategy. But the combat is open and real-time, requiring us to develop the skill to react and parry in a combat sequence. Although…I really did enjoy all the little combos we could do with our party members and the fact that each member’s combat style was so different.
The trend of prioritizing real-time combat
If you look at the evolution of this game, it follows a trend that we are seeing with a lot of larger games within the industry as a whole. As games are getting bigger and the stakes are getting higher, many studios and franchise titles are embracing an active real-time combat system, one that prioritizes reaction and combo-based skills over raw strategy. As a result, a lot of the unique mechanics that were key elements of the franchise or the genre aren’t part of the game. At least, not in their pure forms.
This was one of the larger complaints following the Final Fantasy 16 demo. FF16 features a completely real-time combat system. It requires you to figure out the timing of the actions in order to master combos, defense, magic, and attacks. As a result, a lot of the older Final Fantasy fans are upset that the turn-based system that was so integral to FF’s strategy has been left behind. I get it. I do.
But if you really think about it, this move makes sense, and it is one I support.
In defense of a real-time system
Games are becoming larger and more grandiose. As a result, they are also getting more expensive. At the end of the day, this is a business. Studios have to make money to be able to make more games. So, it is just a good business decision to make games with mechanics that appeal to a large group of buyers. And quite frankly, I am one of those buyers.
I used to love this series when I was younger. I was sucked in with Final Fantasy 7 and got my hands on every title I could. But as I got busier with life, it became harder and harder to find the time. I began to prioritize other games that required less of a learning curve, stuff that I could pick up and play easily.
It has become harder to find the mind space for long-format strategy or incredibly high-skill games. And if I can’t do that, I can’t justify the high price tag to pick those games up even if I want to support the studios. To this day, I never had the chance to personally finish FF 14 and 15. I had to rely on videos to know what happened with the story.
Getting into Final Fantasy 16
When FF 16 dropped, I was hooked within the first half an hour. I loved every single minute of it. Yes, the game has real-time combat, but it is an incredibly satisfying experience.
Designed by Ryota Suzuki of Devil May Cry fame, the real-time combat is intuitive and approachable. But it also rewards skill and time. More than that, it allows you to customize your experience through equippable gear. With it, you can get boosts in combat or defense. It can even change the degree to which you can engage with Torgal. Thus, you can adjust how much strategy vs combat you want to use within each of the combat sequences. It is incredibly intelligent design and worth checking out. It comes as no surprise that Suzuki has called this his ‘Personal Masterpiece.’
While the game has embraced real-time combat, it has done so with nods to the titles before it. And thus, it carries through that thematic line even if it is no longer an ATB-adjacent system. It is still an innovation with their combat mechanics, just one that wasn’t immediately obvious. One that I am sure will pay off.
Of course, the game has also chosen to innovate in other ways. In addition to being incredibly beautiful, this game is much darker in theme, narrative, and setting than any of its mainline predecessors. And those Eikon battles…man! It remains to be seen how this will honor the Final Fantasy legacy. It is definitely a journey I am excited to take.
Storytime: When Final Fantasy creator was ready to give up…
One of my favorite stories in the Video Games industry is that of Final Fantasy. Hironobu Sakaguchi had said that when he designed the first installment of this now legendary series, he had done so as a last-ditch effort. If this game had not been successful, he would have left the industry and returned to college. What a world that would have been, huh?
I love that story because it is a reflection of just how difficult it is to ‘make it’ within this industry. It’s hard work, and success depends on a bunch of elements that feel like a spark in the dark. But it is also a reflection of the heights you can reach when you find that spark. Sakaguchi’s last-ditch effort has resulted in making Final Fantasy one of the most successful gaming franchises ever. One that is over 36 years old this year.
All opinions in this article belong to the author.
