Summary
As time assuredly brings fans closer to the release ofFinal Fantasy 17, even ahead of its announcement, questions and thoughts are already in mind about what its combat will look like. The most recent games in the series,Final Fantasy 16andFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, have brought their own spin on the series' combat, with the former overhauling it entirely and the latter simply adding to whatFinal Fantasy 7 Remakehad already introduced.Final Fantasy’s combat has consistently evolved throughout the series, but the last few entries have certainly taken things far off-road from the norm, even to the point of contention. As such, there’s a lot riding onFinal Fantasy 17and what it does with its own combat system.
Final Fantasy’s combatin recent years has been divisive, to say the least, which makes it all the more challenging to narrow down a solid direction for the next entry in the series to go. That being said, it does shine a bright light on what the series perhaps shouldn’t have changed, despite its desire to innovate. There are certain traditional elements toFinal Fantasy’s combat that should arguably be preserved — elements thatFinal Fantasy 16andFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthmight have toyed with a bit too much — leavingFinal Fantasy 17to pick up the pieces.
What Final Fantasy 17’s Combat Should Look Like
Final Fantasy 17 Should Bring Back Parties and Classes After FF16
WhileFinal Fantasy 16’s real-time combatwas divisive in and of itself, even more than that might have been the fact that it removed the series' classic party system and distinct character classes from the picture entirely. Rather than controlling multiple characters during combat, players exclusively controlled Clive Rosfield, who would eventually become a multi-class, hugely customizable character that removed the need for other playable characters. Rather than controlling multiple characters of various classes, as has traditionally been the case inFinal Fantasy, players only controlled Clive as a jack-of-all-trades.
Clive was still accompanied by AI-controlled companions like Jill Warrick, Cidolfus Telamon, and his loyal wolf Torgal inFinal Fantasy 16, but they were not directly controllable by the player.
In the end, despite how innovative this overhaul aimed to be, it might not have been the best move for the series to take.Clive Rosfield, the lovable protagonistthat he is, just wasn’t enough to fill the void left by removingFinal Fantasy’s iconic party system and character classes. As such,Final Fantasy 17might be remiss not to revert to more familiar territory, where players can customize multiple characters individually, along with controlling each of them independently in battle.
Final Fantasy 17 Should Feature Turn-Based Combat With Real-Time Mechanics
One of the main reasonsFinal Fantasy 16went all in on real-time combat is due to the idea that modern gamers prefer the fast-paced energy of real-time mechanics as opposed to the traditional turn-based formulaFinal Fantasyis known for. However, not only didFinal Fantasy 16’s divisiveness prove that to be a bit untrue, but the recent critical success ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33suggests turn-based combat isn’t entirely dead. TheFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketrilogyhas even tried real-time combat with some light turn-based mechanics mixed in, but that hasn’t really worked either.
If nothing else, perhapsFinal Fantasy 17should take a cue fromClair Obscur: Expedition 33and feature primarily turn-based combat that has some real-time mechanics to balance things out. WhileClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s combat hasn’t been universally praised either (primarily due to its difficulty), its success is nonetheless proof thatFinal Fantasyshouldn’t so readily dismiss turn-based combat as an option.
The recent critical success ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33suggests turn-based combat isn’t entirely dead.
In short,Final Fantasy 17has an opportunity to really take the series' combat to new heights, given its recent history and the success ofturn-based games likeClair Obscur: Expedition 33. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, it may be wiser for the next entry to reconnect with what madeFinal Fantasy’s battle systems so iconic in the first place, with flexible party dynamics, turn-based strategy, and character-driven customization. IfFinal Fantasy 17can strike the right balance between modern flair and traditional design, it could finally deliver a combat system that feels both fresh and faithful.
