

"And that, leaving that option open, so you're not getting the same thing every time – you're getting different things for a lot of different players. This time we're gonna go in this direction, but the next time you're gonna have a different team, you're going to have a different direction, you're gonna have a different world, and you're going to have a different battle system." And then you know, we like to look at it as that's why each of the Final Fantasy games is something different. "Like I said, this isn't about right or wrong, it comes down to preference. Does that mean Square Enix will keep turn-based battle systems locked to its pixel-art revival games like Octopath Traveler, Live A Live, or Triangle Strategy, rather than new installments of Final Fantasy? Maybe, but then Yoshida-san says we should never assume to know what the publisher will do next with the franchise. The team appears to be striving to deliver an approachable real-time combat system in Final Fantasy 16, one that is more in-line with modern action games.
#Final fantasy xvi should be turn based series
The Final Fantasy series is home to a host of memorable adventures and among them, different battle systems. "Because once you've taken the graphics this far with FF16, if you decided to go back to pixel graphics with that, then people are gonna be like, 'Hey, what are you doing here? Why are you going back to pixel graphics?" "But does that mean that Final Fantasy 17 pixel graphics is confirmed? I don't know about that," laughs Yoshida-san. "I personally would say that, if you're going to create something like that, maybe have the graphics fit that system better by maybe going towards a more pixel-graphic type of direction." And when deciding whether, 'okay, are we going to go turn-based or are going to go action?' I made the decision to go action."Īlthough the decision was made to go with an action system over a turn or command-based equivalent in Final Fantasy 16, Yoshida-san reiterates that he understands the appeal of these systems, and believes that they have a future – so long as they are presented in an appropriate way.
#Final fantasy xvi should be turn based full
"And so when making that decision, we thought that the direction of taking in that full action was the way to do that. "When asked to create Final Fantasy 16 by the higher-ups in the company, one of their orders was to fully maximize the use of the technology," says Yoshida-san. So you can't put everything together, you just have to keep creating different things until you cover everything." Naoki Yoshida there are a lot of different players, and not everybody agrees on what should be in a Final Fantasy. In fact, as Yoshida-san explains, when the team began developing Final Fantasy 16, maximizing the use of the technological advances of Sony's latest hardware was one of his team's directives. It's all fluid motions, stylish moves, and colorful powers that bring Final Fantasy's combat to life with flair.Īnd with Final Fantasy 16 being developed for PS5 – with the studio pushing for new levels of realism, fidelity, and detail to take advantage of the new-gen system – you can understand why the realistic graphics it can deliver partly influenced the decision to go in a more modern, action-focused direction. We see that reflected in the new Final Fantasy 16 trailer, titled Dominance. And so the only option is to press ahead. Yoshida-san was keen to note in our conversation that it would be impossible for his team at Creative Business Unit 3 to appeal to 35 years worth of Final Fantasy fans – they all want something different. Turn-based battles are a matter of preference then. I mean, if you have a character holding a gun, why can't you just press the button to have the gunfire – why do you need a command in there? And so it becomes a question of not right or wrong, but it becomes a question of preferences for each different player." But then on the other hand, there are people that just can't get over it. They're fine with having these realistic characters in this unreal type of system. The modernization of Final Fantasy is, in part, designed to lure in a new generation of players, but there's this "gap" between presentation and gameplay that the publisher is trying to close too.


It's slowly been moving away from the turn-based systems of old in favor of faster, more reactive instances of combat as it builds larger, and more realistic game worlds. This is an insight that may help to explain the direction Square Enix has gradually been taking Final Fantasy over the last decade.
