Should Final Fantasy return to ATB?

Simple question, should Final Fantasy make a return to classic (FFV-VIII) ATB or should it continue to try to reinvent the wheel with it like it has since X-2? Is ATB still relevant or should SE start looking for a new combat system?

I don't think they are ever going too now- yes Persona 5 has done well and has a chance of being Game Of The Year, but Square seems to have this strong belief that Turn- Based is outdated and dead. If Dragon Quest XI does well worldwide then there might be a chance of a Final Fantasy game returning to ATB; but at the moment Square has this stance that ATB is the past.

Should they though ? Bravely Default and Persona 5 proves that Turn Based can be excellent even today so why not ? Though I'm biased and hate Action RPGs as it suffers from problems like a CPU character doesn't heal ( Donald Duck KH series ), character gets in the way and get hit ( FF XV series ) or battles feel repetitive fast ( Crisis Core )

Yes yes a million times yes! That and a world map again please! I can't say how frustrating it is that I don't have full control of the battle at hand.

I liked X's turn based the better than any of the ATBs.

I enjoyed swapping in and out the players in X too. It really helped me use people I may not of used. X's battles were part of what made the game.

I'd love to see turn-based combat make a big comeback in general, because I have a real hard time with the "actively moving and attacking yourself but you also have to manage your team's abilities and items with button presses in real time" systems that have taken its place. When it's implemented poorly, as it often is, I don't feel like I'm ever truly in control or able to strategically fight a battle.

So yeah. Bring it back, Square. At least make it an option in the FFVII Remake.

(Spoiler alert: they won't make it an option in the FFVII Remake.)

In some capacity it's probably a wise choice. FFXII was A Very Different Game but still felt like an evolution of Final Fantasy mechanics instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

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Originally Posted by Fynn

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Best answer to the thread lol :D

I also think X's system was the most preferable. It allowed you to plan based on the table of turns ahead, switch characters at the cost of no turn for greater flexibility and it even told you how much time a move would cost you (very important for the Aeon battles).

Iv'e never played any FF past XII, but I didn't mind XII's system, I just preferred X's much more, If they remade VII with X's system and no harsh rewrites it would be my ideal remake. I know the reality of the VII remake however, but it might be enjoyable (though I was in the "don't remake it" group).

As for the "out of style" argument, I don't see how it can be, I'm assuming it's Kingdom Heart's influence perhaps? There were action-RPGs at the time of the golden era so why it's suddenly not in tune with the fan's preference is kind of strange. I mean, Pillars of Eternity did well despite people claiming Baldur's Gate was dated and also look at how excited people were for Yooka-Laylee and other platformers, the indie market is strong. just look at how successful Undertale was, which again, was turn based and looked minimal.

XIII's system was really good. I would prefer they go back to that.

Or alternatively, they return to turn-based and take a page out of Atlus' book. Persona 5 is proof that turn-based combat can be critically and commercially successful in 2017.

If it goes back to it, it needs to go back to the X-2 version. Honestly the ATB up until that point was fairly garbage, and X's CTB was preferable in almost all circumstances.

I'd love to see a return to some kind of turn based, certainly. Although I can live with action oriented gameplay if it has good story, characters and deep RPG systems behind it to back it up. XV's major gameplay issue was the lack of meaningful meta-game outside the hack and slash combat. It was fun, but shallow.

ATB or a turn-based system like Tactics/X would be wonderful. XV was an action system for a variety of reasons and it was totally understandable from SE's standpoint, but I hope that was something specific for that game and not the start of a new direction for the series. There's just too many action RPGs out there and ATB was so iconic of the FF series. However, FFXV was a big success for them and they are also not blind to the successes of Witcher/Dragon Age/Dark Souls so it would take a huge faith in their developers and fanbase to go back to turn-based. SE is such a big company with a big focus on the bottom line that they may not take the 'risk' by switching FF back to turn based.

I mean, X-2 is modified ATB, so I wouldn't say they really departed from that formula there. If the series could stick with that battle style--quick, RNG/positional factor, combo-able...most fans would be down.

As they make games now, I have no desire to play them whatsoever.

I liked it when FF would adapt each title to something similar but different than previous entries. Even within the first eight games you can see quite a few variants on the original system, be it more speed or extra damage caused by timely button presses. Each had various degrees of success within the fan-base, but I think they were all strong in their own way as they were systems that SE did best. When you compare it to games like XV, the battle system there just isn't as strong overall, and I think this is due to SE thinking less about how to adapt or utilise new tech and more them just seeking ways to grab fans of The Witcher and other successful western RPGs.

That said, I still believe that XV is not really an indication as to where the series is headed since it started life as a spin-off, so there's still hope for me that SE will go back to what I thought was a solid system.

I've been okay with every combat system they've come up with so far.... So I don't really mind whether they go back to it or not. I just hope they'll make a good battle system for future titles.