The quality of theFinal Fantasyseries has always ebbed and flowed, but it feels like it’s been on a bit of a decline for a little while now. Of course, it’s hard to deny that theFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketrilogy has been largely impeccable, but it is built on the foundation of arguably the series' best game. The mainline entries, specifically13,15, and16- you could also include14at launch as well - have been mostly disastrous, with16currying a bit of favor with diehard fans, but proving to be somewhat disappointing to many, myself included.
It has gotten to the point whereFinal Fantasyno longer feels like thebest RPG series available, as many more contemporary titles have it beat in almost every regard. It is time, then, forFinal Fantasy, at least the mainline games, to undergo a massive shake-up, one that overhauls many of its core systems. Crucially, to do this successfully,Square Enix needs to learn from those aforementioned better RPGs, especially 2025’s greatest RPG. After all, it is a game that is not only genre-defining but also the perfect guide for how to do Final Fantasy correctly.
Final Fantasy Needs To Be Turn-Based
It Should Return To Its Roots
Final Fantasymoved away from turn-based combat withFinal Fantasy 15- not including the spin-offs likeDirge of Cerberus. At the time, that made sense, as real-time action games were all the rage, and it felt like an effective way to bridge the gap between JRPG fanatics and mainstream audiences. However,15and its sequel, which also adopted a real-time combat model, have both become some ofFinal Fantasy’smost controversial games, and rightfully so. While both have their fans,they’re easily some of the weakest entries to date.
It feels important, then, that Square Enix takes a look at why these games failed. Of course, there are a lot of issues with both15and16, but I do suspect that the series' transition to real-time combat is the biggest culprit. Naturally, the somewhat antiquated turn-based mechanics of much older entries, including the likes of the originalFF7, aren’t an ideal substitute. However,Final Fantasy’slackluster implementation of simplified real-time combat mechanics simply cannot compete with the more robust and strategic turn-based battle systemswe’ve seen in the likes ofPersonaand, more recently,Clair Obscur.
Final Fantasy Should Take Inspiration From Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
It Is The Pinnacle Of JRPG Turn-Based Combat
I do strongly believe thatFinal Fantasyshouldreturn to its turn-based roots, especially as Square Enix clearly doesn’t know how to make real-time combat work within the series' framework. However, as aforementioned, it can’t merely be a return to the 90s approach to turn-based combat. Instead,Final Fantasyshould look toClair Obscur: Expedition 33for inspiration. That game melded soulslike reactions and pattern-learning with complex build design and unique character movesets to create a turn-based experience unlike any other.
WereFinal Fantasyto copy even a fraction of whatClair Obscurachieved, it would be infinitely more interesting than its current iterations.
Its level of originality was striking and audacious, and the far smaller team behind it managed to pull it off flawlessly. WereFinal Fantasyto copy even a fraction of whatClair Obscurachieved, it would be infinitely more interesting than its current iterations. Of course, the mainlineFinal Fantasygames could copyFF7 Remake’sbest feature, its hybrid-combat model. That would perhaps be the best of both worlds. However, I believe that a more ambitious approach to turn-based combat, akin to whatClair Obscuroffered, is inFinal Fantasy’sbest interest if it wants to win over fans again.
