Is leaving turn base combat a mistake?

[Hailey Washington]

Ever since Final Fantasy XV dropped in 2016, it feels like the franchise slammed the door on traditional turn-based combat. The days of strategic, methodical battles have been replaced by hack-and-slash, real-time action that leans more toward Devil May Cry or Dark Souls than Final Fantasy VI.


Even the remakes—FF7 Remake, Rebirth—double down on action-RPG gameplay. Sure, they toss in “tactical modes” or “wait modes,” but let’s be honest… it’s not the same.


The irony? Turn-based RPGs are still thriving, just not in this franchise.


Take Clair Obscur: Expedition 33—not even a mainline title, not even a household name—and yet it sold 3.3 million copies in just 12 days. That’s not a fluke. That’s demand. That’s the hole Final Fantasy left behind when it pivoted away from what made it iconic in the first place.


Fans clearly still want turn-based systems. They want party management. They want to think a few moves ahead. There’s still a market, and it’s not just nostalgia—it’s preference.


So here’s the question:
Did Square Enix misread the room? Should Final Fantasy return—at least in one mainline title—to its turn-based roots? Or is it time for another franchise to fully carry that torch?

 

[Geraldric]

Honestly? Final Fantasy should return to turn-based at least occasionally. That style defined the series for decades. People didn’t fall in love with FF7 or FF10 because of flashy action—they loved the strategy, the ATB system, the tension of every choice. The current games feel like flashy button-mashing.

Clair Obscur’s success proves there’s still hunger for that gameplay. Not everything needs to copy FromSoftware or Kingdom Hearts. Square Enix is chasing trends instead of setting them like they used to.

 

[Kitty]

Why does it have to be either-or? Square Enix could totally have two Final Fantasy lanes—mainline action RPGs and spin-offs or side entries with turn-based combat.

Look at how Octopath Traveler, Bravely Default, and Triangle Strategy are doing. SE already knows there's a market there. Imagine a Final Fantasy XVI: Classic Edition with turn-based combat—it’d sell like crazy.

There’s no reason fans should be forced to “move on” from the gameplay that built the fanbase.

 

[Albert Whiskers]

People asking for turn-based combat usually want to relive their childhoods. Let’s be honest—it’s mostly nostalgia.


If FF6 released today for the first time ever, it wouldn’t blow minds. Gaming has changed. Turn-based is fine for niche games, but Final Fantasy has global expectations. Action-RPGs sell more and bring in younger players who never touched the SNES.

 

[Johnflaming]

If Square Enix won’t make a turn-based Final Fantasy, then fine—make a new AAA IP that fills that void. People clearly want it.

There’s no reason turn-based should only exist in retro-looking, low-budget games. Claire Obscur proved there's a market. Why not build a new world around those mechanics instead of stuffing every franchise into action molds?

 

[LuminaryPixel22]

People act like Clair Obscur selling 3.3M copies means it should dictate where Final Fantasy goes. Newsflash: FF7 Rebirth sold over 4 million in three days. FF16 sold 3 million on PS5-only in one day.

Clair Obscur is a cool indie-ish side dish. Final Fantasy is the main course. Just because you miss the turn-based sauce doesn’t mean the chef has to throw out the whole menu.

 

[Myrtle]

We shouldn’t reduce Final Fantasy to “just” its combat system. The music, stories, world-building, and characters are what make it iconic. If those still shine—and they do—who cares if it’s turn-based or action?

If you only care about turn-based, that’s cool, but don’t act like the soul of FF is trapped in a battle menu from 1997.

 

[Urbanidad]

There’s already a franchise that stayed faithful to classic turn-based combat—it’s called Dragon Quest. Same publisher, too.

Let Final Fantasy be the cinematic, action-forward flagship. If you want menus and pixel maps, that’s cool, but don’t ask the mainline FF series to cater to that forever. Times change.

 

[LeoDurkin8]

I’ll say it: I prefer the new Final Fantasy combat. Rebirth's system feels fluid, cinematic, and lets me actually play, not just menu-hop while waiting for ATB bars. The hybrid system is a win—why go back?

If you miss turn-based so much, go play Clair Obscur. That’s your lane now. It’s stylish, it’s turn-based, and it scratches that old-school itch. But FF? It’s evolved. It’s not 1999 anymore.

Let Final Fantasy keep moving forward. Not every game needs to be a shrine to the past.