Final Fantasy 16: Every Confirmed And Leaked Detail We Know

2. Combat Style

FFXVI thumb
Square-Enix

Although some people kidded themselves into liking it, Final Fantasy XV's combat was an undeniable mess, with the majority of the open-world battles spent staring at the nearest tree as you mashed the square button repeatedly. Final Fantasy VII Remake saw a considerable refinement of Square-Enix's inaugural attempt at a hybrid real-time/menu based system, and though it was like, actually playable, it wasn't entirely perfect, particularly when it came to swapping characters on the fly.

FFXVI looks to feature an even more polished version of the format, combining FFXV's single-character focus with FFVII:R's dramatically improved fluidity. The very brief gameplay shots we were privy to showed Joshua's Shield engaging with a variety of foes - including the dreaded Marlboro - mano-a-mano, with both air-juggling combos and ranged spells. No UI was displayed, though this was probably for the beautification of the trailer, rather than because Final Fantasy's traditional menus and hit points have been scrapped entirely.

And of course, this all means that once more, a new Final Fantasy will eschew the turn-based battles of the series' golden years. After the half-hearted attempt at a 'classic mode' in FFVII:R, it's probably better for Square-Enix to lean all the way into real-time rather trying for the best of both worlds, but failing to excel in either.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.