The rise of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has ignited a vibrant conversation in gaming circles about the direction of mainline Final Fantasy titles. Should they embrace the nostalgic turn-based combat system, or march forward with the more modern action-oriented approach? In a recent chat with Anime News Network, Final Fantasy producer Naoki Yoshida weighed in on this hotly debated topic, asserting that the answer isn't a simple one. He elaborated on how various factors influence the style and storytelling of each title.
Yoshida remarked:
“With this question of turn-based versus action, it tends to isolate the gameplay to just the battle system. That doesn’t take into account what kind of game the creators want to deliver to players. For example, based on a certain graphical quality we want to present to our players, or the narrative we want to deliver to our players, it relates to how we set up the game’s systems around it. This includes the battle system, game design, and gameplay feel. It’s not a clear-cut answer, whether it will become all turn-based, or if it’s going to become more action-based.”
He added a layer of insight by mentioning the creative freedom necessary for future installments, expressing a desire not to limit the vision of those who will helm upcoming games:
“[I’m] not necessarily going to be on Final Fantasy 17, so we also don’t want to obstruct or limit our future director or whomever will be producing the games like 17 or even 18. We don’t want to put them on a rail.”