Summary
Turn-based combat has been a cornerstone of JRPGs and is, in many ways, the defining gameplay mechanic that binds the genre together. Like most things in the video game medium, the turn-based game has evolved beyond simple menu selections and turn-waiting over the years with innovations that keep the genre fresh and exciting.
From tactical depth to stylish presentation, these games introduced groundbreaking ideas that either continue to influence modern RPGs today or remain remarkable but sadly overlooked offshoots of the JRPG family tree.
Rather than waiting in line to enter an action, the “active time battle” system introduced inFinal Fantasy 4made it so that characters could act while watching an enemy or party member’s animation play out. Although this addition to the turn-based system may have beendivisive to Final Fantasy fansand fans of the format, there’s no denying that the ticking clock adds an element of urgency to any battle.
Of course, the series has innovated on the turn-based format in many ways beyond ATB, includingFinal Fantasy 10-2’s in-battle job switching and the creation of the semi-automatic turn-based gambit system inFinal Fantasy 12,for example.
Many gamers still see the turn-based format found in most JRPGs as slow, static, and cumbersome. However, whilePersona 5and thePersonaseries, in general, have made great contributions to the JRPG scene, the one that has the power to make a turn-based doubter into a believer is its eye-popping, fluid-feeling UI.
A great deal of thought and art clearly went into making the navigation of menus as snappy and cool as possible while minimizing the clunk that had weighed down similar games for so long. Additionally, itshighly stylized and beautiful UInever allows the player to feel bogged down in the details, and every press leads to meaningful action.
A back-and-forth of attacks can wear players down faster than any first-level slime trash mob. Thankfully, Grandia introduced a dynamic, visible turn order system known as the “Initiative Point Gauge,” which has since inspired other innovative games such asOctopath TravelerandBravely Default.
This timeline displays the sequence of actions for both characters and enemies, depending on their agility, allowing players to anticipate moves and make strategic decisions based on the upcoming turns. Players can use specific skills or attacks to delay or interrupt enemies' actions, disrupting their plans and buying precious advantages.
One ofUndertale’s central themes is how love and peace can overcome fear and violence. This plays out in its encounters, where the player has the choice to fight or show mercy to the many whimsical monsters roaming the underkingdom. This plays out during a turn-based section where players attack or interact before being confronted by their opponent’s bullet-hell-style microgame. A plethora of classic games inspiredUndertale,Earthboundamong them, but because of its subversive design philosophy, there is something undeniably different aboutUndertale’s battle mechanics.
Because every encounter is unique (with an encounter of multiple enemies combining the gameplay of each monster), each fight remains fresh and memorable. Despite being a turn-based game, players are never left waiting for animations or dialogue to roll out; instead, they must always be reactive to survive. In addition to thecute designs of the monsters, this makes it far less likely for players to write them off as XP fodder and instead inspires sympathy.
Turn-based combat is still often thought of as stilted, static, and drawn out. But what happens when the original face of reactive, skill-based platform thrillers takes on the format?Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Starschanged JRPGs (and the philosophy of many RPGs outside of Japan) forever with its implementation and popularization of “action commands.”
After inputting a command, the player can enhance the result with a well-timed button press. For example, as Mario brings his hammer down, the player can inflict extra damage by hitting the B button as the blow lands. Thiscommand action addition has inspired numerous gameslikeShadow Hearts,Yakuza 7, andSouth Park: The Stick of Truth, which use not only pro-active commands but reactive ones, such as dodging or countering during an enemy attack.
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei
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Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei is a turn-based dungeon-crawling RPG that was developed by Atlus for the NES and released in 1987.
BeforeMegami Tensei, monsters in JRPGs were simply obstacles to be smashed aside. With the introduction of the “demon negotiation” mechanic, the turn-based format was flipped on its head. Suddenly, a powerful monster isn’t something to be feared but a potential ally if the player gets lucky and knows how to appease them. Later in the series, these monsters could be fused together with others, creating a “collection” gameplay element.
This helped turn the idea of an enemy encounter from a droll slog into an exciting chance to encounter a prized enemy type. Being able toturn enemies around into allies through dialoguewasn’t one that caught on much in the genre, with two notable exceptions:Pokemon, which removed the negotiation aspect but doubled down on the collection aspect, andUndertale, which turned talking into its central gameplay loop.
Fighting games and JRPGs might seem completely unrelated, but inLegend of Legaia, the two merge to create a completely unique take on turn-based combat. Players enter commands through menus like any other JRPG, but players are invited to input exactly what kind of move their martial artist character makes using the controller’s D-pad.
Certain inputs combine to make “arts,” super attacks that would otherwise be called"combos" in straight-up fighting games. The player unlocks new “arts” by experimenting with inputs or by finding books that teach new art combos. As the player levels their characters' spirit stats, their inputs can potentially become longer, leading to more elaborate and powerful moves.
Knowing that there is a cast of over 100 party members available to recruit in Suikoden, players might be wondering how they might ever see all of those characters in one playthrough. Battles play out in a traditional turn-based system, but as the party grows to an enormous size, another battle system makes an appearance: army battles. These"cast of thousands" fightsuse menus and turns, but one major difference is that the player is betting their characters rather than HP points, and once gone, they do not come back.
In later games in the series, Suikoden reinvents the turn-based system again by turning army battles into tactical matches and then RTS. As well as epic battles, fights can come in the form of duels, intimate one-on-one fights that require the player to figure out their opponent’s move based on their dialogue and react accordingly to gain the upper hand.
