Summary
Metaphor: ReFantazioLead Battle Planner Kenichi Goto has outlined the core components of what he thinks makes a good turn-based battle system. Chief among them is a healthy level of difficulty—somethingMetaphor: ReFantaziohas in spades.
Turn-based combat has generally seen a decline in mainstreamAAA gamessince the early 2010s. However, JRPGs have largely resisted this trend, with Atlus emerging as a leading developer whose success proves that turn-based systems still resonate with modern audiences.
In a recent interview withGamesRadar+, Atlus veteran Kenichi Goto shed some light on how the company keeps delivering compellingturn-based combat, outlining what he considers to be the key elements of such systems. The lead battle planner forMetaphor: ReFantazioidentified a healthy level of difficulty as an integral part of the overall formula. “Making turn-based games at least a little tough is so important to preserve the feeling that [players] can’t get careless,” Goto explained.
Turn-Based Combat Offers Unique Advantages
Offering enough difficulty to keep players on their toes is especially crucial for turn-based combat because players can otherwise easily tune out of such systems, Goto opined. TheMetaphor: ReFantaziodev noted that turn-based battle systems also offer unique advantages, like allowing developers to focus on conveying the impact of player actions through deliberate visual flair and camera work.Metaphor: ReFantazio’s combat systemis a textbook example of this showcase potential.
Making turn-based games at least a little tough is so important to preserve the feeling that [players] can’t get careless.
Goto acknowledged that RPGs with turn-based battles can sometimes feel grindy, but pointed out that there are ways to mitigate this phenomenon. Allowing players to easily retry and speed up battles are some of the ways to do so. WhileMetaphor: ReFantaziomade restarting battles easier than ever, Atlus has long experimented with methods to streamline combat. E.g.,Personagames have offered a fast-forward option for years, allowing players to skip encounters where enemies don’t pose a big threat and hence require little in the way of strategizing.
Over the course of 2024, Atlus broke the record for its own fastest-selling title twice—first withPersona 3 Reload, then again withMetaphor: ReFantazio. With both of those games featuring turn-based battles, their success is a clear indicator that modern audiences are still extremely responsive to such combat systems. As for what the company will tackle next,Persona 6has been in development since at least 2021, when its existence was indirectly confirmed via one job listing. However, the next Atlus title to hit the market might actually be a remake ofPersona 4, which some recent rumors claim will be announced during the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase on June 8.
