Almost every encounter is built around utilizing the right skills for the job, and finding that mixture while staying alive is part of the challenge. Final Fantasy 13 has tactics.Īs the final game in the series to feature something resembling turn-based combat, Final Fantasy 13's main innovation is to basically let you mix and match your party roles on the fly. Both of those games have 'systems', but at heart they're really hack-and-slash action games not so far removed from Kingdom Hearts. That is to say that it has a battle system, which is more than can be said for Final Fantasy 15, or even Final Fantasy 7 Remake. There's one thing everyone can agree on, though: Final Fantasy 13's battle system is still pretty great.
When it's remembered at all, it's usually for having little exploration. Lightning, the story's ostensible lead, was designed to be a 'female version of Cloud Strife', which made her seem one-dimensional and derivative. While it won generally positive reviews, particularly for its sleek turn-based combat, it was criticized for its hyper-linear design, lack of towns, and bland customization. Final Fantasy 13 wound up being every bit as divisive as its predecessor, and then some.
