The Beauty Of Turn-Based Combat Done Right, Pt. 1

It’s only fitting to be critical of things you hold dear. At least, that’s my thinly veiled excuse for why I consider myself to be a horribly demanding JRPG enthusiast. I torture myself by playing almost any JRPG I can get my hands on, but often label my experiences as resoundingly mediocre.  What’s that you say? The world is on the brink of social and economic collapse and only my group of 13-year old amnesiacs can save it? And the best way to accomplish this feat is by inexplicably approaching and engaging in conversations with strangers, and accruing riches by ransacking village homes and talking to their dogs? The genre is silly and bloated by so many tropes that a part of me dies every time I see one spring to life in yet another pre-industrial world whose basis for religion, art and culture has flourished from one of four crystals.

Sadly, combat is generally worse. Turn-based and tactical RPGs (among my favourites in the genre) are particularly notorious for their static or inorganic presentation of visual information and feedback, with one side waiting to be assaulted before being able to strike back. Thankfully, I’ve come across hidden gems whose dormant depth is elevated by thoughtful cinematography and fluid animations. In part 1 of a 2-part series, I detail what makes some of the genre’s best combat systems so great.

Front Mission 5

The Front Mission series is generally distinguished from its contemporaries for leaning quite heavily on its tactical bend, at the expense of its light RPG mechanics. In fact, Front Mission is not traditionally even considered an RPG; though I’m somewhat lenient using the term myself, and thus include it within the genre.

Your party consists of Wanzers, predominantly bipedal mecha that can be completely customized, similar to the Armored Core series. Whenever a party member attacks or is attacked by a foe, the camera pans in to a scene of the two Wanzers attacking one another. Front Mission 5, one of the most recent entries in the series, takes things a step forward by introducing links, a system which enables allies and enemies within range of the selected attacker to participate in combat too. Combat skirmishes feel busy and dynamic, but are grounded in a turn-based design. It’s brilliant, frankly.

Resonance of Fate

I assert that Nolan North’s singular purpose in life was to play as Vashyron, a blond devil may care mercenary who’s day-to-day involves attacking mutants and dressing like Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue. Also, the combat in Resonance of Fate  is stunning. Each of your three party members takes turns moving along a single line while building up an attack metre, enabling them to shoot at enemies. Each party member can equip handguns, machine guns, or grenades, with each serving a very specific role in combat. It’s a droll explanation for arguably the most stylish combat system in the genre:

Valkyrie Profile

There’s a poetic beauty to how Valkyrie Profile’s combat plays out: the player attacks enemies by using four party members, each of which is assigned to one of the PS1/PSP’s four face buttons. Its simplicity and innovative approach to combat both hold up really well, even today. Much of the system’s depth lies in its ability to allow players to time their attacks, cascading one party member’s animations into another’s so as to maximize damage:

Tune in next week, where I’ll discuss three other JRPGs whose turn-based combat systems are marvellously entertaining. Or don’t, and live the rest of your meaningless and dynamic life in ignorance.