The Beauty of Turn-Based Combat Done Right, Pt. 2

It’s only fitting to be critical of things you hold dear. At least that’s my thinly veiled rationale 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.

Sadly, combat is generally worse. Turn-based 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 2 of this 2-part series, I continue to outline what makes some of the genre’s best combat systems so great. This week I move into the obscure, and delve into some great oldies.

Legend of Legaia

Legend of Legaia has aged quite poorly. The game’s once cutting edge graphics are now crude 3D sprites that do Minecraft justice. Thankfully, the game’s combat is wonderful, even today. In order to attack enemies, the player chooses between high, low, weapon and magic attacks, which can be strung together similarly to certain fighting games. Interestingly, certain combination strings create special attacks.

The genius of this system is that it forces a player to impulsively chart out various combinations, in the hopes that stabbing a bee three times and then kicking it will also trigger a twirling fire uppercut.  Also noteworthy is how diverse these special attacks are, which goes a long way to alleviating the monotony of fighting the same common enemies over and over again.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant

Shadow Hearts: Covenant introduced a combat mechanic known as the Judgement Ring, which requires players to time a number of button-presses along a ring prior to attacking and negotiating price deals when shopping. Interestingly, some of the Shadow Hearts team were involved with the development of Lost Odyssey, which had a similar, if simplified, ring system present in their combat as well. I imagine that this ring is analogous to the torrent of emotions that flow through our minds prior to making a decision or engaging in some activity requiring a degree of our dexterity. It helps me to sleep when I over-intellectualize good game design.

Xenosaga Episode II

Ah the black sheep. Her burly wool is filled with sharp and pointed opinions that common enemy encounters should walk the line between obscene difficulty and carefully rendered attack strings that enable you to fell a series of enemies in several well thought-out combat attacks. It’s a dogmatic combat system which refuses to allow players to approach encounters any other way other than the single way required to defeat each enemy. What’s more, each character’s attack combos are imbued with particular properties, forcing players to constantly shift their party often during each combat scenario.

Needless to say, many people did not enjoy poor Xenosaga Episode II, and especially despised its combat. I am not one of these people. I felt that the game’s rigid system was refreshing. Combat encounters were more about trying to identify enemy weaknesses, and then exploiting them. In this way, first time encounters with new enemies lent themselves to a tense feeling of anxiety, similar to how I felt while playing Demons’ Souls. Also, the choreography used to telegraph attacks was splendid.

Final Thoughts

I’ve just covered six RPGs whose combat systems remain shining examples of turn-based combat done right. Each is refreshing in its uniqueness, as well as outwardly dynamic. My advice: in order to get the most of each, I urge you play them all at once.