Square Enix has been putting out hits for decades, and one thing they never short-shrifted? The combat systems. You got your one way if you want it turn-based; another if you want real-time; or some off-the-reserve third hybrid system. So, what really makes the top? Let’s just put things straight.
First comes Final Fantasy VII Remake. Basically, the game just took the classical ATB system, went into amp-all-the-way mode, and never looked back. Dodge in real-time, tactical pause, queue your astonishing special moves: art in its own right. Oh-so-precise yet fluid: Cloud wielding Buster Sword, with a little bit of character swapping thrown in for keeping things spicy.
And Kingdom Hearts, especially Kingdom Hearts combat if you want to call it that, is one thing you’d throw right out your window with high velocity just for the dopamine hit. Stupid good combos by Sora with his Keyblade, sprinkled with some spells and mad jollity of teaming with Disney, make battles feel like a riotous dance. KH2 made it more polished; reaction commands are tasty.
We also have the tactical side. When it comes to grid-warfare, Final Fantasy Tactics is the GOAT of all time. Positioning is everything; jobs are everything; one wrong step and the entire squad is just laid to waste. It’s chess with chocobos, and we’re here forever for that.
And Nier Automata? That game was just a flex. PlatinumGames gives you very fluid, very combo-heavy strife that felt like android ballet. Mix up pods, swords, and spears-frequency mixing gameplay is always fun. That bullet-hell twist? Genius.”
Bravely Default, then? The Brave/Default system didn’t only bend several rules of turn-based combat; it smashed them. Keep turns and annihilate your enemies, or marshal all your turns to instantly obliterate a single foe. This pay-off feels better when it works out for you the riskier you get.
And, hey, the thing is that the Square catalog is enormous. From Dissidia’s fast-paced combat to Octopath Traveller’s slow and purposeful brutality-giving a single answer is impossible. It’s a little like picking the best pizza topping: Depends on the mood, right?
So, what are you at? Comments are open for the debate to spin forever. And you haven’t tried some of them? Well, fix that. Your inner combat-freak would thank you.
(And a secret shoutout to Parasite Eve and its weird hybrid system. That game was ahead of its time, and we are still awaiting a worthy comeback. Just saying.)
