HawthorneKitty
Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
Lightning Returns has the best ATB tho.
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(Lack of) General Consensus: Best JRPG battle system ever?
- Thread starter redfox088
- Start date
I love the SMT/ Persona 3-5 press turn or one more systems. You usually can't just use standard attacks on enemies, you need to exploit enemy weakness, buff your party, debuff the enemy. You need to manage SP while traveling floor to floor, resources can be scarce. The battle system is also snappy.
I really like Final Fantasy 5's systems, all the jobs can be mixed in really fun ways and you can come up with cool boss strats.
I've heard good things from Grandia.
I really like Final Fantasy 5's systems, all the jobs can be mixed in really fun ways and you can come up with cool boss strats.
I've heard good things from Grandia.
This was exactly my mindset when I was a kid. It's why I didn't like RPGs for a while except for Paper Mario (and Pokemon, but what kid wasn't into Pokemon, right?) Paper Mario keeps it simple, yet engaging at the same time with timed button combo challenges to keep you focused on the action. You're not just sitting there watching things happen. You're directly affecting everything that's happening on screen.
Mario & Luigi is great at this too, which has much more elaborate button combos for the Bros. Moves and various methods of defense from enemy attacks to the point where you can take 0 damage in a serious fight if you're skilled enough.
The Mario RPGs' battle systems are my favorites because they incorporate a little skill-based action into their turn-based formula, with Paper Mario edging it out for making damage counters precise and meaningful.
Explain how it even breaks into the top 3.
TheLegendaryN
Member
Bravely Default, Persona 4, 5, Trails, so many great battle systems. Personally Pokémon is my favorite.
I also see many people mention Vagrant Story. I have to honestly confess that I've never played that one, but I'm interested now. I don't have a PSX, so I hope they'll re-release it.
I also see many people mention Vagrant Story. I have to honestly confess that I've never played that one, but I'm interested now. I don't have a PSX, so I hope they'll re-release it.
Bravely Default/Second, if we're talking only what can happen during the battle. The massive amount of job combinations, with different secondary abilities, and the possibility of performing multiple actions on the same turn... It's the best turn-based system ever.
If we're counting everything that can happen outside of battle, then Pokémon for me. Catching, breeding, training, giving items, trading, etc. Wouldn't change it for anything.
If we're counting everything that can happen outside of battle, then Pokémon for me. Catching, breeding, training, giving items, trading, etc. Wouldn't change it for anything.
RagingAvatar
Member
Final Fantasy XI or XII.
Cow Mengde
Banned
Mario and Luigi games. Everything requires timing. So much fun.
Ding ding ding.
It's the perfect combination of turn based and action. Requires strategy without being overbearing.
Springfoot
Member
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This dangerous guy gets it. Shame X doesn't have a compelling main story.
Turn Based - Valkyrie Profile 1, Legaia 2, Ar Tonelico 2
Strategy - Disgaea, Front Mission 4
Action - Nier Automata, Dragons Dogma, Vesperia
Hybrid - Valkyrie Profile 2, Rsonance of Fate, Valkyria Chronicles
I also really enjoyed Cross Edge's really crazy battle system, especially when you dug into the extended group combos. It's so obtuse that I can't say it's one of the best, but it gets an honorable mention.
Strategy - Disgaea, Front Mission 4
Action - Nier Automata, Dragons Dogma, Vesperia
Hybrid - Valkyrie Profile 2, Rsonance of Fate, Valkyria Chronicles
I also really enjoyed Cross Edge's really crazy battle system, especially when you dug into the extended group combos. It's so obtuse that I can't say it's one of the best, but it gets an honorable mention.
Novel Mike
Member
Personal Favorite: Phantasy Star 4. It's fast with battles lasting only a few minutes at most but most are generally just a dozen seconds or so but it has a lot of complexity to it as well with both TP (basically MP) using techniques (magic basically) and each characters personal skills. There are combinations of certain techs and skills that can cause devastating damage early on and whats unique is that not every combination requires the same abilities. Fire Storm can be Zan+Foi or Hwen+Foi or others as well. Then you have the thing that makes the battle system so far ahead of its time, the macro system.
Macros allow you to preset commands for each character outside of battle and call them up in battle allowing you to not have to micromanage so much in each battle. You start with an obvious macro, everyone using attack which cuts down on time spent in the menus in battle instead of selecting attack for all five party members you just pick that first macro and bam you're good. You can set up macros for combination attacks, healing rounds, buff/debuffs, or just everyones best attacks when fighting bosses. You get 15 Macros to use and can reset them at any time, Its not perfect as PS4 has characters rotate in and our quite a bit early on and any macros you make with a certain character if they get replaced by another character you have to reset all the macros to including those new characters even if they have an ability that was in one of those macros before by another character. It's a limit of the technology of the time and could easily be solved by pretty much any game in the modern era but sadly a system like the Macro system from PS4 is just never really used despite some games really really needing them.
Also to those saying Persona 5 I can't agree, P5's is flashy to be sure but its lacking a lot of depth. Demon negotiations are simple a stark contrast to previous persona and SMT games which makes it feel very hollow. On top of that I still have yet to see anyone explain why the new elements of Nuke and Psi need to exist. Both Bless/Curse now are more then just instant kill abilities so you already had 2 more elements that could've been used but they added two more on top of that, it would have been one thing if it was make a hole of coverage in your party but thats easily covered with how easy it is to fuse a persona with multiple elements for the MC. It just feels like a waste, they don't do anything unique or interesting they are just two more elements because for some reason P5 just needed to have more, should it have actually been something the battle system needed or not. Guns are another sore spot for me as they really are only useful in attacking yet another weakness and the problem comes down to that you have absolutely no reason to upgrade your guns throughout most of the game. It doesn't matter if they do good damage or not you'll only ever use them to hit that gun weakness since ammo is limited. Gun skills eventually get somewhat interesting but it only makes the battle system even more easy then it already was with the outside of battle cover mechanic being massively OP and making the entire game a breeze because of that one mechanic giving you a nearly constant advantage in every single normal battle.
I like P5's system a lot but I cannot agree its the best when it has such obvious flaws and lacking a lot of depth. It would have been one thing if Psi/Nuke/Guns were unique or did something that the other various elements didn't already do but they didn't do that.
Macros allow you to preset commands for each character outside of battle and call them up in battle allowing you to not have to micromanage so much in each battle. You start with an obvious macro, everyone using attack which cuts down on time spent in the menus in battle instead of selecting attack for all five party members you just pick that first macro and bam you're good. You can set up macros for combination attacks, healing rounds, buff/debuffs, or just everyones best attacks when fighting bosses. You get 15 Macros to use and can reset them at any time, Its not perfect as PS4 has characters rotate in and our quite a bit early on and any macros you make with a certain character if they get replaced by another character you have to reset all the macros to including those new characters even if they have an ability that was in one of those macros before by another character. It's a limit of the technology of the time and could easily be solved by pretty much any game in the modern era but sadly a system like the Macro system from PS4 is just never really used despite some games really really needing them.
Also to those saying Persona 5 I can't agree, P5's is flashy to be sure but its lacking a lot of depth. Demon negotiations are simple a stark contrast to previous persona and SMT games which makes it feel very hollow. On top of that I still have yet to see anyone explain why the new elements of Nuke and Psi need to exist. Both Bless/Curse now are more then just instant kill abilities so you already had 2 more elements that could've been used but they added two more on top of that, it would have been one thing if it was make a hole of coverage in your party but thats easily covered with how easy it is to fuse a persona with multiple elements for the MC. It just feels like a waste, they don't do anything unique or interesting they are just two more elements because for some reason P5 just needed to have more, should it have actually been something the battle system needed or not. Guns are another sore spot for me as they really are only useful in attacking yet another weakness and the problem comes down to that you have absolutely no reason to upgrade your guns throughout most of the game. It doesn't matter if they do good damage or not you'll only ever use them to hit that gun weakness since ammo is limited. Gun skills eventually get somewhat interesting but it only makes the battle system even more easy then it already was with the outside of battle cover mechanic being massively OP and making the entire game a breeze because of that one mechanic giving you a nearly constant advantage in every single normal battle.
I like P5's system a lot but I cannot agree its the best when it has such obvious flaws and lacking a lot of depth. It would have been one thing if Psi/Nuke/Guns were unique or did something that the other various elements didn't already do but they didn't do that.
Final Fantasy X-2 shitty game with the best battle system any FF ever had, and isnt even close. Its sad they never revisited it.
Bravely Default, the brave/default system makes room for some hilarious combos and possibilities (Red mage/valkirie infinite airtime combos), joined with FFV job system to make it more rounded.
Persona 5: the weakness/extra turn system makes for a really fast paced turn based RPG that throws the argument of turns being 'slow'.
Bravely Default, the brave/default system makes room for some hilarious combos and possibilities (Red mage/valkirie infinite airtime combos), joined with FFV job system to make it more rounded.
Persona 5: the weakness/extra turn system makes for a really fast paced turn based RPG that throws the argument of turns being 'slow'.
Linkstrikesback
Member
Brave/Default in bravely default and bravely second by a considerable margin.
How well did the first Grandia age? Was planning to jump in with 2 and then play 3.
TheLegendaryN
Member
I said Pokémon!
zenosparadox
Member
Everyone, I think we have consensus.
I'm kidding, of course, but I am happy to see Grandia get so much love!
cireza
Member
Totally agree. Fantastic turn-based battle system.
Also as seen above, Panzer Dragoon Saga.
I think fine, if you can play PS1 RPG like Gears or FFIX, you'll be fine.
3 is the worst one and a really bad game, but it does have the best battle system in the series, since it's the only one legitimately hard.
Pokemon can do with some faster combat and it would be nice to actually not have the frame rate drop in half when in double battles.
To me that's also what makes a battle system good. It has to be well designed in function, form and fun.
;_;
You take that back! Don't have in Yuki and crew? "I feel the power!"
CortexVortex
Banned
FF X-2
Resonance of Fate
Grandia
Yeah, these are the battle systems that came to my mind. As I am tired as hell, I probably forgot some though.
Resonance of Fate
Grandia
Yeah, these are the battle systems that came to my mind. As I am tired as hell, I probably forgot some though.
Might pick up the PS1 classic on US PSN then since I guess that the EU version is only running at 50hz.
I heard that 3 was not a good game, but I can tolerate that as long as the combat is good (I really liked Star Ocean 4).
zenosparadox
Member
I really enjoyed TLR battles, the problem is that unless you wiki the game wont tell you shit and you wont know why things happen while you battle or how to train your units efficiently. The game may have the worst tutorials ever.
once you know what you are doing, the game plays amazingly, if not, you will be frustrated as some random boss vaporizes you.
Dragoon En Regalia
Member
Right here with ya on all this. Macros would be a great QoL feature for all turn-based combat systems in games as long or much longer than PSIV.
Bushi Seiryuuden, a very underrated puzzle-like adventure from Game Freak, and their farewell to the Super Famicom, deserves a lot more attention. Every encounter's uniquely designed and skippable, the system itself involves using as few actions as possible for more experience, and critical bosses and sequences deviate from regular battle structure too. Panzer Dragoon Saga, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Grandia (II), and Knights in the Nightmare come to mind for other systems worth mentioning.