Final Fantasy 16's lack of turn-based battles aims to entice younger audiences Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Final Fantasy 16's lack of turn-based battles aims to entice younger audiences Plus, why it's not open world. News by Ed Nightingale News reporter Published on 14 Jul 2022 43 comments Final Fantasy 16 doesn't have turn-based combat, in a bid to appeal to a younger audience. That's according to producer Naoki Yoshida speaking to Famitsu (and translated by VGC) in an extensive new interview on the game. "I'm from a generation that grew up with command and turn-based RPGs," said Yoshida. "I think I understand how interesting and immersive it can be. On the other hand, for the past decade or so, I've seen quite a number of opinions saying 'I don't understand the attraction of selecting commands in video games'. Watch on YouTube Everything you need to know about Final Fantasy 16 (so far). "This opinion is only increasing, particularly with younger audiences who do not typically play RPGs." He notes that RPGs originated from tabletop games, but technology has advanced now to allow for more complex real time combat. "For several console generations now, all character expressions can be done in real-time. Actions such as 'press the trigger and your character will shoot a gun' and 'press the button and your character will swing their sword' can now be easily expressed without going through a command system. "It's now common for gamers younger than me to love such games. As a result, it seems that it does not make sense to go through a command prompt, such as 'Battle', to make a decision during a battle. "This is not an argument of what is good or bad, but there is a difference based on the player's preferences and age. Furthermore, there is a big difference between a command system and a turn-based system, and these are often conflated, but are two different concepts." The battle director of Final Fantasy 16 is Ryota Suzuki, famous for his work on Devil May Cry 5, Dragon's Dogma, and Marvel Vs. Capcom. That's led to the action-focus of this battle system. Elsewhere in the interview, Yoshida explained why the game isn't open world. "I want a story of a hero who saves the world, because this is Final Fantasy. I want a summon to go wild and destroy the map. I want to release this game as soon as possible. I cannot release this game in parts," said Yoshida, describing the main aims for the project. "When considering these four main points, I believe it is practically impossible to ask for everything. If we had a development period of about 15 years, we may have had the opportunity of challenging ourselves with an open world [smiles]. After all, it's almost impossible in terms of time and cost to create a global story within an open world." He added: "I thought that the development team would be worried about this. Delivering what we believe is the best story, in an experience that blends together games and movies, does not require an open world." In addition, Yoshida previously stated the game returns to a classic setting to counter "static" recent games. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 8 Nintendo Switch firmware update lets you take screenshots in the Switch Online app The app on your console, not your phone. 7 Latest Articles Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Jelly Deals Logitech's G Pro X gaming headset is its lowest-ever price during Amazon's Early Access sale Prime Members can get it for just £52. Jelly Deals Save over £500 off the retail price on this beefy ASUS TUF Dash gaming laptop from Amazon Under £1080 for an RTX 3070 laptop. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store