Well I will take this as a positive , so the game sound less like a character action game after all :D then I will look foward for it. And less be honest FFXIII combat may seem simplistic but by the end we all know that it gets really awesome and complex , maybe the same could happen with FFXV? Also he says that the simple on button thing is for THOSE WHO WANTS that , not forced to the people who like to mess with things (like me) , just like I completely ignored the auto command in FFXIII.

Not sure if this has been brought up yet, but with the introduction of Paradigm Shifts in FFXIII, combat became "one-button" combat. Sure, you picked what paradigm you wanted to be in, but unless you were a madman, you always selected Auto-battle from there. This just sounds like the further simplification of that. Not saying it's what I want, as I thought the removal of player choice regarding individual attacks took a lot away from FFXIII's combat system (which otherwise was probably one of their best modern combat systems), but it's not like this idea of simplified combat is something wholly unique to FFXV in the Final Fantasy franchise.

In fact, given Nomura's influence on this game while he was at the head of it, it sounds more like another step toward Final Fantasy playing like Kingdom Hearts.

My guess, and this is a wild guess, is that you will be able to play through (at least the easier parts/difficulties) the game by pressing one button to fight, depending on the context. You will still need to dodge/sidestep to avoid attacks, but theoretically you will be able too. Hopefully this will be a very inefficient way to play the game, and there are plenty other options to fight.

Assuming what this dude said is true, and it really is run around with the analog stick and press X to dodge/attack depending on the context, than it will be boring as hell. The game has a lot of time in the oven, so I can't make any snap assumptions, but from what I've seen of the combat, it looks painfully, excruciatingly slow. If that combat from the trailers/gameplay from a few days ago is finalized, than running around, clumsily bumping into enemies, having it auto-dodge, occasionally rolling and pressing the X button to attack sounds like a terrible experience to have for a, presumably, 40+ hour game.

Then again I haven't played a Final Fantasy game since 6, so I don't really care either way.

I agree with those saying that people are blowing this out of proportion. People also shit on XIII for having a one button system but it's my favourite game in the series, so I don't like to listen to dumb shit like this.

Sure people were burned by FFXIII, but there were people that enjoyed it that were burned, by say, FFXII. There were people that were convinced that Final Fantasy XII would suck because of how automated the combat is. I was one of those people until I actually played the game. Unless there's a Final Fantasy-loving robot out there, no one loves every single entry in the franchise, equally or otherwise. And judging Final Fantasy XV against XIII specifically is off-base because the creative and design teams behind both games are different. You might as well compare Final Fantasy XV to Dragon Quest IX.

And as for the context of this thread, very few people have actually been applying context to Tabata's comment. They read one-button combat and then start dreaming up the most simplistic scenario, then spout a somewhat more verbose equivalent of "Ohgodohgodohgod." There's not a whole lot of actual consideration or contemplation going on here, from what I've been able to tell. Just gut reactions based on incomplete information.

I mean, here. Check this out. Someone on NeoGAF put together an analysis of the patent for Final Fantasy XV's combat system. The analysis indicates that the combat is actually structurally very similar to the gambit system of Final Fantasy XII. The "one-button combat" is governed by these gambits and the player's positioning on the field relative to the player's other party members and to the targeted enemy. The actual attack used when the player confirms they wish to attack can thus be dictated by how the player actively positions their character. This system applies not only to the character under the player's control, but the AI party members as well, meaning that their own actions are governed by their proximity to the player character, the rest of the party, and the enemy as well.

That being said, if it is indeed a system like FFXII's, the gambits themselves can be set and dictated by the player outside of battle. Then, in battle, the player's actions are governed by the direct control of their character, with the action taken when the attack button is pressed governed by the factors laid out above.

I find being able to go in search of detailed analyses like this much more useful than idly speculating worry.

Maybe I am. But I feel there are worse ways to live.

I'm sure there's a lot more to it than mashing one button but the stuff this guy is saying is exactly why so many older Square fans have fallen off Final Fantasy. I thought even Square acknowledged this?

Not that this does anything to squash my excitement for FFXV. I wasnt expecting deep mechanics anyway. As long as it delivers on the spectacle it should be at least somewhat entertaining.

Could give a fuck less. I know I'll have fun with it. I don't come to final fantasy for incredible combat depth. I come because the worlds and characters are fun and they just so happen to usually make pretty compelling game play.

@themanwithnoplan said:

But everyone knows your supposed to make your mind up about a game from specific comments about the game made by the director that speaks another language before any concrete details are known about a given game. But seriously im sure if someone tried to explain FFXII to me i would have thought there is no way i would play that game and like it, but all be damned if it wasnt one of my favorites.

I knew as soon as I saw the word "casual" in that interview that the s***storm would rain down. Let's be honest though, news sites are pulling that line as click-bait and we all know it. Haters of Final Fantasy that were personally wronged by a video game can't resist honing in on yet another perceived flaw of the series.

The truth of it is, we don't know. This game is not done. People are picking apart this interview for every tiny thing as ammo, and those who criticize them for picking apart every tiny thing are doing the exact same thing for their defense.

The statements he made are concerning to say the least. To not take a step back and be wary of these possible changes is being delusional. However, there's no need to flip the table and shout that Final Fantasy is over, because if you did that now, it was probably over for you already.

If it becomes one button Kingdom Hearts QTE combat, then I say F it and then we can burn it all to the ground.

Maybe the director looked at the numbers and went "what makes sense is Dynasty Warriors Monster Hunter" and now we have this. The trailer looked fine and it sounds like they're reevaluating a lot of stuff after 13's huge huge failings, which is good. But for a series that's played so wildly different, nobody will ever be universally pleased. Except Hallinel who of course will love it no matter what. But regular folks, not so much. Im fine with harkening back to what FF12 started and Xenoblade continued, which is just infusing more and more giant monster hunts in the game and maybe bringing gambits back. But there's got to be a little peril. I dont need this to be Dynasty Warriors when Zelda and Dragon Quest are also Dynasty Warriors.

Now you're not making any sense and appear to be just writing something in a vague attempt to mock me.

EDIT: For real though, as an actual response, this really just doesn't make sense. You first call it a Dynasty Warriors/Monster Hunter hybrid without explaining either (as both DW and MH are very different types of games), and then go on to talk about it being like FFXII. This is just a jumble of discordant thoughts and ideas that aren't laid out in any sort of effective point.

Kingdom Hearts had great combat, if this wants to ape that then go ahead.

Meh depending on the spectacle and general pace of the game. Mashing one button to see cool shit could maybe be ok. Bayonetta's or DMC's Automatic modes aren't terrible for players who just want to focus on dodging and get some cool stuff out. While those games inarguably have a high skillroof and deep combat systems. And the interview makes it sound like the one button mode would be optional, while experienced players can use their tools at will, or so I interpreted it.

Though one thing to note with comparing the automatic modes in hack and slash games is the sheer length of the story. Perhaps FFXV will just end up being too long to sustain gameplay that simple. And Bayonetta has a ridiculous amount of moves that can be chained together, while I think it's a fair assumption any flash combo opportunities in FF will be more limited. And therefore the auto-mode would be less varied. I'd be surprised if FF even gets as robust a toolset as a game like Tales of Xillia.

The auto-mode in Persona 4 is pretty cool when I'm going through lower level dungeons and don't want to press X a whole bunch of times while going through menus.

@jesus_phish: I feel like that's different. First you have to earn the strength to be able to overpower enemies with that and then it's still mostly just a thing you use when backtracking anyways. If the entire 80h game was only that at all times, it'd probably get old. Though it's not a fair comparison to FFXV since it most likely wont be only the same canned attack animation in double speed.

@tobbrobb: But if there is just an optional auto-attack, that's fine. Sometimes I use it in current level dungeons too if I'm doing alright and I don't feel like going through all the animations to kill some enemies that I know I can just melee to death. You can play Persona by letting the NPCs control themselves as well. I'd hardly call Persona a casual game though.

Until we see the full combat system of FFXV we can't just assume it's going to be "push x to win". And as someone said earlier, the older games, even the turn based ones essentially amount to 1 button combat. You're not keying in combinations (monks in earlier games aside), you're waiting for a timer to fill up, navigating menus and then hitting X a bunch to watch animations play out. Hell, in 7 and maybe 8 you could turn the ATB off making the game even easier by taking all sense of pressure of timing off you. You can't do that in something like Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts has "one button combat" which is a mix of FF style tactical combat and pressing one button to attack over and over. And while it works on some enemies, it doesn't work on them all and it certainly doesn't beat bosses.