Cognition Dissemination: Square Enix Is Smokin’ Sexy Style
There’s a noticeable progression line with how each new Final Fantasy game is getting a little more actionized, Square Enix’s way of following the apparent trends of what the younger audience wants from Japanese RPGs and games associated with them. Final Fantasy XVI is set to be the most action-packed yet, with trailers showing how protagonist Clive Rosefield can utilize techniques and combos that wouldn’t look out of place in a Devil May Cry game. Or a Dragon’s Dogma game to a lesser extent, considering combat director Ryota Suzuki worked on both franchises at Capcom before joining this Square Enix team.
It turns out FFXVI won’t be the only upcoming Square Enix game that will utilize stylish action combat. Forspoken is another one, the newest game from the Final Fantasy XV team at Luminous Productions. Previous trailers and gameplay videos made it clear that this would be an action RPG, to no surprise considering the team’s previous game. What wasn’t clear until the Gamescom showcase was how the game will have a combo system that rates the quality and mixture of magic combinations protagonist Frey Holland uses to defeat enemies. Letter ratings are used, in case the similarities to the DMC games weren’t already apparent.
Square Enix’s production teams have clearly developed a thing for DMC-style action fighting systems when two of their biggest upcoming games are using it. There are all sorts of criticisms about the company abandoning turn-based systems in their big-budget projects, though solutions to this issue have been proposed by yours truly. But I also couldn’t be happier about the company embracing this.
One reason I’m glad to see this is because it’s not as if there are many developers making games with this type of combat anymore. We are tragically a long way from the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 eras where games like these were very prominent, when several examples released annually. Not to mention that the main inspirational series itself always feels like it’s a step away from the grave despite all the numbered games putting up superlative numbers, with Devil May Cry 5 becoming by far the best-selling game in the franchise. The team led by director Hideaki Itsuno just gets busy with other projects along the way, though there’s nothing stopping Capcom from assembling a new one that retains a few team members from the older games.
Now, two teams at Square Enix have warmed up to the idea of merging those action-based systems with traditional RPG-style skill building, leveling systems, and exploration. RPGs don’t tend to have the best action-based combat, as games like The Witcher titles, Dragon Age Inquisition, and, well, Final Fantasy XV can attest. One way to improve them is to get inspired by good sources, and the DMC series is one of them.
I’m not implying that these will be the first such titles to utilize the genius plan to merge these two genres of gameplay. One of the first key games to do so, in fact, was the aforementioned Dragon’s Dogma. There’s a good reason why Capcom announced a sequel to that game for its 10th anniversary this past June. They saw where the trend lines were shifting.
There’s something both of the Square Enix games might be missing at the moment. When playing stylish action titles, nothing gets the blood pumping during battle like a good vocal theme. The DMC games understood this starting with Devil May Cry 3, the first installment Itsuno seriously directed (he came onto the much-maligned Devil May Cry 2 late in development). The Bayonetta titles, which Hideki Kamiya created years after doing the same with DMC, understand this too. Those that take inspiration from them should do the same.
Forspoken could especially use this, considering protagonist Frey Holland is transported from the real world to a fantasy one. Theme songs that play during battles would help the game nail the feeling the combat directors appear to be going for, perhaps with tracks that would represent a nice fusion of Classical and New Age sounds. Final Fantasy XVI could use them too, but the current lack of raw footage for that game makes it difficult to tell whether it already has vocal themes or not. It’s not as if composer Masayoshi Soken isn’t capable of composing good vocal themes, though it’s not clear whether this particular style would fit in with FFXVI’s themes. A similar track would absolutely work with Forspoken, however. It’s a shame that it might be too late to implement them, and they can’t just buy the rights to a track like Bury the Light.
This is a good trend in terms of gameplay, and I certainly wouldn’t mind it if more games took inspiration from the likes od DMC and Bayonetta, outside titles like (inevitably) Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Bayonetta 3, if the end result involves improving the combat. Let’s just hope Forspoken and Final Fantasy XVI in particular do it well, even if they miss one key element that helps them tick.
About The Author
Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
