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[DragoonKain]

I know the RPG genre is trending in the direction of action based systems, but after a small window in my gaming life where I gravitated toward action oriented battle systems, I settled on much preferring turn based systems in RPGs. I think action based systems in RPGs are always so inferior to actual action games they always leave something to be desired for me. It always feels like a cheap knock-off version of action combat. Meanwhile turned based systems that rely on strategy, RPGs can really bring out the best in that style of combat. I love the strategy involved, I love taking my time. The most enjoyable battle systems I’ve played in the last few years of RPGs have all been turn based.

What do you prefer, action or turn based?

 

[p_xavier]

I really enjoyed the hybrid model of FFVIIR. The problem with turned based JRPGs, while I love them, is that it's mostly press X to win. Autobattle resolved lots of this but then you don't play.

 

[Astral Dog]

like Devil May Cry but with numbers and summons

 

[Little Mac]

Turn based. But with some innovation to differentiate itself from previous games.

 

[Davevil]

Old turn based... without stupid curvy line beetween hero and foe

 

[DragoonKain]

I really enjoyed the hybrid model of FFVIIR. The problem with turned based JRPGs, while I love them, is that it's mostly press X to win. Autobattle resolved lots of this but then you don't play.

Depends on the system. Ones that require strategy it’s more complicated than just tapping x. Like the Bravely Default games or Octopath, etc. But I think in the same way, someone critical of action systems at their worst can state all you do to win is button mash. I actually think in non hybrid systems, button mashing is more common in action RPGs than cruising through battles with one tap of a button is in turn based.

 

[R6Rider]

Depends on the RPG, but overall prefer action.

 

[Shifty]

I enjoy both, but favour pure action. No stats, percentage upgrades, or any of that - just 'function versus function' as an unfortunate PR rep once said.

 

[Danjin44]

Currently SMT’s Press turn and Xenoblade are my favourite combat in JRPG.

 

[Lethal01]

The final fantasy 7 Remake is the golden standard of RPG combat right now.

Tactical rpgs are good too,

turn based is mostly inferior to both action and tactical in both strategy and fun..

 

[TintoConCasera]

Depends on the game, although my favorite ones are the Press Turn from SMT and ATB + Jobs like in FF V or Crystal Project.

But then we get RPGs like Dragon's Dogms which real time battle system is amazing, or the in-between that is "real time with pause" in games like Baldur's Gate.

So yeah, it depends on the game, and the kind of exerience it wants to give to it's players.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Turn based that includes movement around the field. Baldur's Gate 3 my favorite right now

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

i appreciate how turn-based RPGs feel like a unique type of game.

action RPGs often just feel like regular action games with a handful of numbers attached.

 

[Fess]

Turn-based is definitely my preference. Makes the fights more strategic which I like. Even better is turn-based movement as well, but that’s rare.

 

[Investor9872]

Turn-base forever!

 

[CatLady]

Action by a huge margin.

 

[Fbh]

I like both, it depends more on the implementation.

Turn based is great when you've got something like Shin Megami Tensei with interesting mechanics (press turn, demon fusing, etc), a good challenge and well designed bosses that force you rethink your party setup and strategy. I usually also like how they allow you to play as a team while only few real time games manage to replicate that feeling (closest one IMO has been FFVII Remake).
But on the other hand I also think in many cases (including many classic games) it can devolve into "press X to win" or only rely on very basic strategies (the enemy is made out of fire so I'll attack with water), I've also often encountered turn based games where you can easily find a set of skills and attacks that you can basically use in the exact same order every time and they are effective against 99% of enemies.

Real time can feel more dynamic and I like how it incorporates elements of skill/reaction based gameplay (avoiding enemy attacks, stringing together specific skills, aerial combos and things like that), it can also incorporate elements of strategy in regards to how you build your characters and I also usually think it can still be enjoyable even if the game isn't particularly challenging while an easy turn based game is boring as fuck. But at the same time they can often devolve into braindead button mashing and I generally tend to hate AI controller party members.

Ultimately as long as both the combat system and enemies are well designed I think both are great. But I'd usually take an average/mediocre real time combat system over an average/mediocre turn based one..

 

[Esca]

Always enjoyed turned based, battles are much more fun for me. Really not a fan of how many are turning into action combat

 

[manfestival]

I am also in team turn based over real time.

 

[Saber]

Rather prefer the old classic turn based. Theres a better thinking in doing turns and take your time making a move.
I don't even consider rpgs other than jrpgs. They're the ones who invented and consistent evolved, the rest is basically "my take" on the genre.

 

[Ezquimacore]

Xenoblade has my favorite system tbh. Automatic attacks to keep the action going while you do all the craziness.

 

[mortal]

I don't have a preference either way.
As long as the combat is properly balanced, challenging, and the mechanics are well implemented for either style.

If it's turn-based, make it a great turn-based battle system.
If it's action, make it a great action battle system.

 

[Griffon]

FF7 Remake was the perfect balance between ATB and Action based. I hope more RPGs copy this wholesale.

 

[64bitmodels]

Turn based combat when done good can be really fun but i feel that action is easier to get right
When turn based combat doesn't have anything unique to add on it just feels boring and battles feel like a chore, especially when there's random encounters which force you into a battle every 10 seconds.
even the worst action RPG systems feel somewhat good to play and i never have this feeling of dread entering a battle like i usually would with turn based
im glad for this action shift in AAA anyways, if you want more turn based RPGs indies like Omori and OFF have you covered

 

[TexMex]

Completely depends on the game.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Lately, turn-based but I don't mind a good action combat system either.

 

[Crayon]

Turn based, please. The action based ones are often simplified and all graphically splashy as if to make up for it.

And please please please stop with the thing where you have to stagger the enemies. I like the ff7r system because it was unique, but having to use the same approach with every enemy puts a damper on it.

There are some games that are more like action adventures where the realtime fighting makes sense. Like nier is not that much of an rpg. But I'm playing xenoblade chronicles right now and this type of long, comfortable, rpg would be so much better if it was turn based. The battle system is on the verge of ruining the game for me.

 

[Wildebeest]

Action is unsatisfying. Why put combat in the game at all if you just want it to be flashy and over quickly. Make a cutscene instead.

 

[intbal]

The Temple of Elemental Evil
and
Fallout 1 & 2

My favorite turn-based combat systems.
The Fallouts have the advantage because they're actually great games, whereas TOEE is a bit of a mess overall (but awesome classic D&D combat).

 

[Metnut]

I don’t mind a good real time system like FF7Remake or Elden Ring but I’m still a sucker for turn based systems and really enjoyed SMT5 and Yakuza 7.

Personally, I find Xenoblade to be the worst of both worlds. Not really turn based but sort of real time and I’m just slamming these arts trying to do combos.

 

[El Muerto]

Turned based for sure. Yakuza Like A Dragon and Persona 5 are just amazing.

 

[Kev Kev]

Turn based

It needs to make a comeback, just need a competent JRPG developer to do it, which is precisely the thing we are lacking in the games industry today.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Honestly I can’t stand traditional FF/DQ style turn-based combat. Either it’s so brain dead stupid that you just pick “attack” from a menu until you win. Or else they try to spice it up with more mechanics/difficulty and you end up solving the same puzzle over and over, making it more tedious than challenging.

I prefer SRPGs like FF Tactics where there’s character positioning and lots of complex tactics and risk/reward decisions to make. Or else something like FF XIII where it’s not a full blown action game but there’s still lots of split second decision-making and your choices in battle really matter.

 

[64bitmodels]

Honestly I can’t stand traditional FF/DQ style turn-based combat.

I think this is why I don't like Dragon Quest so much. With FF i can sort of see the appeal and i've liked FF games in the past (though i know far better RPGs these days) but Dragon Quest genuinely seems so fucking boring to me. For the first few hours of the game it's a fucking chore until you get to the 3 hour mark where you finally get a competent party with magic abilities and more enemies and by then most people (myself included) would have just fucking quit

Earthbound does the same thing with its combat but it's better because enemies pack a fucking punch and you can be left on the ground dead if you don't properly know what the fuck youre doing. It's not mindless mash attack until your HP goes down and then quickly get a life potion, it's more than that.

Another thing is that battles in those games can take fucking forever. here's a rule for RPGs. battles with overworld enemies must fucking end in less than 2 minutes (bosses are an exception). If i'm trying to finish up some small fry but it takes longer than that it's an automatic quit for me because i do not have the patience to walk for 20 seconds only to get my ass blasted with a 2+ minute fight where i spend more time waiting for bars to charge than actually attacking. Earthbound's battles end quickly if you know what you're doing and oftentimes are hard enough that even in longer fights you can't tell how much time has passed. it's the same thing for many other RPGs i enjoy, Undertale/Deltarune, OMORI, Paper Mario, Tales, etc. (not to mention these games have enemies on the overworld, so if you wanted to you can avoid fights completely which makes the game pacing way, WAY better.) In FF7 i'm actively counting the seconds because it's that bad. you can only walk for a couple of seconds before having to get into a stupid fight that takes forever to end.

 

[RoadHazard]

Either fully real-time or fully turn-based. I HATE what SE tried to do in FFVIIR, it just doesn't work for me at all.

 

[Alandring]

It's an interesting question. I would say that I like both options (I play many turn-based and action-RPG every year), but if you let me the choice, like in Pillars of Eternity II and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, I would probably choose real time battles because it's quicker.

So I agree with both, but I think games should just be shorter.

 

[Amiga]

I know the RPG genre is trending in the direction of action based systems, but after a small window in my gaming life where I gravitated toward action oriented battle systems, I settled on much preferring turn based systems in RPGs. I think action based systems in RPGs are always so inferior to actual action games they always leave something to be desired for me. It always feels like a cheap knock-off version of action combat. Meanwhile turned based systems that rely on strategy, RPGs can really bring out the best in that style of combat. I love the strategy involved, I love taking my time. The most enjoyable battle systems I’ve played in the last few years of RPGs have all been turn based.

What do you prefer, action or turn based?

Re-posting from a similar thread..

Turn based battle systems should be based on strategy.
Favorites are:

Vagrant Story, the deepest system.
Transistor is my all time favorite, semi-turn based.
Valkyria Chronicles
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits

 

[Knightime_X]

As of late, I've been hugely favoring action rpg over turn based because the pacing is soo much better.
Some turn based games are grating to play because it feels soo slow even with set to highest speed.

I loved ff7r's combat.

 

[Big Baller]

I like to take a piss, grab some food or watch some YT while the enemy is waiting on my turn.

 

[Rran]

I still greatly enjoy turn-based, although if the game is too easy it can feel mindless. DQXI on Stronger Monsters was perfect though.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Really depends on the game for me.

If it's a party based game, I only play turn based RPGs. If I control a single character I can go both ways, so call me a bi if you want. lol.

SP games I like taking control real time.... Ultima Underworlds and ES games

SP games I like playing turnbased.... old Fallout games.

Modern Fallout games are great as a hybrid style of real time exploring and VATs combat. But that's due to Gamebryo game engines having a very weird feel to them when trying shoot guns in real time. The way enemies slip and slide as the move at sometimes light speed vs. your slow ass character makes VATs important (especially for location based % shots). I dont think there's a gamer on Earth who can play Fallout 3 or 4 purely in real time and be accurate enough with this game engine to aim for 90% hits.

 

[Captain Toad]

For the most part, I'll take turn-based. There's room for both though.

 

[Captain Toad]

I really enjoyed the hybrid model of FFVIIR. The problem with turned based JRPGs, while I love them, is that it's mostly press X to win. Autobattle resolved lots of this but then you don't play.

So is non-turn based. You just need to press X faster.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Turn based by far.

 

[Rat Rage]

Turn based.

If you don't like turn based combat in JRPGs, it's like not liking first person combat in FPS games.

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

Action, by far.

Breath of fire 2 was my last turn based jrpg, I couldn't handle more after that, like a deep trauma.

 

[Boneless]

Turn based, though dq11 was boring due to its simplicity. I even thought Persona5's system was boring. Loved FFVII's though.

In any case, I only like turned based because I'm an old man. FFXV or FFVII remake's system was OK.

 

[Danjin44]

while I love them, is that it's mostly press X to win.

I would love to see you just pressing X to win SMT battles.

 

[Mercador]

I used to love turn based JRPG, I don't anymore. I think it's because I don't have a lot of free time.

 

[Fuz]

Turn is more RPG to me.