‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ utterly destroys Square Enix’s gaslighting over Final Fantasy turn-based combat

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“You think you want it, but you don’t.”

J. Allen Brack, a former president at Blizzard, made a comment that gained notoriety among World of Warcraft enthusiasts. The remark, which initially disregarded fans requesting a “Classic” mode in the game, was perceived as rather arrogant and insensitive towards a significant portion of the fanbase. However, it’s worth noting that Blizzard eventually changed their stance and provided players with what they had asked for, making the initial comment even more notable.

As a tech enthusiast and longtime World of Warcraft fan, I’m thrilled to share that under new leadership, the game has shifted its approach to: delivering everything fans have been yearning for. Quite unexpected, isn’t it? But let me tell you, the game has never looked better with numerous play modes catering to various types of players, leaving behind its old “one-size-fits-all” approach that was more focused on data collection than player passion. And guess what? We’re finally getting player housing!

Interestingly enough, it seems that the primary cause for introducing Player Housing in World of Warcraft stems from competitive pressure coming from another MMO game – Final Fantasy 14.

In response to fan preferences, instead of sticking with their original plan based on data analysis, World of Warcraft had to adapt by catering to fans’ needs directly, rather than what their initial statistics indicated. It seemed Blizzard’s monitoring systems showed that player housing was unwanted, but the success of this feature in Final Fantasy 14 suggested a different story. By innovating where World of Warcraft did not, Final Fantasy 14 managed to build a substantial and vibrant community for itself.

It appears that Square Enix has been overlooking their triumphs in the primary series of Final Fantasy games, as these titles have experienced a gradual decrease in appeal and significance over the past few years.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 proves

As a tech enthusiast and longtime fan of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy series, I must say that while their recent projects like Final Fantasy 15, 16, the 7 Remake, and 7 Rebirth have garnered some positive responses, they haven’t quite captured the same level of excitement as some of their predecessors. However, I firmly believe that the remakes of Final Fantasy 7, despite being bogged down with open-world elements that resemble Ubisoft’s style, still manage to evoke the enchantment that this franchise is known for.

In these recent additions to the Final Fantasy series, such as games 15 and 16, success has been notably scarce. Unlike traditional installments that are cherished by fans, these games do not embody the classic elements that made the series renowned. Instead, Square Enix seems to have veered off course, prioritizing trends over fan preferences in a seemingly ill-advised attempt to boost profits.

To me, it’s astonishing that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth incorporates Ubisoft-style towers for unlocking additional content in its open world. This suggests a lack of understanding of what truly makes gameplay enjoyable, and seems more like a design choice influenced by Microsoft Excel spreadsheets rather than common sense.

The French game titled Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has illuminated the design strategies employed by Square Enix in their Final Fantasy series, known for its diverse turn-based, command-based, and active-turn-based formats throughout the years, with a focus on strategic gameplay. Similar to games like Final Fantasy 8 and Super Mario RPG, Expedition 33 incorporates elements of classic JRPGs, backed by high-quality production values, photorealistic graphics, and enveloped in a dark, fairy tale narrative.

Previously, Square Enix stated that the market no longer prefers turn-based games. However, the success of Expedition 33, with over a million copies sold (excluding Xbox Game Pass sales), seems to contradict this statement. Moreover, unlike popular franchises such as Dragon Quest or Persona, Expedition 33 is not an established series, suggesting that there’s still a demand for turn-based games among the gaming community.

Is it possible that Square Enix is losing touch with its audience these days? The idea becomes particularly compelling when considering the statements from Square Enix producer, Naoki Yoshida himself.

Square Enix: it’s time to stop the gaslighting over turn-based tactical combat

Naoki Yoshida is recognized for revitalizing the MMORPG game, Final Fantasy 14, which thrived by adopting a model similar to World of Warcraft, while still maintaining the familiar and comfortable feel of classic Final Fantasy games. Although borrowing ideas from World of Warcraft significantly boosted the success of Final Fantasy 14, this new strategy seemed to negatively impact the development process for Final Fantasy 15, 7 Rebirth, and 16.

In simpler terms, instead of upholding the traditional, strategic gameplay that has been a hallmark of Final Fantasy games for decades, Final Fantasy 16 opted to abandon it and focus on action-oriented combat reminiscent of Devil May Cry. However, some fans might question this decision as the new style appears to be a less polished version of that genre. Yoshida has shared his rationalization for this change in a prior interview.

It has been observed that as graphic quality improves and characters appear increasingly lifelike and photo-realistic, the mismatch between this realism and the abstract nature of turn-based commands becomes more noticeable.

Games with a stylized, turn-based approach such as Persona, Octopath Traveler, and Dragon Quest are acceptable, although I’m not sure about those that aim for photorealism.

From my perspective, this statement serves as a compelling evidence for me that Naoki Yoshida and the main team behind Final Fantasy have lost their connection, not just with Final Fantasy enthusiasts, but also with the broader gaming community at large.

Some individuals find this acceptable. They’re content with incorporating lifelike characters into an abstract setup. However, others struggle with it. To put it simply, if a character is shown holding a weapon, why can’t the action of firing be triggered by pressing a button instead of requiring a specific command?

In a French-origin game titled Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the creators introduced an innovative approach to problem-solving by allowing players to freely aim with their characters’ weapons. This feels somewhat like Square Enix is subtly addressing concerns about creativity in their design choices.

In essence, it seems that the foundation of your argument crumbles when we reflect on the fact that video games aren’t necessarily designed for absolute realism. For instance, Final Fantasy 16, despite its reputation, presents a rather passive and unengaging combat system in comparison to other action games I’ve played—it often feels like the game is controlling itself, with boss fights being more about watching cutscenes than actively participating in combat. It’s surprising that Yoshida asserts players wouldn’t want to input commands, given this experience.

On occasion, the gaming industry attempts to undervalue turn-based games, but there will be multiple instances when games such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Baldur’s Gate 3 will resurface to challenge that perception.

The gaming industry has a history of undervaluing turn-based games, but there will be numerous instances where games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Baldur’s Gate 3 will reappear to change that opinion.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is led by a small team of 33 individuals, many of whom are veterans from Ubisoft. They’ve broken free from the constraints of “telemetry”-driven corporate game development, a style that some believe has stifled creativity in the industry. The game has garnered an unprecedented amount of praise from players on Metacritic, and fans are not just complimenting the game, but also sending Square Enix a clear message: stop misleading us.

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2025-04-27 17:40