One Final Fantasy 16 fan has addressed one of the game’s major criticisms, which is the “press square to win” joke. Many have claimed that the combat system is simple enough to button mash through but this player proves that isn’t the case.
Twitter user @mrpyro1 attempted to only press square to win and it backfired massively. Contrary to what many detractors have said, the game’s battle system does need a bit of strategy instead of just mashing buttons. Sure, the combat’s not as deep as Devil May Cry but that doesn’t mean its bad.
Some of the detractors tried to respond, saying that “okay it’s a two button game” or “obviously we’re just joking” but the point has been proven. Despite some simplicity, players can’t just get through the game with button mashing unless they’re playing in an easier difficulty level.
Combat in Final Fantasy 16 was designed by Ryota Suzuki, who also worked on Devil May Cry 5 and Marvel vs Capcom. Though not as in-depth as either game, the JRPG clearly took some inspiration, thanks to the ability to call allies for extra attacks.
Even with an interesting combat system, many were turned off by the simplicity seen in the latest Final Fantasy. Since the game is mostly focused on action and story, many feel that it doesn’t really feel like a JRPG anymore. This is despite the game having a bunch of side quests that do plenty of worldbuilding, even if they feel like filler.
Admittedly, the developers of this entry did state that they didn’t like the JRPG moniker, so it makes sense to see this entry deviate away from it. However, fans claiming that this isn’t a Final Fantasy game are going too far. Then again, this is something many fans have been saying about the franchise since the seventh game and that won’t be changing anytime soon.
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Final Fantasy 16 is readily available on the PlayStation 5 with a PC version reportedly in development.