How to make a turn-based RPG fantastic

The turn-based RPG genre is one of the most loved and hated genres out there, and for good reason. The games tend to have epic stories, beautiful cinematic cutscenes, and characters that you can never forget. Still though, these RPGs tend to have several pitfalls that make people stay clear of the genre.

Before we talk about what can be done to make the genre better, let’s spend a moment and define an RPG. As most of you already know, RPG stands for role-playing game, which means that you assume the role of one of the game’s characters. If that was the only qualifier though, nearly every single game out there would be considered an RPG.

RPGs do have you assume the role of a character, but it has become far more than what its name applies. Games of this genre focus on storytelling, exploration, and experience. They take you to a fictional world where magic and mythical creatures are the norm. These games have you taking on quests and exploring a whole new world. These games suck you into the world they has created in a very immersive way that is unique to the genre.

Sounds like a pretty solid genre right? Certainly the genre has its popularity, but it is not without its flaws.

Improve turn-based combat

Let’s start off with the biggest issue with the genre, turn-based battle systems. Let me go on record as saying that I actually don’t mind this mechanic. In a genre that focuses on strategy and thinking your way through battle, turn-based systems instead of button mashing are certainly appealing, but they do get tiring and repetitive. After a while the idea that lightning beats water no longer seems strategic and just becomes boring.

And that’s the interesting side of turn based combat. There are a lot of times where you will simply rely on your physical attacks, which takes no thought and isn’t any fun. Tap X, watch character run forward, swing sword, run back. This type of battling turns people away left and right.

What can be done? Well there are a number of solutions that have been tried. Certainly there is the action/RPG genre that allows you to have more control and, as the name implies, see more action. However, that’s a completely different approach. I don’t want to throw away the turn-based battle system, I want to perfect it.

Instead of simply having players choose the moves and watch the characters follow through, why not institute something more skill-based that affects how much damage your attack ends up inflicting. One of my favorite PS1 games was an RPG called Legend of the Dragoon. This RPG was turn-based, but after you chose what attack to use, an indicator appeared (much like in rhythm games) that required you to tap X at certain times to keep the attack going. This was an incredible addition to turn-based combat that made the battles far more entertaining and required much more attention.

I think you could add in a blocking and evading element like this to spice up battles even more. Keep the strategy, keep the turns, but add in a bit of skill and interaction to change up the dull pacing that is the current turn-based approach.

That is one way to spice up attacks, but what about the battle order? Far too often, games will have you simply take turns: you attack then the enemy attacks. Sure some introduce agility into the equation and allow the fastest character go first, but this is too simple and gets boring.