Summary
ThoughFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthis still some time away from being released, comparisons between it andFinal Fantasy 16are inevitable. While both entries in the series have their fans, the combat systems for both games differ beyond the surface level. WhileFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthwill retain the ATB gauge and materia system fromFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, the latest entry in theFinal Fantasyseries opted to go with a more fluid and visceral style to combat while mixing in abilities that were intrinsically tied to the Eikons that wielded them.
Despite the combat systems being among the best in theFinal Fantasyseries, neitherFF16norFF7 Remakeare free from criticism. Both entries had cinematic scuffles that took full advantage of the respective graphics engines, but the best battles ofFF7 Remakewere a bit cumbersome. Between being locked behind a simulation that enabled players to fight Summons such as Shiva and Leviathan, or behind a paywall in the case of Weiss the Immaculate being tied to the Intermission DLC,Final Fantasy 7 Remakehad some amazing battles that players may have missed. While some of those encounters inFinal Fantasy 7 Remakehave varying levels of difficulty, that was not the case when it came toFF16.
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Final Fantasy 16 Was a Combat Cakewalk
It’s no secret thatFinal Fantasy 16is among the easiest games in the entire seriesby design. While protagonist Clive Rosfield rarely fought alone, his Eikonic powers grew stronger through the course of the game and rendered him a one-man army that took down colossal foes such as Titan and Odin. In addition, special accessories such as the Ring of Timely Strikes can give players more time to react to avoidable attacks, thereby changing the difficulty of some encounters from challenging to trivial. This design philosophy makesFinal Fantasy 16among the best entries forFinal Fantasynewcomers, but the accessories and Eikonic Feats can make Clive seem too overpowered for some battles.
The difficulty gets ramped up a fair bit in New Game Plus and Final Fantasy Mode, but the equipment andEikonic combinations that Clive can useare carried over from a completedFF16save file. This may seem counterintuitive at first glance, but players who opt to forego some pieces of equipment or stick with specific Eikons may have a different experience compared to more thorough players. While it remains to be seen ifFinal Fantasy 16will get any DLC or additional challenges, the potential is there for Square Enix to consider.
Ramping Up the Difficulty in FF7 Rebirth
ThoughFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthwill carry over the combat systemsfromFF7 Remake, there is also the possibility that the next chapter of this saga will have plenty of challenging optional bosses for Cloud and the crew to take on that also appeared in the original version ofFinal Fantasy 7. Bosses in the original release such as Lost Number in the Shinra Mansion and the fierce serpent called the Midgar Zolom could translate to some difficult challenges. Between players who either never experienced them before in the PS1 version, orFinal Fantasyseries veterans who are eager to see how some foes will look in modern graphics,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthwill have no shortage of potential boss battles.
Given the precedent set byFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, there are absolutely no certainties on what will stay the same as the original game, and what will change inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthas a result. Thoughthe ending point ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthremains up in the air at the time of writing, only time will tell what Square Enix will do to keep the combat challenging and exciting as the saga continues.
