When Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was revealed, fans quickly took notice of its inventive combat system. Blending turn-based commands with real-time dodging mechanics, Clair Obscur has managed to pull off something many modern RPGs struggle with: honoring the past while embracing the present. For Final Fantasy fans who still mourn the gradual move away from strategic combat toward fully action-based systems, Clair Obscur offers hope.
Square Enix could use this hybrid model as inspiration for its next mainline Final Fantasy game. A modernized Active Time Battle (ATB) system, fused with reactive dodging or timed defense, could allow the series to retain its roots without feeling outdated. Implementing such a system carefully could please both veteran players and newcomers, ensuring Final Fantasy continues evolving without losing its soul.
How to Get Better at Timing Parries in Clair Obscur Expedition 33
Learning the parry timings can be tricky for new players in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but it's an important part of the game's combat.
Clair Obscur’s Combat Could Transform Final Fantasy
In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, combat maintains a strong turn-based foundation. Players see an upcoming turn order similar to Final Fantasy 10, allowing them to plan carefully. However, real-time elements are layered into this system. When enemies attack, players must time dodges or blocks in real-time to mitigate or avoid damage altogether. This fusion of strategy and reflex tests multiple skills, creating an experience that feels simultaneously tactical and kinetic.
It's easy to imagine how this could translate into a Final Fantasy game. In a three-character party system like Final Fantasy 7 Remake or Final Fantasy 10, players could manage each character’s ATB gauges to trigger abilities, while also manually dodging major enemy attacks. Critical dodges could provide bonus effects, such as faster ATB regeneration or temporary defense boosts, giving attentive players even more strategic opportunities.
Clair Obscur’s real-time defensive mechanics do not yet offer auto-dodge options, but Final Fantasy 16’s accessories like the Ring of Timely Evasion show that optional assists can make challenging systems accessible without watering them down.
Incorporating this flexibility would ensure that both hardcore strategists and casual players feel equally welcome. The key would be offering adjustable difficulty layers; for instance, allowing players to telegraph enemy attacks more clearly if they choose, or enabling an automatic-dodge assist for those who prefer a more traditional experience.
A Modern ATB System Could Bridge The Gap
The ATB system has been a Final Fantasy hallmark since Final Fantasy 4, but as action elements grow more prominent, its original strategic pacing risks being lost. Clair Obscur points toward a solution: modernize ATB by maintaining its strategic framework while integrating a reactive layer. Rather than simply waiting for gauges to fill, players could have defensive actions to engage with between commands. For instance, if an enemy prepares a heavy-hitting move, a visual or auditory cue could signal players to dodge or parry. Successfully doing so could impact the next ATB cycle, perhaps hastening the player’s next turn or delaying the enemy’s.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake already flirted with real-time and ATB hybridization, but Clair Obscur proves it could be pushed further without tipping into full action-RPG territory. A more evolved system could bring back the deliberate strategy that defined early Final Fantasy titles, while offering constant opportunities for skill expression and decision-making.
The turn-order display in Clair Obscur is a direct evolution of Final Fantasy 10’s Conditional Turn-Based (CTB) system, but with additional emphasis on visualizing enemy states and weaknesses, giving players even deeper insight during battles.
This kind of tactical depth could also lend itself well to potential remakes. If Final Fantasy 10 ever receives a full reimagining or if a long-rumored Final Fantasy 10-3 is produced, layering a hybrid system atop its CTB mechanics could modernize its battles without betraying its original spirit.
Final Fantasy 17 Could Take the Opposite Approach as FF16 in One Key Area
Final Fantasy 17 could return to a party-based system like Final Fantasy 6, offering deeper storytelling and strategic combat.
Final Fantasy 17 Could Be The Perfect Test
Looking ahead, Final Fantasy 17 could be the perfect project for this kind of experimentation. After the fully action-based structure of Final Fantasy 16, returning to a more structured, ATB-rooted combat system would signal a major shift — one that honors the series’ heritage while still feeling innovative.
This hybrid system could also encourage creative character design. Different party members could offer different defensive mechanics; perhaps one character specializes in perfect dodges while another focuses on well-timed parries. The diversity of defensive styles could add even more tactical layers to party composition and battle flow.
Just as Final Fantasy 6 emphasized party roles through unique commands like Blitz and Sketch, Final Fantasy 17 could emphasize defensive styles as a core party mechanic. Mixing classic job system influences with personalized real-time interactions could offer a combat experience that feels uniquely Final Fantasy but also fresh in the broader RPG landscape. Square Enix has a chance to redefine how players think about turn-based combat. By studying Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s strengths (particularly its careful balance of command-driven and reaction-driven gameplay) the company could truly have its cake and eat it too.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- April 24, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Kepler Interactive
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
