Summary
- Super Mario RPG introduced timed button presses for counterattacks and enhanced attacks.
- Grandia added turn orders to combat and combo attacks with party members.
- Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii features wild and funny combo attacks in battle.
Turn-based battle systems have added a lot of new mechanics and tweaks over there many years and decades. One of the coolest introductions came with Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars on the SNES. With it, players gained the ability to counter enemy attacks and to enhance their own attacks with timed button presses.
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Grandia is largely credited for adding turn orders to combat on the Sega Saturn. Then there were the games that added combo attacks with party members. Who was the first to do that, and what games have followed suit? Here's a ranking of the best ones based on how involved these combo attacks are.
8 Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii
A High Seas Action
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
- Released
- February 21, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Most of the Yakuza games have some sort of team attack, and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is the latest entry. In battle, players can raise their Heat Gauge to perform special actions like bashing an enemy into a wall. If an ally is close by, the two characters will link for a combo with the Heat Gauge, and these attacks are wild and often funny.
The combo with Masaru will involve a lot of knives, for example, as he is a chef, and it almost ends with a knife in Masaru’s face. Cooler yet, Goro can get specials that are flashier, involving summoning mythical creatures. Overall, the movesets in the game are wild.
7 Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Getting Into Ouroboros
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
- Released
- July 29, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 added a system where two characters could fuse, creating a mech-like form known as an Ouroboros. The form and powers depended on which two characters fused together in a process called Interlinking.
For example, Noah and Mio could Interlink, and they were the two male and female leads of the game. Besides Interlinking, if players used their skills on the hot bar correctly, they could create a chain of attacks with other party members to throw enemies off balance, giving the idea of combos a more strategic application.
6 Kingdom Hearts 2
The Power Of Limits
Kingdom Hearts 2
- Released
- March 28, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
Kingdom Hearts 2 added a lot of new techniques over the previous entry to keep combat more engaging. Fighting monsters would raise the Limit gauge and Limit abilities, depending on who was in the party.
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For example, in a world based on Hercules, Olympus Coliseum, players could add Auron from Final Fantasy 10 to the party. Sora’s Limit technique with him was called Overdrive, which was a nod to Final Fantasy 10, as that’s what Limit Breaks were called in it.
5 Metaphor: ReFantazio
Archetype Combos
Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Released
- October 11, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Studio Zero
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Metaphor: ReFantazio was much more than just a Persona game set in a medieval fantasy setting. It used a lot of new ideas that the Persona team had never tried before, like a class system called Archetypes.
Every Archetype had a skill tree to unlock new abilities, and when they were unlocked, there was potential to create a Synthesis Ability. Certain Archetypes combined with others, opening up abilities that would never appear on their own, like Blizzaton, a very powerful ice spell. Archetypes were not tied to one character, so players didn’t have to worry about restrictions.
4 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Learning Synergies
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Released
- February 29, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth had a similar sounding combo system to Metaphor: ReFantazio, called a Synergy. Every playable character had a skill tree, and Synergy Abilities could be unlocked this way. For example, Tifa had one called Leaping Strike, and there were two possible ways this attack would play in battle.
If she initiated it with Cloud or Red 13, Tifa would be flung into the air. If she linked with Barret, Aerith, Yuffie, or Cait Sith, then the attack would involve an uppercut. Most Synergies operated like this so that they weren’t limited by just two specific party members linking up.
3 Sea Of Stars
A Homage To The '90s
Sea of Stars
- Released
- August 29, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Sabotage
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Sea of Stars borrowed from a lot of great RPGs from the 90s as a throwback, but it wasn’t just a nostalgia play. The game itself was wonderfully realized by an indie team, from its pixel art to its music to its battle system.
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Every character could time their attacks and defenses in battle, and there were double and triple special attacks. Some combos were better than others, which helped players decide who to keep in the party and who to switch out.
2 Chrono Trigger
The OG Trendsetter
Chrono Trigger
- Released
- March 11, 1995
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- SNES, PlayStation (Original), PC, Nintendo DS, Android, iOS
Chrono Trigger was a trendsetter on the SNES, from monsters appearing in dungeons to its combat system. From weapon-based specials to magic, everything was categorized as a Technique or a Tech. Besides single Techs, there were Double Techs and Triple Techs, which combined party members for special attacks, which is where Sea of Stars got the idea.
One early one is called Fire Cyclone between Crono and Lucca, which turns Crono into a spinning tornado of fire that can target multiple enemies, and these moves only get wilder.
1 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Brotherly Love
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
- Released
- November 17, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- AlphaDream
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Wii U
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga improved upon the ideas that Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars started. Players could control Mario with the A button in battle and Luigi with the B button to both attack and counter enemies.
All of their special attacks were combo moves that incorporated classic elements from the franchise into battle, such as kicking Koopa Shells or blasting Fire Flowers. As this brotherly series of RPGs went on, these moves would only get more complex and wacky, but it’s hard to go against the original game as it is a masterpiece from top to bottom.
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