Metaphor: ReFantazio’s battle director believes “turn-based games have a long future ahead of them”

While some may find it boring to see time stop as soon as they enter combat, there are plenty of people who love a break from fast action and enjoy turn-based combat, as proven by recent hits such as Baldur’s Gate III and Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Speaking with PC Gamer, Kenichi Goto, the battle director of Metaphor: ReFantazio spoke about the future of RPGs, and where he thinks the genre will go. “I don’t think it’s a matter of which one’s better than the other: I think both turn-based battles and action battles can coincide and live in the same atmosphere,” he said.

In recent years, we have seen the take that turn-based systems are outdated, something that Goto can understand even if he doesn’t agree with it. “As a creator myself, I was feeling that it was starting to get outdated. And I did start to see reactions from players and fans that it was starting to get outdated.”

But, that doesn’t mean turn-based systems can’t adapt and prove just as enjoyable for modern gamers. “I believe it’s possible to keep even an old-school game genre fresh by identifying what modern users want and not losing sight of what you want to achieve,” Goto said. “I personally believe turn-based games have a long future ahead of them.”

Do you enjoy turn-based combat as much as live action?