Current Events > What are some of the more "unique" RPG battle systems?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I've honestly never been a fan of the more traditional turn based style combat in RPGs, and pure action ones can be fun, but sometimes uninteresting. I was playing some Parasite Eve and I thought it was a really cool attempt at something different. Kind of similar is Vagrant Story.

But RPG isn't really a genre I know too much about. The most recent one I enjoyed that felt "fresh" or unique was Resonance of Fate from last gen.

What are some "out there" battle systems that try things totally different, but manage to work? Any recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks
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Tales of graces
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Didn't Baten Kaitos have a card system?
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Valkyrie Profile
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Antifar posted...

Didn't Baten Kaitos have a card system?

Those are a hell of a lot less "unique" than you seem to think.

Stefanie posted...

What are some "out there" battle systems that try things totally different, but manage to work? Any recommendations are appreciated.

Undertale is fairly unique.
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Parasite Eve / Vagrant Story

Whoops, skimmed through your OP TC and missed these. Got nothing else atm
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Okay, I'm going to look all these up. I did play a bit of Persona 3. It seemed like a straightforward turn based game to me, tho.
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Undertale
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Earthbound, mostly by skipping superfluous battles entirely.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Earthbound, mostly by skipping superfluous battles entirely.

Earthbound is a game where the amount of damage you take depends on how quickly you can win, flee, or cast a curing spell.
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Tyranthraxus posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

Earthbound, mostly by skipping superfluous battles entirely.

Earthbound is a game where the amount of damage you take depends on how quickly you can win, flee, or cast a curing spell.

Yeah, the damage meter in that was cool.

Radiant Historia had a nice battle system.
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The world ends with you

The Last Remnant
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I was just reading about a game I'll probably get on the Switch store. Joe Dever's Lone Wolf. Combat system sounds somewhat unique

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=758860429

Axiom posted...

I was just reading about a game I'll probably get on the Switch store. Joe Dever's Lone Wolf. Combat system sounds somewhat unique

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=758860429

Unfortunately the game saves immediately after this choice is made, and some choices require a specific skill to be available at all. It is entirely possible to have a fight start with the enemies attacking, and have them kill Lone Wolf before he has any chance to take action. What's more, if this occurs, it's likely due to a the choice made before combat, and may be a semi-permanent loop, excepting a lucky miss by an enemy, or reloading from an earlier save. This is one of the most frustrating parts of the game; I've had a combat that I've had to reload over a dozen times until I got lucky.

Fuck
That

An old NES game called little Nina Bros switches between two Comcast systems depending on region.
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grandia had a basic-ass ATB system, but i remember the combat being really fun

Questionmarktarius posted...

Axiom posted...

I was just reading about a game I'll probably get on the Switch store. Joe Dever's Lone Wolf. Combat system sounds somewhat unique

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=758860429

Unfortunately the game saves immediately after this choice is made, and some choices require a specific skill to be available at all. It is entirely possible to have a fight start with the enemies attacking, and have them kill Lone Wolf before he has any chance to take action. What's more, if this occurs, it's likely due to a the choice made before combat, and may be a semi-permanent loop, excepting a lucky miss by an enemy, or reloading from an earlier save. This is one of the most frustrating parts of the game; I've had a combat that I've had to reload over a dozen times until I got lucky.

Fuck
That

Lol yeah I can see that being a turn off but I like roguelike games so it's not really bad compared to starting over completely

Kaiganeer posted...

grandia had a basic-ass ATB system, but i remember the combat being really fun

I seem to remember Grandia combat as everyone dogpiling into the middle for some reason.

Chrono Trigger.
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Child of Light is pretty cool and different. Ive been playing and enjoying Earthlock recently as well.
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Mainly reiterating other recs:

Child of Light
Radiant Historia
Undertale
Earthbound & Mother 3 (latter having rhythm mechanics that increase damage)
Nier: Automata (Sheer variety, though it comes across as an ARPG-Whatever DMC is Hybrid)
Ni No Kuni II (Has a watered-down Tales of style but you can activate pokemon for different effects on the field)
Recettear (At least the shop stuff)
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Parasite Eve 2 (You can try The 3rd Birthday but its.... eh)
Etrian Odyssey / Persona Q (More the map making & party customization)
Persona 3+ (Only the sim & pokemon aspects, the combat is as standard as you can get but it's still fun)
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The original Fallout. It was turn based but you could complete multiple actions per turn until your AP ran out.
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Magna Carta: Tears of Blood is an old Korean RPG where you have a party of 3 and an "action meter" you can use the entire meter on just one dude making him take tons of actions while your other party does nothing or divide them up evenly.

Are you not injured? Then don't spend any actions on your healer.

There's also an element wheel system and an interesting counter system that rewards deep memorization of enemy attacks but I don't think the game is worth that much effort to become that invested.

It does, however, have one of my favorite soundtracks of any PS2 RPG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGx3GQu6Nyc" data-time="
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Tyranthraxus posted...

Magna Carta: Tears of Blood is an old Korean RPG where you have a party of 3 and an "action meter" you can use the entire meter on just one dude making him take tons of actions while your other party does nothing or divide them up evenly.

There's some other game that does something similar, but hell if I remember what it was.

Tyranthraxus posted...

Magna Carta: Tears of Blood is an old Korean RPG where you have a party of 3 and an "action meter" you can use the entire meter on just one dude making him take tons of actions while your other party does nothing or divide them up evenly.

Are you not injured? Then don't spend any actions on your healer.

There's also an element wheel system and an interesting counter system that rewards deep memorization of enemy attacks but I don't think the game is worth that much effort to become that invested.

It does, however, have one of my favorite soundtracks of any PS2 RPG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGx3GQu6Nyc" data-time="

I'd recommend that game if it wasn't fucking trash. Great concepts, horrible execution.
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Blue_Dream87 posted...

I'd recommend that game if it wasn't fucking trash. Great concepts, horrible execution.

It's not that bad but it's obviously a low effort cash in on PS2 jrpg popularity.

It's still got fantastic Music and art, though.
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Valkyria Chronicles
Mostly you just end up spamming scouts in every single game though :(

Resonance of Fate
Action gauges and stuff but it's turn based... Sort of. And you use guns to break enemy HP gauges into small sections so they can't regen health back. You use two types of weapons, no less. And thrown ones but who actually used those?
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