RPGs have been enjoyed by gamers for decades, but a common complaint has been the tediousness of the turn-based battle system, a fighting method that usually involves doing nothing at all. In most traditional RPGs, players would form parties of three to four characters and explore the world in teams. While traveling through treacherous areas, you would randomly encounter enemies to fight. But these fights were timed and players were frozen in place for long stretches.
Turn-Based Battle Systems
Most RPGs used the turn-based battle system to get character attributes up and sometimes advance a storyline. Whether critical boss battles or random encounters, fights lined up the player’s party across whatever enemy stood in their way. Attributes like health, magic power, and special attacks listed on screen for your fighters during these struggles, but enemy characteristics were unknown. Player and enemy would take turns attacking (or defending), with each turn followed by a cooldown period. A time bar would refill on screen, letting players know how long they could make another move.
Obviously, impatient gamers didn’t enjoy this system. Most of the battle was spent waiting, watching your characters get pummeled without retaliating. Enemies had to wait before attacking again as well, leaving periods on-screen with no action at all. How did game developers solve this problem? Enter action RPGs.
Fight In Real Time
Real-time combat was introduced in action RPGs, letting players attack enemies from all sides at any time. There’s no time bar, no waiting period, just a non-stop slash fest if that’s your wish. But enemies also now attack in real-time, leaving inattentive players with little to no warning a battle is beginning. Boss fights often required innovative strategies acted out in combination, like the Psycho Mantis boss fight in original PlayStation game Metal Gear Solid, where players needed to plug their controllers into a different port.
Seed of Lux uses a real-time battle system where players will be able to feel every hit, dodge blows, and combine attacks. Combat will feel instinctive and genuine and the damage you take affects your next move. If you take too much damage, you’ll become defenseless and unable to respond with any impactful counters. Along your journey, acquire items and materials that can upgrade your weapons and add new attacks to your repertoire.