Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director Guillaume Broche is a huge fan of turn-based RPGs (heck, his own multi-award-winning Game of the Year is a stellar example of the genre) – and he won't have any of the chatter that they're "old school."
The lead discusses as much in a new episode of Video Game Club via Konbini on YouTube (below) after sharing why he loves the Persona – a series of some of the best JRPGs (turn-based, of course) out there.
"I don't get this whole 'turn-based is old school' thing," he says. "I've never bought into that; I've always thought it was total nonsense. A lot of people say that, but it's just a game system. I like board games, too."
Those count as turn-based, right? It's not just the fact that all of these games are turn-based that makes Broche enjoy them, however.
"It's not just the turn-based aspect that I like. It's also the part where you prepare your team beforehand," he explains.
As a fan of JRPGs (and consequently, turn-based games) myself, I get where he's coming from – a lot of effort goes into planning before combat sometimes, and it feels great when it pays off.
"It's just that when you come up with a plan, you get into battle, and everything goes pretty much the way you want it to, and you see that all the pieces you've been preparing for 50 hours of gameplay before all fit together perfectly and everything works out great, and you take down the boss right in front of you – it's incredibly satisfying because you feel smart," as Broche puts it.
Other genres just don't offer that same sort of satisfaction.
The director uses Devil May Cry as an example: "Whereas, in an action game like Devil May Cry, I don't feel particularly smart – I just feel like I have quick fingers and good dexterity. But in a turn-based game, it's more your brain that gets rewarded."
I mean… I get it. Both are good for different moods. Devil May Cry is undeniably a stellar series, but you can turn your brain off and enjoy some action-packed (and far less strategic) combat.
Broche concludes that in a turn-based game, "It's kind of like math. You put things together, you work out the equation, you get to the end – x = 2 – that's the right answer, you beat the boss, and you're happy. And I love that." Same, Mr. Broche. Same.
