Do you know what Formula 1 has to do withJRPGs? Well, the auto racing inspired Hiroyuki Ito, a Square designer, to develop the ATB combat system, aka the Active Time Battle turn-based mechanic.
According to Ito, sports have always influenced his design choices. American football inspired the battle system in the firstFinal Fantasy, with characters appearing side-by-side on-screen facing monsters.
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Formula 1 showed him that if a racer is fast enough, they can lap the slower ones. That gave him the idea that if a character is also fast, they should be able to attack more times before the opponent.
And thus, the ATB was born, one of myfavorite turn-based systems. In this list, I’ll show you the best JRPGs that employ the ATB system if you also prefer a twist in your command-based battles.
I’ll avoid filling the list with just Final Fantasy titles, but I will mention a few that gracefully employed the system.
10Final Fantasy IV
The Father of the ATB System
Final Fantasy 4
Final Fantasy IVwas the first JRPG to employ the ATB System. At first, the mechanics were so rudimentary that there wasn’t even a gauge in battle, and we only knew it was time to act when the action menu popped up.
This lack of indicators also applied to the casting system for magic and abilities, where the character would perform an animation, and we could only pray that Cure would come out before an enemy attack.
But even in its early steps, the ATB System already showed its differences, with characters like Edge acting much faster than others or the player being forced to choose a command quickly while taking a beating from a goblin.
FromFinal Fantasy Vonward, Square had already added the ATB gauge to the interface, indicating when our party members could act. This mechanic has been applied to numerous otherFinal Fantasytitles and JRPGs developed by Square.
Active Time Robot Battle System
Robotrekwas developed by Quintet and published by Enix, proving the company already had its own ATB applications before merging with Square.
InRobotrek, calledSlapstickin Japan, our protagonist can build robots and bring up to three into battle, each with its own weapons, special attacks, and name. However, only one can fight at a time.
In battle, after executing an action, the robot’s bar empties. While it recharges, enemies take their turns. Once it fills up, we can move our robot and execute a command.
This Empty and Full bar system inRobotrekis nothing more than a variation of the ATB seen in theSNESFinal Fantasygames.
The more powerful the attack, the more the bar empties, and the longer it takes to act again, which can turn our robot into scrap if mobbed by enemies.
8I Am Setsuna
Chrono Trigger Spiritual Successor Wannabe
I Am Setsuna
I Am Setsunawas developed by Tokyo RPG Factory, then a subsidiary of Square Enix. The JRPG seemed to attempt to pay homage toChrono Trigger, using similar graphics, systems, and even skill names inspired by thetime-traveling JRPG.
In a way, it succeeded. I felt my nostalgia kick in while venturing through the snowy fields ofI Am Setsunaor performing Double and Triple Techs when my characters' ATB bars filled simultaneously.
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The fact that some abilities had an area of effect and that enemies kept shifting around the battlefield also nodded toChrono Trigger, making me more cautious when choosing skills, often waiting for the opponent to attack again if they moved into a favorable position.
All in all,I Am Setsunafalls short, and perhaps this constant comparison withChrono Triggerdid more harm than good. However, you might enjoyI Am Setsuna’s gameplay if you’re looking for an ATB system straight out of the SNES orPS1 era.
7Final Fantasy X-2
Callback to Classic Features
Final Fantasy X-2
Love it or hate it, I believe one of the best features ofFinal Fantasy X-2was bringing back the ATB System.
Don’t get me wrong, I adoreFinal Fantasy X’sturn-based combat and consider it one of the best systems, but the overall battle design in the sequel works better with a more active approach.
Final Fantasy X-2also called back to another franchise mechanic: Jobs. In battle,Yuna, Rikku, and Painecan swap Jobs at will, called Dresspheres, while other combatants remain active and act in parallel.
And that’s the magic of the ATB, making turn-based combat feel alive rather than static. Yuna could be casting White Magic, while Paine is crushing an enemy with her sword, and Rikku is getting petrified by a Kukulcan.
Since we only have three party members, this faster yet still strategic combat style worked well inFinal Fantasy X-2. Meanwhile, in its predecessor, a purely turn-based system was the better fit, allowing us to use all party members in the same battle.
6Parasite Eve
Square’s First M-Rated RPG
Parasite Eve
One of Square’s non-Final Fantasytitles that adopted the ATB system wasParasite Eve, a horror RPG set in a prestigious New York contaminated by mitochondria monsters, or something like that.
In the game, Aya Brea is a cop who needs to capture Eve before she wipes out humanity through self-combustion. To do this, she uses firearms and Parasite Energy abilities to face grotesque creatures in a real-time ATB combat system.
Unlike other JRPGs mentioned here,Parasite Eveonly lets us control Aya in combat. When entering battle, she’s confined to a small field along with enemies. She can move around freely while the ATB gauge fills.
Once full, Aya can choose a command, like shooting enemies, using items, or Parasite Energy. However, the game doesn’t pause while she performs her actions, meaning she can receive a grotesque rat bite while reloading or aiming her weapon.
It’s a different take on the ATB system, leaning more towards real-time than turn-based. The player should keep moving around the field to avoid enemy attacks while waiting for the gauge to fill.
An ATB-Adjacent System
Grandiadoesn’t strictly use a system called ATB, but it’s incredibly similar in the sense that each character must fill a gauge before they can act.
The system doesn’t have a proper name, but the gauge displaying the characters is called the Initiative Bar. The faces of everyone involved in the battle are featured there. When a combatant reaches the Command section, they can choose an action.
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After that, the gauge continues filling until the action is executed. Each move has a different weight, being performed either faster or slower. Meanwhile, certain attacks can cancel a character’s action, sending them to the start of the Initiative Bar.
Grandia’sbattle system is extremely fun, the kind where you may’t just mindlessly mash the attack button and expect to win. Timing, the right action, and even the positioning of those involved can influence the outcome of combat.
4World of Final Fantasy
Pokémon-Style Final Fantasy
World Of Final Fantasy
World of Final Fantasyfeatures a battle system very similar toGrandia, but this time, it’s a full-fledged ATB system patented by Square Enix.
Instead of each character having a dedicated gauge, everyone appears in a vertical bar. When it’s their turn to act, the player picks an action, which is executed immediately.
The biggest difference inWorld of Final Fantasy’sATB system comes from its Stack feature. In the JRPG, we have Mirages,monsters that can be captured. We can stack them—literally—on top of our protagonists, boosting attributes and passive skills.
While stacked, all allies act as one. However, if they unstack, they can act separately, each taking their own turn. It’s usually better to stay stacked in combat, but there are strategies, like using items, where unstacking is worth it.
Another minor difference is that after acting, a character returns to the end of the ATB gauge. However, if they use the Defend command, they go back to the middle of the gauge, which can be a useful tactic depending on the battle situation.
3Child of Light
Ubisoft’s Take on the ATB System
Child of Light
Child of Lighthas an ATB combat system similar toGrandiaandWorld of Final Fantasy, but its twists give it a completely unique charm in this beautifully artistic JRPG-inspired game.
In battle, we can have only two party members at a time, swapping them freely, and we face, at most, three enemies. This prevents the turn bar below from becoming convoluted and lets us clearly see everyone’s order.
The bar, divided into Wait and Cast, works as expected. When a character reaches the division between the two, they select a command that goes into the cast segment. Anyone struck while casting gets interrupted.
The biggest standout ofChild of Light’sATB system is Igniculus, a firefly and the protagonist Aurora’s companion. In battle, we can move the firefly over an enemy to slow down their movement on the bar.
This adds a dynamic layer to combat, where the player must pay attention to both the weight of their commands and which enemy to hinder—either to interrupt them or prevent an ally from being interrupted.
2Chrono Trigger
Top-Notch Application of the System
Chrono Trigger
The king among JRPGs returns once again.Chrono Triggerwas released afterFinal Fantasy VI, when the ATB system was already well-established and refined. Still,Chrono Triggerimproved it even further.
The biggest highlight ofChrono Trigger’sbattle system with ATB is how every fight felt alive. Enemies moved during battle, influencing the area-of-effect of both their attacks and the party’s.
The JRPG also introduced Double and Triple Techs, where two or more characters team up to use a combined skill. To do this, both characters' ATB gauges must be full, encouraging the player to wait before acting.
In short, it’s a simple execution of ATB but in a polished way, as later seen inI Am SetsunaandFinal Fantasy X-2.
The feeling that Active Time Battle was more fluid made many players who frown upon turn-based systems appreciateChrono Trigger. Not to mention all the other elements that make it one of thebest JRPGs of all time.
1Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
The Future of the Active Time Battle
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
For a long time, the ATB system was used in turn-based combat to give the player a sense of agency. That is, until Square Enix adapted—or, let’s be real, repurposed the name—for a mechanic inFinal Fantasy VII RemakeandFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Personally, I believe the combat in theFinal Fantasy VIIremakes is the best system in an action RPG I’ve seen. It’s neither a frantic hack ‘n slash nor as slow or deliberate as a Soulslike. It’s the perfect balance of dexterity, reflex, and strategy.
The more we engage with the battle system inFinal Fantasy VII Remake,be it attacking, defending, or merely surviving, the more our ATB gauge fills, allowing us to use techniques, magic, or items.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirthadded an extra layer to combat with Synergy Abilities. By spending the ATB gauge, we built up another bar called ATB Charge to unleash powerful dual techniques.
Every action in combat connects with another, promoting an active yet well-thought-out gameplay flow. I was on the fence whenFinal Fantasyshifted from turn-based to real-time action, especially in games likeFinal Fantasy XV.
However, inFinal Fantasy VII Remake, you may tell Square applied everything it learned over the years to create an ingenious battle system that’s easy to learn but hard to master.
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