Although it hasn't always hit the mark with every installment, Square Enix has consistently tried to keep things fresh with its Final Fantasy series. Many of the entries in the long-running JRPG franchise have innovated on the series’ existing gameplay formula without straying too far from its distinctive roots. Final Fantasy 4, for example, introduced the Active Time Battle system, which added a real-time combat element to liven up turn-based battles. Final Fantasy 10, meanwhile, featured the Conditional Turn-Based Battle system, which replaced the traditional round-based combat formula in prior Final Fantasy games with a new gameplay mechanic that used speed to determine the number of turns that combatants could take.
Even though Square Enix has frequently switched up the combat formulas in many of its mainline Final Fantasy installments, there is one trend in the series that has been prevalent throughout its recent titles. Over the last several years, the Final Fantasy franchise has gradually shifted away from conventional turn-based combat and has prioritized action-oriented gameplay instead. While Final Fantasy 15 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake were action RPGs with minor turn-based elements, Final Fantasy 16, on the other hand, was a straight-up hack-and-slash game. Some fans may prefer the more action-focused approach in the newer Final Fantasy titles, but the franchise has unfortunately lost some of its most inventive features during this transition, including a certain status effect.
Is the Original Final Fantasy 7 Worth Playing in 2025?
Although the Final Fantasy 7 Remake project is approaching its grand finale, the original FF7 still has enough merit to be worth returning to.
Square Enix Should Bring the Zombie Status Effect Back in Future Final Fantasy Games
The Final Fantasy Games Have a Wide Assortment of Different Status Effects
Like in most JRPGs, characters in Final Fantasy games can be afflicted by status effects during battle, which can impact them in either good or bad ways. These ailments range from things like Paralysis and Petrify, which prevent a combatant from taking turns, to Regen and Bubble, which can recover or increase a character's HP. Many of these status effects appear consistently throughout the franchise, but there are some specific ones that are no longer used these days.
The Zombie Status Effect Was Present in Early Final Fantasy Games, But Was Retired
One notable example of a retired Final Fantasy status effect is Zombie. Also referred to as Undead in some of the series' installments, this ailment zombifies those that are afflicted by it. In some games, Zombie reduces a character's HP to zero and makes them hostile towards their fellow party members. However, in other titles, it turns characters into the undead and gives them the weaknesses and immunities that this enemy type usually has. In these instances, combatants inflicted with the Zombie ailment will get damaged whenever a character uses a healing spell on them, and they will be healed whenever they get hit with an Instant Death effect. While the Zombie status effect does typically persist after finishing a battle, it can be cured through the use of Holy Water.
Certain Final Fantasy games, like Final Fantasy 5 and 6, include both variants of the Zombie ailment, under separate names.
The Zombie status effect was originally introduced in Final Fantasy 5, and it was, at one point, very prevalent throughout the early Final Fantasy titles. Sadly, however, the effect has barely been used in the series as of late. The last mainline Final Fantasy game that featured the Zombie ailment was the hit MMORPG Final Fantasy 11, which came out in 2002. Since then, this effect has only ever made appearances in 2003's Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and 2013's Japan-exclusive Pictlogica Final Fantasy.
It'd Be Interesting to See The Zombie Status Effect in a Final Fantasy Game With Real-Time Combat
The omission of the Zombie status effect in modern Final Fantasy games can largely be attributed to the franchise's gradual shift to real-time combat. As the series has evolved, Square Enix has abandoned some of the once-common ailments from the early Final Fantasy games, since they don’t fit in an action RPG context that well. Because the Zombie ailment was fairly unique and had a lot of untapped potential, however, its removal from the series is especially disappointing. Although it may be hard to implement into a game with a real-time combat system, it would be great if Square Enix included it in a future mainline Final Fantasy installment.
- Creation Year
- 1987
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Creator
- Hironobu Sakaguchi
- Latest Release
- Final Fantasy 16
- Creator(s)
- Hironobu Sakaguchi
Final Fantasy is a sci-fi fantasy franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed/owned by Square Enix. The series centers on role playing style games set in a science fiction and fantasy style worlds. The first game originally released in 1987 and since then, the franchise has spun off into other mediums like novels, CG films, and anime. The series has also branched into other video game genres including racing, fighting, rhythm, MMOs, and more.
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