Story Focused vs Action Focused Mode
At the beginning of Final Fantasy 16, you have the option of playing the game in Story-Focused, or Action-Focused Mode. This can be a little confusing, to begin with, especially if you don’t know the difference between the two.
In this Final Fantasy 16 guide, we will teach you everything you need to know about Story-Focused and Action-Focused mode, including the difference between them and how to change the difficulty later if you change your mind.
What Is the Difference Between Story-Focused and Action-Focused Modes in Final Fantasy 16?
The first thing you might find yourself wondering when asked whether you want to play on Story-Focused or Action-Focused Mode is what that means in the first place. There are a couple of differences between these two modes, and they each impact the way you play and experience the game.
Final Fantasy 16 is the first action-based Final Fantasy game, which is a big change from the turn-based battle system that used to be synonymous with the series. These modes are available to help ease players that aren’t used to action games into the new battle system.
Of course, there are no rules here, and there is no right or wrong way to play FF16. You are free to play the game in whatever mode you would prefer.
Story-Focused Mode
Story-Focused Mode is essentially ‘easy mode‘ in Final Fantasy 16. It makes enemies weaker and easier to defeat and automatically equips you with two "Timely Accessories" to help make combat even simpler (but are also available in Action Focused Mode - they're just not automatically equipped.) These Timely Accessories include:
- The Ring of Timely Strikes allows you to string complex combos together easily just by pressing Square.
- The Ring of Timely Evasion makes it so you automatically dodge incoming attacks - this makes it impossible to trigger counter attacks, though.
- The Ring of Timely Assistance controls Torgal for you.
- The Ring of Timely Focus slows time down when you're about to be hit, giving you time to evade or counter.
This allows you to focus on enjoying the story rather than stressing about how to defeat that next boss.
These Timely Accessories can be removed and replaced with any other accessory at any time, even in Story Mode, so you can make the experience a little more difficult if you feel like you’re up for the challenge.
Action-Focused Mode
Action-Focused Mode is essentially ‘normal mode’. It allows you to play the game on regular difficulty and gives you the choice of equipping the Timely Accessories rather than doing it automatically.
This mode is best for players who are comfortable with action games and who love a bit of a challenge when it comes to combat. Of course, you can always equip any Timely Accessories to mix and match your perfect combination and subtly tweak the difficulty.
How Do I Change the Difficulty in Final Fantasy 16
If you have found yourself regretting your initial choice, this can be easily changed whenever you want from the game’s settings. Simply open the menu by pressing the menu button on your controller, head to System, select Game Settings, flick to the Gameplay tab, and switch between the two modes from there.
For more tips, don't miss How to Parry in Final Fantasy 16