Christian Smith, Executive Producer of Aegis Forces: The Scorian War, explained why the team deliberately avoided certain classic JRPG design elements. He believes that frequent random battles and repetitive grinding lacking tactical judgment diminish the joy of exploration, which is why this title adopts a different battle structure.
Smith is also the founder of Deseret Games Studio. He recalls that when he played Final Fantasy VI in his youth, he would encounter enemies every few steps on the world map and in dungeons. When facing ordinary foes, he often just repeatedly confirmed attacks, sometimes even pressing buttons while flipping through Nintendo Power strategy guides, only looking back at the screen when the victory music played.
In Smith's view, these mechanics can "punish" players' curiosity. If a distant chest means enduring several random battles on the round trip, only to receive useless equipment as a final reward, the anticipation of exploration turns into frustration. This is his personal perspective on game design, not an objective verdict on the entire JRPG genre.
As an alternative, the team drew inspiration from the battle structures of Shining Force II, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Baldur's Gate 3, allowing encounters to take place directly in exploration areas such as town squares and forests. By incorporating space, character positioning, and movement distance, each battle involves more deliberate decision-making.
Aegis Forces: The Scorian War is being developed by a small indie team using Unity, combining 2D sprites with 3D environments. Currently, a free demo for the game is available on Steam.