From the footage shown at E3,
battles in the game appear to be in
real-time similar to Final Fantasy
XI and Final Fantasy XII, but
without the colored target arcs
linking player to enemy. Square Enix
has also confirmed that the game
will feature real-time battles.
Each action the player makes (for example casting a spell) seems to cost
points, which adds up on an "ATB
cost" numerical value on the lower
part of the screen. In the 5 action
slots (on the bottom of the screen)
it seems that a player can queue up
to five commands at a time to
execute in battle; so long as the
sum cost of all actions are not
greater than the character's total "ATB
cost" points . All of the currently
known commands shown from the
trailer and scans thus far are
"Escape", "Cure", "Shoot", "Aerial",
"V Strike", "Attack", "Fire",
"Blizzard", "Thunder", "Defend", and
"Firaga", each with an allotted
amount of ATB cost. It may be that
the player fills up the queue, and
then the character performs these
actions in successive order making
it an interesting combination of
real-time and turn-based battle
systems.
When the blue gauge becomes full the player is given the opportunity to
instigate a move, the action slows
down while the player selects up to
5 commands and possibly targets. The
game then resumes to real time once
the move has been confirmed. This
will add a dynamic to real time
combat which other games such as
Seiken Densetsu have pioneered.
In a developer interview, Motomu Toriyama stated that the E3 Trailer
shows what is known as the 'Gravity
Bomb', known as the spell 'Gravity'
in previous games. Presumably, it
refers to the electrical energy
field that surrounds the young woman
shown in the trailer. It has some
unique properties by allowing her to
defy gravity, as well as allowing
her to use it as a weapon.
In the upper right-hand corner of the battle screen, a circle-shaped
gauge is visible. Once the number
inside this circle and other
conditions have been met, the
protagonist can enter a so-called
Overclock status. This status has a
slow-motion effect, slowing down
everyone but the player. It has been
suggested that this Overclock system
would replace the traditional limit
break system found in previous Final
Fantasy games. Overclock seems to
resemble the Trance mode in Final
Fantasy IX. Once Overclock is
activated a number appears inside
the meter and decreases, probably
signifying the duration of the
Overclock mode.
