Something new in the Series
Although different... It actually seems like a cross between a Console RPG and a Online MMO... But it still had the same feel as any old Battle system... select a char... (game pauses as you issue commands... )quite an amazing experience... But the Gambit system is sometimes slow at some commands... and the traps in some maps... haha... (Thank you Libra skill) The Party System also evolved... While it still is implementing the 3 character rule... you can switch chars in mid battle as long as the Character is not performing any actions or is currently a target by an enemy...(sometimes a "Guest" joins you in your Party... A "Guest" cannot be controlled.. but it generally Attacks enemies and Supports you in battle... sort of an additional Muscle... they can be healed and revived as well) now if a fallen ally falls... you can switch them with a Benched character... Also if a fallen char is in the sidelines... any active char can revive him/her in mid-battle... (Benched Chars also receive LP)
Lots to do in this game... and i mean LOTS... Money is acquired by Completing "Marks" (Hunting), Side-Quests, or by simply selling the loots from the kills... (Selling a certain amount of loots also unlocks new items in the Bazaar)
The License System looks complex at first but was actually quite easy to understand... (You are required to Learn/Acquire the License to wield weapons/armors or use the magic/technique/passive skills before able to use in battle.. Therefore you should think first of what License you should get...)
The Weapons are a treat... every char can use any weapon as long as they have learned/acquired it already... (same with armors) The fun thing about this is knowing what weapon is best for some monsters... Melee weapons cant reach Flying monsters... Guns are weak on Flans... etc...
Mist Abilities: Esper and Quickening are learned in the License System as well... and activating it depletes a certain amount of MP depending on what levels required(3 Quickening per char, therefore 3 levels of MP) and could be combined with other chars Quickening for a devestating combo... and can sometimes perform new attacks by all Quickening skills from your 3 chars in battle... Pressing R2 shuffles the Quickenings available while Mist Charge replenishes the levels of your MP so you can perform more Quickening Skills... as long as you're quick (and lucky) you can shuffle and chain more than 11+ combos (some people say they even chained 50+)
Esper Summons could be acquired by defeating them and getting the license... Their License will only appear when they have been defeated... However the Char who gets the Esper License is the only one able to summon it... Espers also require MP depending on its strength...
The Marks... Are usually over-powering monsters (Stronger than some of the bosses in fact...)... but can be killed as they become available... Some are also somewhat picky... only appearing on the map when certain conditions are met... (Will appear only if there is a sandstorm, you eliminated all monsters in that part of the map etc...)
Story-wise... Its pretty decent... not your average story as expected
But the only downside that i have only seen is this game... is that it felt more of a MMO than an RPG.. but still... Square-Enix has surpassed Expectations... As it tries to Deliver fresh and new Ideas to keep gamers hooked on a Great, Long-running Series