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.
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. [5]
While players will still be able to experience Final Fantasy
XIII as an offline game, Yoshinori Kitase has stated in
the developer interview that players will also be able to
take advantage of special online features.
The only confirmed main character as yet is the young woman
featured in the E³ trailer, though Square Enix has
confimed that she will not be the player's character. It
is uncertain at this time what role she will play in the
game, or even what her name is. A number of sources incorrectly
listed her name early on as either Natch or Chara. Some
people believe she will be called Lightning, as this word
is displayed in the trailer gameplay footage occupying the
spot which would normally feature the active character's
name. It has been proposed, however, that this may simply
be the name of the game's Limit Break system or of another
gameplay feature. Square Enix has yet to confirm any other
main characters in Final Fantasy XIII.
( Reference: http://na.square-enix.com/e306/titles/fabula
)
