Party members attack based on a tactical command setup which you can change
freely anytime while on the field. You can choose from Free, Combo (All combo
one enemy), Focus, Spread, Wait and Save MP. A heal command may also be issued
out to your party members by tapping the Y button while not connected to another
member. This will cause party members to instantly stop and heal the party no
matter how little or large the damage sustained. Teamwork with your party is
greatly needed during boss battles as well as normal enemy battle since party
members can die at a blink of an eye during an attack and you've always got to
be prepared to respond. Most of the healing is best done through your party
members. If your party leader dies then the character can most likely bring him
back to life if they have the means to, if not then the screen will slowly fade
and the game will end.
The game rewards the player for successful combo attacks, air attacks and
ground attacks. Combo attacks lead to more EXP, air attacks lead to more AP and
ground attacks give bonus life points after hitting the enemy. Enemies can be
sneaked up on for a surprise attack in which your party will gain advantages
from and might even gain some extra items. The table can be turned with the
enemy sneaking up on your party however, which will increase their chance for
critical hits and drop your party's AP to zero.
Capell has access to a flute that can be used during gameplay. Different
tunes can be learned with the flute and each tune will give off a certain effect
around Capell. There is one tune that reveals hidden walls, hidden chests, and
later, hidden enemies. A distorted sound effect can be heard in an area with a
chest so you know when to play the tune. One tune also gives status enhancements
to Capell's party while they remain within the area around Capell. The flute
brings in some more interesting game mechanics as the journey progresses also.
Later on in the game, up to three parties can be made in some areas, such as
a particular dungeon. The CPU takes control of the other parties while you take
control of Capell in the main party. Sometimes the parties are all active out on
a certain field, which leads to some extremely action-packed battles. There is
no slowdown whatsoever during this intense action also! The one problem that I
found with this, however, is that sometimes while using two parties the other
party will run off toward the destination and leave your main party or sometimes
they will insist on fighting any nearby enemies that they see instead of
continuing ahead - they will literally backtrack at times because an enemy is on
the screen. This led to some slight frustration at one part for me - sometimes
leaving behind chests just to keep with my secondary party.
Some of the characters that you get on your journey can only be placed in a
secondary party. These characters can still be equipped and gain levels as the
game goes on, but you will only have a chance to see them in action during
portions where multiple parties may be used. There is also one particular party
member that takes up two party spaces in your main or secondary party because he
is bigger and takes off more damage per attack than your other members. He can't
use items either. The party member in question is, Gustav, the one-horned red
bear!
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