Speaking to Dengeki Online, Square Enix design director Yuji Abe spoke about the various systems in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, and how spells like Cure are no longer regular abilities.
“In this game, Cure isn’t a regular ability, but a part of the GP effects. It will require the use of GP in order to heal yourself.” GP are “Glory Points” which help in various effects through the game such as slowing down time, teleporting and now, healing. But that’s not all. “It will also include Raise, which is used whenever you get knocked out. So, this time around, in order to heal yourself, you’ll either have to use GP or items such as potions.
“There will be different situations where you might have to consider saving your GP for stopping time instead of healing. You’ll gain GP at the end of battles, so to a degree, you’ll be able to go around fighting to recover your health. Stronger enemies will give you more GP, so it might be a good idea to take on a stronger enemy to cast a Curaga when your HP is looking low. Command-based battle systems allow you to use them as much as you’d like, but this time it may feel a little more restricted.”
Abe also stated that weapons and equipment will be handled better this time around, and won’t merely differ in cosmetic terms.
“This time around, weapons and equipment will be a crucial element, so we are currently adjusting their parameters and values. We’re thinking about topics such as how to make players purchase and change (weapons and equipment) more frequently, and about the balance of abilities, which we’re constantly adjusting. We’ve been going back and forth in order to not have things appear too boring or too flashy. We’re doing our best to adjust it so it can correspond to various play styles, so please look forward to it.”
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is set to release on February 11th 2014 in North America and February 14th 2014 in Europe for PS3 and Xbox 360.