Originally Posted by Kawaii Ryűkishi
The gameplay may not be anything spectacular, but there are some aspects I really like.
- Combat involves moving around the battlefield, adding a new dimension to offense and defense. Physical attacks require you to first actually run up to the enemy, and the enemy has to do the same to strike you, and everyone can only move so far in a single turn.
- You can tell what attack an enemy is about to make based on how it's moving or acting and prepare accordingly. So, if it's bobbing up and down, you'll know it's going to fire that horizontal beam across the screen, so you'll move everyone out of the way. Or, if its eyes are flashing, you'll know it's going to use an area attack, so you'll move all your characters away from each other so they won't be caught up in the same blast. If it's standing on its head, you'll know it's going to use a screen-wide fire attack, so you'll cast a spell to protect everyone against fire. Etc.
- As characters level up and apply certain equipment, the amount of physical attacks they'll be able to do in a single turn will increase, usually reaching five or so hits by the end of the game for the warrior-type characters. In addition to the offensive advantage, if a character is trying to strike the enemy but has moved as far as he can and still isn't close enough, he'll automatically sacrifice one of his hits for more movement. So, if Alex can hit four times but isn't close enough to reach the enemy in one turn, instead of wasting a turn, he'll reach the enemy at the expense of one of his hits and still be able to attack three times.
- In L2:EB, there are special equipment called crests that allow whomever equips them to cast special spells, increase certain stats, or utilize other special properties. Each character can equip two crests at a time, and their effects can be combined to unlock even more potent ones. Customization abounds.
Yeah.