It just keeps getting better and better. Every single fight looks like so much fun, and the Stagger mechanic from FFXIII seems vastly improved thanks to the fluidity of the hybrid battle system.

It seems like the active battle leader fills their ATB quicker than the computer controlled characters, and I love that the other characters only use their abilities when you switch to them or issue them the command from the menu. This is going to lead to some amazing stuff. Stagger > Braver > Summon > Switch > Tempest > Switch > Fire > Switch > Cross Slash > Switch > Fire in the hole. 0303.2020 come at me.

Aerith having long range attacks is a game changer! I believe this also shows her more mystic side which I think is a nice addition. Other characters have to physically hit enemies to deal damage but she can summon up physical manifestations of energy from the earth which she can use to her advantage. Maybe it could have something to do with her Holy materia...or maybe it was just a design decision to make her more fun to play. Either way, good choice.

Also I'm so glad that Summons stick around for a duration during battle, and that we even get to issue them commands. It seems like a perfect mixture of summoning from FFX, XII, XIII & even Type-0. I've heard that Summons are limited to boss fights or places with wide open space but I'm not sure if that's true or not. I'm also intrigued to see how the smaller summons such as the Chocobo Chick & Cactuar will work.