Bahamut Lagoon

Bahamut Lagoon combines RPG mechanics with troop-based combat. Characters have HP, MP (SP for fighters), EXP, equipment, stats, and class-specific, SP-consuming elemental special abilities, much like in traditional console RPGs. The player can explore his/her surroundings, talk to people and visit stores when not in combat, but only to a limited extent, since there is no world map and no way to leave the current area. The heart of the game is the turn-based battles, which are fought on a 2D grid. Characters are grouped into parties of four, and the player can form a maximum of six parties, which are usually significantly outnumbered. The two opposing sides act alternately, so each party can move once per turn and/or attack once. Attacks are divided into ranged and melee combat. In the former, a party uses a special ability (e.g., throw fireballs, hurl lightning, heal allies) of one of its members from a distance. The range and possible damage in the area of effect vary depending on the ability. If the attacking party has two or more characters with the same ability, they join the action to multiply its effectiveness. Fighting at a distance yields less money and generally less damage, but the target cannot strike back. Ranged attacks can also affect the field; fire and ice ignite or extinguish forests and melt or freeze ice, etc. In close combat, each unit can act once in two adjacent enemy parties. Similar to Final Fantasy SNES combat, they can attack an opponent, use an item or special ability (though these cannot be combined and usually only affect one target instead of all), or defend themselves. The dragons are the ace up the player's sleeve. They have their own stats and gain experience just like normal characters. In combat, each party is linked to a dragon and derives much of its strength from that of its dragon: if a party's dragon is killed, the party loses the ability to use special attacks and class-specific abilities for the rest of the map. The beast acts as a very powerful, autonomous unit that moves after the group and can only be controlled by simple commands, such as "Come!" Outside of combat, the dragons eat everything and their breeding by feeding items is an important part of the game. Feeding can improve their stats and affect their behavior on the field, and the dragons evolve into new forms as they grow. The player can change the characters in each party, their lineup, and the dragon that represents them at will.