Final Fantasy X details galore

[06.22.01] » New Overdrives revealed; non-Overdrive special skills to be included; more character backstories confirmed.

   Square has announced a slew of details on the mechanics of Final Fantasy X's battles, as well as new character and world details.

   Yuna and Auron's Overdrive abilities have been revealed, joining the previously-known Overdrives of Tidus, Lulu, and Kimahri. Yuna's Overdrive is "Master Summon", which summons an Aeon with a full Overdrive meter. The Aeon can then use its trademark attack (such as Shiva's Diamond Dust) as soon as it arrives on the playing field.

   Auron's specialty is called "Secret" and functions similar to Sabin's Blitz in FF VI or Zell's Duel in FF VIII. Players must input the correct series of button commands before a clock ticks down to boost the power of Auron's attack. Auron will have a number of different Secret moves.

   In addition to having a Overdrive move, each character will also have standard special skills that can be used any time - meaning that there are more distinctions between each character's powers than previously thought. However, these skills are not inherent from the start; the characters will have to acquire them through the Sphere Board System. Some of the special skills are as follows:

• Tidus encourages the team, boosting the entire party's physical attack and defense.
• Yuna prays, restoring a little bit of HP to the team. (Yuna can also summon Aeons, of course.)
• Kimahri attacks with the classic Dragon Sword technique. As in past FF games, this skill drains HP and MP to Kimahri, but it also has a new use in FF X: It teaches Kimahri any Blue Magic spells the enemy might know. (Blue Magic is Kimahri's Overdrive ability.)
• Lulu boosts the party's magic strength and defense, the magical counterpart to Tidus' skill.
• Auron uses the standard FF "Cover" skill, in which he takes the damage directed towards one of his allies.

   New background details on some of the party members have been announced. Auron has been revealed to be the former bodyguard of Yuna's late father, the summoner Braska. The calm and strict swordsman now fights alongside Tidus and Yuna, but doesn't speak to them much. He fights with a two-handed sword, differentiating his weapons from Tidus' one-handed blades. Auron's age has also been announced at 35, while Lulu is 22.

   Kimahri has also been revealed to have been caring for and guarding Yuna for ten years, since Braska's death, which happened ten years ago. He is reported to be the youngest child of the Lonzo family, but his youth may not translate into human terms - after all, Kimahri bears a great resemblance to Final Fantasy VII's Red XIII, whose species was much longer-lived than humans.

   Finally, a handful of details on the underwater blitzball sport have also been revealed. The sport is reportedly the only form of entertainment in the world of Spira, placing great pressure on the players. Also, the large floating bowl of water seen in the TGS trailer and other images has been confirmed to be a blitzball arena, as the GIA previously speculated.

   Skills and Overdrives for the other two party members, Rikku and Wakka, have not yet been announced, though it's known that one of Rikku's talents will be stealing items from the monsters. Expect more details on these characters soon.