Jdeadevil
Blue Mage
This was the first system we saw in game and as the buttons look identical, the layout is completely different. In battle this would have included a map and the ability to move platforms. I thought this would have been amazing and more revolutionary for a Final Fantasy game. Only problem is that there's no sign of other characters being available. Going into complete fantasy here, but having AI take control of them until you hit one of the top buttons to change perspective would have possibly been a good way round that. Looking back, this was possibly one of the things that made the game look more connected to XV in terms of how dynamic and fast-paced battles are, mainly due to jumping and shooting and generally taking out enemies in the most acrobatic way possible. I think it's amazing how she flips and casts Firaga, seemingly wiping everyone out.
I can't see any reason they didn't go through with something similar to that other than the apparent scale of complexity. But I feel that compared to where this could have gone, the final product was a bit lazy and took a lot of control away from the player compared to earlier installments in the franchise. But also it looks like Lightning Returns uses a system that's close to this, and only involves playing as Lightning. But even then this would have been way more fun. I'll admit I probably wasn't putting much effort into thinking of a decent strategy, however I still think it encouraged button mashing and that's where I think the prototype combat system would have been an innovation; discouraging auto-battle by allowing the player to take further control of Lightning's movements as well as different forms of attack.
What do you think? Would you have preferred a more dynamic battle system? Discuss!