Turn-based RPG with a 14-character roster—the series' largest—where you build parties of four and swap between up to three teams during certain story beats. Combat uses the Active Time Battle system: menu commands fill in real-time, blending turns with timing pressure. Each character has a signature ability (Locke steals, Edgar deploys tools, Sabin executes martial-art inputs) and learns spells by equipping magicite after battles for AP. At critical health, random Desperation Attacks can trigger when you choose Attack. Set in a fantasy world mixing steam-tech with magic, the plot centers on the Gestahlian Empire's conquest via captured espers—legendary creatures they weaponize—and the Returners resistance group. Terra, an amnesiac ex-soldier, holds secrets both factions need. This was the last mainline entry with 2D graphics and the first to drop the crystal-focused narrative.
