Clouded Horizons:Eighth Realm Combat Mechanics

This page lists details of the combat mechanics of the Clouded Horizons series' Eighth Realm, as featured in Clouded Horizons: Planeswalker Chronicles.

Combat

Active Time Battle

The Active Time Battle feature of Planeswalker Chronicles is very familiar to RPGs - each character has a gauge that steadily fills over time, the ATB Gauge, which allows them to take an action once the bar is completely full. Once taken, it begins refilling from empty. Skills also have a recast time, which is different from the ATB Gauge; once a skill is used, a certain amount of time must pass before that skill is available for use again, in order to prevent attack spamming and encourage diversity and planning.

Combat Position

Characters in Planeswalker Chronicles, during combat, are placed onto one of three "lines" as predetermined by the player in the party menu. These lines - the frontline, midline, and backline - confer certain attacking restrictions on melee attacks.

• The frontline may attack the opposing frontline or opposing midline; the attacker incurs a 50% penalty to damage done for attacking a character on the opposing midline from the frontline.

• The midline may attack the opposing frontline at no penalty.

• The backline may attack the opposing frontline; the attacker incurs a 50% penalty to damage done for attacking a character on the opposing frontline from the backline.

The above applies only to melee attacks; ranged attacks and spells may target any line from any other line, with no penalty incurred. Also, a special condition applies:

• If all enemies on the opposing frontline are killed, the opposing midline can be attacked as if it were the frontline, and the opposing backline can be attacked as if it were the midline.

Players can move their characters around freely on a line, or even to different lines, but doing so uses that character's turn. Their ATB gauge, however, will begin filling from halfway instead of empty.

Limit Breaks

Limit Breaks are extremely powerful attacks used when the character has landed enough hits in combat. Attacking successfully accrues Energy, which is used to perform various Limit Breaks. Up to 100 points of Energy can be stored at a time; excess Energy is discarded as it is acquired. Certain skills and passive abilities allow increased Energy gain, such as the Samurai's Oversoul passive, potentially making these skills even more dangerous than normal.