For example, a heal will be cast on a weaker character rather than Vaan, who's facing off against a powerful boss. An AOE attack will be used on higher-level enemies where it's not that effective rather than using it against the small fries that'd be a one-hit kill. Instances like these make the gambit system feel subpar, but you have the option to change the mapped abilities around between battles to something more logical and helpful.
To help out in the heat of battle you have the ability to summon espers to the battleground. You'll be able to summon these critters to aid you as you slay various baddies throughout your travels, bringing in an element of resource management. As you progress in the game, you'll earn auracite, which can be used as a currency to form pacts within the ring of pacts, which allows you to gain access to new and more powerful espers. Each esper has its own nature, allowing you to counter various attacks. If you're facing off against an enemy that's of a fire nature, queue up some water espers; if you're having some trouble with an earth-based esper, mow them down with some fire espers. It's a very rock-paper-scissors sort of thing.
Revenant Wings brings a lot of new elements to the table, but none of them are particularly excellent. The story is forgettable and the lack of strategy needed during battle is a bit disappointing, but far from game-ruining aspects. With the stellar control and the balance you must find for every battle made for a great experience. When you blend all of these things together, what you get is something that is an incredibly fun and capable title worth the time of FF XII fans or even those of the RTS persuasion.
Though it has a few blemishes, Revenant Wings still manages to be a good deal of fun. The way combat is handled is logical and enjoyable, making up for the missteps. If nothing else, we were happy to continue the adventure with some familiar faces and participate in some chaotic and tense battles. Thought it might not be what you were expecting, Revenant Wings is still a blast.
