Rapid Fire

What would a game be like if it had a 2D battle system that implemented doding/countering enemy fire while using cooldown attacks?

Most RPG video games are either action games or turn-based, and the turn-based ones often involve characters standing idle and lifelessly trading blows. However, there are some exceptions. Titles such as Undertale and the Mario RPG games force the player to take a more active approach during enemy turns. They will either have the player mitigate damage via a timed button press, or they will allow the player the chance to evade damage entirely. 

Additionally, we’ve seen some active time RPGs veer away from the approaches commonly found in action games. Instead of using melee combos and snapping to enemies, these games make use of abilities that go on cooldown upon use. Such titles include Final Fantasy 14 and Xenoblade Chronicles, and tend to maintain the meticulous feel of a classic turn-based game while having the combatants constantly move and push the battle forward.

These two concepts (responding to enemy attacks and cooldown based combat) have helped these games feel unique and active. As a designer, I wanted to prototype a combat system that utilizes these techniques in a top-down game. In doing so, I hope to test how well said techniques work together, as well as see how the active cooldowns of Final Fantasy 14 and the like apply to a 2D setting.