The systems of a turn-based RPG have always been kept pretty simple by using a variation of Attack, Defend, and Item options. Over the years the genre has evolved and taken on many unique mechanics, but the basic systems have always stayed the same.

This type of battle system usually has a rhythm to it where players are able to mash the attack button and move on. However, this also puts most of the focus on the enemy, which is something that Gust is attempting to change with their upcoming game Blue Reflection.

In a conversation with Blue Reflection's Producer Junzo Hosoi, DualShockers learned a bit more about the direction Gust took for the RPG's battle system. We were told that instead of primarily focusing on attacking the enemy until the fight is over, Blue Reflection will focus more on ‘protecting your friends’ rather than ‘defeating the enemy’.

Hosoi-san explained that the studio wanted to expanded from that idea and added, "Knocking back the enemy’s turn by damaging their skill, and the system of active commands such as ‘recovery’ and ‘guard’ are all stemmed from the idea of ‘protecting’ allies."

When asked what the main reason for choosing the turn based battle system was, Hosoi-san replied:

There are various reasons why we made it a turn-based system, but the biggest reason is that we wanted to focus on ‘showing the magical girls.’ When you’re in a rushed situation, you aren’t able to take the time to carefully watch the characters. By not feeling anxious about what to do, and instead being able to select commands with the character waiting and watching the action scenes after commands are input, we hope you take the time to observe the characters’ cute and brave images!

It's interesting to understand how a game came together during development. Especially from a studio who seems to enjoy creating new IPs. Blue Reflection has an overarching theme of friendship that is shown through its everyday life gameplay as well as its battle system, from what we just learned.

If you want to see how the battle system works, you can check out a trailer from the Japanese version.

Blue Reflection is coming to PlayStation 4 and PC-via Steam on September 26 in North America and September 29 in Europe.

Stay tuned for the full interview with Hosoi-san where we discuss more about Gust's upcoming RPG, Blue Reflection.