Bandai Namco has just revealed yet more details about Tales of Zestria ’s battle system. For the first time ever, players will experience “real map battles” meaning that there won’t be any battle screen transition. Like Chrono Trigger , characters will fight wherever they encountered the enemy.
This is more than just a matter of aesthetics. Different terrain will affect how characters act in battle. Cliffs and varying terrain heights will affect how characters can attack. Backing someone up against a wall will increase your combo opportunities in battle and will give them less opportunity to defend. Similarly, you can use the terrain as cover to protect yourself, hiding from enemy attacks.
In addition, you will be able to use elemental abilities to traverse maps more effectively. Two abilities were showcased, one being a water cloak that prevents you from being seeing by enemies and a second is a wind ability that lets you traverse cliffs and differing terrain heights more easily. It has not yet been revealed whether or not these abilities will be usable in battle.
Source: Siliconera