Japanese gaming site, 4Gamer.net, revealed some new information about the sequel today. Thanks to Google translate, I was able to grasp a little bit of what was going on. It was a really poor translation so bare with me!
Here is some of what was revealed in the article:
Chocobos
– Just like in previous Final Fantasy games, when you ride a Chocobo, you will avoid all combat.
– You will be able to talk with them
– Riding Chocobos allows you to go places where you wouldn't normally be able to without one
Other Information
– You will have up to four choices when responding to a conversation.
– 'Blood Damage' is a new type of combat handicap that, when it occurs, lowers your HP pool permanently until you use a specific item to erase the effect.
– You will be able to rename your monster allies.
If you know Japanese, the full article is here.