One of the things Square-Enix is known for is their ability to create an amazing role-playing game. Whenever they try to go outside of the genre, however, the results are normally not anything worth playing (Dirge of Cerberus). Luckily, this is definitely not the case with Dissidia: Final Fantasy.
Dissidia is the combination of an RPG and a fighting game, pitting both heroes and villains from the first 10 games in the Final Fantasy series against one another in an eternal conflict between the gods Cosmos and Chaos. The fighting portion of the game isn’t exactly in the same vein as Street Fighter or SoulCalibur. Rather than using directional inputs and button combos like in the aforementioned titles, you use much simpler button presses to deplete one of the two different stats your opponent has, Bravery and Hit Points. The amount of Bravery a character has is equal to how much damage they inflict upon the opponent’s HP meter. Combining this with the EX attacks (special attacks from the actual games, like Cloud’s Omnislash) and summons that use their powers when certain conditions are met (Bravery reaches zero, etc.), you have quite a unique system that may take some a few matches to get use to.
Role-playing elements are also a large part of the game. Characters can level up to the usual Final Fantasy max of 99, tons of different weapons and armor appear in shops, skills become available as your character progresses, and even an accessory creation system makes an appearance. Just like in the other FF games, you can level grind if a particular enemy is too tough. Instead of running around in a circle to load up random encounters to do so, you just keep doing quick battles. However, if you are in the midst of a character’s story and get to a boss you can’t seem to beat, the only way to get to the quick battle mode is to lose whatever progress was made and start over again after some levels are gained.
Speaking of the story mode, unlike other Final Fantasy titles, the tales told in Dissidia did not really interest me. While it was intriguing seeing some of my favorite characters interact with one another in the games cut scenes, each of the 10 beginning stories told seemed pretty similar and became something I stopped bothering to pay attention to after the first five were completed. Each of the chapters has a few cutscenes using the gorgeous in-game graphics and horrible voice acting. After you complete one of the character’s stories, a new branch called Shade Impulse becomes available. This four chapter ending of the game’s main mode was more interesting than the rest of the narrative that came before it, but concludes with one of the most irritating boss fights you could ever conceive of. Not only is this one of the cheapest opponents you’ll come across, the stage it takes place on is not even remotely close to the size of any of the other 11 available.
Though Dissidia’s stages are mostly huge, wide open areas, a few of them have enclosed portions that don’t seem to do well with the camera. There were more than a few times where my view was obstructed by a wall or the ceiling, effectively keeping me from dodging the computer opponent’s attacks. Additionally, when combined with the lock-on targeting system, having an opponent on the other side of the wall or ceiling left me awkwardly struggling to get out of the corner.
Even though the stages and camera were a bit disappointing, the amount of stuff Square managed to pack into the game more than made up for it. There’s a calendar system that rewards you for playing on certain days of the week, moogles send you random letters every day with prizes attached, a museum that holds all the things you’ve collected, and a second shop to buy more characters, costumes, and in game bonuses. You also have the option to save and edit replays of your matches with a pretty decent editor. Along with these things, there’s everything you could imagine a Final Fantasy fan would spread a nostalgic smile at to be found somewhere in this UMD, from 8-bit sprites to music from each of the series titles.
All in all, Dissidia: Final Fantasy was one of the best games I have played on the PSP since Crisis Core. With amazing graphics, a ton of nostalgic content, and a fairly unique battle system, it’s no wonder why my battery has finally been dying from use, rather than from being in sleep mode for weeks. Any fan of Final Fantasy would be doing themselves a huge disservice by not at least checking out this game.
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