It’s a Port of an Arcade Game
Square Enix has finally announced a Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, the newest fighting spinoff entry that brings characters from across the series together. However, the game has actually been out for just over two year in Japan, as an arcade title. As such, it’s a bit different from previous Dissidia games, both in terms of gameplay and the fact that there isn’t a story mode present as of now. It’s also important to note that the arcade game is developed primarily by Koei Tecmo, instead of Square Enix.
Of course the arcade version’s focus is fighting other players head to head, but Dissidia Final Fantasy NT will allow you to play by yourself. Just like previous entries in the series, you’ll be perfectly find if you’re just looking to play the title on your own. In Japan, the developers are even looking at ways for arcade users to transfer over a bit of progress and data.
3vs3 Battles Are the Big Focus
The biggest change with Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, comes with the focus on 3vs3 battles, instead of the 1vs1 in previous games. The developers wanted to give players the feeling of bringing a party into battle, which of course makes things that much more hectic. The title does put the focus on these three-character battles, and Dissidia’s combat has been completely remade from the ground up in order to accommodate it.
Players will select three characters to bring into battle, controlling one at any given time while the AI controls the other two. You can swap between all three character on the fly in battle, and you can even have more than one of the same character on your team. Of course, 1vs1 battles are still an option in NT, if you want them.
To match the three characters in battle, each individual character has an HP bar, while the party has an overall HP bar and a summon bar. If a character falls in battle, one piece of the overall HP bar will deplete, with the team losing once the entire thing is gone. You will also have the option to call powerful summons in battle, as hitting enemies will fill the gauge. This time around summons are actually auto-controlled characters that assist you in battle, with differing effect. Their appearance generally changes the visual layout of a battlefield as well, like how summoning Ifrit will envelop the field in a storm of fire.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT does retain the core elements of the series, like having separate Bravery and HP attacks. Dodging is now just a step, and dashing actually uses up a stamina bar, however.
Characters and Combat Categories
Multiple characters return for Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, along with a few new ones. The biggest change, however, comes in the form of combat categories. Each character is separated into a different category, based on their strengths and weaknesses. Their abilities have been slightly tweaked in the new game to match this idea, so a Vanguard (tank) character like Cloud is focused on physical attacks and soaking up damage from enemies.
There are four different classes that correspond to what each character does best in battle; tank-based Vanguards, speed-based Assassins, range-based Marksmen, and the all-around Specialists. You’ll want to build your party in Dissidia accordingly, finding characters that complement each other and your play style. Of course you could build a party of nothing but Vanguards, or opt for a more balanced one. There’ll also be a number of stages featured in the game, from across the Final Fantasy series.
At the moment there are 22 characters confirmed for the game. All of the original characters from the arcade release, as well as the ones added later are in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT. At this point, it’s unknown if more characters will appear in the console version, although the Amazon listing for the game does mention Noctis. Here’s the current list of playable characters:
- Warrior of Light – Final Fantasy
- Garland – Final Fantasy
- Firion – Final Fantasy II
- The Emperor – Final Fantasy II
- Onion Knight – Final Fantasy III
- Cecil Harvey – Final Fantasy IV
- Kain Highwind – Final Fantasy IV
- Bartz Klauser – Final Fantasy V
- Terra Branford – Final Fantasy VI
- Kefka Palazzo – Final Fantasy VI
- Cloud Strife – Final Fantasy VII
- Sephiroth – Final Fantasy VII
- Squall Leonhart – Final Fantasy VIII
- Zidane Tribal – Final Fantasy IX
- Kuja – Final Fantasy IX
- Tidus – Final Fantasy X
- Shantotto – Final Fantasy XI
- Vaan – Final Fantasy XII
- Lightning – Final Fantasy XIII
- Y’shtola – Final Fantasy XIV
- Ramza Beoulve – Final Fantasy Tactics
- Ace – Final Fantasy Type-0
The Console Version Will Have a Story and New Features
One big feature missing in the arcade version of the game is a story, something that the console version will be rectifying apparently. There is a catch with this, however, as the game won’t feature a “story mode” in the traditional sense. The Japanese livestream of the game revealed that while there won’t be a story mode, as the game is based off of the arcade version, there will be a story that you experience through event scenes. We’ll have to wait and see just how this plays out in the actual game.
Despite a lack of a story mode, there will be a single player mode for you to battle in against the AI, as well as multiplayer modes of course. While Square Enix hasn’t announced everything that’ll be new in the PS4 version, the livestream did tell us there will be systems original to the console game, including new battle rules, and a mode that creates rooms only your friends can join.
Release Date and Versions
At the moment Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is scheduled for an early 2018 release, although we don’t yet know the exact month. Luckily, the game will be playable at this year’s E3, giving us a taste of what to expect. NT has also only been confirmed for PlayStation 4 at the moment, with just a standard version of the game.
Of course, we’ll make sure to update you should there be any announcement on other systems or any kind of Collector’s Edition.
Are you glad to see Dissidia Final Fantasy Arcade finally make its way to consoles and the west? Feel free to let us know down in the comments below.
