4. Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia
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The only game not available on a PlayStation system, Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia is a free-to-play mobile game set in the same universe as the rest of the Dissidia games. The gameplay differs greatly from the rest of the Dissidia series, and features turn-based combat similar to the earlier main series Final Fantasy games.
While not as grandiose as the other Dissidia games, it’s a decent little title in its own right. Its in-app purchases will only really matter to the people that just have to make their units as strong as possible; for others, you can still get pretty far in the game without paying a penny. Its gameplay, visual style and music is all pretty good, and there’s a lot of enjoyment to be had here. Plus, the game’s playable cast of characters isn’t mainly based on Final Fantasy’s main protagonists and antagonists like the other Dissidias, allowing you to play as characters like Rem, Vivi, Sazh and tons more. Check this game out if you haven’t.
3. Dissidia Final Fantasy
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The first Dissidia Final Fantasy was released for the PSP in 2008. Back then, the concept of bringing together some of our favorite Final Fantasy characters was an exciting, and unheard of concept. Nowadays, we’ve got World of Final Fantasy, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Record Keeper, and a bunch more games that borrow characters from across the Final Fantasy spectrum. But the very first game that did this was Dissidia Final Fantasy.
It blended the gameplay of a fighting game with an RPG to create a unique battle system where you had to build up bravery points in order to unleash a deadly HP attack to cut away at your opponent’s life bar. It wasn’t just the battle system that borrowed from the RPG genre, other aspects of the game also used elements RPG elements, such as character progression. As you continue to play with a character, they will level up, grow stronger, and learn new abilities.
Square Enix definitely didn’t hold back on the story for this spinoff either. It has a lengthy scenario set in a brand new world where the heroes and villains are forced to fight by the will of the gods, Cosmos and Chaos. All 10 protagonists from the first 10 Final Fantasy games had their own sub-plots interwoven, and their own goals and motivations.
All-in-all, Dissidia Final Fantasy was a great celebration of the Final Fantasy series – but it was more than just that. It was a unique take on the fighting game genre that spun off into its own sub-series that has carried on to this day.
2. Dissidia Final Fantasy NT
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The latest entry in the series, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, changes up the battle system that we’ve known from previous games. Although the fundamentals remain the same, the addition of 3-on-3 battles adds multiple layers of complication to a combat system that already took some time to grasp. Players are now required to think more strategically about their positioning and how to coordinate their moves with their teammates. While it can be a bit daunting at first, it’s a more in-depth and cooperative way to play Dissidia Final Fantasy, and can make the battles all the more intense. And when you really start to get to grips with NT, it becomes so satisfying and rewarding.
What really shines in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT above other entries in the series is its online play. The PSP was definitely lacking in its online capabilities, and there wasn’t really any great methods to play the PSP Dissidias online. In NT, just grab a subscription to PlayStation Plus and jump on Ranked mode to start taking on the competition. The roster of characters is so varied for a fighting game, and having an online mode where you can show off your skills is a great motivator to get you to really master the intricacies of the characters and battle system.
Unfortunately, however, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT features a kind of weird Story mode that doesn’t hold a candle to the PSP games. It’s just a series of cutscenes that are strung together with a few battles here and there. You are also forced to play other modes in order to progress in the story, which is a shame for people who just want to experience the game’s single-player campaign.
1. Dissidia 012 Duodecim Final Fantasy
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Besides maybe Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, Dissidia 012 Duodecim Final Fantasy is the biggest and best celebration of Final Fantasy in a single game. It’s a prequel to the original Dissidia Final Fantasy. The first one takes place on the 13th cycle of the conflict, while the “duodecim” part of the title tells us that this one takes place on the 12th cycle. What do you mean you didn’t know what a “duodecim” was? It’s Latin for 12, obvs.
Duodecim’s story is quite a bit darker than the original’s, showing exactly how brutal this world can be for our heroes. Some baddies are on the good side, and some heroes are on the bad side, and there’s betrayals aplenty. It serves as a great setup for the story that follows. What’s fantastic is that the entirety of the first game is part of this game too! Including the entire story, with all of the new features of Duodecim, as well as added side stories that show what the villains are up to during the events of the game.
New gameplay features included the introduction of assist characters – something that not even NT has – where you can call out a buddy during combat to help you out. A world map system was also integrated into the story mode, which is, again, something that is missing from NT. Plus, you can play as Tifa, Yuna, Laguna, Prishe and even Gilgamesh in this one.
Dissidia 012 Duodecim Final Fantasy is simply bursting with content. With its lengthy story modes, its great cast of upgradeable characters, and huge amount of collectibles, it could keep you busy for hundreds of hours. It doesn’t have the online capabilities that NT has, but it has so much extras to make up for that. Play NT for the online modes; play Duodecim for everything else.
