3vs3 Battles and a Revamped Combat System
Past Dissidia games completely had the focus on 1vs1 duels, pitting you against either another player or the AI. This time around, things are being changed up as NT brings six players into the mix for hectic 3vs3 battles. The entire battle system is built around two opposing teams, and the gameplay and controls have been revamped to match it.
The same core concepts of Dissidia remain the same, with you using a combination of Bravery and HP attacks to take down enemies. Move sets have been slightly altered, granting each character one HP attack that can be changed out and multiple Bravery attacks mapped to directional buttons. You also have new abilities known as EX Skills that are mapped to the triangle button. Each character has a unique skill on triangle, while a set of EX skills can be mapped to triangle+up and triangle+down on each character.
New rules also apply to each battle, with each team being granted three lives before they lose the match. The two sides also pick a summon that appears on the battlefield wreaking havoc with massive attacks. A summon gauge at the top of the screen can be filled by breaking summon crystals that periodically appear on the battlefield.
These changes and the focus on 3vs3 matches make Dissidia NT an integrally different experience than the two Dissidia games that came before. This means there’ll be a learning curve even for returning fans, but it’s also something new to experience no matter your history with Dissidia.
Expanded Roster
Dissidia NT carries over most of the cast of the previous two games, while adding in a few unique characters at the same time. Final Fantasy I-X each have their main hero and villain represented, while Kain from IV also makes a return. Shantotto, Vaan, and Lightning all return as well, although none of the villains from those games will be making an appearance. Where the roster really gets interesting, though, is in the new characters added.
The enigmatic Y’Shtola from Final Fantasy XIV serves as a ranged fighter, and everyone’s favorite prince Noctis comes to battle with his trademark warp ability. Two Final Fantasy spinoffs also make an appearance, as Ace from Type-0 and Ramza from Tactics also join the cast. These characters help flesh out the general roster even more, adding in some interesting variation both in gameplay and visual design. Because of the new classes added for characters, each one plays significantly differently than before as well. In terms of story, Dissidia NT introduces two new god-like characters named Materia and Spiritus, who replace Chaos and Cosmos from previous games. There are 28 playable characters at launch, a sizable roster that’s certainly nothing to scoff at.
A New Original Story
While the original arcade version of Dissidia didn’t have any sort of story to speak of, that changes with the console release of Dissidia NT. The story of NT actually picks up directly after the previous games, with the warriors being summoned to a new world to do battle. Interestingly, all the characters that were involved with Chaos and Cosmos remember each other, but the new gods Spiritus and Materia take center stage this time.
It’s important to point out that Dissidia NT’s story mode doesn’t function like your typical story would. Instead, the story mode is made up of a kind of skill tree, where you unlock nodes to view different cutscenes and play through battles. In order to unlock nodes you need a resource called Memoria, which can be gained through playing online battles or other single player modes. While we don’t yet know how easy it is to unlock Memoria, hopefully Dissidia NT will let you run through its story at a moderate pace and not have to grind for them. Still, the promise of a brand new Dissidia story with gorgeous graphics is enough to get any Final Fantasy fan excited.
Classic Final Fantasy Music and Locations
On top of familiar characters, the Dissidia games also let you do battle in iconic locations throughout the Final Fantasy series. Even better, the games feature original and remixed versions of many songs from different games. In Dissidia NT there are currently 14 different stages to battle on, one for each of the main games I-XV. Some of the highlights include Cornelia from Final Fantasy I, which has you fighting in a gorgeous green field with the castle looming behind, and the tropical Besaid Island from Final Fantasy X.
Koei Tecmo has done some fun remixes of classic Final Fantasy songs, adding some epic instrumental versions or even introducing elements of rock, pop, and metal into certain tracks. Hearing songs like Trisection from Tactics or Veiled in Black from XV completely remade in new styles is a great bonus to the game overall. Hearing classic tunes play in the background as you do battle only helps give the game even more of a Final Fantasy feel.
More Is on the Way
While Dissidia NT has quite a bit of content already at launch, we do know that more is on the way, at least in terms of new characters. Square Enix has teased that six DLC characters are planned for the game, even dropping a few hints as to what we might see. Here’s a rundown of what was hinted at:
- New Male character (from newer half of numbered Final Fantasy titles)
- New Male character (from older half of numbered Final Fantasy titles)
- New Female character (from newer half of numbered Final Fantasy titles)
- New Male character (from newer half of numbered Final Fantasy titles)
- Returning Dissidia Female Character (from newer half of numbered Final Fantasy titles)
- New Male character (from newer half of numbered Final Fantasy titles)
At the moment we only know that more characters are on the way for Dissidia NT, not if there will be any more story content or stages/music added at any point. Still, considering how different each character is already, it’ll be good to have even more to shake up the formula.
Published: Jan 23, 2018 09:00 am