Dissidia NT Final Fantasy — Online At Last
When the original Dissidia Final Fantasy was released in August of 2009, I doubt you could have found a happier person on the planet. A game where I could pit my favorite characters against one another, as I had done so many times in my head and, had also done several times during my RPing (Role Playing) days on whatever forums I could find growing up.
When the second game, Dissidia 012 Duodecim, was released two years later it only got better. I had played the first basically every time I could during those two years, and when Duodecim came out, I played that for many years thereafter as well.
The story was long for both games. So much so for Duodecim, in fact, that I never actually completed it. I ended up just messing around off and on in the other modes, unlocking armor, battling the AI, and even making short custom mini-stories in the Creation Mode.
These games were amazing experiences, both of which I still have. There was only one thing missing, however, that would have kept me playing them to this day; online mode.
NT’S ONLINE MODE
In NT, we finally have our online mode that many of us craved in the original. It’s a solid fighting game, and as such, there is a steep learning curve if you are wanting to brawl with the best of them.
To add to it, this time around we’re on teams of 3. This takes the already intense 1v1 battles of the past and makes them outright chaotic. I say this in the best way possible. The battles are exciting and really get your adrenaline flowing if you allow yourself to get into that zone.
Another big difference from its predecessors is the addition of class types. In the first two, because there weren’t teams, you didn’t have to worry about two people ganging up on one, their abilities and how that might affect everything. This time each character has a class type: Vanguard (can best Assassins), Assassin (can typically take out the ranged Marksmen), Marksman (can take out Vanguards without going near their powerful attacks) , and Specialists (who don’t fit into the mix, and play differently than the aforementioned classes).
The purpose of this is meant to add a rock, paper, scissors like functionality to the game. It works to a degree, but ultimately depends on the characters move sets.
For example, Garland is a vanguard, but he is much slower than the other Vanguard types. I play Lightning, who is an Assassin type. Per the games mechanics (or how they appear, anyway), Lightning shouldn’t be able to go after Vanguards. Not without being punished, anyway. But I find Garland easy prey, despite his Vanguard class type.
This also works the other way around; Assassins are supposed to be able to absolutely destroy Marksmen but put me against a Terra and I’ll eat dirt pretty much regularly. She’s a quick shot with her fireballs and I just can’t get the timing down to dodge them.
For ranks, you have your player level (plvl) and your character level (clvl). Your player level constantly increases (I’m not sure what the max level is, or if there is one), while your character level is based on what character you have chosen, the max of which is 10.
Upon leveling up your player level, you can unlock rewards such as summons, treasures, EX skills, and Memoria (for story progression). For character levels, you gain new HP attacks and chat messages exclusive to their respective characters.
MAPS AND MUSIC
The maps and music tie everything together beautifully ( as you would expect from the series). The original arrangements for some of the music in this title, however, don’t do justice to the music we have all come to know and love. Luckily, the game allows you to make playlists and you can just leave what you don’t like out.
As the battle rages on, maps twist and change, adding to the chaos. The Promised Meadow (from Final Fantasy VIII) demonstrates this best, as you begin on a desolate grey field. Slowly, the ground begins to show signs of life, and the sky around you, once dark and cloudy, lightens up. In an explosion of light, the screen erupts with white feathers and green grass, as the promised meadow blossoms to life, and your battle reaches a crescendo.
The best experience of this (in my humble opinion) is if you go to The Promised Meadow and have the song “Massive Explosion” (the games main theme) playing. It’s a rock version of the song with vocals and I absolutely dig it. When the chorus kicks in, and you’re wailing on someone as an assassin character- It’s just right.
THE STORY
I didn’t honestly think NT was going to have a story mode. I really truly didn’t. What I knew of this game was that it was originally for arcades in Japan, and, like any other arcade fighter, is just that; a fighter.
To unlock the story, you have to fight. Fighting means either going online against other players or against the AI in the Gauntlet mode. You’ll get Memoria (the item that allows you to gain access to cutscenes and battles to progress the story) whether you win or lose. I have lost matches and still received Memoria, albeit only 1 or so, but still. If you do better, you may get 2 or so.
Once you’re actually in the story and win battles there, you can also win Memoria, so that’s nice.
The real treat from the story is the Summon battles. True to Final Fantasy lore, you have to battle the Summons to prove your worth. If you’ve played Final Fantasy XIV, these fights may feel a little familiar. The battles feature certain mechanics that cause you to have to learn a “dance”, just like in the MMO against the Primals (FFXIV’s name for Summons).
Of course, this is a fighting game, not an MMO, so the fights aren’t scripted. As such, the AI may decide it’s had enough of you and just lay you out by spamming its ultimate a couple times in a row. You will fight these guys a few times before beating them. They provide a great challenge, and, again coupled with special theme songs, make for memorable battles.
ITS OWN GAME
There’s something that I had to constantly remind myself when sitting down to write this; That Dissidia NT Final Fantasy is a different type of game from the first two. The originals were more RPG and story oriented games that only mildly focused on the technicalities and nuances that fighting games tend to.
That we got a story mode at all is a surprise, and I think that’s better than nothing. To top it off, it’s not half bad. I haven’t completed it yet, but to see the characters question the side they’re on is nice. Especially the valiant and loyal Warrior of Light. He’s the first one to question why they had been pulled back, and to question Materia’s intent.
The originals featured different equipment and such that you had to grind for to make your character more powerful, like in any RPG. It was nice, yes. I missed that at first. I wanted that experience in this new game. And that’s when I had to remember; This isn’t an RPG.
I think that’s where some people are coming down too hard on this game. If you’re expecting the old Dissidia, you won’t get that experience from this game.
You have to go into this game knowing that it is a fighting game, and that’s what it delivers on. If you go into it looking for an RPG like in the previous titles, you will be disappointed because, well- It’s not there.
I’m enjoying what it is and getting better every time I play, which is more than I can say for the originals. Playing against AI only does so much for me. Playing against other fans of the series, and finally having the experience I have longed for since the beginning is enough.
The game ultimately is better than what I had envisioned. When I think about the original games, I remember how long the story was, and how much there was to do. If that was the same game I got today, with how busy life is, I honestly wouldn’t get to experience it all.
If Square Enix ever releases another Dissidia on the scale of the first two, I don’t think I’ll ever get to really experience it as it’s intended to be. But, with things like this, an online game that I can hop in and out of at will? I love what was delivered.
How are your battles going? What do you think about the game overall? Let me know!
