Prior to DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY, the idea of different Final Fantasy heroes and villains squaring off against each other was usually only found in online discussions and fanfiction. Yet, despite a premise so blatantly rooted in fanservice, the RPG/fighting game hybrid was quite a treat to play, with gameplay mechanics both challenging and entertaining to master.
As such, one would expect Square Enix to refine and build on that which made the original game so great in the first place. Thankfully, this is indeed the case with the oddly named follow-up: DISSIDIA 012[duodecim] FINAL FANTASY.
Serving as both a prequel to and an enhanced remake of the original, DISSIDIA 012 introduces a new set of characters to the conflict between Harmony and Discord, along with new game modes and gameplay mechanics that add a new spin on things. However, is012 a worthy successor, or does it pale in comparison to the original?
Story
Serving as a prequel to the original DISSIDIA, which detailed the thirteenth and final cycle of a continuous battle, the game starts at the beginning of the cycle that came before it, hence why the game is called DISSIDIA 012. As the eternal battle rages on between Cosmos, the Goddess of Harmony, and Chaos, the God of Discord, a new cycle of conflict has begun between their chosen warriors. However, just as Cosmos grants her warriors the power to finally bring the battle to an end once and for all, Chaos and his warriors reveal that they too have a few tricks up their sleeves.
The plot is possibly the weakest aspect of 012, just as it was with the original DISSIDIA. That is not to say that it’s a bad story; in fact, compared to most fighting games, the plot of 012 is probably one of the best due to its depth. However, with such a large cast of characters to juggle, not to mention the fact that the story isn’t always told in chronological order, the story does tend to suffer a bit.
As with the original, the game assumes the player is familiar with the characters, meaning some of the more prominent character traits are emphasized and almost exaggerated. The result, unfortunately, is a tendency for the characters to feel more like caricatures of their original selves. Still, that doesn’t stop the game, or even the plot from being entertaining, and there is a definite improvement from the original in that regard.
Rather than follow the entire team of heroes, 012 instead opts to follow the core group of six newcomers, consisting of Kain Highwind (Final Fantasy IV), Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy VII), Laguna Loire (Final Fantasy VIII), Yuna (Final Fantasy X), Vaan (Final Fantasy XII), and Lighting (Final Fantasy XIII). As such, the story itself flows better, not needing to worry about juggling a larger cast of characters.
At the same time, however, smaller sub scenarios can be unlocked that detail the exploits of the rest of the cast of heroes, along with some of the villains as well. As I stated in my review of the original DISSIDIA, the villains felt rather under utilized, serving as nothing more than a villainous foil for the characters to face instead of being actual characters themselves. Thankfully, that is not the case here, if only for some of the villains, with FFIV‘s Golbez being particularly noteworthy, but it is good to know the forces of Chaos get some love this time around.
However, one of the more unfortunate aspects of 012‘s plot is its failure to take advantage of a new dynamic it tosses into the story. Unlike the original, where the forces of Cosmos and Chaos consisted of all heroes and all villains respectively (with the possible exception of FFX‘s Jecht), 012 actually has a few of the heroes aligned with Chaos this time around. And, while the game explores this new dynamic to an extent, it feels brushed aside almost as quickly as it is introduced, resulting in what can only be considered a missed opportunity.
Still, while you shouldn’t expect to find a story of the same caliber as an actual Final Fantasy, the plot is still quite a step above most fighting game plots, especially when you consider the main purpose of the DISSIDIA series is essentially Final Fantasy fanservice.
Gameplay
Like its predecessor, 012 is a 3D fighting game, fought from a third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective. What sets it apart from other fighting games of its kind, such as Dragon Ball Raging Blast, is the inclusion of RPG elements such as a leveling system, weapons and equipment, and summon stones. As a result, the game allows for a level of customization not usually found in a fighting game.
The actual dynamic of the fighting system remains mostly unchanged from the first, requiring players to build up their Bravery (BRV) points in order to deliver a killing blow against their opponents. To do so, characters have two different kind of attacks: Bravery Attacks, which drain an opponent’s BRV and adds it to the player’s count, and HP Attacks, which deliver a fixed amount of damage dependent on the player’s BRV counter. In addition, when a player’s BRV drops below zero, the character enters Bravery Break, where the player is unable to deliver damage or drain an opponents BRV, while the opponent is granted a bonus amount of BRV, which dependent on the current stage.
EX Cores make a return to the game as well, and collecting them fills the player’s EX Meter. Once full, the player is able to switch to EX Mode and deliver an EX Burst attack, a move akin to a Hyper Combo in Street Fighter, or a Final Smash in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. However, new features have been added to the EX system, such as EX Revenge and EX Break. With EX Revenge, if a player’s EX Meter is full when their opponent manages to land an attack, triggering EX Mode will instead cause an EX Revenge, which slows down time and leaves an opponent wide open to attack.
EX Break, on the other hand, ties into a new system introduced into 012: the Assist system. Under the Assist system, players are able to assign an assist character to their fighter, who can be summoned by the player during a battle to either serve as a distraction, attack an opponent, or sacrificed by the player to avoid an enemy attack, adding a new layer of strategy to the mix. If an Assist Character is able to land an attack on an opponent in EX Mode, the EX Meter is drained and the EX Mode canceled.
Along with the system comes an Assist Meter, which is filled by using BRV attacks. When filled to the first stage, an assist can be summoned to deliver a Bravery Attack or used in a level one Assist Change, where the player and assist characters swap places in the middle of an attack; doing so locks the Assist Meter temporarily, as does an opponent landing an attack on the player’s Assist character. When the Assist Meter is completely full, however, an Assist can be summoned to deliver an HP Attack, along with a level two Assist Change, which is similar in practice, but does not lock up the Assist Meter.
Both the new Assist system and the additions to the EX system are definitely welcome in 012, allowing the player to devise new strategies against opponents and giving them the opportunities to mix things up and turn the tide of battle in their favor. The new systems are fairly intuitive to use, so learning how to use such techniques doesn’t become an unnecessary hassle, thankfully.
In addition to the new battle mechanics, the gameplay system for the story mode has been almost completely overhauled. Whereas the first game boiled down to a player moving their character across a game board and facing off against opponents in order to advance, the player is now given a world map to explore, with optional enemies, items, and item shops at their disposal. With the addition of a world map, the game’s RPG roots become much more apparent and, to be honest, it is quite a welcome change.
The game board system does return, though they are now relegated to Gateways, which are essentially dungeons the player can explore. Gateways come in two flavors: blue, which are optional Gateways that can be explored several times and used to level grind and collect Gil and Kupo (KP), two different types of currency with which to buy items, and red, which can only be explored once and are mandatory to advance the plot. Special “Chain” items, collected on the World Map or purchased with KP, can be used in the dungeons as well, allowing the player to trigger a chained battle against multiple enemies, which provide the player with a KP multiplier.
Along with the new world map system, the player is also given the ability to form parties of up to five characters for exploration, though the ability isn’t unlocked until late in the main story and is rather limited. However, the party system can be used in both Quick Battle mode, where the player pits their party against another AI or player-controlled party, and in other story modes that are unlocked later and allow much more freedom.
Along with the main scenario, 012 also comes with an updated version of the original DISSIDIA‘s story mode, unlockable by beating the 012 scenario. Entitled “Main Scenario 013”, the scenario essentially retells the story of the original game, only updated to include the new gameplay features. As a result, the game should definitely be appealing to players who passed on the original since 012 is essentially two games in one, and then some. In addition, players that do own the original DISSIDIA are allowed to transfer their character data into 012, though players are penalized for using over-leveled characters during the 013 Scenario.
Another unlockable scenario, “Main Scenario 000” also adds much to the replay value of 012. In this game mode, players can form a party with any characters they choose, be it hero or villain, and are allowed to roam free across the world map, tackling dungeons filled with strong enemies. However, the game assumes the player’s characters are at a somewhat high level, so this is one mode that should be tackled only when ready.
In addition, the game also offers other game modes outside of story mode, such as the aforementioned Quick Battle, which can be fought 1 on 1 and as a party, and Arcade Mode, where characters come with preset abilities and equipment. To top it off, a successor to the original game’s Duel Coliseum mode, Labyrinth Mode, is available as well, though, as the name implies, Labyrinth is structured as an maze the player can explore and collect items in. And, being that it is a fighting game, 012 comes equipped with a multiplayer mode, though, unfortunately, it can only be used in ad-hoc mode, meaning the player must either be nearby another player or use an intermediary, such as a PlayStation 3 with Adhoc Party installed.
Lastly, for fans of user-made content, 012 offers a brand new Quest Creation mode, which, as the name implies, allows players to create their own custom quests that they can share with their friends. The Creation mode is rather in depth, allowing the player to set battle conditions, character dialog, and several other options. However, there are no cutscenes in the game, for obvious reasons, but the new tool is in-depth enough for those really interested in building their own user-made stories, leading some players to unofficially refer to it as “Fanfiction Mode”.
However, unlike the Japanese version, the North American version of 012 lacks the Mog Web mode that would allow players to share and download custom quests online, a feature that would have been a great asset. Thankfully, custom quests can also be uploaded to a computer and shared over the internet, so I expect the fan community will wind up establishing their own central hub for their quests, regardless of the lack of the Mog Web feature.
Overall, 012‘s gameplay is anything one would want in a sequel, improving and tightening the established mechanics and adding new game modes for the player to enjoy. As such, there really is nothing to fault the gameplay for, except for the occasional camera issue and/or annoying AI behavior in battle. Still, there’s a lot here to enjoy.
Visuals
As Square Enix is usually quite well-known for its stunning visuals, 012 is a bit of a disappointment in that regard, with the characters suffering from the exact same problem they had in the original DISSIDIA; bland, uninspired character animations and facial expressions. This is mostly a fault when it comes to the cutscenes, as the animations in battle are just fine.
Compared to the original game, the cutscenes are a bit higher in quality, but it becomes quite obvious that a lot of the assets and animations remain unchanged from DISSIDIA to 012. During cutscenes, characters have a constant look of dull surprise on their faces, their mouths flapping as they speak without proper lipsync. However, this is a rather minor nitpick, as it isn’t something that ruins the flow of the game at all.
Also, in contrast to the rather bland animations in most cutscenes rendered within the game’s engine, the game’s pre-rendered cutscenes, as was the case with the original DISSIDIA, are amazingly well animated and a prime example of the eye-candy that is Square Enix’s forte.
Sound
As with the original, 012 contains a wide assortment of Final Fantasy music, both remixed and unaltered, that accompany the different battles. In certain situations, the music is pre-selected, though the ability for the player to select their favorite battle tunes is available in Arcade, Quick Battle, and Labyrinth modes. In addition, recurring incidental music from the original also returns, such as the original theme song.
In terms of voice acting, the entire cast of the original game returns to voice their respective characters, with Keith David reprising his role as Chaos, the God of Discord. Alongside the original cast is, of course, the voice cast for the newcomers, among them being Liam O’Brien and Rachel Leigh Cook reprising their roles as Kain Highwind and Tifa Lockhart for their appearance in 012 and Armando Valdes-Kennedy, who is the first English voice actor to ever voice FFVIII‘s Laguna Loire.
In terms of voice acting, 012 definitely appears to have better direction than the original, with a lot of the awkward pauses that very much plagued DISSIDIA‘s voice acting practically non-existent in this installment. This becomes particularly notable when comparing Main Scenario 012 and 013, the later of which simply reuses the voice track and cutscenes from the original game. Overall, there’s not much to complain about the voice acting, as the actors deliver good performances, with Dave Wittenberg again stealing the show as the psychotic Kefka Palazzo. However, I imagine there will be those that will disagree with my assessment, though, unfortunately for them, there is no option to switch to the Japanese language track.
Overall
At its core DISSIDIA 012[duodecim] FINAL FANTASY (always such a mouthful of a title), feels more like an RPG with a unique battle system than actual fighting game, which may wind up alienating non-Final Fantasy players. Then again, like its predecessor before it, 012 knows exactly what kind of game it is with absolutely no shame. It is a love letter to Final Fantasy fans both new and old, with references to the older games littered about the place.
If you are a fan of fighting games and looking to give 012 a chance, I say go for it. It’s a different type of fighter and may seem confusing at first, but the game is full of depth in both it’s story and gameplay mechanics. If you’re a fan of Final Fantasy, I recommend giving the game a look, again due to it’s rich depth and features that will have you coming back for more. And if you enjoyed the original DISSIDIA, then what are you waiting for, you spoony bard? There is no reason not to pick this game up. It builds on the original game quite well and the new mechanics make for an interesting change of pace.
This is one game I cannot recommend enough, even with its minor flaws.
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DISSIDIA 012[duodecim] FINAL FANTASY is available for the Sony PlayStation Portable and PSPgo. A copy of the game was provided for free by Square Enix for review purposes.