Review | Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP)

September 11, 8:56 PMVideo Games ExaminerJason Evangelho

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• Developer: Square Enix
• Release Date: August 25th, 2009 
• 1 player / 2 players Ad-Hoc (Local Multiplayer only)
• Platform: Sony PSP (Exclusive)
• Harmony: Amazing depth and customization, fun & original fighting mechanics, after 30 hours you've barely scratched the surface...
• Dischord: Weak story and frequently obscured vision in smaller levels...
• THE VERDICT: BUY IT

Peace is but a shadow of death, Desperate to forget its painful past. Although we look forward to promising years, After shedding a thousand tears, Yesterday's sorrow constantly nears. And while the moon still shines blue, By dawn it will turn to scarlet hue.
-Kuja, Final Fantasy IX

After reviewing enough games, you learn to pay attention to certain subtle cues game developers want players to notice. For example: On the back cover of Dissidia: Final Fantasy there is no mention of a storyline. Beyond puzzling considering “Square Enix” and “Final Fantasy” are both stamped on the box. Square's storytelling - while always verbose - has consistently been engaging. Which makes the vapid story of Dissidia all the more glaring. I can appreciate how difficult it must have been to stitch together a sensible story involving 20 heroes and villains from the first 10 games, but unfortunately 'stitched' is the key word here and admittedly I was hoping for something epic in scope.

"This is sickening. You all sound like chapters from a self-help booklet line!
-Kefka, Final Fantasy VI

Burgeoning heroes on personal journeys, tormented by maniacal and multi-layered protagonists; that's the trademark of Final Fantasy characters. The problem with Dissidia's storytelling is that each characters' personal journey (which parallel the games they come from) has been accelerated and distilled into a few paragraphs of dialogue. Squall, the loner, must come to rely on his friends. The Onion Knight must trust his intellect. Tidus simply wants his father, Jecht, to acknowledge how strong he has become. Firion struggles to believe in his simple dreams of a world populated with wild roses. These are incredibly muddled storylines and by the time you've played through the first few chapters things get predictable.

I won't delve into the story much, simply because it's the framework that enables the game's existence, rather than the meat of the experience.

Fortunately, Square Enix has crafted a brawler with so much depth, discovery, replay value and customization that the anemic story is barely a setback. In truth, the best compliment I can pay this game is that after logging 35 hours of gameplay, I'm still enthralled, and still tapping in to what Dissidia has to offer.

If you played 2007's Crisis Core, consider that a tutorial for what Square calls "dramatic progressive action." Dissidia unites the heroes and villians from the ten flagship Final Fantasy games in a fighting system that is both wholly original and initially daunting.  In fact, I'll forego explaining how the system works because Square has implemented wonderful explanations and tons of battle tips (from characters who will bring a smile to your face) to get you prepared. 

It's safe to say I've fought over 700 battles, and Dissidia still has me captive. It all boils down to three things:

THE FIGHT
In most fighting games, you knock out your opponent by draining their HP or health meter to zero. This holds true here, but your HP attacks against your enemy are determined by your Bravery points. Each character has a unique set of of both Brave and HP attacks (further broken down into midair and ground attacks), and this is where the strategic elements begin to appear. If you successfully steal all your opponent's bravery, they go into a Break state, making them completely vulnerable to your HP attacks. Be wary, though, because once you begin your HP assault, your bravery resets to zero. It's less complicated in practice than in description, and functions as an incredibly balanced system that adds a great layer to each fight.

If, like me, you've always thrilled to Limit Break attacks in Final Fantasy, EX Bursts will definitely leave you grinning. Scattered throughout each living, breathing battlefield are crystal EX Cores, and you'll benefit from constantly watching for them to materialize. (Look for a brief, bright flash of light as an indicator.) Collect enough, and it can turn the tide of battle. Activate your EX Mode while successfully landing an HP attack, and you execute a series of commands to pull off a glorious EX Burst. Firion, weapons master that he is, unleashes a series of brutal hits using all the weaponry at his disposal. Onion Knight releases a flurry of shurikens, or switches jobs entirely and casts the powerful Holy spell – which you'll quickly select in a menu ripped straight from Final Fantasy III. Tidus unleashes a Blitz Ball attack, etc. They're all dazzling to watch, viscerally satisfying to pull off, and represent their original characters perfectly.

While Onion Knight became my mainstay, I had a chance to dabble with every hero and villain present, and they all feel unique. It's no exaggeration to say you'll likely want to experiment with each one.

Mini Review | VS Battles:  I'll lay it out with brutal honesty. I'm deeply saddened by the lack of online multiplayer support. That being said, the local ad-hoc vs modes are wonderful. You can bring your customized characters into battle with you, or choose from pre-set arcade characters. Adjust your handicap one level at a time, or just hit the square button to even out each players' stats. I played roughly 20 battles with a colleague, and it was refreshing to play against a human opponent especially since the experience was lag-free start to finish. Every battle is fully customizable, and you can even fight their 'ghost' offline after exchanging friend cards. Absolutely no complaints here. 

THE BATTLEFIELDS
Every level, from Ultimecia's Castle with its spiraling wooden staircase and maze like corridors, to the Crystal World with its constantly morphing landscape, feel alive and organic. These aren't merely arenas built to fight IN, they're built to be used to your advantage. An ability called Quickmoving allows your character to dash, grind, and otherwise travel at lightning speed across walls, ceilings and banisters adding yet another layer to your strategy. Besides discovering and mastering your characters, you'll want to spend time learning the quirks and design of each arena as well.

All told, the 12 levels present are a good mixture of small, confined arenas and wide open spaces. Unfortunately, this is where my 2nd (and last) complaint comes into play: The camera. Because of Dissidia's free roaming 3D, getting jammed into a narrow corridor or corner sometimes results in a complete loss of visibility. The camera attempts to make obstacles transparent, but it's not enough to solve the issue. To be fair, once you become familiar enough with the levels and the targeting system, it won't impact your game much, but it's frustrating to beginners.
 

CUSTOMIZATION
Final Fantasy is also known for a dizzying array of customization, and I'm happy to report that if this weren't a 1 on 1 fighting game, you'd mistake it for a true Final Fantasy RPG. Every facet of your character can be tweaked with hundreds of accessories, equipment, magic, summons, earthbound and airborn attacks, and tons of abilities you won't even have mastered until you reach Level 100, the game's cap. Simply put, this is a Final Fantasy game with all the bells, whistles, secrets, and depth you'd expect - but in a fighting package rather than an open world RPG package. 

For the power user, Square has even included an option to view and edit an unlimited number of battle replays, then export them to AVI. Upload them to YouTube for bragging rights, or even take screen shots right from your PSP. Here's an example of one I personally captured:

Speaking of depth, I'm almost 40 hours in and gameplay menus just keep opening up. Destiny Odyssey takes you through the 1st main storyline as we witness each characters individual story, intermingling with the other 9 fighters. Then, the 4 chapters of Shade Impulse open up, letting you throw your favorite character into the final showdown against Chaos. (Your victory won't come easy, either.) The credits finally rolled after a predictable, but stunning final cutscene, and 2 additional modes opened up! Duel Colosseum finds you battling a never-ending barrage of opponents, in addition to finding treasure and jobs drawn by cards. A 3rd and more difficult story mode, Distant Glory, branches from the main narrative with the story of Shantotto, a small yet powerful tarutaru from the nation of Windurst.

I can't say enough about Dissidia: Final Fantasy, and believe me this review should be triple the length it is. Perhaps my time and yours would be better spent simply playing it and discovering the subtle nuances, endless customization, beautiful soundtrack, and hefty fan service Square Enix has gifted us. Despite the lack of online multiplayer, spotty camera issues, and an uninspired story, Dissidia remains the best game I've played on the PSP since the system launched. That statement alone should speak volumes about the sheer awesomeness of Square's latest entry into the Final Fantasy franchise.