Not the fantasy I was hoping for.
Everything about Dissidia on PS4 sounds like a dream. A fighting game where players take on characters from multiple Final Fantasy games in three-person battles. All the highlights are here, spanning the series’ long history. However, in practice the game is just…well, weird. The mechanics are cumbersome, the battles are far too long, and the fighting is simply not that much fun. Combine that with a weirdly structured single player portion and Dissidia feels like the definition of a missed opportunity.
The idea behind the combat is sound. There are 28 characters and each one uses a unique style of play. Vanguards are used to deal damage. These characters are designed to be in the thick of things and pummeling the opposition. Assassins are swift and more agile, giving them the ability to shoot around the battlefield and take pot shots. The Marksman class is designed for ranged attacks. They cast spells and such to either aid their partners, or damage the enemies.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: PS4
Price I’d Pay: $39.99
This makes the 3v3 structure feel like a necessity. In practice though, things sadly fall apart. The core fighting is just too complicated for its own good. There are a ton of systems. The tutorial is overwhelming and I felt like I forgot the first section before even moving on to the second. Essentially the game is broken down into two attack types. One that does actual damage and one that simply siphons points from one team to the other. The catch is that the damage attacks are not as potent unless I had built up a large number of the attack points. See? It’s needlessly confusing.
When it works, it is brilliant. Things play out as planned and I found the strategy satisfying. The problem is that it mostly doesn’t work. My AI teammates are usually focused on one action, and I lose them on the battlefield.
It is also worth noting that the entire screen is constantly littered with menus, bars, and things to keep track of. Characters are already flying around the map, and the lock-on system is mediocre at best. So managing the combat as well as the insane amount of info on screen sucks the fun right out of most battles. There is also a character constantly barking orders at me while playing, which is annoying.
The game also feels focused on multiplayer battles. The online mode is where the bulk of the game lies. The single player content features a series of battles that last far too long and a story mode that is literally just cut scenes. The catch is that I had to unlock coins to even view the cut scenes and the game never explains where to get them. Everything about the game from the combat to the menus is just confusing. I got frustrated early and often. I quickly lost interest in what the game was trying to show me.
What the game does get right though is the fan service. There is a lot here and it looks gorgeous. The cut scenes are beautifully rendered and a joy to watch. Sure it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it is a spectacle. The character models and stages are terrific. Seeing Cloud face off against Vaan, or see Noctis clash with Kefka. It wants to be the Smash Bros. for Final Fantasy. The stages are all ripped from various games and it looks fantastic on a PS4 Pro. I just wish the fun matched the content included.
There are a lot of fighting games currently in gamers’ minds, and Dissidia does little to steal any of that mindshare. Without the Final Fantasy characters it would just be considered a mess. The fights are overly long and just not that enjoyable to play. The single player content is sparse at best, and playing online requires constant communication and teamwork that doesn’t feel as rewarding as it should. I tried and tried to love this game, but it kept fighting me at every turn. There are too many great fighting games out there currently to recommend sinking time and resources into this one.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
