Popular series like Final Fantasy tend to generate a “special” kind of fan that loves to dream about battles between their favourite characters. Dissidia: Final Fantasy is built around fulfilling these crazy fanboy fantasies, and if the game’s amazing visuals, lightning fast battles and RPG-like elements don’t grab you, then the ability to beat the snot out of Tidus surely will.

The basis for this Final Fantasy battle royal is one of those everlasting battles between good and evil, or in this case, Cosmos and Chaos. The introductory cut-scene showcases a rather awesome battle between the two sides consisting of the heroes and villains of the first ten games, during which Chaos’ forces emerge victorious. To restore Cosmos to her former glory, the forces of good need to find a bunch of crystals, which they do by cutting everyone they meet to ribbons.



Dissidia's battles are nothing less than spectacular. There are impressive audio/visual elements at play, with fantastic Amano/Nomura character designs and a thrilling Ishimoto soundtrack, but it’s the ridiculous physics-defying battles that steal the spotlight. You’ll take the fight from the ground onto the walls and into the air, pull off ridiculous physical and magical attacks, dodge life-ending blows by the skin of your teeth, and pull off EX attacks which make Limit Breaks look like kids’ stuff.

The core battle system may seem flashy and complex, but it is quite simple to grasp. Attacks come in two forms, brave attacks and HP attacks, which drain strength and health respectively. Different moves are executed based on the player’s location (air or ground) and the direction of the analogue nub. Successful attacks, blocks and dodges help fill the EX meter, which gives players significant stat boosts and access to their powerful EX move when utilised. The base EX move is strong, but the power and number of hits can be increased by hitting the onscreen button cues.

Traditional RPG elements are at the game’s core. Experience from fights increases each character’s level, providing new moves and abilities, along with improving the inventory at the shops. Most of this progress will come from the story mode, where players battle their way through a bunch of board game-like setups to find each character’s Cosmos crystal. Equipment is shared between all of your characters, aiding the more difficult story battles. Alternatively, you can jump straight into the Arcade mode and battle away without worrying about stats or equipment.



Dissidia suffers from a couple of key annoyances. Camera issues arise in the more confined battle arenas, causing frequent headaches and the occasional cheap loss. The story mode doesn’t offer a great deal of variety and starts to grate after you’ve run through with a few characters. Difficulty can also spike suddenly – weak opponents are often followed by opponents with significantly higher levels and insane defensive capabilities. The only way to overcome these is through some unpleasant grinding.

Yet despite these flaws, for Final Fantasy fans, Dissidia is a dream come true. It’s not just for fans though – the beautiful visuals, great soundtrack and flashy yet accessible battle system should provide enough incentive for all PSP fans to check the game out.