Games Happy

Recollections of flying round levels as Cecil Harvey and slamming into the likes of Gardland and Cloud, sending them flying into the far-off wall are what come to my thoughts once I hear the identify “Dissidia” talked about. The 2 preliminary entries have been a few of my most performed on my beloved PSP, and I’ve been ready for therefore lengthy for an additional entry that manages to seize those self same monolithic clashes. Sinking a while right into a current Closed Beta Take a look at for subsequent 12 months’s free-to-play Dissidia Duellum Ultimate Fantasy, I get the sensation that I’ll nonetheless be ready.

Dissidia Duellum Ultimate Fantasy is a brand new team-based cell boss fighter coming to iOS and Android, the place two groups of three will probably be racing to slay monsters and gradual the opposite group down in an effort to degree up and be the primary ones to conquer the boss of the stage. Not fairly the Dissidia expertise I bear in mind. After booting up the sport, I used to be handled to lavish visuals, selecting my beginning gacha character (opted for my boy, Cloud), and getting a fast primer on why Ultimate Fantasy characters are preventing in modern-day Tokyo, I used to be off to work by way of the everyday cell sport tutorials. 

Earlier than I get to the gameplay facet of issues, I’ve to say that I actually benefit from the artstyle that Duellum has gone with. Choosing sensible proportions, the entire characters have a refined anime contact to them, with a lightweight, nearly watercolor, look to them. Aesthetically, the choice to put the sport within the modern-day with these traditional characters carrying hip trendy clothes doesn’t land for me as a lot. It jogs my memory of that bizarre time that Lightning had an actual partnership with Lois Vuitton and gave me flashbacks to the Kingdom Hearts IV reveal trailer. Purists will probably be happy to know, although, that everybody also can decide to put on their fantasy apparel.

With regards to how the sport performs, outdoors of the plain change of being targeted on a boss battler moderately than strictly a PVP sport, different sequence staples like Bravery Assaults are lacking, although Bravery as a useful resource stays. To be able to truly injury the boss monster, you will have to assemble 9,999 Bravery, which can let you set off a Burst assault, rendering the foe weak to wreck. This useful resource is gained by taking out smaller critters round crystals, purifying them within the course of, and attacking the opposing group. The interface works properly sufficient, with Sq. Enix touting it may be performed one-handed, and from what I might inform, they appear to be proper.

With this shift to a boss battler, characters at the moment are categorised into numerous roles, together with Ranged, Melee, Assist, and Agile with Terra (FF6), Cloud (FF7), Hero of Gentle (FF1), and Lightning (FF13) filling these spots respectively. Between the roles and the type of map structure within the nook of the sport display screen gave me much more of a MOBA-lite feeling to Duodellum than I used to be anticipating. Truthfully, the idea of a Ultimate Fantasy MOBA could possibly be fairly neat, and I might actually really feel that style’s tendrils all through the sport like they have been Ultros’ tentacles. The bosses Behemoth and Iron Big jogged my memory of making an attempt to fell Atakhan in League of Legends. 

Admittedly, my time with Dissidia Duellum Ultimate Fantasy has been transient, however I might by no means escape the sensation that this launch seems like the results of a monkey paw want. Mainly, you get what you ask for (on this case, a brand new Dissidia sport), however the outcome, whereas technically fulfilling the want, isn’t what you truly wished. Certain, Duellum is a Dissidia sport, permitting you to run round and dish out the harm with a few of your favourite Ultimate Fantasy characters, however what I performed feels so indifferent and completely different that I discover myself questioning if the Dissidia moniker has been hooked up for identify recognition greater than the rest. 

I’ve performed sufficient of Dissidia Duellum Ultimate Fantasy to be intrigued sufficient to wish to strive extra when it releases subsequent 12 months, but in addition sufficient to want that this sport dropped the “DISSIDIA” from the title. In truth, even “Duellum” is a little bit of an odd selection too, with the frequent Latin translation referring to “fight between two contenders, or a duel,” and it is a 3v3 boss battler, however I digress. As somebody who’s extra at house with a controller or mouse + keyboard, I hope that this ultimately will get a PC port announcement as properly. Sadly, nevertheless, for these like me who’re ready patiently for a return of a traditional Dissidia fighter, I’m sorry to say that it seems our watch hasn’t but ended.

Dissidia Duellum Ultimate Fantasy launches on iOS and Android subsequent 12 months.