Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is the third installment of the Dissidia sub series and the first to be released on a home console. The Dissidia series, if you weren’t aware, are arena fighters involving characters and locations from the Final Fantasy series. Dissidia NT, a port of the game’s arcade version, changes things up significantly from it’s PSP predecessors. One of the biggest is that the game has gone from a 1 v 1 fighter to a 3 v 3. The result is a chaotic game that seems a little unclear in what exactly it’s trying to be.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT comes with a Gauntlet Mode (a fancy way of saying Arcade mode), a training mode and a story mode. I highly suggest people play through all the training mode tutorials as there is a lot going on in this game and the tutorial actually gives a easy to understand run-through of the mechanics. If you don’t believe me when I say this game is a lot, then just look at this screenshot.

See what I’m saying? I have to give props for the game firmly breaking down what everything on the screen means in a coherent manner. The gameplay involves teams of 3 going against each other in arena combat. The game prioritizes two types of attacks, brave and HP. Brave attacks drain your opponents brave meter and fill yours. Those brave points are then used to execute HP attacks that take away your opponents health. There are also special attacks you can trigger with the triangle button. The first team to get three deaths wins. A lot of the combat is about positioning. The game has a dash and sidestep function so great plays often involve dodging an opponents attack and punishing them with either a brave or HP attack. Team composition and coordination also factor in to effective play. A well functioning team can do work by quickly dismantling and destroying their opponent team. Additionally, cores add another layer to matches as destroying them can allow your team to generate summons which can quickly turn the tide of battle. All of this can make battles feel a little chaotic with so much going on at the same time.

The game features a wide range of characters from every mainline Final Fantasy game as well as characters from spin-offs like Type-0. Each character is given a type, assassin, vanguard, specialist or marksman. Each character has its strengths and weaknesses and it results in something of a rock, paper, scissors system. Also, as you level up you unlock new moves and weapons for your characters so you can customize your loadout.

Graphically, the game is gorgeous to look at. The character models are excellent, the arenas all look great and the cutscenes actually took me aback with how beautifully rendered they were. I wasn’t expecting that from a port of a Final Fantasy arcade game. Also, the soundtrack is straight fire, ya’ll. If the character select music doesn’t get you hype, I don’t know what to tell you. The battle music is dope as it often will incorporate unique arrangements of some the franchise’s most iconic themes.

Dissidia’s approach to story mode is rather unique. In most games the story mode is unlocked from the jump. With Dissidia you have to play the game’s arcade mode or online mode in order to unlock progress in the story. The first 4 unlocks in the game are cutscenes so you have to put some play time in to really get into the story. I’ve seen some people praising this approach as it uses the story to encourage you to play more of the online and arcade modes. Myself, I would’ve preferred a straight forward approach to the campaign. It just feels like an unnecessary complication, especially as story mode is often where players go to get their bearings with a fighting game.

Unnecessary complication is kind of the name of the game in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT. The game is dense, I’ve put some hours into it and I’m starting to get a feel for the flow of combat and the way certain systems operate. I don’t mind this density, the more I start to understand the game the more I enjoy it and successfully executing combos and incapacitating an opponent is hella rewarding. Yet, this complexity may be a detriment to the game as it doesn’t have the balance needed for professional competitive play and the game in general doesn’t seem built for it as it’s a team based 3v3 arena fighter with no local multiplayer. Additionally, the complexity may make it imposing for casual players who are just looking to throwdown with their favorite Final Fantasy characters. It hits a weird middle ground of pro and casual. It’s a fun game, it just requires a bit of patience to get past the learning curve. Also, the lack of 1v1 outside of Sparring Mode is disappointing as that’s what the original games were built on and having to rely on A.I in Arcade mode matches isn’t ideal.

The netcode is shaky, I have encountered slowdown with matches literally halting to a freeze. Given that this is a game all about mobility and quick positioning you can see how that can ruin a match. Lastly, Square picked a horrible time to release this game, only days after the massive launches of Monster Hunter World and Dragonball Fighterz. It takes time to get into matches. I managed to get through an article on my phone and set my coffee pot for the morning in the time it took to find a new match. On launch day. I had a fun time with the matches I did get into and the menu music kept me hype but here’s hoping they can cut down on wait time because as it stands it’s a little lengthy.

Overall, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a strange little game. From the core gameplay to the simple act of playing the story mode, Dissidia is filled with odd decisions. Yet, that weirdness is ultimately what makes the game charming. For all it’s quirks I can adamantly say there isn’t a game quite like Dissidia on the market. If you’re a die-hard Final Fantasy fan this is a game I recommend copping. The bevy of characters, iconic stages and music make it pure fan service. If you’re interested in arena fighters, I still recommend checking it out with the caveat that it’s systems are a bit opaque. For everyone else, I do think this is a game worth trying. Perhaps not at this price point but if drops to 30 or 40 bucks , give it a whirl. It’s a unique, chaotic and gorgeous take on the arena fighter. It’s truly a shame that it’s buried under this month’s other huge releases.