Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy Preview – Not Really a Dissidia or Duellum Game

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When I think of “Dissidia,” I immediately remember soaring around arenas as Cecil Harvey and powerfully colliding with characters like Gardland and Cloud, sending them crashing into the distance. The first two games were favorites on my PSP, and I’ve been hoping for a new installment that would recreate those epic battles. After trying the recent closed beta for next year’s free-to-play Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, I don’t think my wait will be over just yet.

Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy is a new mobile game for iOS and Android where two teams of three players compete to defeat monsters. Teams race against each other to level up and be the first to defeat the stage boss. It’s different from previous Dissidia games. When I started, the game had impressive graphics, let me choose a starting character (I picked Cloud), and explained the story – why Final Fantasy heroes are battling in modern Tokyo. Then, I went through the standard mobile game tutorial.

Let’s talk about how the game looks first. I really like Duellum’s art style – the characters have realistic proportions but with a slight anime influence, and the overall look is soft and watercolor-like. However, I’m not a fan of the decision to set the game in the modern day and dress these classic characters in trendy clothes. It feels a bit strange, like the time Lightning from Final Fantasy did a collaboration with Louis Vuitton, and it brought back memories of the Kingdom Hearts IV trailer. Thankfully, players who prefer the traditional look can still choose the characters’ classic fantasy outfits.

The gameplay is quite different from previous titles, shifting the focus to boss battles instead of player-versus-player combat. While the Bravery resource returns, familiar features like Bravery Attacks are gone. To deal damage to the boss, you need to collect 9,999 Bravery, which then unlocks a powerful Burst attack that makes the boss vulnerable. You gain Bravery by defeating smaller enemies near crystals – effectively purifying them – and by attacking the other team. The game’s interface is well-designed and, as Square Enix claims, can comfortably be played using only one hand, which I found to be true during my experience.

The game has moved towards a boss-battling format, and characters now have specific roles: Ranged, Melee, Support, and Agile, filled by Terra, Cloud, the Hero of Light, and Lightning respectively. This, combined with the map design, gave the game a surprisingly MOBA-like feel. A Final Fantasy MOBA could be really interesting, and I definitely sensed that genre’s influence throughout the gameplay – it reminded me of Ultros’ tentacles! The boss fights against Behemoth and Iron Giant felt similar to taking down Atakhan in League of Legends.

I haven’t spent much time with Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, but it feels like getting exactly what you asked for, but not what you wanted. It is a Dissidia game – you can play as iconic Final Fantasy characters and battle it out – but it feels so different from previous entries that I’m not sure the name ‘Dissidia’ actually fits. It almost feels like they’re relying on the brand recognition more than delivering a true Dissidia experience.

I’ve had a chance to play Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy and I’m interested enough to see how it develops when it officially launches next year. However, I think the game would be better off without the “Dissidia” name. Even the word “Duellum,” which means a duel, feels a little off considering it’s a 3v3 team battle. As someone who prefers playing with a controller or mouse and keyboard, I’m hoping they’ll announce a PC version soon. But for those of us hoping for a return to the classic Dissidia fighting game style, it looks like we’ll have to keep waiting.













Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy launches on iOS and Android next year.

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2025-12-11 18:27