Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The immediate draw is obvious: you pick from a huge Final Fantasy crossover roster and settle a fight directly. Dissidia 012 is not content to leave that as a quick novelty, though. It asks you to invest in characters through levels, equipment, and skill customization, so a favorite can become a long-term project rather than a face you use for a couple of matches.

The Assist system is the key upgrade. Calling another character in to attack creates openings, while using one to take a hit gives you a defensive escape route when a fight turns ugly. That extra option makes the battles feel less isolated and gives you more to think about than simply pressing an attack. It also means that timing matters: spending an assist at the wrong moment can leave you wishing you had held it for the opponent’s next push.

There is plenty to do beyond a single exhibition battle. Free-play options let you take on an individual opponent or run through a gauntlet, while story mode sends you through dungeons full of fights. The loop can become demanding if you are not in the mood for repeated combat, but the RPG progression gives those returns a purpose. If you enjoy tweaking a character and testing the result in the next match, the repetition lands much better.

Graphics

The main visual pleasure is the crossover itself: characters from Final Fantasy I through Final Fantasy XIII share the screen in a PSP fighting game. The roster is broad enough that changing fighters also changes the look of a match, which helps the long campaign and free-play sessions avoid feeling too samey.

Story

Dissidia 012 tells the story of the twelfth cycle in the ongoing War of the Gods, following heroes summoned into that conflict. It is also a prequel that folds in a remade version of the original Dissidia story, making this much more than an expanded side entry.

The biggest practical improvement is how you move through the campaign. Instead of relying only on the earlier tile-based approach, you travel through a free-roam game world and enter dungeons through gateways. That makes the story mode feel more like a journey between battles rather than a string of selections on a board.

Still, this is a story built around getting you into the next dungeon and the next opponent. The crossover premise carries a lot of the momentum; knowing and caring about these characters makes the War of the Gods more enjoyable. Newcomers can follow the broad conflict, but longtime Final Fantasy fans will get more from seeing such a wide span of the series gathered in one place.

Overall Experience

Dissidia 012 is the version to choose if the original game’s mix of fighting and character building appealed to you, or if you missed it and want the more complete package. It retains the core structure while adding the Assist system, a free-roam story world, the original story in revised form, and a roster that stretches from the first Final Fantasy to Final Fantasy XIII.

Its rough edge is also its identity: this is not a fighting game you casually understand in one sitting. You are asked to learn how your character develops, consider equipment and skills, and accept that story progression means working through dungeons and their opponents. The payoff is satisfying when your chosen fighter starts to feel tuned to how you want to play.

At 7.9, it earns its score as a generous, distinctive crossover fighter rather than an effortless crowd-pleaser. Give it a chance if you want Final Fantasy fan service with real progression and more tactical choices in battle. Skip it only if the idea of building characters and revisiting combat through a lengthy story mode sounds more exhausting than exciting.

Retro Replay Score

7.9/10