Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
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''Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy'' (pronounced as ) is a 2011 fighting game published by
Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
for the
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
as part of the ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...
'' series. It was developed by the company's 1st Production Department and released in Japan on March 3, 2011. The game is both a prequel and remake of ''
Dissidia Final Fantasy is a fighting game with action RPG elements developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable as part of the campaign for the ''Final Fantasy'' series' 20th anniversary. It was released in Japan on December 18, 2008, in Nor ...
'', revealing what occurred before the events of its predecessor, and was released on March 22, 2011, in North America. The game initially focuses on the twelfth war between the gods Chaos and Cosmos who have summoned several warriors from parallel worlds to fight for them. Upon ending the twelfth cycle, the game remakes the thirteenth war from the original ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' and adds multiple sidestories. Fights in ''Dissidia 012'' were given the ability to counteract enemies' strongest attacks by using assisting characters, while navigation is now done through a traditional-styled ''Final Fantasy'' world map. Development of the game started in August 2009 with the Square staff wishing to improve the gameplay from the first game to provide players with more entertaining features as well as balance several parts. ''Dissidia 012'' has been well received, with publications calling it one of the best PlayStation Portable games.


Gameplay

Gameplay is largely reminiscent of ''
Dissidia Final Fantasy is a fighting game with action RPG elements developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable as part of the campaign for the ''Final Fantasy'' series' 20th anniversary. It was released in Japan on December 18, 2008, in Nor ...
'' along with a few changes. The game consists primarily of one-on-one battles, taking place on what is known as a battle map where the two characters duel. Players are able to perform two types of attacks: a Bravery attack and an HP attack. Both characters start with a set number of Bravery points, the number of Bravery points being equivalent to the amount of damage dealt by an HP attack. Thus, the player must perform several Bravery attacks to steal Bravery points from the opponent so as to increase the power of their HP attack, as Bravery attacks do not cause any damage.


Additional mechanics

The mechanics of the battle system include "EX Revenge" and "Assist." EX Mode functions exactly the same as the first game by collecting EX Cores around the battle map to fill up the EX gauge and transform the character into a more powerful state, which allows players to perform a powerful EX Burst attack should an HP attack land during EX Mode. The Assist system is a new element to the game which allows the player to summon an additional ally into battle to either assist in attacking the enemy or defend from an oncoming attack. It is performed using the Assist Gauge, which is built up by using Bravery Attacks. Both modes are supposed to balance each other, because when an EX Burst is executed, the opponent's Assist Gauge is reduced to zero. The three main countering systems are Assist Breaks, EX Breaks and EX Revenge. An Assist Break is performed by attacking the opponent's Assist character while the player is in EX Mode, causing him/her to be unable to call out the Assist character for a brief period; this also passes the stage's Bravery points to the character. An EX Break is performed by stopping an opponent's EX Mode through the use of an Assist attack which forces the opponent out of EX Mode, additionally passing the stage's Bravery points to the player. Lastly, EX Revenge occurs when trying to activate EX Mode while being attacked. While in the first game it would simply halt the opponent's attack, it now slows down time allowing the player to pummel the opponent instead, though it sacrifices the player's ability to use an EX Burst as it uses up the entire EX Gauge.


Single-player mode

The biggest addition is within the single-player story mode of the game, taking place on a traditional-styled ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...
'' world map, with players being able to experience a story while exploring a world with scenarios and events taking place as the story progresses. Players traverse the 3D world map with parties consisting of up to five characters, with players being able to interact in conversations with the characters. When roaming the map, players will encounter enemies known as "Manikins"; when attacked by an enemy, players will be transported to a battle map where battles will take place. There are specially marked shops on the map. The story mode is also party based, similar to the story progression of ''
Final Fantasy VI also known as ''Final Fantasy III'' from its initial North American release, is a 1994 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Final Fantasy'' s ...
''. In certain scenarios, parties will be predetermined, but in most cases players are free to select their own party. Alongside the game's new story mode, the game also includes the first game's story, which has been remade with the 3D world map as well as additional elements added for the new storyline.
Tetsuya Nomura is a Japanese video game artist, designer and director working for Square Enix (formerly Square). He designed characters for the ''Final Fantasy'' series, debuting with ''Final Fantasy VI'' and continuing with various later installments. Addit ...
, producer and character designer for the game, has said that both storylines played together would result in approximately 60 hours of gameplay.


Plot


Setting and characters

The game's main story revolves around the twelfth cycle of the eternal conflict between the gods Cosmos and
Chaos Chaos or CHAOS may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional elements * Chaos (''Kinnikuman'') * Chaos (''Sailor Moon'') * Chaos (''Sesame Park'') * Chaos (''Warhammer'') * Chaos, in ''Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy'' * Cha ...
, who have both summoned several warriors from different worlds to fight for them in "World B", a mirror dimension to the realm of World A. It features the entire cast of the original ''Dissidia'' with new and tweaked abilities, and introduces nine new playable characters for a total of thirty-one. Six of the new characters are available from the start of the game:
Lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...
, a former soldier and the protagonist of ''
Final Fantasy XIII is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles and later for the Microsoft Windows operating system. Released in Japan in December 2009 and international in March 2010, it is the ...
''; Vaan, a
sky pirate Air pirates (or sky pirates) are a class of stock character from science fiction and fantasy. Description Such characters typically operate as pirates in the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet or moon, and travel by a ...
and the protagonist of ''
Final Fantasy XII is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix. The twelfth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was first released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. It introduced several innovations to the series: an open wo ...
'';
Laguna Loire '' Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various nations and cities. Thirteen weeks after ...
, the man who appears in Squall's dreams and the secondary protagonist of ''
Final Fantasy VIII is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation console. Released in 1999, it is the eighth main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Set on an unnamed fantasy world with science fiction elements, t ...
'';
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,
Tidus is a character (arts), fictional player character, character in Square Enix's ''Final Fantasy'' series and the main protagonist of the 2001 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy X''. Tidus is a 17-year-old from the city of Spira (Final Fantas ...
's love interest and female protagonist of ''
Final Fantasy X is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth main entry in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Originally released in 2001 for PlayStation 2, the game was re-released as ''Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster'' for PlayStat ...
'';
Kain Highwind ''Final Fantasy IV'', a role-playing video game released by Square in 1991, revolves around Cecil Harvey, a knight of Baron who embarks on a quest to defeat Golbez, a man that is controlling the king of Baron. During Cecil's quest, he is join ...
, Cecil Harvey's childhood friend and rival from ''
Final Fantasy IV known as ''Final Fantasy II'' for its initial North American release, is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1991, it is the fourth main instal ...
''; and
Tifa Lockhart is a character (arts), character who debuted in Square (video game company), Square's (now Square Enix) 1997 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy VII''. She was created as a foil to her teammate Aerith Gainsborough by members of the developmen ...
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Cloud Strife is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Square's (now Square Enix's) 1997 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy VII'', its high-definition remake, and several of its sequels and spinoffs. In ''Final Fantasy VII'', Cloud is a m ...
's childhood friend from ''
Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation console. It is the seventh main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Published in Japan by Square, it was released in other regions by Sony Computer Entertai ...
''. The remaining three characters, which can be unlocked through various means of gameplay, are Prishe, a supporting character from ''
Final Fantasy XI also known as ''Final Fantasy XI Online'', is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), originally developed and published by Squaresoft and then published by Square Enix as the eleventh main installment of the ''Final Fantasy ...
'';
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, a recurring villain from ''
Final Fantasy V is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992. It is the fifth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom (known internationally as the Su ...
''; and an alternate form of Chaos. ''Final Fantasy VII''s
Aerith Gainsborough , transliterated as Aeris Gainsborough in the English releases of '' Final Fantasy VII'' and ''Final Fantasy Tactics''—is a fictional character in Square's (now Square Enix) role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy VII''. She was designed by Te ...
is available as an assist-only character (i.e. not fully playable in the game) through the purchase of ''Dissidia 012 Prologus Final Fantasy'' on the PlayStation Network.


Story

During the twelfth cycle, the war is turning in favor of Chaos. Therefore, Cosmos entrusts her warriors with the task of retrieving the crystals that will help them defeat Chaos. However, Cosmos does not foresee Chaos's forces employing an unworldly army of crystalline soldiers known as Manikins, which pose a threat due to their ability to negate the gods' power to revive the warriors after they are killed. Believing their defeat to be inevitable, Kain and the Warrior of Light defeat most of their own allies to stop them from fighting the Manikins and return in the upcoming cycle. Lightning opposes this plan and leads the other active warriors—Vaan, Yuna, Laguna, and Tifa—to stop the Manikins once and for all by sealing the portal from which they emerge, with Kain eventually joining them as well. Though they succeed, Cosmos is reduced to a weakened state after using much of her power to diminish the Manikin army when they attempt to kill her and the Warrior of Light, while Lightning and her group succumb to the Manikins' power and fade away. From there, the game retells the events of ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' where returning warriors for Cosmos participate in the thirteenth cycle that ends the conflict between the gods. Once completing the thirteenth cycle, the player also has access to the third and final arc "Confessions of the Creator", in which Shinryu—a powerful entity that absorbs the warriors' memories and experiences following each cycle—traps Cosmos' comrade, Cid of the Lufaine, in a nightmare world where the cycles never end as punishment for saving Cosmos' warriors from the thirteenth cycle following Chaos' defeat. The player selects five characters to fight Feral Chaos, a stronger incarnation of Chaos, and save the imprisoned Cid from the nightmare world. In addition to the main story is a set of "Reports", most of which follow the other warriors who participate in the thirteenth cycle, explaining their roles before and during that cycle. Prominent characters in these reports include warriors of Cosmos—
Terra Terra may often refer to: * Terra (mythology), primeval Roman goddess * An alternate name for planet Earth, as well as the Latin name for the planet Terra may also refer to: Geography Astronomy * Terra (satellite), a multi-national NASA scienti ...
,
Cloud In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may co ...
and
Tidus is a character (arts), fictional player character, character in Square Enix's ''Final Fantasy'' series and the main protagonist of the 2001 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy X''. Tidus is a 17-year-old from the city of Spira (Final Fantas ...
—who fight for the side of Chaos during the twelfth cycle, and Chaos's warrior Jecht, who appears on the side of Cosmos, with the reports detailing how these characters came to switch sides. Furthermore, the Reports cover other events such as how the Warrior of Light enters the conflict and meets Cosmos's previous warriors Prishe and Shantotto, along with Gilgamesh's misadventures upon stumbling into World B.


Development

Ideas for a sequel to ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' were already conceived shortly after its release in Japan with creative producer Tetsuya Nomura wishing to feature Kain Highwind on it. Development of the game started in August 2009 shortly before the release of ''Dissidia Final Fantasy Universal Tuning'', the international version from the prequel. Director Mitsunori Takahashi stated the team wanted the sequel to have more changes than just new characters. This resulted in changes to gameplay features and the inclusion of new ones. The Assist feature was made to add more entertainment to the fights, as well as to act as a counterbalance to the EX Mode that was the strongest area from the first game. This was done in response to feedback commenting that the EX Mode was too powerful in the original game. The world map was created in order to appeal more the RPG fans. Returning characters had their movesets modified to provide the player with new strategies when fighting. One of the most revised ones was Firion due to feedback from players. Since the original ''Dissidia'' had a concrete conclusion, the staff decided to make its story a prequel and encourage players to revisit ''Dissidia'' once concluding it. Choosing new characters proved difficult as the staff chose them based on their popularity and fighting styles. The amount of new characters was restricted due to memory limitations. Vaan's inclusion met several hardships since his Japanese voice actor,
Kouhei Takeda is a Japanese actor, entertainer and model. He is best known for his roles as Kohei Kitahanada in Fuji TV's ''Hanazakari no Kimitachi e/Ikemen Paradise'' drama, Otoya Kurenai and Kazumi Sawatari in TV Asahi's tokusatsu series ''Kamen Rider Kiva' ...
, was busy at the time. They decided to replace Takeda with
Kenshō Ono is a Japanese voice actor, actor and singer. His most well-known characters are Tetsuya Kuroko, the titular protagonist in the anime series ''Kuroko's Basketball'', Giorno Giovanna in ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', Slaine Troyard in ''Aldnoah.Zer ...
as a result of fan response. Battle system director Takeo Kujiraoka made contact with
Hiroyuki Ito , is a Japanese game producer, director and designer who works for Square Enix. He is known as the director of ''Final Fantasy VI'' (1994), ''Final Fantasy IX'' (2000) and ''Final Fantasy XII'' (2006) and as the creator of the Active Time Batt ...
regarding the character's design and moves based on his ''Final Fantasy XII'' appearances, which was well received by Ito. While designed by Tetsuya Nomura, various of the new alternative outfits the characters were given were based on artworks by
Yoshitaka Amano is a Japanese visual artist, character designer, illustrator, a scenic designer for theatre and film, and a costume designer. He first came into prominence in the late 1960s working on the anime adaptation of ''Speed Racer''. Amano later became ...
, another designer from the ''Final Fantasy'' series.


Downloadable content

Three other Square Enix games, ''Final Fantasy Trading Card Game'', '' Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix'', and ''
The 3rd Birthday is a role-playing shooter co-developed by Square Enix's 1st Production Department and HexaDrive, and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. It was released in Japan in 2010 and in North America and Europe in 2011. The game is the ...
'', give players access to downloadable content in the form of alternate outfits for Vaan, Cloud Strife, and Lightning, respectively. As of June 16, 2011, the PlayStation Network has featured downloadable content for ''Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy'', including character costumes, avatars, and BGM packs.


Music

The music for ''Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy'' was composed by
Takeharu Ishimoto is a Japanese video game composer and musician. Formerly employed by Square Enix, he joined them in 1999 as a synthesizer programmer on ''Legend of Mana'', and worked for them on several games. In 2002, he was promoted to the role of composer, b ...
and features multiple rearrangements from previous ''Final Fantasy'' themes by other composers. The American band
Kidneythieves Kidneythieves are an American industrial rock duo from Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1997 by vocalist Free Dominguez and guitarist/engineer Bruce Somers, and throughout their existence have worked with a revolving door of session m ...
also sang the second part of the Feral Chaos' boss theme song, "God in Fire." Ishimoto wrote the song and requested Kidneythieves' collaboration with them to which the band stated it was entertaining. On March 3, 2011, Square Enix released the ''Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Original Soundtrack'' featuring a total of three discs with the first one having 44, the second one 20, and the third one seven. Track list


Reception

Upon its first week of release ''Dissidia 012'' sold 286,117 units in Japan, topping the
Media Create is a Japanese company that gathers and analyzes data from the digital entertainment industry, specifically focusing on the Japanese console gaming market. Business operations include publishing, market research and consulting. It is a popular webs ...
's charts by replacing Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity, Although it managed first place, ''Dissidia 012'' performed far below its predecessor, The original sold close to 500,000 units in its first week on December 18, 2008. It has sold 465,198 units in Japan as of January 2012. It has received positive reception. ''Dissidia 012'' was scored a 38/40 by ''
Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...
'', composed of a 10, 9, 10, 9 score by the four reviewers, two points higher than the original. ''
PSM3 ''PSM3'' (short for ''PlayStation 3 Magazine'') was a video game magazine specializing in all Sony video game consoles and handheld gaming platforms. It was published by Future plc, a UK-based publishing company. The magazine launched in October ...
'' gave the game an 8.2, calling it an "improvement on the original, with some great ''Final Fantasy'' fan service thrown in."
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
gave the game a 9.0 (one point higher than the original), praising the game's graphics and improved gameplay, but criticizing its story. ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' gave the game a 7, saying the game did not improve any of the battle system problems of the previous game, although the assist system was a good addition, saying it added an extra dimension to what was missing in the first game. ''
GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
'' listed it as the ninth best PlayStation Portable game commenting on how it uses elements from famous RPGs, while IGN listed it third with comments aimed towards its gameplay.


References

;Translations ;References


External links

* * * {{Authority control 012_Final_Fantasy 2011 video games Crossover role-playing video games Fantasy video games Fighting role-playing video games PlayStation Network games PlayStation Portable games PlayStation Portable-only games PlayStation Vita games Square Enix games Fighting games Video game remakes Video game sequels Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Video games scored by Takeharu Ishimoto War video games