We’ve learned some new information regarding Square Enix’s curious new arcade title, Dissidia Final Fantasy.
First up, the game is actually being developed by Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja (with Square Enix overseeing it), and the core hardware used for the game’s development turns out to be the Playstation 4. Square Enix also confirmed a Japanese release in various arcades this fall, during their Dissidia Final Fantasy Closed Conference today.
A tease from Sony Computer Entertainment Japan president Atsushi Morita also came up, in which the boss expressed his interest in bringing the game to home consoles – and that he is in talks with Square Enix to make this happen. However, Square Enix producer Ichiro Hazama pointed out that the publisher is going to keep the game exclusive to arcades, for at least a year, before a port can happen.
The confirmed roster of fighters include: Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII), Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII), Onion Knight (Final Fantasy III), Terra Branford (Final Fantasy VI), Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy I), and Y’Shtola (Final Fantasy XIV). Ramza Beoulve was also confirmed (the protagonist of Final Fantasy Tactics).
We also got a look at the game’s arcade cabinet:
Players will be able to make use of dual arcade sticks, as well as the four PlayStation face buttons for various abilities and actions. Square Enix showed the game off during their press conference, running on Playstation 4 hardware, at 60 frames per second. The publisher also confirmed that a location test will kick off in Japan on April 17th.
We’ve gotten some more details (via the game’s official website) on the gameplay within the fighter:
The HUD within the game includes: 1. Playtime 2. Battle Log 3. Teammate Status 4. Player Status 5. HP 6. Target Line 7. Break Bonus 8. Mini-Map 9. Enemy Team Information and finally 10. Chat Icon.
HP and Brave Attacks were detailed. While HP attacks will reduce your opponent’s HP, the amount of HP damage you can deal is shown as the Break Bonus stat (in the top right of the above screen). Brave Attacks can leech off your enemy’s Break Bonus. EX Skills were detailed, which are essentially support skills like “Protect,” “Slow,” and even character specific skills like Cloud’s “Limit Break” or Tina’s “Trance.”
Your enemy’s Braves can be stolen via a Brave Attack. Players can also gather large numbers of Braves, via a Brave Break. Gobbling up all of your enemy’s Braves will net you a bonus. Character customization was also shown off, where you can manipulate your character’s abilities, status, and so on, via a dedicated smartphone app.
Beast summons were detailed. All members of your team (battles are three vs. three) share a cumulative Summon Gauge, and upon filling it, all combatants are able to join together and bring fourth a summon, which acts as a temporary fourth teammate. Your summon beasts have auto-attacks and abilities, which naturally can help turn the tide of battle.
Finally, Square Enix confirmed that routine post-launch updates are coming to Dissidia Final Fantasy. These include new characters, battle music, stages, custom parts, new gameplay systems, and of course – balancing.
Additional sources: Famitsu, Games Talk, Inside Games.
A new trailer for the game was also revealed:
