Nearly 10 years after being announced as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Square Enix finally released Final Fantasy XV to a largely positive response, especially given how "western" the game seemed to play. The hope would be that, with it finally out the door, Square Enix would be solely focused on getting the long gestating Kingdom Hearts III and the Final Fantasy VII Remake out the door.
Looks like that won't be the case now with Square's latest announcement before E3 kicks off. That said, it's one that should get some loyal Final Fantasy fans excited.
Dissidia
Square Enix has announced that it's bringing its arcade game, Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT, to PlayStation 4. The game originally released back in 2015 as an arcade cabinet that was exclusive to Japan. The updated game will feature 20 playable characters from the Final Fantasy series, including Noctis from Final Fantasy XV, in a team-based brawler. It also included series stars like Cloud, Sephiroth, Lightning, and Terra Branford as fighters in the game.
Dissidia was the result of a partnership between Square Enix and Team Ninja, the studio behind the Ninja Gaiden series. It is also the third game to carry the Dissidia brand on it, with two previous games being released on PlayStation Portable. Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 were among the handful of gems that dotted the PSP's lifespan, but never saw a major console release until this announcement.
A New Take On A Classic Series
As mentioned above, Dissidia is a group brawler, pitting players in 3v3 battles. However, it doesn't play like more mainstream fighters asTekken or Mortal Kombat do, but instead plays like Final Fantasy XV with the over-the-shoulder combat and spells. The trailer released with the announcement provides the best look at that combat, showing just how chaotic matches look to be.
And while the game carries the Dissidia title, it is not a sequel to the previous PSP games. The game is a reboot of the series, telling a new story that will pit these characters against one another. It doesn't hurt that the writer is Kazushige Nojima who penned Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Kingdom Hearts, showing Square's desire to keep a certain level of quality.
Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT doesn't have a set release date, but is targeting an early 2018 timeframe.
