Of all the games that could have debuted this collection on my website I never would have guessed it would be a Dissidia game of all things, let along the new mobile game. There was a lot of criticism directed at this game for it coming off as a cash-grab, watering down the longstanding Dissidia subseries to simple taps on a touchscreen. Little did I know how much fun the core gameplay would be, and while it is a far cry from the Dissidias of days gone by, there’s a lot to love about this game.

First, the characters. I absolutely adore the new designs of the Final Fantasy cast, now dressed to the nines in modern outfits that put them right in the middle of urban Japan (I think the city is based on Shibuya but they mention Ginza a lot, which I’m not sure is a made-up name). They have good representation here, with classic characters like the Warrior of Light from FF1 to some newer faces like Gaia from FFXIV and Prompto from FFXV. Each character plays how you would expect based on their home games and it’s fun to try them out to see which gameplay style clicks with you. Personally, I’ve been repping my girl Terra from FFVI.

The story, while not much to write home about, is entertaining at the very least, sprinkled in cutscenes and phone texts as you make your way through the season pass. You can also get various rewards for your efforts, such as growth eggs to enhance your abilities, ability tickets to summon new moves for the cast, and mog points that can be spent on summoning as well. It’s pretty standard gacha affair from what I’ve seen, if the promotions and notification-like UI doesn’t plainly give it away.

Probably the most devisive change the developers made was to turn Dissidia into a PVP game, when Final Fantasy as a whole is primarily known for being a single-player experience (barring FFXI and FFIV of course). This change immediately alienates a large chunk of fans, especially those coming back from the glory days of the PSP games. By the same token, I believe this change has brought in a slew of new fans, namely those interested in the MOBA genre of games. Suffice to say I haven’t played a game quite like this since my League of Legends days in the 2010s, although the community here is significantly friendlier and more welcoming. Battles are fought in a 3v3 arena where the objective is for both teams to take down the big boss that roams around the arena. Players can also kill each other as well to accrue bravery points, which is the only way to deal damage to the boss. It’s easier to see in motion than to explain, but what this results in is a game that is fast-paced, strategic, and over in about 3 to 4 minutes. The rush of excitement makes you want to queue up for another game regardless of how the last match ended.

Despite the enticing main game-mode, there is a noticeable lack of single-player content for players to munch on. The core game design really does revolve around the ranked PVP mode, and while there are some single-player challenges on the side to do for completion, it’s pretty obvious they were made as an afterthought compared to the main attraction. It’s a baffling decision for long-time fans of the series, but I can only assume that Square Enix designed it this way to maximize their cash flow. I can only hope they don’t take this game into a nose-dive with the powercreep or pay-to-win business models. I understand that whales will be whales, but the game is still enjoyable and fairly balanced with the current roster. I say this as someone who just entered the Gold-5 rank.

I’m excited to see where things go from here, but I’m fully aware that Square Enix isn’t exactly known for supporting their mobile experiences very well. It does looks like they put quite a bit of effort into this entry however, so I will remain hopeful. On the other hand, if this opening launch of the game ends up being the peak of my experience moving forward, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Still, it is nice to see Dissidia back in the limelight again, even if that limelight may be coming from the glass of a smartphone.