I miss Final Fantasy Dissidia. It’s one of the first games that got me spending over 400 hours of game time on my PlayStation Portable, second only to my time with Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. If I wasn’t playing Persona 3 Portable or Patapon, I’d be switching between Dissidia and Monster Hunter. Both great games that helped me during my high school years back in the day.
Dissidia was a real treat for someone that enjoyed the Final Fantasy series. I admit, even before I played Dissidia, I barely knew who these characters were except for the more popular icons like Cloud from Final Fantasy VII and Squall from Final Fantasy 8.
I used to play Dissidia with my friends. AdHoc was the jam back then and most of the time it doesn’t function properly, but we always make do. I used to main The Emperor from Final Fantasy II (because he's busted) and as a huge fan of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud Strife was always my go-to pick in serious competitions.
I didn’t grow up with Final Fantasy, but after seeing unfamiliar characters like Firion from Final Fantasy II or Golbez from Final Fantasy 4m, it really got me curious. Watching these characters do aura-farming anime moments in-game piqued my interest, so I had to look up for these games and had it illegally downloaded on my PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. It would be stupid not to play their respective entries.
As someone who’s only known a few Final Fantasy entries, getting to know these cast of characters from less-known Final Fantasy titles really had me looking up about them. Dissidia was the real gateway that fills my Final Fantasy obsession, and it was only after I rolled through its campaign that I realized how much I missed out from this beloved franchise.
I was so obsessed with Final Fantasy I had to read every lore entry in-game. Dissidia had this nifty little compendium where you get to know who these characters are, the lore behind Summons like Ifrit and Shiva, as well as a few weapons and items that series veterans would know. I practically became a Final Fantasy expert (in a way) overnight.
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons why I enjoyed Dissidia so much wasn’t because of its arcade-y fighting gameplay. It was because of how it seamlessly puts all these cast of characters into one isekai universe and had them actually interact with each other. Watching Cloud Strife go on a brood-fest with Squall was something that wasn't in my bingo card back in the day. It felt like one of those childhood memories where you play with random toy soldiers and let them duke it out for whatever reason you come up with.
The music was also something I deeply enjoyed. I’ve always been a fan of videogame music back in the day and it’s all thanks to games like Persona and Kingdom Hearts. Dissidia has the iconic tracks from all Final Fantasy entries. I used to make sure the battle theme always plays songs I loved like Final Fantasy 4's Red Wings or Final Fantasy XIII's "Blinded by Light." Facing against Sephiroth as Final Fantasy X’s Tidus with One Winged Angel playing in the background felt so surreal.
Some of these memories are just from the first Dissidia game alone. God knows how many hours I’ve spent on its sequel, Duodecim. By the time it Dissidia Duodecim came out, I had already played most of the mainline Final Fantasy entries, and seeing these characters get isekai'd into Dissidia like Tifa Lockhart and Lightning felt like seeing old friends.
It’s such a shame that Square Enix decided to squander the IP. It would’ve been Square’s competitor against Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. series. If the upcoming Mobile Game doesn’t feel a tad bit similar to what we’ve had with these PlayStation Portable classics, then Dissidia will forever be just a memory for me.
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