Dissidia Opera Omnia is a friendlier take on Dissidia Final Fantasy

The Dissidia Final Fantasy games can be complicated, to say the least. Different characters from various worlds all come together in a single installment to fight it out. The battle system changes slightly between entries. The cast is occasionally shook up. Given that and the gaps from one release to the next, and it may seem like getting into the series is a daunting task. Fortunately, there is one installment that makes things a little more simpler: Dissidia Opera Omnia. Even better, it is a free option easily accessible on multiple platforms.

Each Dissidia installment has a basic premise that basically revolves around gods representing order and chaos summoning respective champions to accomplish their goals. Dissidia Opera Omnia is no different. Here, the gods are Materia, light goddess of machinery, and Spiritus, dark god of magic. Their land is supposed to be a resting place for their agents. However, Torsions are appearing, portals that essentially allow enemies to spill in and have the potential to destroy the land. So, our cause is a little simpler and easier to understand in this side story. The resting realm is being ripped asunder, and participating in battles in each area will help stabilize the region and save the day.

The nature of each region help make Dissidia Opera Omnia more manageable. Everything is clearly laid out in front of a player. You can see where battles are, which icons will have story segments, spaces that will give you a new character, treasure spots and even areas that advance the story so you can reach new areas. You can choose the order in which you take on each segment, offering a level of control over your progress and character growth. The easy to understand user interface is a big help.

This clarity extends to the battle system. Dissidia as long been a series with Brave and HP attacks. Bravery guards characters from taking critical hits. By unleashing Brave attacks, you make it easier to break through enemies’ defenses and build up the strength of HP attacks. HP attacks allow you to actually deal damage to enemies and eliminate them from a fight. It is a concept that might take some time to really grasp in traditional installments, especially ones like Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, where so much is happening on-screen at once. Dissidia Opera Omnia and its UI distills things down to its simplest source. You can see how high your HP attack would be and if it would be enough to wipe out the targeted opponent. It is easy to determine if an opponent’s Bravery has been depleted.

Even the way the battles are organized make things easier to manage. The wall hits are there and we have the three person teams, just as main Dissidia entries offer. But in Dissidia Opera Omnia, we have more traditional, turn-based fights. While this takes away the fighting game elements that make this spin-off unique, it does make the game actually manageable on mobile devices and lends to its user-friendly approach. We are better able to plot out our moves and fights, using special skills and summons as needed, something encouraged by battle objectives that reward players for using certain characters or finishing foes within a certain number of moves.

Speaking of characters, there is better representation in Dissidia Opera Omnia. All of the important, returning Dissidia heroes are there. They are joined by lots of other new faces from Final Fantasy. All of them are free to acquire. Most join as part of the story. Many join from permanent or time-limited events. Each of them may have special weapons or equipment tied to them, but can also use other characters’ items if they are the correct type. It is easy to build a stable of warriors, switching them in and out as needed or to fit strategic situations.

Dissidia Opera Omnia has the concept behind the Dissidia spin-off down. The story focuses on a balance between light and dark being disrupted, resulting in a world being in peril. We have all sorts of iconic characters brought together as a result, with many appearing in this series for the first time. The UI makes it easy to see all objectives and tackle them as we see fit, and the battle system has clear parameters and encourages people to fight strategically. It may not be identical to its other console or handheld kin, but it is a friendly way to introduce people to Dissidia’s basics.