Dissidia NT, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy franchise based fighting game, has its final open beta test currently live on the PSN store for all PS4 owners. The beta opened on the 12 January and will run until the 21 January. If you were thinking of getting it or if you’ve always wondered what the Dissidia games are all about then now is your opportunity to give it a try. Only a limited amount of content is available in the beta which will vary a little during the beta period with different modes and characters being made available at different times.
The online mode for this game looks intriguing. However, there appears, at first sight, to be a lack of single player content, which seems to be a growing trend of late, with only the story mode and gauntlet mode to keep offline players entertained. Character and player levels currently appear to be capped at 3 which make it hard to judge player and character progression, at this stage. As in most current fighting games, a loot box style feature has been implemented with treasures collectable as battle and level progression rewards which can then be redeemed for skins, icons and other cosmetic items. There is also an in game currency, obviously Gil, which can be traded in in the shop for more rewards. However, the shop function is not currently part of the beta, and so earned Gil cannot currently be traded in.
Having played a few hours of the beta, the combat does feel fun and the visuals certainly look appealing. There are a decent range of maps to fight in. The wider more open maps work better for ranged characters, whereas the plat-formed and terraced maps seem to play more to a melee character’s strengths. It’s worth baring that in mind when you choose your battles. The controls don’t seem to feel quite as smooth and intuitive as I remember from previous Dissidia games. Despite the dash button, navigating the maps while pursuing enemies can, sometimes, feel a little clumsy and frustrating.
During this beta only, players without a PS+ subscription can play the game online but a subscription will be required for the full game when launched. The full game will launch on January 30th. Will I be picking up? I’ve yet to decide, but if I do, I’ll be sure to share my findings here.
