Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia is a free-to-play mobile game that released on February 1st and it has honestly blown me away with how good it is. Despite having a similar name to Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, Opera Omnia is actually closer to your typical JRPG experience than that of a pure fighting game. Both a mini review and a few highlights of what I’ve enjoyed so far, I hope this piece will encourage a few more people to check it out.
So, first and foremost, this edition of Dissidia comes jam packed with more than just the standard selection of Dissidia characters. I’m up to date as far as normal and event content is concerned, and I have a roster of 26 heroes. Various sources (unfortunately nothing official yet) indicate the the maximum number of characters that will become available sits somewhere around 80. 80! This makes me incredibly happy for a number of reasons.
Secondly, the ratio of male to female characters on the full roster is pretty well even (maybe 3 or 4 more male characters, but they’re getting there). Not to mention characters crucial to the vast Final Fantasy world that never made it to Dissidia are now playable. In the initial roster, Shadow, Edge, Penelo, Vivi and Rem are my absolute favourites. They would have got even more points for diversity had Quina (from Final Fantasy IX) been included. I think this game really came through with visibility of ALL the characters that made each game memorable, and I’m looking forward to unlocking them in subsequent chapters and events. The addition of Final Fantasy Type 0, XI, Crisis Core and XII were great decisions also.
The importance of the crystals in empowering your characters is also apparent in the Crystal Strength section of the menu. You collect the crystals to buff HP, defence, maximum Bravery (BRV) and a whole lot more. The fact that there are 6 elements present also makes me happy, 6 out of 8 was a win in my eyes (looking at the colours, water and lightning are missing).
The battle system and world are the next two things that stood out to me. The story is set up in chapters, each one with a different map to explore and conquer. The backgrounds are gorgeous, but what I like most is the honeycomb node arrangement that you navigate. It took me back to the original Dissidia. You progress by interacting with the enemy and cutscene symbols that progressively dispel the mist keeping it hidden.
The multiplayer combat style is so much better utilised in this game’s 3 character PvE, compared to the 3 vs 3 PvP in NT. You don’t have to worry about movement and the conditional turn based battle is very similar to Final Fantasy X. This doesn’t make it simple however, as a mistimed HP attack can still end up causing a BRV break which will set you back with some of the harder bosses.
The best thing about this game is that it’s free. What adds to the success of this point is that the pay to win element (purchasing additional currency in game) is an afterthought. The game generously rewards progression with the currency you can use to buy and upgrade equipment for your roster of heroes. There is also a great opening promotion available to new players until February 28th. Whilst additional characters will be free for Opera Omnia (nothing I have discovered indicates that they will cost anything so far), the critic in me has a sneaking suspicion they may end up as paid DLC for NT. If you’re not keen on Dissidia NT, Opera Omnia provides a free and portable alternative to whet your appetite while weighing up the pros and cons. There’s plenty to do in the playable content available so far, and the events seem to be in regular supply. Assemble your team and fight for the light!
About the Author
Jakob Quilligan
Jake hails from Bendigo where his console of choice is the PS4, closely followed by the Nintendo 3DS. Anime and volunteering tend to keep him occupied, though his staffy/ rotty/ husky cross named Iris keeps him busy first and foremost.
