Here is a game I’ve wanted to talk about for a long while, which marks about as long as I’ve had a Galaxy Note 8… about 6 or so months. As a background, I wasn’t always positive about phone games, at least until I wanted to test the meddle of my mobile hardware/software, and so I decided to test that with whatever title popped out at me. First among those was this pocket-sized collection of Final Fantasy lore & story, created almost exclusively to make up for Square-Enix’s momentary nostalgia cash-cow, All The Bravest.
As you might imagine, this title came directly off the release of Dissidia NT, the arcade cab game brought to the PS4 last February. Much separates these two titles though, despite sharing a name entry from the franchise.
Dissidia Opera Omnia dives back into a system known to most anyone that’s ever played a Final Fantasy title, at least up through XIII; Turn-Based Combat.
The game allows the player to pick whatever combination of 3 characters from FF history the game has out, which is only limited by the player’s progression in the main story for the game (getting to that in a second), as well as for any special events that occur upon a weekly basis.
Unlike the NT console game, that list goes on and on, placing characters onto the field from entries as familiar as Final Fantasy 9 (my picked favorite) and possibly as lesser-seen as Final Fantasy 0 (3 characters & counting are in my stash).
Currently, my favorite team to use is Vivi, Zidane, and Steiner. For the storyline provided in the game, currently divided into 9 chapters, our cast is set upon finding out why exactly they are here in this thrown-together world, with each area being a mixture of places each set of characters are vaguely familiar with. Each new chapter provides different members for players to discover, as well as more depth into the story Dissidia NT was lacking in.
For myself, the battle system is so familiar from the games I grew up playing, that, along with the collection of faces, it’s an easy nostalgia trip to make. As a companion piece to Dissidia NT, it gives a narrative depth where the console game was more action oriented. The story itself also is surprisingly long for a free game, and while it doesn’t hold a candle to the core titles, Opera Omnia goes its own way and does well in keeping me entertained, not only providing me plenty for my breaks from work/writing with battle after battle, but building relations with its dozens of cut-scenes in between. Some of the best parts for me are the little scenes where franchise characters are reunited; sometimes really cheesy, but also can dive into being a nice segway.
So, Final Fantasy fans, if you’re looking for a game you can play without buying an older entry again (and the Google Store has pretty much everything up to 9), this is one to sink your teeth into. I’ve yet seen real reason to throw money at the game for the gems regularly earned daily for logging in or on the battlefield, unlike All The Bravest where it made or broke the game with its paid Gacha-system. Most characters that come through, you can earn in 1 battle plus two cut-scenes as to why they choose to join up. It’s a fun getaway, and I, for one, look forward to seeing where it ends up.
Currently: Chapter 9 throws us back into the skies above where our cast encounters Baron’s own Airship Army, complete with a familiar foe joining the ranks… As well, this or next week, Kuja from Final Fantasy IX is up for unlocking, but you better hurry! Character Events usually last about 2 weeks, but one never knows.
That’s all for this week’s Look into Mobile Games. Tune in soon for why Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is the perfect version of everything the franchise has to offer.
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Reporting From 20XX 