Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy​, is the prequel to Dissidia Final Fantasy. It is playable on the PlayStation Portable (and the PlayStation Vita due to backwards compatibility) and was released in Japan on March 3rd, 2011. Most of North America, save Canada, which had been delayed due to a shipping error, received the game on March 22nd, 2011. Australia, Europe, and Canada received the game on March 25th, 2011. Taiwan received the game on May 10th, 2011, and it is now available to the rest of the world.

Gameplay
The gameplay of Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy​ is similar to the original's, featuring all of the original gameplay elements, characters, and arenas. Fighters will attack to steal Bravery from opponents, which increases their own, as a character lands Bravery attacks.

By reducing an opponent's Bravery below zero, they inflict Break status, preventing the opponent from inflicting Bravery or HP damage until their Bravery regenerates to a base amount, while the one who inflicted Break gets a large boost in Bravery from the Stage. When an HP attack connects with the opponent, they take damage equal to the attacking player's Bravery. By collecting EX Force, characters can enter EX Mode, boosting their strength, adding exclusive abilities and letting them execute EX Bursts similar to Limit Breaks. New summons, arenas, music tracks, and characters have been included.

Despite the similarities, many changes were made and features were added. One of the main new gameplay features is the Assist system, which allows characters to call an ally into battle to attack, allowing new combos to be created by chaining the two characters' moves in different fashions. The Assist system acts as a counterbalance mechanic to the EX Mode system, as landing an Assist attack can deplete the opponent's EX gauge and as you enter EX Mode, the opponent's assist gauge is depleted.

The EX gauge can also be utilized to execute a new technique titled "EX Revenge," which will slow down the opponent's movement for several seconds at the cost of consuming the EX gauge without entering EX Mode. Several characters have gained new attacks since the original Dissidia, and several returning moves have had their properties changed.

Firion, Kefka and Shantotto in particular have been stated to be heavily rebalanced. Several other small tweaks have been implemented as well. A character's HP can now exceed the normal limit of 9999 - characters have been shown to be able to exceed even over 99,999 HP, meaning the new HP Limit could be 999,999; at the start of the game if the player says they are a master they will be put into a battle against a Level 130 Feral Chaos, who has 125,698 HP.

The extra damage dealt by Wall Rush has been reduced to 25% of the base damage from the original 50%. Chase Sequences are much faster and absorb the EX Force around when entering chase or continuing the chase. Critical Hits now do twice the normal damage instead of quintuple.

Players are given the choice between "Action mode" or "RPG Mode" before starting the game. "RPG Mode" is essentially a renamed version of Command Mode from Dissidia and is aimed at making the game more accessible for players who are not used to action-based games.

"Party" battles are introduced, in which five characters from each side face each other. A "Watch" Mode allows players who are not participating in current battles to watch them on their PSP. The characters can be assigned profiles based on the Job System to help them in battle, such as Black Mages receiving a boost to the power of magic attacks.

Dissidia 012 features a story structure similar to the original game's Destiny Odysseys, and includes the ability to play as the warriors of Chaos as well. The story mode utilizes a different method of storyline gameplay than the original Dissidia; a World Map is used rather than tiled boards, and players are able to form parties and wander the world freely. However, when the player enters a dungeon, the gameplay is reverted to that of the board of the first Dissidia.

The player can use skills in dungeons like straight chain, which sets up in the player's line of sight (specifically a cross around the player) in a chain of battles. Completing the chain earns extra KP or Kupo Points. Kupo Points are used to buy items from Moogles on the world map. Before entering a dungeon players have a choice to lower their level. If the player completes a dungeon below the bonus line limit, they'll earn bonuses such as extra KP and items. Player levels can be restored after leaving a dungeon.

The map layout is based on the original Final Fantasy. Depending on the story mode, players can either form their own parties, or they are predetermined by the storyline.

The "Skills" command returns. Treasure chests, enemies, shops and other features can be encountered on the map. The enemy system is similar to Final Fantasy XII or Final Fantasy XIII, where enemies are visible on the map and approaching one initiates battle. Enemies can attack the player while on the world map. If, however, the player attacks the enemy, the enemy's initial Bravery at the start of the subsequent battle will be zero, effectively allowing the player a preemptive strike. Other in-battle mechanics, such as Quickmove, are included on the world map gameplay. Players can also create their own scenarios using creation mode. Tetsuya Nomura has stated that it takes around 60 hours to beat the game.

Rules have been added that increases use of an ability or makes the battle more of a challenge. The rules include: EX-centric, AST-centric, BRV-centric, official, official (skill), and the player has the ability to create their own unique rules.

The player also has the ability to creates his/her own unique quest. The player creates the dialogue and match-ups. The player can also choose the Background music and effects in dialogue along with what kind of battle style the player wants (tournament or round-robin).

The storyline of the original Dissidia, adapted to the new story gameplay mechanics, is playable after the new storyline of Dissidia 012 has been completed.

Dissidia Save Data Import
When starting a new game, save data from the original Dissidia can be transferred to Dissidia 012. Players are able to choose between a New Game+ option, which will retain character levels, abilities, accessory slots, AP, Player Icons, and bought PP Catalog items, and an option that will retain all of the above except for levels, abilities, and AP. Equipment, accessories, and summons may not be transferred. As a bonus for transferring save data, the player will receive an "Elixir Pack"; a mix of Dusty Elixirs, Elixirs, and a single Hi-Elixir.

However, if the game has been installed into the Memory Stick (also known as Data-Install in the game), this function is unavailable.

Setting
All arenas present in the original Dissidia are back, with seven new additions: Orphan's Cradle, Sky Fortress Bahamut, the Crystal Tower, the M.S. Prima Vista, Pandaemonium - Top Floor, the Phantom Train, and the Empyreal Paradox. It had been stated there would be as many new stages as there would be new characters, and it has since been revealed that the games that did not receive new characters would instead receive new arenas. The M.S. Prima Vista, Pandaemonium - Top Floor, Phantom Train, and Crystal Tower stages cannot be purchased in the catalog until after the main scenario of 012 has been completed, but they have no Omega versions.

Characters
All twenty-two playable characters in the original Dissidia return. In addition to the original roster, nine new characters have been included: Kain from Final Fantasy IV, Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII, Tifa from Final Fantasy VII, Vaan from Final Fantasy XII, Laguna from Final Fantasy VIII, Yuna from Final Fantasy X, Prishe from Final Fantasy XI, and Gilgamesh from Final Fantasy V, and introducing a new Dissidia-original playable character: Feral Chaos, a form of the game's main antagonist, Chaos. Aerith from Final Fantasy VII is included as an Assist character for people who buy the demo, Dissidia Duodecim Prologus.

The original ten Warriors of Chaos, along with Shantotto, Gabranth, Prishe, Gilgamesh, and Feral Chaos have to be purchased in the PP Catalog before they can be used. The ten Chaos warriors, along with Shantotto and Gabranth, are available in the catalog from the start, while the others have to be unlocked at certain parts of Story Mode before they can be purchased. Unlockable characters from the original Dissidia remain unlocked if data is imported using New Game+.

Main Scenario 012
Main Scenario 012 has nine chapters, centered around the new characters (excluding Gilgamesh and Prishe), and their journey to end the conflict. The game begins with the six new characters traveling to Sanctuary to meet up with Cosmos and the other warriors. Cosmos gathers her warriors together and imbues them with her own power, which will eventually coalesce into a crystal which in turn will help her warriors stop Chaos and bring an end to the conflict. The six new characters remain as a group once all the warriors scatter, and are confronted by Kuja and Kefka. Lightning tells her five compatriots to flee before taking Kuja on alone. Upon defeating him, she is taunted about her lack of memory by Kefka, which in turn starts her thinking about the real nature of the conflict.

On her way to Sanctuary to catch up with the others she encounters Kain and a gravely injured Bartz. Bartz reveals that Kain attacked him, but before she can get more details Lightning is forced to battle against Kain herself. At the conclusion of the battle Garland and Exdeath appear; Kain escapes with Bartz before Lightning can question him. Exdeath pursues Kain, while Garland informs Lightning of a horde of manikins and tells her to enjoy the time she has left to her.

During Vaan's solo travels he encounters Terra, whom he is reluctant to battle. After defeating her he continues on his journey, but encounters her again while she is being tormented by Kefka. Vaan rescues Terra from Kefka and the two of them set out on their journey together; when she realizes that Vaan is a warrior of Cosmos, Terra pleads with him to kill her so she no longer has to fight for Chaos. Vaan instead encourages and inspires her, telling her that she can choose her own path. He eventually tells her to lay low and wait for him somewhere (apparently at at the Rift) until he can return for her, then heads off to join his other comrades.

Laguna crosses paths with Vaan again, but becomes lost in the World of Darkness and encounters the Cloud of Darkness. They battle, but Laguna is crippled afterward with severe leg cramp issues. Intrigued by his behavior and his insistence that he isn't fighting "for" anyone, but only to end the conflict and go home, the Cloud of Darkness reveals that the manikins are spilling out of a portal to the Rift, and is curious to see what manner of death he chooses for himself. She departs, and Laguna immediately sets off to tell the others what he's learned.

While waiting, Terra is attacked by manikins; in the ensuing fight she is gravely wounded. With the last of her energy she stumbles into Order's Sanctuary, fainting at Cosmos' feet. Sensing her desire to protect her friends and end the conflict, Cosmos frees her of her obligations to Chaos and permits her to choose which side she wants to fight for when she reawakens.

Yuna, who has been journeying with Jecht, becomes separated from him and lost within Pandaemonium. While trying to find her way out she encounters Tidus; she remembers him instantly, but he has no recollection of her. She pursues him to find him facing off against his father. She intervenes, claiming that Tidus will remember everything if she can only talk to him. Her attempts are cut short by the arrival of The Emperor, who attempts to attack her; Tidus jumps in front of her, though, and is gravely wounded by the Flare spell meant for her. Furious, Yuna engages the Emperor in conflict, but when the fight is over she finds that Jecht has sacrificed himself to save Tidus' life. As the Emperor vanishes with Jecht's body, she vows to stay with Tidus until he remembers who she is. At this point Vaan and Laguna find Yuna, who fills them in on all the happenings thus far.

Meanwhile, Lightning makes it to Order's Sanctuary and informs Cosmos of Kain's betrayal. She insists that the warriors of Cosmos cannot possibly win this war; unexpectedly, the Warrior of Light agrees with her and, much to her startlement, turns his blade against her. They cross swords, but Cosmos implores them to stop fighting and orders the Warrior of Light to reveal what he knows. The Warrior explains that he and Kain have accepted that they cannot win the war during this cycle, so they have devised a plan to put their fellow warriors "to sleep" to give them more time to achieve their crystals and finally defeat Chaos. Lightning is completely disgusted by the revelation and refuses to have any part of it. At this point Laguna, Vaan, and Yuna arrive; Laguna tells the others of the existence of the portal to the Rift, and the foursome decide that instead of being "put to sleep" they will find this door to the Rift and destroy it.

While Cosmos' warriors discussed the origin of the manikins, Sephiroth set out to confront Tifa, after Kefka told him that fighting someone from his homeworld would probably trigger more hidden memories than an average fight. Before he can cut her down, though, Cloud intervenes and challenges Sephiroth to protect Tifa. After Sephiroth departs, Tifa questions over whether or not she has ever met Cloud; Cloud lies and says no, to ensure that she does not remember him. At some point after this Cloud elects to face Chaos himself, alone, on the grounds that defeating Chaos was the one thing nobody had tried yet. Chaos defeats him easily, and as he begins to fade he pleads with Cosmos to protect Tifa; Cosmos hears his plea, and takes Cloud as one of her chosen warriors in the next cycle of battle.

Kain journeys for some time with Firion, but eventually turns on him to put him to sleep as well; no sooner does he do so than he encounters Exdeath, who has been trailing him to find out where he is hiding the sleeping warriors. After defeating Exdeath and hiding Firion, Kain encounters Tifa who has been struggling with Ultimecia. Kain saves Tifa, but she confronts him over Ultimecia's claims that he has turned traitor and is attacking his own side. Kain refuses to tell Tifa the truth, but she tells him that she'll travel with him in spite of this. Together they head off to join the others in closing the portal to the Rift, traveling deep into the Land of Discord.

En route to the Rift, the six warriors encounter Exdeath and Golbez, who inform them of the horde of manikins set to attack Cosmos' throne directly. Realizing there is no way they can get back to Sanctuary in time, they hurry on to find the door to the Rift, leaving Kain behind to stall Exdeath and Golbez. The other five find their goal, but are intercepted by Garland, the Emperor, the Cloud of Darkness, Kefka, and Ultimecia for one final battle. Eventually Chaos' minions depart, knowing there is no way the five heroes can survive the manikins' onslaught. The warriors realize that their battles will end here, coming to terms with this before Yuna, Vaan, Laguna, and Tifa charge into battle. Lightning lingers back, long enough for Kain to catch up with them before joining the fray.

Despite battling untold numbers of manikins, the party falls, one by one, overwhelmed by the sheer force facing them and still surrounded by countless enemies. Before Lightning collapses, she witnesses the closing of the door to the Rift, showing that she and her compatriots succeeded in their goal; this is the last thing she sees before she too falls in battle. Back at the Sanctuary, the Warrior of Light is battling alone against a vast swarm of manikins, but he too is being worn down by the relentless assault. He stumbles, dropping his shield, and it looks as though he too will be finished off as a False Stalwart attacks. To his surprise and dismay, however, Cosmos intervenes, using her power to destroy the horde of manikins at the cost of her own life. She vanishes, just as the Warrior passes out.

An unknown amount of time later the Warrior comes to, finding himself on a barren plateau of land surrounded by the unmoving bodies of the nine remaining warriors of Cosmos as well as Cosmos herself. As he looks up the golden body of Shinryu sweeps down from the heavens, gathering up all the fallen to purify them for the next cycle. He turns to see the six fallen warriors, hovering in midair; as he watches, they vanish one by one. Before Lightning vanishes entirely she gives him a nod, knowing that he will be able to end the conflict in the next cycle. As she disappears the Warrior falls to his knees, then collapses completely, to be gathered up by Shinryu and taken to the next cycle.

Music
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Original Soundtrack was released on March 2nd, 2011, on three CDs. A Firstcut Limited Edition version was also released (three CDs and a DVD). The soundtrack features arranged music from the series, rearranged by Takeharu Ishimoto.

Summons
Eight additional summons have been added to Dissidia 012: Brynhildr, Calcabrina, Syldra, Ultima, Land Worm, Hecatoncheir, Giant of Babil, and Zalera.

Equipment
Dissidia 012 features a diverse array of equipment, much of it coming from various Final Fantasy games in the series. Many of the items on the lists below have additional game history linked to them:
 * List of Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Weapons, see also Shop List (Weapons)
 * List of Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Armor, see also Shop List (Armor)
 * List of Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Accessories, see also Shop List (Accessories)
 * List of Dissidia 012 Equipment Combinations

Equipment is obtained through various means: The in-game shop, Moogle Shops on the World Map, the battlegen system, treasure chests, and drops from enemy encounters. A few items are exclusive to Labyrinth mode, Arcade Mode, and Prologus save transfers. Finally, Artifacts can also be created during combat vs. online opponents or their Friend Cards.

Development
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy was announced in the Japanese magazine Shonen Jump in early September 2010. It had previously been hinted at by the Dissidia development team, who stated they would love to make a sequel, and that the decision would depend on the first installment's success; and JD Cullum, Kuja's English voice actor, who offhandedly stated he had recorded his lines for Dissidia 012 in the summer of 2010. Judging from statements by the other voice actors, it appears the whole English script of Dissidia 012 was recorded at the start of summer 2010.

According to an interview between Takashi Arakawa and Yoshinori Kitase (director, writer, and producer of Dissidia) with a German gaming site, Kitase stated a sequel would be "very interesting," and might even include Kingdom Hearts characters, although it would still have to be discussed with Disney. Tetsuya Nomura has stated that for a potential sequel, he would like to include Kain Highwind, Gilgamesh, and Sazh Katzroy, but would not include Kingdom Hearts characters. Nomura had previously expressed a desire to have Kain and Lightning in the first Dissidia, but they were left out.

Dissidia Duodecim Prologus Final Fantasy
On January 18th, 2011, Square Enix released Dissidia Duodecim Prologus Final Fantasy over the PlayStation Network, available in Japan for 300 Yen, in North America for $2.99, in Europe for £2.39 or €2.99 and in Australia for $4.95. Prologus features an eight-character arcade mode and a single story scenario following Lightning and the Warrior of Light.

Downloadable Content
Square Enix has released several packs of downloadable content for Dissidia 012, featuring bonus character costumes and music packs usable for battles from several games of the series. This extra content is generally available through download codes distributed through magazines or other games, or open to be acquired at the PlayStation Network.

Merchandise
Similar to the first Dissidia, the Dissidia 012 cast will be made into Trading Arts Figures, posing in their positions as depicted in their Dissidia 012 artwork.

A special edition containing DLC for Tifa's Enforcer outfit and a special white PSP console with pictures of Chaos and Cosmos was released in Asia.

In Europe and Australia, a special limited edition under the title of Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Legacy Edition was released, which includes a special packaging, a set of lithograph prints of the new characters, a PSN code for a downloadable fourth costume for both Tifa and Squall, and the PSN code to get 50% off Final Fantasy on the PSN (also included in the standard edition).

Etymology
Duodecim (normally pronounced with a hard "c," but incorrectly pronounced with a soft "c") is the Latin word for "twelve," which alludes the number of times the cycle of Dissidia has occurred.

Trivia

 * Prior to the official announcement, two separate hoaxes "revealed" Kain and Lightning would appear in Dissidia Final Fantasy: Universal Tuning. The hoaxes involved elaborate fake magazine pages created in Photoshop and complete with fake Kain artwork and fake Lightning 3D models.
 * Kain, Lightning, Vaan, Yuna, and Prishe were all considered to be included in the original Dissidia but were excluded for various reasons.
 * Final Fantasy VI and IX are the only post NES generation games that did not receive an additional character, instead receiving a new stage.
 * Uniquely among Square Enix's recent releases in Europe, the European versions of Dissidia 012 was only partially translated; that is, the dialogues and story events were translated (in French, German, etc.), but the menus, items, locations, and battle messages will remain in English. This leads to strange mixed-language sentences when characters refer to a location or item name during dialogue. Furthermore, European fans have called the quality of the translated parts into question (characters use inconsistent registers and some sentences are translated word for word from the English, complete with syntax errors).
 * Final Fantasy XIII is the only title to receive just one character without an extra playable character or villain opposing the main hero.
 * Counting non-playable characters, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy V, and Final Fantasy VII have the most characters, with four each.
 * In the altered Destiny Odysseys, one of the chests each character finds contains an amount of gil equal to the first release year of their game of origin. For example, Terra finds 1,994 gil, and Cloud finds 1,997 gil.
 * In the Japanese version of Dissidia 012, there was a feature called Mog Web, used to share Quests. In Western releases, this was removed.
 * Despite Final Fantasy Agito XIII being renamed Final Fantasy Type-0, the Player Icon of Ace still lists him as being from Agito XIII.
 * After completion of the game, on start up, a character will read the Square Enix logo and the title. The character is determined by a number of factors:
 * The date based on the Final Fantasy number. However, past the thirteenth of the month the rest of the cast may appear in a random order.
 * Villains will appear on a date (after the thirteenth) that features their number.
 * Cosmos will always appear on the player's Bonus Day.
 * Chaos has a small chance of appearing any time after the player defeats him.
 * Prishe and Gilgamesh might appear on their game's dates after they are unlocked.
 * If the player purchased Prologus, Aerith might appear on any date or time featuring a seven.
 * At random, moogles can appear in the thumbnails of certain story cutscenes in the Theater.
 * The song titles no longer have the tags "-original-" or "-arrange-" after them.
 * The release date for Dissidia 012 on the North American Store of Square Enix states an incorrect date of March 23rd, 2010, a year before an actual release.