With the launch of Dissidia Final Fantasy in 2008, Square Enix finally answered the requests of long time fans of the series to bring together their eponymous heroes and villains from their flagship series in a unique combat setting. Initially released on the Playstation Portable, it’s no surprise as handheld video game systems began to slide into decline that Square would shift the focus onto the ever expanding console and mobile gaming market.
There current plans finally came to fruition last year with Dissidia Final Fantasy NT for PS4 and Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia for iOS and Android. Opera Omnia the fourth game released in the Dissidia franchise and the first to deviate from the traditional player vs. player action game fans were accustomed to. Instead, Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia returns to it’s more traditional RPG roots with party based combat.
Visually, the characters have been reverted into an adorable, chibi-esque super deformed 3D renders, bringing a classic RPG with a Gatcha twist to mobile fans of the series. Initially released in Japan in 2017, the game did not disappoint and has maintained quite a bit of popularity. Recently, I spoke with Square Enix Producer Jin Fujiwara to learn more about the game’s life cycle and what fans can continue to expect from it.
Vanessa Brangi: Why did the developers decide to make the mobile phone version of Dissidia Final Fantasy a turn-based game rather than a fighting game more akin to the console release?
Jin Fujiwara: We wanted our fans to play Dissidia Final Fantasy NT if they wanted to enjoy Dissidia as an action game. As such, we designed Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia for those who wanted to enjoy Dissidia but did not feel like they were skilled at action games. As a result, we felt that we can utilize Dissidia’s Bravery system if we construct it as an RPG rather than preparing a simple action game. This is why we chose to go with a turn-based system.
VB: When developing Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia for mobile, did you carry over any certain development techniques or mentalities from the handheld nature of the Dissidia games for PSP?
JF: There are some character models that we carried over from the PSP version, and those we re-designed for Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia.
VB: Dissida Final Fantasy Opera Omnia has quite the roster as well, but there are quite a few fan favorites still missing. Can you tease any character coming or what Final Fantasy titles you plan on drawing from next?
JF: We do want to release characters from all of the titles that have “Final Fantasy” in them. We are currently preparing a character that is from a bit more of a niche title even within the series.
VB: Would the development team ever consider bringing Final Fantasy Brave Exvius or Mobius Final Fantasy exclusive characters to Opera Omnia? Do you think a crossover between those games on a larger scale, not just characters, would work?
JF: There is a possibility, but we do not have any plans to do so at this moment. I believe that a crossover itself with Final Fantasy Brave Exvius and Mobius Final Fantasy is possible since we do have characters from World of Final Fantasy in Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia already.
VB: Many people would like to get into Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia, but may be intimidated by the Gatcha system; would the development team ever consider a subscription based model that doesn’t conflict with the Gatcha framework?
JF: If we were to utilize a subscription based model that doesn’t use a gacha system, we would have to prepare a different completely system starting with the game cycle itself. While we would be using the same game resources, implementing the subscription based model would be akin to creating a different game altogether. As such, at this point in time we have not considered developing a game like that.
VB: How do the developers go about balancing the scoring system in Opera Omnia? Are there any plans for major balance changes to the game in the future?
JF: We balance the score system based on how fast you are able to defeat the enemy utilizing the Bravery system, and by using the appropriate character. We won’t make any big balance adjustments but we are planning to adjust the score that depends on elements and revivals. We will also most likely reflect any adjustments we made to the Japanese version to the Global version as necessary.
VB: Are there any plans to implement armor/weapon/artifact sets that players can create and automatically apply/equip a character with?
JF: That would be a fun feature, but we unfortunately do not have any plans to do so.
VB: Would Square Enix ever consider selling the character skin changes independently of the Gem Pack Sales? If not, why?
JF: There may be a possibility to add a skin as bonus to something you purchase aside from Gem Pack sales, but we do not plan to sell skins on their own. This is because it makes it harder for us to use the item as a bonus item in the future if we set a price on the skin itself, per a certain Japanese law.
VB: What are the most notable differences in how players from different regions approach the game? Who are the most popular characters to use in both regions?
JF: There isn’t much of a difference in terms of how people play. It seems that the motivation toplay for everyone is to strengthen and develop the characters that they like. By the way, characters such as Cloud and Squall are popular no matter the region.
VB: Is there anything else about Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia you would like to share with us today?
JF: Thank you very much for your continual support. We cannot avoid updating the Japanese version first, but we do want to continue to provide special experiences to you as well by making changes unique to the Global version, such as Ace’s special skin, or releasing Beatrix first globally. We hope that you continue to enjoy the game through our second year of operation as well.
Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia is available now in the Google Play or iOS stores. We would also like to thank Jin Fujiwara for taking the time to speak with us and answer these questions.
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