Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy Hands-on Preview: Worlds Collide

Thanks to the wonderful team at Square Enix, I recently had some hands-on time with Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy ahead of release. Let’s cut to the chase: if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably been holding out hope for a proper console Dissidia again, something closer to the original or Duodecim. I came into this already a bit skeptical, especially since I’m not exactly a fan of mobile gaming.

Sure enough, Dissidia Duellum is very much doing its own thing.

The setup is immediately more grounded than you might expect, but also a little surreal. Monsters are suddenly appearing all over Tokyo, which is about as far removed from traditional Final Fantasy settings as you can get. Instead of abstract arenas or cosmic backdrops, you’re dropped into a modern city that actually feels like a place. It’s a small detail, but it makes a difference. There’s a stronger sense that events are happening somewhere, not just happening the way they sometimes do in Dissidia.

Visually, it leans fully into cel-shading, and it surprisingly works. Character designs are supervised by Tetsuya Nomura, which probably tells you everything you need to know. The twist is that you can swap between the original designs and new, modern versions, and truthfully, seeing someone like Kain or Gaia walking around in a present-day Tokyo setting is weird in a way that kind of works. It shouldn’t, but it does.

The launch roster sits at ten characters, including Cloud, Terra, Kain, Rinoa, Zidane, Lightning, and Gaia, among others. It’s not a huge lineup, especially compared to past Dissidia games, but it’s clearly built with updates in mind. More characters are coming, and you can already feel the live-service structure underneath everything.

Combat truly start to split from longtime fans’ expectations. The Bravery system is back, which is great, but instead of focusing on one-on-one fights or even traditional team battles, this leans into PvPvE. You’re fighting in a team alongside other players against an opposing team, while also dealing with enemies and bosses on the field. 

On top of that, abilities run on cooldowns, very much like an MMORPG. Each character has their own set of skills you rotate through, so instead of constant pressure, there’s more of a rhythm to how you approach fights. It’s strategic in a different way. Not better or worse necessarily, just different. Whether that clicks depends entirely on what you want out of Dissidia.

The progression system in Duellum caused me to pause and hesitate. After winning a match with Terra, I used a character ticket and rolled into Zidane, adding a second character to my roster. Yes, that’s exactly what it sounds like. There’s a randomness to unlocking characters, and while it’s exciting in the moment, it also raises the usual questions about how progression functions long-term.

What intrigued me more was the story content. There’s a fully voiced main story in Japanese, but also these smaller side stories that show the characters simply living. Seeing how someone like Zidane or Terra fits into a modern daily life setting is oddly charming. It’s light, sometimes a bit goofy, but it gives the game personality in a way I didn’t expect.

I also unlocked additional story scenes after winning matches, and it looked like some of that content might be tied to seasonal progression. Sadly, it’s another reminder of how closely the plot and live-service elements seem to be connected. 

If I had to sum it up, Dissidia Duellum feels like a game that knows its potential to be divisive. Especially fans who, like me, have been waiting years for something closer to classic Dissidia. This isn’t that. Not even close.

But at the same time, it doesn’t exactly phone it in either.

There’s a clear direction here. The PvPvE structure is interesting, the character interactions are fun, and the presentation is surprisingly solid. I just can’t ignore the parts that feel pulled straight from mobile design, because they’re front and center.

I didn’t walk away completely sold, but I also wasn’t completely disappointed. More than anything, I’m curious. And honestly, for a game I went into with skepticism, I’d say that’s still a win.

Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy releases on March 24, 2026, and is coming to iOS and Android. Learn more on the game’s official website.