Dissidia Final Fantasy NT limit breaks onto PC with a free version
Fighting Fantasy
Crossover fighter Dissidia Final Fantasy NT isn't one I ever expected to see on PC, so debuting with a free trial edition makes sense. Originally launched into Japanese arcades and developed by Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja, Dissidia NT is a messy online six-way team brawler. Players bounce, fly and clamber around large, open arenas trying to whittle down each other's stats until one party of players stops moving. Its large cast features most Final Fantasy heroes, plus villains like Kefka, although your first few games will mostly resolve around wild, blind flailing. See the console launch trailer below.
While there are three versions of Dissidia Final Fantasy NT now available on PC, it's one of the less complex things here. The free version lacks a story mode (and other mod cons), but gives you a weekly rotation of four characters, letting you can play against other free folks, plus people with the full game. The regular edition gets you access to the single-player story mode and all 28 basic characters, while the Deluxe edition includes another six characters in a season pass. It's an online-focused game, with less reliance on precision, and more on positioning and having cover to place between you and projectiles.
In some ways, the game feels like a MOBA, minus the expendable NPCs. Many characters go heavy on ranged attacks, have multiple forms, and even the basic act of doing damage is complex. In order to deal proper damage to enemy HP, you need to hit them with attacks that drain their Brave level and transfer it to you, then switch to HP-damage moves. I could go further into explaining how Dissidia Final Fantasy NT works, but instead I'll just refer you to an expert. In a video for Kotaku, Tim Rogers lovingly described the game as "like doing your taxes on the moon". I cannot argue with that assessment.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is out now on PC. The free version is available on Steam here, along with the regular edition for £22.49/€29.99/$29.99 and the Deluxe Edition for £33.49/€44.99/$44.99. It's unsurprisingly published by Square Enix.