Dissidia: Final Fantasy Character Spotlight – Cloud Strife and Terra Branford

It’s that time of week again – and this time, we’ve got a duo of characters that should make just about everyone happy.  This week, the focus of our Spotlight is on Final Fantasy VII‘s Cloud Strife and Final Fantasy VI‘s Terra Branford!  These two characters are some of the most popular heroes in the Final Fantasy franchise, and (arguably) in all of RPG-kind as well.  Thus, it seems only fitting to match them up against each other in this week’s Spotlight, as we slowly wind down towards the impending release of Dissidia: Final Fantasy.  You may have already had a chance to try out Cloud and Terra in the official Dissidia demo that hit the Playstation Store a few weeks ago; while this may serve as a decent primer to the basic mechanics of Dissidia, there’s quite a bit more beneath the hood in the full game.

We’ll start off this week with Cloud Strife, the spiky-headed, Buster Sword-wielding protagonist of one of the most popular RPGs ever made.  Considering he carries one of the largest swords in video game history, it should be no surprise that Cloud specializes in hard-hitting, slow, single-strike attacks that inflict considerable knockback instead of quicker, more combo-focused moves.  Here’s a few of those attacks; after watching the video, you probably won’t be too surprised to see them.

• Braver: Cloud’s default Limit Break in the original FFVII makes its fighting game debut as Cloud’s default aerial special move.  In the original game, it was a simple jumping slash that dealt critical damage; in Dissidia, it’s a minorly seeking aerial stab that, upon connecting with an opponent, causes Cloud to slam his opponent into the ground at high speed.
• Climhazzard: Much like in the original FFVII, Climhazzard involves Cloud rushing forward with his Buster Sword extended and stabbing his opponent, then leaping into the air.  However, if you hit the O button a few more times after the initial strike, Cloud will hit the opponent skyward, then leap up and swat them back down to the ground.  This move functions as a normal combo, and as such does not deal HP damage, but is incredibly useful for breaking an opponent’s Brave.
• Cross Slash: Cloud’s default ground special attack functions identically to its original FFVII counterpart; in this attack, Cloud slashes three times at his opponent, leaving the outline of a large Kanji symbol in the air.  Note: the first two strikes of this attack deal Brave damage – ONLY the final hit damages the opponent’s HP, so be careful when using it, as Cloud cannot cancel out of the move until all three slashes have been performed.
• Finishing Touch: This move, perhaps more than all of Cloud’s other attacks, marks a significant departure from its original FFVII incarnation.  In the original game, Cloud used this attack to summon a massive tornado that would eject all enemies from the battlefield.  In Dissidia, this attack instead is a chain move built off of one of Cloud’s ground attacks; if you hit the Square button after the second slash, Cloud will launch into a ridiculous spin attack that raises his opponent into the air before he swats them away with considerable force.
• Omnislash: Cloud’s EX Mode in Dissidia functions more like Squall’s than most of the other members of the cast; as Cloud doesn’t transform or upgrade at all during the course of his game, he instead pulls out his iconic Ultima Weapon when he activates EX Mode.  When you fire off his EX Burst, Cloud launches into his most famous Limit Break, Omnislash; if the player manages to tap the O button fast enough to fill his charge bar, he performs a shot for shot recreation of the famed attack, while if they fail they’re treated to a considerably less complex, but still flashy finishing combo.

As said before, it’s no surprise that Cloud’s a little on the slow side, and because of this a large number of his moves are risky, heavy slashes that a quick character can easily punish with a well-timed dodge.  However, Cloud’s strength comes in his ability to easily chain his Brave attacks into HP combos, as well as to knock his opponents into the environment to stun them and cause extra damage.  His arsenal also contains several ranged attacks, including Meteorain and Blade Beam, as well as his Advent Children signature attack, Omnislash Version 5.  Cloud is a versatile character held back by his slow attack speed and easy to dodge strikes, but if you can manage to get a few good hits in with him, the match is yours.

Now, we’ll switch gears to Cloud’s polar opposite; while Cloud is easily the heavyweight character of the hero side, his Final Fantasy VI counterpart is easily the team’s featherweight.  Terra Branford, the half-esper heroine of FFVI, takes the stage as the only pureblooded mage on the heroes’ side.  While almost every character in the game (save for Jecht) has access to some form of magic, Terra is – befitting her Esper heritage – the only character on the hero side to use almost nothing but magical attacks.  Take a look at the video above to see how she plays, then read on to see a few of her moves broken down in depth.

• Esper Magic: Terra, as a half-Esper, has access to many baseline magic spells in her arsenal of regular attacks, including variations on Blizzard, Thunder, and Fire spells, as well as Holy, Graviga, and Meteor.  Unlike her villain counterpart, Terra’s spells are more straightforward, making them easier to predict, but they also hit harder than Kefka’s “silly” variants if they make contact.
• Tornado: Get ready to see this one a lot; it’s Terra’s only normal aerial special attack until shortly after level 50.  When Terra casts Tornado, she summons up a series of whirlwinds that rotate around her, before sucking them in and forming one much larger tornado; if you’re unlucky enough to get caught in these winds, prepare to get hit multiple times before the tornado spits you out at the ceiling.  Terra also unlocks a ground-based variant of this attack after levelling up, and both versions allow you to move her around while casting.  This attack is a nightmare when used in smaller, indoor stages; don’t be surprised if you get a punch in the shoulder from your multiplayer opponent if you use it too much.
• Flood: Terra’s default ground special move is also interesting; when you cast Flood, Terra will summon out two jets of water that burst out from the ground beneath an enemy, tracking them as they move.  Where it gets really interesting, though, is the fact that this move is essentially unblockable; since it attacks from BENEATH an enemy, it can’t be deflected head-on like other attacks that follow a more linear, direct pattern.
• Meltdown: Known as “Merton” in the original SNES release of Final Fantasy VI, this spell takes on a rather unusual form compared to its original incarnation.  In Final Fantasy VI, Meltdown manifested as an extremely powerful and rare fire spell that blasted everyone on the battlefield – ally and enemy alike – with a massive wave of fire.  In Dissidia, it takes on a form more like Mega Man’s Mega Buster; when activated, the spell can be charged up a number of times, each time gaining power, speed, and homing capabilities.  A fully charged Meltdown ball can ricochet off the environment, making dodging quite difficult.
• Ultima: Terra’s one ‘secret move’ is also perhaps her most potent; when you Master her Holy special attack, you learn Ultima.  This spell is usable by first striking an enemy with Holy, a spell that summons five homing spheres of light; after at least one Holy sphere strikes, you must press the O button once more, which causes Terra to begin firing out a volley of small, fast-moving fireballs.  If one of those fireballs strikes your opponent, quickly hit the Square button and Terra will launch into the iconic Ultima spell, summoning a vastly powerful sphere of magical energy to envelop her opponent before detonating violently.  While this move is difficult to land initially, diligent players will find it an indispensable asset to Terra’s magical arsenal as they learn the ideal times in which to use it.
• Riot Blade: Now, an appearance by Terra wouldn’t be complete without her iconic Esper form; thankfully, Dissidia does not disappoint in this regard.  When Terra taps into her Esper powers by using Trance, she gains a number of new abilities, including the ability to glide by holding the X button, regenerate HP over time, and also causes all of her spells to gain the Doublecast property, allowing them to strike twice.  She also gains access, by way of her EX Burst, to her Desperation Attack from FFVI, Riot Blade.  In this attack, players will be prompted to charge up energy by rapidly tapping the Left and O buttons simultaneously; regardless of the outcome, Terra will let loose a volley of crescent-shaped beams of light that converge upon and slice up her opponents – success only increases the number of blades and the damage dealt.

Despite her status as producer Tetsuya Nomura’s favorite member of the Dissidia roster, Terra is most certainly not a character for beginners.  As the only mage on the hero side, she stands as a stark contrast to the rest of her Cosmos-aligned castmates.  While most of her allies focus on close range combat, Terra’s strengths lie in staying back and unleashing a flurry of projectiles, slowly building up Brave power before catching an opponent off-guard with a well-timed special attack.  While several of her attacks are easy to predict, she also boasts a large number of attacks that can break her opponents’ guard, and some still that can strike them unaware.  Despite her unassuming form, Terra is a true force to be reckoned with in the hands of a player that’s willing to learn her tricks.

Over the past few weeks here at One Last Continue, we’ve cut through a decent chunk of the Dissidia roster.  With the game’s release just a few short weeks away, we’ve still got quite a few characters to cover.  Next week, we’ll be focusing on the two representatives from Final Fantasy V, Bartz Klauser and Exdeath.  Sorry, Gilgamesh fans, no Excalipoor for you…at least, not being used by a playable character.