Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy*, is the prequel to Dissidia Final Fantasy. It is playable on the PlayStation Portable 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 [1]. 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.
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 stealBravery from opponents, which increases their own, as a character lands Bravery attacks.
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.