'Dissidia NT'—'FFVII's Tifa Lockhart DLC Announced

Whether you’re a long-time Dissidia devotee, or a totally unaffected onlooker, anyone even vaguely clued up on Final Fantasy VII's popularity will likely concur that, following tonight’s announcement that Tifa Lockhart will be joining the NT's roster next week, the turbulent 3-v-3 brawler will see an observable surge in Western attention. Yes folks, the time has come; Final Fantasy VII’s aesthetically questionable, but objectively beloved barmaid-turned-terrorist has been confirmed at long last on Square Enix’s NT livestream!

Being a returning character from the previous Dissidia installment, old schoolers will recognise a lot of Tifa’s moveset. Aside from the outrageously bold getup that we all know and love, Tifa comes packing familiar attacks like Dolphin Blow and Beat Rush, as well as some fantastic new moves like a long-range two-shot kick that exudes a front-facing shockwave, behaving like a rebalanced version of Cloud’s Blade Beam. Tifa also features some nifty little combos that gracefully juggle her target, and before executing a flashy grand finish. Tifa is likely to fall into the assassin class given the sheer agility of her furious attacks.

Tifa’s unique EX skill will be a heartfelt throwback for any FFVII veterans with the appearance of her Limit Break reels that determine a powerful buff depending on how well the player can time each slot. As per the original mechanic, lining up a consecutive sequence of ‘Yeah’s is rewarded with a powerful boost to Tifa’s attacks.

Cosmetics

More importantly to some, Tifa’s wardrobe selection has also been announced. Her default outfit is the iconic white tank top and black miniskirt, complete with all the effects and accessories from her original appearance in Final Fantasy VII. The two accompanying variants are a tie-dye red and white reskin that resembles original Amano concept art, albeit without the contrasting blonde hair, and a more Anime-inspired black tank and checkered skirt combination. Tifa’s ‘second form’ is her rather more modest outfit from the Advent Children movie, featuring a black leather vest and shorts with Aerith’s symbolic ribbon around one arm, with two simple variants that recolour Tifa’s leathers either beige or red.

Last but not least, Tifa's weapon sets are fairly minimalist considering her weapons are, in a nutshell, her hands and feet. Nonetheless, she has access to a series of rather fashionable tools of war that resemble weapons from Final Fantasy VII, although sadly not the black leather gloves that debuted with her sleeker threads in Advent Children.

Tifa will be dishing out the grievous bodily harm starting from July second in arcades and July third on consoles for £4.99 ($5.99), and an additional purchase of her second outfit priced at £2.49 ($2.99). It’s probably no coincidence that Tifa’s appearance in NT arrives adjacent to both Cloud’s Kingdom Hearts DLC and the Final Fantasy VII remake E3 announcement—Squ-Enix are getting us good and juiced to start 2020 with a big, Mako-fueled explosion. But will the heavy-hearted pioneer of jiggle physics be enough to pull players back to Dissidia NT? I wonder.

Watch this space for a showcase of Tifa's chat messages, and moveset as soon as she becomes available.