I think it’s safe to say that the vast majority of the Final Fantasy fanbase has been awaiting Dissidia with bated breath since its unveiling back in 2007. It is, after all, nothing less than the fanboy’s wet dream – a mishmash of everyone’s favorite Final Fantasy characters in a single game, in which beatings can commence. Finally, the age-old question of whether or not Squall would beat Cloud in a fight can be answered.

But while it’s already clear that Squeenix has nailed the fanservice factor, it’s yet to be seen if they’ve actually churned out a decent game in the process. And frankly, their track record on games that venture outside the traditional JRPG formula really isn’t that impressive. Perhaps the single bright spot would be the Kingdom Hearts series, and even that’s a heavily contested claim. But if the recently-released demo is a good indication, Square Enix may have nailed this one. Kingdom Hearts is certainly an influence here, but it’s hardly a clone. It’s simplistic but not mind-numbing, it’s super-flashy, and it’s a ton of fun to play. Oh, and it has Sephiroth in it.

The demo has five characters available for play: Onion Knight from Final Fantasy III, Cecil from Final Fantasy IV, Terra from Final Fantasy VI, Cloud from Final Fantasy VII, and Sephiroth who, as you know, is from the same game. Each of them actually handle fairly differently, which is nice to see. Cloud, for example, deals slower, heavily damaging attacks that send opponents flying. Sephiroth has quicker attacks with insanely long range. Terra almost exclusively utilizes long-range magic attacks. And, each are armed with their own corny post-battle quips.

All the demo includes is a series of fights for each character, which is more than enough to get a taste of what’s to come. Here are the basics: the square button executes physical attacks that cause damage to your opponent, and the circle button executes attacks that steal your opponent’s “bravery,” (which is simply their strength in combat) and transfers it to you. The key to winning battles is balancing the two – bravery attacks are quick, easy to execute, and are required for gaining the upper hand in a fight. Physical attacks then deal damage in equivalence to the number of bravery points you’ve accumulated. Once you’ve executed a physical attack, your bravery stat will drop to zero for a few seconds, and then return to its base number.

Despite its appearance, the game is not a hack-and-slash affair; when a physical attack is executed, you simply sit and watch as that character executes whatever their physical attack is. For example, Cloud’s is an attack called Cross-slash, which essentially looks exactly like his Limit Break in Final Fantasy VII that went by the same name. While in the air, he executes Braver. It’s all in real-time of course, but the point is that this isn’t Kingdom Hearts – there are no finger-twisting button combos to be found here. The challenge lies in who can accumulate the most Bravery points and subsequently pull off a physical attack, (without it being interrupted or dodged!) not who can mash buttons the fastest.

While those are the fundamentals, there are other aspects to combat. Long-range bravery attacks can be executed, which are always in the form of a familiar Final Fantasy magic attack. Dodge maneuvers are useful for (no duh) dodging enemy attacks, and there’s also a parry move. Parrying is actually somewhat difficult, as it requires precise timing; but if done successfully it can stagger your opponent. And finally, what would a Final Fantasy game be without some form of Limit Break? Dissidia has them in the form of EX mode; tiny little orbs called EX particles litter the arena (you won’t even notice them most of the time) and as you collect these your EX meter grows. Occasionally the game will gift you with an EX core which, if grabbed, will instantly max out your meter. Once it’s full, you can enter EX mode by pressing the right shoulder button and the square button. Pull off a physical attack while in EX mode (which, again, isn’t always easy) and you’ll activate a limt break. If your bravery is high enough, these special attacks can annihilate your opponent in a single go.

Battles are an incredible visual spectacle, and this is where influences from both Kingdom Hearts and Advent Children are most prevalent. Often you’ll find yourself in intense aerial standoffs that can last for quite some time. Arenas are littered with “quick-move” indicators; if you press triangle when one of these are shown, your character will do something flashy to traverse a long distance, such as run up a wall, sail across a chasm, or various other gravity-defying moves. It helps that the game looks fantastic as well, with graphics easily rivaling last year’s Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.

I had an absolute blast with Dissidia’s demo, and I’ll be buying the game on day one. To be sure, there’s a lot the demo didn’t show us, such as how the story mode will play out, and how the leveling/customization mechanics will function. But from what I can gather, this is fanservice done right; not only can I face off against Kefka as Cloud Strife, but Square Enix hasn’t skimped on the tiny, fangasmic details. For example, when pulling off Cloud’s limit break, he equips Ragnarok, his ultimate sword from Final Fantasy VII. The names of a character’s attack is always displayed on-screen in the same typefont and box as the corresponding game they originally appeared in. I could go on. But most impressively, it’s all just polish for a genuinely solid combat system. Dissidia: Final Fantasy will be released in North America on August 25, and I suggest all PSP-owning Final Fantasy fans get in line. Somehow, though, I doubt you need to be told.