I’ll preface this by admitting I’m not entirely unbiased in my assessment of how important it is to play games that owe anything in their DNA toFinal Fantasy. As someone with several tattoos from the game series, there’s a certain level of commitment involved in that decision that immediately means I have a soaring opinion of the franchise. I won’t defend its worst moments - though I thinkFinal Fantasy 15is criminally underrated - but I think the series has justifiably staked its claim as one of the most important contributors to the JRPG genre, time and again.
So it goes without saying that I was always interested inFantasian. Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator ofFinal Fantasy, is the founder of Mistwalker, the developer that madeFantasian. Looking at its aesthetic, it’s a beautiful blend of innovative ideas - diorama displays fueled by Sakaguchi’s interest in minatures - and the traditional, with pixel-esque art for the characters that evokes some of the best designs fromFinal Fantasy VIand other classics. Mechanically, it’s a JRPG through-and-through, with none of the heavy differences in gameplay that sometimes cause fans of the genre to question a game’s place in the canon. Everyone politely waits their turn to attempt to obliterate the enemy.
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Fantasianencountered a roadblock before it ever got much of a chance to shine, though - it released exclusively on Apple Arcade. Nothing against that service, but it felt like an odd fit at the time that has now been proven to be a little too niche, reaching only a fraction of the audience it had potential to ensnare. Now,withFantasian: Neo Dimension, the game is coming to Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows. There will be no more excuses for its reception and staying power, but I don’t think it ever needed them. In my hands-on at Gamescom 2024, I quickly understood thatNeo Dimensionis well worth a playthrough, especially on Switch, and will scratch that traditional JRPG itch for anyone willing to pick it up.
Fantasian: Neo Dimension Is All About Its Traditions, Even When It Does Something New
One of the saving graces for traditionalists looking intoFantasian: Neo Dimensionwill be that its original home in the iOS ecosystem severely restricted its potential to shake up its genre’s most stalwart mechanical trappings.Neo Dimensionis aturn-based fantasy JRPGthat is complete with random battles, strategic turn orders, and a level up/skill system that doesn’t ask too much of its players beyond familiarizing themselves with the inherent combos built into character synergies.
All of that is great for its appearance now, when there are plenty of action-heavy RPGs challenging each other for the crown of the most involved or breathtaking combat. I won’t pretend likeNeo Dimensioncould compete with that, but it isn’t trying to, either. Does the Golem its party encounters threaten the same way even the most basic monster in something likeDragon’s Dogma 2does? Absolutely not. Nor does it need to, instead charming with its pixel art details and challenging players to strategize against its attack patterns at their own pace.
On Switch especially, Fantasian: Neo Dimension feels like its found its perfect home.
On Switch especially,Fantasian: Neo Dimensionfeels like its found its perfect home. It’s designed to be handheld, after all, but the Switch controls are much less cumbersome than a touch screen focus, and the graphical overhaul, while not 4K like on some of its other platforms, still looks pretty. I think some of the controls are still a bit janky, to be honest, as it was difficult to navigate the overworld map without running into walls, but that could be because I only got a chance to play for less than an hour and might just be something you pick up quickly if you’re not dropped into the game mid-story and mid-map.
The rest is great, though.The Switch has been home to plenty of remakes and remasters andNeo Dimensionslots right into that with ease, feeling more like areinvigorated version of a PS1 classicthan a port of a more recent Apple Arcade game - and I mean that as a compliment, not a negative.
Fantasian: Neo Dimension’s Combat Does Enough To Keep You Invested
Fantasian: Neo Dimension’s gameplay mechanics are simple to understand but difficult to master. Tactically, the game is a JRPG with the slight twist of having attacks do area of effect damage occasionally, meaning monster positioning can alter your gameplan. Some attacks slice through enemies and can hit ones in the back line if they’re lined up well, but there are also monsters with shields that inherently block those attacks, changing your strategy even more. There’s enough to keep track of, and enough potent combinations, that combat never really drags.
That said,Neo Dimensionis such a traditional JRPG that it does have some shortcomings. Skill trees aren’t the most interesting, with stock mage and cleric-style abilities, right down to their names, like Ice and Holy. There isn’t that much player control over character builds in the way that many RPGs offer these days, which might turn off some, since even “old school” presentation JRPGs often offer a fair bit of customization. Battles do have the Dimengeon system - essentially allowing players to skip battles against previously encountered enemies, at the cost of eventually needing to battle them all at once, albeit with bonuses spawning on the field too. Otherwise, it’s very vanilla for combat.
But excellent-if-familiar combat and then a great story and presentation that will stay with you well beyond your playthrough seem like a good enough reason to play.Fantasian: Neo Dimensionexcels with its characters, its story, and most importantly, its rich, diverse world of dioramas that makes its visuals impossible to forget or ignore. An amnesiac trying to recover his memories while fighting someone whose title is The Malevolent doesn’t sound like much in passing, but I promise the story is all the belovedFinal Fantasyof old with some nice little twists here and there.
Ultimately,Fantasian: Neo Dimensionis a game that won’t win everyone over. It’s a little odd and a lot old in spirit, and those things will mean its audience remains niche, evenonce it escapes from Apple Arcade. Still, it’s perhaps Sakaguchi’s most underrated, if not underplayed, entries in his long list of video game achievements, and for that reason alone you’ll want to at least giveFantasian: Neo Dimensiona shot.
Screen Rant attended a hands-on preview during Gamescom 2024 for the purpose of this article.
