Tokyo Game Show 2024 is here, though ahead of this year’s TGS, we go to try out FANTASIAN Neo Dimension, the new version of Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s mobile RPG featuring music by Nobuo Uematsu.
The original FANTASIAN game was released back in 2021 as an Apple Arcade exclusive. While it got positive reviews, the fact that it was only available via Apple’s service meant that it didn’t get to reach lots of fans.
Now though, the game is getting a proper release on PC and consoles courtesy of Square Enix and Naoki Yoshida who served as a key figure in getting the Neo Dimension version off the ground and ready for a December launch worldwide.
Neo Dimension promises to be an improved version of the original FANTASIAN as it should have better visuals, along with some quality-of-life changes like tweaked difficulty settings and a control scheme that better fits consoles and PCs.
As with many RPG fans though, this is my first time trying out FANTASIAN, and as such, I was curious to see how the game works.
Exploring the FANTASIAN Combat System and World
Aside from getting a hands-on session with the game, we also got to ask some questions to Sakaguchi and Yoshida. There, Sakaguchi mentioned that for him, FANTASIAN is a “classic JRPG that was put into a time capsule and opened up in the present day.” Thus, you should expect this game to feature plenty of familiar RPG mechanics and systems.
To start, the game features a turn-based where you command a party of three. In the combat phase, you can see the turn order so you can plan your moves in advance. Battles also feature JRPG stables such as elemental weaknesses and proper MP management. You can also swap party members while in combat.
As for exploration, the game features levels that are straight out of a 90s JRPG in terms of layout and design. Yes, this means the game has random encounters. Plus, there’s an overworld that players can explore, which again has random encounters.
For the first part of our hands-on session, we were plopped right into a level that takes place later in the game’s story. Even though there’s no real tutorial, it wasn’t too difficult to get a grasp of how things work if you’ve ever played turn-based RPGs before.
While many of its elements should feel familiar, FANTASIAN does introduce some unique mechanics. For instance, various character abilities have curving mechanics, meaning you can angle your skill so that it hits a straight line or enemies in a curve. This adds a nice wrinkle to combat encounters as you’ll have to think about how enemies are positioned during combat encounters.
Another interesting feature is the Dimengeon system (aka Dimension + Dungeon). While going through levels, you can turn Dimengeon on. When on, every time you’re supposed to get a random encounter, you’ll instead fill up the Dimengeon meter. At any point (or if your meter is already full), you can choose to go on a Dimengeon Battle to fight all the random encounters that you should’ve fought, albeit in another dimension.
Here, useful powerups are dropped in the battle area, meaning you get a proper fighting chance against waves of enemies. It’s a unique system as it is a twist on the typical random battle formula of old-school JRPGs. While it’s not as good as enemies you can actually see before encounters, it still helps in lessening the annoying factor of getting random battles.
What is decidedly old-school though is the diorama style for the game’s various levels. In fact, during the game’s development, diorama models were scanned into the game, giving the levels a charming look and feel.
The main level of our hands-on looked fairly plain, though the second part of the demo set us free to explore various areas of the game’s sizeable map. There, you’ll see all sorts of locales ranging from beautiful cities to more desolate towns.
Some Promise, But Also Some Drawbacks
It’s fair to say that the art style and the diorama levels are the key highlights of this game. Even though it’s fairly apparent that this was initially made for Apple Arcade, the designs of the characters along with the levels help build an interesting atmosphere. If I were to describe it, the game’s world feels like a cross between an older Final Fantasy game with a tinge of melancholy straight out of Nier.
The music also helps in this regard as Nobuo Uematsu’s work is great, as always. From the music in the various levels to the battle themes, the music also enhances the game’s feel.
As for gameplay highlights, the combat system is quite promising as it features familiar mechanics but adds some new wrinkles to gameplay that can hopefully keep things fresh as the game progresses.
There are many things I liked about the game, but my experience was still a mixed bag in many ways. One of the issues for me was on the combat side. Specifically, there are times when battle mechanics feel rather confusing.
For instance, the first part of the demo didn’t exactly explain some of the combat elements. While this wasn’t an issue with standard enemies, this level ended with a boss fight that had a massive spike in difficulty. I eventually defeated it, but it took me quite a while to figure out the boss encounter’s weakness. While what I needed to do was obvious in hindsight, the layout of the UI leaves a lot to be desired (betraying its mobile roots).
Difficulty spikes have been noted in reviews of the Apple Arcade version of FANTASIAN, though the developers are addressing this in the re-release by making the normal difficulty easier. Meanwhile, the Neo Dimension hard difficulty will be the same as the original mobile version. Hopefully, this means fewer difficulty spikes.
Another thing that I didn’t particularly like is the movement while in levels. Because of the diorama style, the game’s levels shift in perspective as they would in 90s JRPGs. What’s annoying is that moving between dioramas feels awkward as the shifts in perspective aren’t accompanied by shifts in movement direction. Basically, you’ll keep moving in the same direction when the level shifts. So, if you’re moving left and the level changes, you’ll keep moving in the same direction even if the new diorama’s orientation is now different.
What also got me confused during my hands-on was the gameplay flow. While the first part was straightforward, moving to the more open second area had me wondering where I should go from there. Sure, the story missions and side quests are marked, but the way they’re arranged (both in the menus and the world) is not the most intuitive.
You’ll want to take these issues with a grain of salt though as these might not be drawbacks in the game’s final version. These issues may be only there given the nature of the demo which plopped us right in the middle of the action.
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension Initial Impressions
Overall, FANTASIAN Neo Dimension has plenty of great points, but also some clear potential issues.
Starting with the issues, the game’s combat can be unclear at times, and there may still be some difficulty spikes. The movement mechanics are also a bit frustrating. Not to mention that while it’s a console/PC version, the fact that it started as a mobile game is still apparent.
Despite these issues, there’s a lot of potential here for JRPG fans given that the combat does have some interesting mechanics like the Dimengeon system and the curving attacks. The game’s art style and music are also stand-out elements that give it a strong atmosphere.
Hopefully, the game’s launch version has a better direction and flow as there is plenty of promise in this game. After all, it’s still made with passion by the creative minds behind the iconic OG Final Fantasy games.
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension will be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC on December 5, 2024.