Fantasian: Neo Dimension

Genre: Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

.

Review:

Fantasian is a Turn-Based JRPG originally released in two parts on Apple Arcade in 2021, with this updated port combining the two releasing in 2024 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. This release of the game adds improved visuals, voice acting for major character interactions, new difficulty options, and new music options that let you replace the game’s battle theme with one from various Final Fantasy games.

On that note, Fantasian has been heralded by some as a long-awaited return to the Turn-Based JRPG genre by classic Final Fantasy veterans Hironobu Sakaguchi (credited here as a writer and producer) and composer Nobuo Uematsu. And indeed the game bears many hallmarks of games from throughout that franchise, though Fantasian still has its own unique identity.

The game takes place in a world gradually being taken over by a spreading technological menace known as mechteria, supposedly caused by a “malicious god” named Vam the Malevolent, whose motives are unknown to the people of the human realm who fear the mechteria may eventually eliminate all life.

Our primary protagonist in Fantasian is Leo, an effeminate-looking young man suffering from Amnesia (classic), though thankfully not the sort that makes him a blank slate – Leo’s condition arises from Leo’s latest misadventure into an area the machines have taken over, apparently in search of something, though Leo can’t recall what he’s looking for or why it’s important to him, and he’s now driven to fill in the gaps in his memory. He’s soon joined by other companions with their own motivations, which will undoubtedly lead them to confronting Vam and hopefully ridding the world of mechteria.

The story works as a premise for an RPG, though it’s hardly anything truly inspired, and can on occasion suffer from odd diversions that can slow down the pace of the game. However, the characters here are fairly likeable, with decent enough voice acting, making it easier to cut the story some slack when this happens.

The visual presentation is actually impressive in a way. As I understand it, this game’s locales (other than the world map) were created as scale models and then photographed for the game, with polygonal characters running around on top of these areas, and brief transitions from one camera angle to the next (despite this, the shift in camera angle is still usually a bit disorienting). This gives the game a style that calls back to Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX. However, the 3D character designs for this game are much more detailed, with an anime character style that works well for the fantastical world of the game.

However, I do have a few complaints here. While the visuals mostly look great, there are moments every once in a while where the usually-smooth framerates can chug (particularly during some cutscenes), and you will occasionally encounter a texture that’s surprisingly blurry compared to the otherwise clean look of the rest of the game. Also, for all the acclaim that Nobuo Uematsu has rightfully earned for earlier games, I can’t say that I found any of this game’s instrumental and synthesized music to be especially memorable, even if it works well enough for the game.

When it comes to the gameplay, this is mostly pretty classic Turn-Based JRPG stuff, though there are a few unique mechanics here. In combat, players spells and abilities can often be shifted or bent to hit additional enemies in a way that’s somewhat malleable. More importantly, this game makes use of a “dimengeon” ability that lets players shunt random encounters to a pocket dimension to be fought later as a group, which not only helps to keep things moving when you don’t feel like getting into one battle after another, but also gives you a better opportunity to wipe out groups of enemies all at once with area-of-effect attacks.

I wish that this game gave players greater ability to customize their characters’ development (you can do so, but not until later in the game), and the aforementioned pacing issues can drag down the game at times, and this is in a game that will likely take you fewer than 30 hours to beat.

Still, while it isn’t without its flaws, and it’s nowhere near as grand and impactful as the classic Final Fantasy games it may remind players of, Fantasian is nevertheless an excellent Turn-Based JRPG, and one that is well worth playing for fans of the genre, especially those who pine for the earlier eras of the genre.

tl;dr – Fantasian is a Turn-Based JRPG that evokes the classic games in the Final Fantasy series while still presenting something unique in its own right. This game has a few issues with things like pacing and limited ability to guide your characters’ growth, but even with complaints like these, this is still a solid entry in the genre, and an especially worthwhile game to check out for players who pine for earlier generations of the genre.

Grade: B

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Jamie and His Cats, Ben, Ilya Zverev, Andy Miller, Homer Simpin, Johannes, Francis Obst, Gabriel Coronado-Medina, Jared Wark, Kristoffer Wulff, and Seth Christenfeld. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}