The cult classic mobile RPG finally gets its due, for lovers of mechanics over story who can rise to the demands of its extreme challenge.
It’s a bit surreal playing Fantasian with randomised Final Fantasy battle music. But it’s not unfitting. At one point I was in a fraught battle against a giant fiery salamander as the unmistakable piercing strings of One Winged Angel distracted me, as if Sephiroth himself was about to swoop down from the sky. To help or hinder, who can say.
Fantasian feels like a lost Final Fantasy game emerging from the 90s and that’s only reaffirmed by the inclusion of actual Final Fantasy battle music, which has been added to this re-release of the game. And for a time it really was lost. Developed by Mistwalker, itself a studio founded by the father of Final Fantasy Hironobu Sakaguchi, and with music from long-time Final Fantasy series composer Nobuo Uematsu, Fantasian was originally released – and subsequently trapped – exclusively on Apple Arcade back in 2021.
Now Mistwalker has reunited with Final Fantasy custodians Square Enix to publish this PC and console re-release as Fantasian Neo Dimension, with a little help from Final Fantasy 14 and 16’s Naoki Yoshida. This is a homecoming, then, the gang back together to share with the world a curio intended to be Sakaguchi’s final, final fantasy.
What characterises Fantasian most of all is its blend of old school genre trappings and modern sensibilities. Sakaguchi is uncompromising in his vision – for better or worse – resulting in a game aimed squarely at longtime RPG players and demanding a great degree of expertise. Yet this re-release is undoubtedly a more approachable version, if still not quite definitive.
That blend of old and new is exemplified by the game’s visuals – it’s what initially impresses most and lends the game its unique identity. In a callback to the past, the detailed backgrounds are static with 3D character models; but they’re formed from actual hand-made dioramas that have been built, photographed, and digitalised. Environments are tangible, real places with something of the clean futuristic look of Final Fantasy 8 making way for dusty town streets, lush forests with tiny, bushy flora, and alien-like landscapes of pustules and mushrooms and a soft fuzzy textured ground that looks like it would make you sneeze. All of this is presented through contrasting angles as the camera swoops and soars, revitalising the lost art of fixed perspectives. It’s a beautiful game.
Another example of old-meets-new is the turn-based battle system and the unique targeting mechanic for its characters. Attacks and skills must be carefully aimed at enemies: some in a piercing straight line, some in wide AoE circles, and some curving behind to the back line. Along with an explicit turn order, there are enough tactical options to satisfyingly clear a screen of enemies without taking a single hit. Bosses, too, make use of this system, with hidden weak points requiring not just meticulous aiming, but attentive understanding of mid-battle animations to specifically time critical attacks. Landing a death-from-above strike right when a boss yawns upwards makes me feel like Sephiroth, just as his iconic music reaches a crescendo.
Fantasian’s most innovative feature, though, is the Dimengeon system. It’s genius, essentially allowing you to collect random encounters into a single pot to then battle all at once at your discretion. This allows for exploration without interruption, and a switch to battling when the opportunity suits. No more running to a save point at low health praying an enemy doesn’t randomly strike! What’s more, Dimengeon battles take place in a void where players are aided by various buffs: aim carefully and you’ll do extra damage, cure afflictions, and steal turns. It’s wonderfully strategic and the sort of obvious solution to a genre frustration I hope gets copied elsewhere.
Outside of its underlying systems, however, Fantasian’s firm roots in the past also risk becoming its undoing, as its characters and plot fail to innovate in the same way its gameplay does.
