Developer: Mistwalker Corporation
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension – Review
It’s sometimes hard to find a JRPG title that clicks, especially considering how many are out there. A lot of these JRPGs have an interesting cast, but the gameplay ends up falling flat, the storyline becomes too convoluted, or everything feels extremely dated. We have seen quite a few interesting titles in the genre ourselves this year, including Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak, to name a few. This time we are actually covering the port and updated version of a 2021 Apple Arcade release. Under its new name, and with Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi at its helm, FANTASIAN Neo Dimension tries to win the hearts of a new generation.
Story
The game starts with Leo, an amnesiac, who finds himself in a strange machine-like world. He doesn’t know what he is doing there, but he does have two robot companions backing him up. Said robot allies tell him what is happening, but sadly, Leo doesn’t regain his memories after this retelling of events. He soon finds himself being attacked by massive machines, only for him to warp back to his own dimension thanks to a nifty device he had on him. Back home, the locals seem to know who Leo is, but once again, it doesn’t help Leo in the slightest. He hears of someone who might be able to help him, only for him to be disappointed yet again. What soon ensues is not only a journey to recover Leo’s memories, but also to fight a godlike entity who is clearly out to get Leo.
As a whole, the story flow is quite good. As this isn’t the biggest JRPG title out there, the story progresses at a nice pace, and the game also doesn’t have an overabundance of side quests. While there are a few of the latter, they never get in the way of the actual pacing and story flow. The game has different ways of story exposition, as you’ll be treated to lengthy dialogues, in-game cutscenes, and more static text-based intermezzos.
Graphics
Graphically, FANTASIAN Neo Dimension is a bit of a mixed bag. The environments look quite stunning when you keep in mind that these are actually handcrafted dioramas. There is a lot of variety regarding the backdrops, and it’s quite fun to explore your surroundings. The character models have a lot of charisma, but they look a bit rough around the edges. The same can be said about the enemy models, which reminded us more of something we’d see in an authentic PS3 JRPG title. The game’s graphics are roughly the same as they were back in 2021 when it was released solely for Apple Arcade. Some cutscenes consist of hand-drawn art, which also adds a bit of charm to the mix.
As you’re running around in static environments, the camera is always set to a fixed angle for the small part of a map you’re in. When moving to the edge of the screen, the camera shifts, which reminds us of older titles such as the early Resident Evil games or Devil May Cry. While this wasn’t an issue per se, it sometimes felt a bit disorienting and when a lot of shifts occurred in a row, it was sometimes even a bit nauseating. That being said, the latter only happened a handful of times during our full playthrough.
Sound
The sound design has been updated in FANTASIAN Neo Dimension compared to the original 2021 release. The soundtrack has been updated, and you can even select music from Final Fantasy titles for combat. The latter is a nice touch, but we preferred the original soundtrack for this one, as it created its own unique identity for this title. The soundtrack is very cinematic, and it’s clear that Nobuo Uematsu supported this project with his masterful skills. The game knows when to create an emotional scene via its soundscape, and it also gets you in the mood to slay monsters in grand turn-based battles. This port also boasts impressive voice acting for almost all dialogues. The original didn’t have any voice acting but Neo Dimension does have English and Japanese voice acting for all cinematics and key dialogues. Smaller interactions with townsfolk seldom have voice acting. The SFX are decent and are fairly standard JRPG fare.
Gameplay
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension is a traditional JRPG and is, in essence, a spruced-up version of FANTASIAN, a 2021 game release for Apple Arcade. This updated port brings different difficulty settings to the mix and enhancements such as the aforementioned voice acting. In the game, you’ll go from one location to the next, exploring new areas and battling monsters to gain experience. While you are free to explore your surroundings (within a certain area), the game is quite linear. Everything feels straightforward to get into, making it a rather accessible entry in the genre.
At first glance, combat looks like any other JRPG out there that works with a turn-based system. For the most part, FANTASIAN Neo Dimension also follows this format, albeit with a focus on hitting multiple targets per attack. As you progress through the game and get new party members, you’ll be presented with different ways of attacking your enemies. You may bend trajectories to hit enemies that aren’t lined up in a straight line, or you can perhaps just cast area-based skills. It’s fun to mess around with things, and the overall system is intuitive. It’s not really groundbreaking, but it’s still a nice change of pace compared to other similar titles. On top of that, there’s the ‘Dimengion’ system, in which you can bypass normal small enemy encounters. Every time a battle encounter would be initiated, the enemies are sent to that so-called Dimengion. You can store up to thirty enemies here, before you are forced to battle the stored enemies. This makes combat less of a chore, and with the multi-hit system in place, these battles end up being fairly entertaining.
In terms of party management, things never get too complex either. You can swap active members around, and equip them with different gear. In most cases, this simply means swapping out weapons, armor, and accessories. It’s standard fare for the genre, and you should normally not run out of cash to upgrade your gear when necessary. Exploring and completing side quests is rewarded in FANTASIAN Neo Dimension, as you may find better items than the ones they offer in the shops.
Even though we enjoyed the game a lot, things didn’t always go as smoothly as we liked. The controls are not always that responsive, and with the constant camera shifting, movement controls were also not that precise. This was partly because when the camera shifted, moving up was often no longer up, and also because the static environments have quite a few invisible walls. Sadly, the game also froze on us more than a dozen times, which is rather frustrating. This was often when we entered a new area or when a new dialogue started. In all of these cases, we had to reboot the game and redo a few smaller segments. Luckily, the game has a lot of save points, but having to go through unskippable dialogue or multiple battles that we had already done before became rather tedious.
Conclusion
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension might be a bit rough around the edges in some areas, but it still proved to be a delightful entry in the JRPG genre. The game offers an engaging story to play through, interesting characters to get to know, and gameplay mechanics every type of gamer can get into. The game never becomes overly complex, which is also its forté, as this creates a relaxing atmosphere from start to finish. If you’re looking for a traditional JRPG title that still manages to create its own identity, we suggest checking this one out.
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