\n<\/p>\n
Fantasian<\/em> was an easy game to recommend when it launched in 2021<\/a>. Developed by Final Fantasy<\/em> creator Hironobu Sakaguchi\u2019s Mistwalker studio<\/a>, Fantasian<\/em> was an approachable old-school roleplaying game that had a lot of clever ideas, along with an adorable aesthetic thanks to its world made out of hand-crafted dioramas. There was just one problem: it was exclusive to Apple Arcade, so anyone who wasn\u2019t a subscriber missed out. Now, that has finally changed as the game launches this week on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and the Switch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The new port is called Fantasian Neo Dimension<\/em>, but it\u2019s mostly identical to the Apple Arcade version, aside from the very welcome addition of voice acting. (In a nice bit of circular storytelling, Neo Dimension<\/em> is being published by Final Fantasy<\/em> maker Square Enix.) In many ways, Fantasian<\/em> is classic Final Fantasy<\/em> in all but name. It stars a hero named Leo, who \u2014 with the help of a tough princess, a mysterious magic wielder, and a grizzled ship captain \u2014 gets pulled into a quest that spans multiple realms, as they attempt to thwart a mechanical infestation led by a tall, dark, and dangerous villain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There\u2019s plenty that Final Fantasy<\/em> fans will recognize: the amnesiac lead character, the playful love triangle, a world that blends fantasy and sci-fi, similar spells and items, and a beautiful soundtrack from famed composer Nobuo Uematsu<\/a>. Hell, there\u2019s even a character named Sid<\/a>. The basis of Fantasian<\/em> is Sakaguchi and his team working with the framework they know but building on top of it in interesting ways. So you\u2019re left with a rock-solid RPG that makes some nice tweaks to the formula.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The most obvious difference is the visual style, which is like a hand-crafted take on the old prerendered backgrounds from PlayStation-era Final Fantasy<\/em>. It lends the game a very tactile aesthetic, and it\u2019s surprisingly flexible; there are warm and cozy forests and cabins but also cold mechanical areas made of metal and old circuit boards. And while the game has its origins on mobile, it still looks sharp and clear on console. I\u2019ve been replaying it on the Switch, and the only issue has been the occasionally long load time before a battle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fantasian<\/em> also makes some tweaks to the turn-based RPG formula that make it both more approachable and less frustrating. The first is a fun twist on combat that lets you aim many of your attacks, which can be incredibly satisfying when you line things up just right<\/em> and hit a whole bunch of enemies in one shot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Even more useful is the awkwardly named feature Dimengeon \u2014 a portmanteau of dungeon and dimension \u2014 which takes the sting out of random battles. When you have it switched on, those pesky monsters are zapped to another dimension, where you can battle them at your leisure. The twist is that they accumulate. So when the device fills up and you have to finally fight them, you can get into a battle against a whole bunch of bad guys at once. These fights have a strategic, almost puzzle-like feel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Those seemingly subtle tweaks are more than enough to make Fantasian<\/em> an easy recommendation if you\u2019re looking for a classic RPG. Much like the recent remake of Dragon Quest III<\/em><\/a>, a large part of the appeal of Fantasian<\/em> is how traditional it is, while smoothing out the rough edges that can make the genre feel clunky and tedious. And as Final Fantasy<\/em> itself continues to expand<\/a> in different ways<\/a>, Fantasian<\/em> is a comforting look back at how things used to be.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n