Fantasian Neo Dimension is easily the best way to play the formerly mobile JRPG, warts and all

GamesRPGFantasian Neo Dimension is easily the best way to play the formerly mobile JRPG, warts and allWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesRPGFantasian Neo Dimension is easily the best way to play the formerly mobile JRPG, warts and allWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Square Enix) I am easily the biggest proponent of Apple Arcade that I personally know. I frequently find myself reminding folks that the mobile game subscription service from Apple is shockingly robust, filled with video games that are absolutely worth your time – some of which are even exclusive to the service! Until now, one of my go-to titles in this argument was Fantasian, a beautiful turn-based JRPG from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s Mistwalker. Thanks to the release of Fantasian Neo Dimension, an upgraded version of the game for consoles and PC, there’s no longer any need to fiddle with anything mobile. Not to say you can’t go and play Fantasian on Apple Arcade if you really wanted to, it’s absolutely still right there and currently available to anyone interested, but why would you? After spending some time with Fantasian Neo Dimension on the Nintendo Switch, I have a hard time imagining playing it any other way. And that’s without playing it on a beefier console or PC, where I imagine it looks even better. Old is Neo again (Image credit: Square Enix) Don’t call it a comeback(Image credit: Square Enix)This JRPG from two Final Fantasy legends is secretly Nintendo’s best announcement of the summer Don’t call it a comeback (Image credit: Square Enix)This JRPG from two Final Fantasy legends is secretly Nintendo’s best announcement of the summer (Image credit: Square Enix) This JRPG from two Final Fantasy legends is secretly Nintendo’s best announcement of the summer Main character Leo, for example, can initially slash straight on through multiple enemies, depending on their positioning. Kina, the early mage, can curve her magic so that you hit enemies on the side of the battlefield and back at the same time. Cheryl basically hits a specific circle’s worth of enemies. Adding all the usual RPG tactics like weaknesses to this formula just makes it all the more complex. There’s also a wild little tool called the “Dimengeon Machine” that lets you send random battles that crop up featuring previously encountered enemies to a pool of enemies that you can fight at your leisure. You can stack up to 30 in there and fight the waves of critters all at once rather than constantly get annoyed as you try to move around the map. But if you know anything about Fantasian already, it’s likely that the game takes place across scans of over 150 physical, handcrafted dioramas. From forests to rooms with beds and trinkets to deserts, the environments are physical while 3D characters move across them. It’s a stunning bit of work that was frankly underappreciated on mobile, and even with the limitations of the Nintendo Switch, it’s fairly stunning to see it on an actual TV. Neo-ly renovated Perhaps most importantly, Fantasian Neo Dimension does come with a bevy of new features that aren’t available in the mobile version. For example, English and Japanese voiceovers have been added to all the cutscenes in addition to several optional scenes, bringing a significant amount of liveliness to the characters. The PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC versions also have 4K support, which I can’t personally speak to but appreciate. But purely in terms of how much easier it is for me to recommend Fantasian Neo Dimension to potential players, the newly added difficulty mode is easily the biggest. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Fantasian notoriously has a reputation for a major difficulty spike, and it seems that the developers ultimately agreed this was something of a problem. “Fantasian was a very difficult game upon release,“an official Square Enix website pageabout the game reads in part, “with many bosses pounding players before they worked out the optimal strategies to defeat them.” In the newly upgraded version of the game, there’s now “Normal” and “Hard” with the former being the new difficulty setting. So far, Normal seems… pretty normal, and I’ve not had any major challenge with the game’s content. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for navigation. Actually moving from place to place in Fantasian Neo Dimension is where its roots as a mobile game are most apparent. The camera constantly swivels around to give different perspectives on the physical dioramas, which can be a pain as it’s sometimes hard to tell where chests and the like might be hiding, but using a controller while this happens makes characters go off on strange tangents until you reorient with the new angles. You’ll be going up and to the right and suddenly the camera will shift and you’re going in an entirely different, unintended direction. It’s a relatively small gripe in the grand scheme of things. I can deal with some clunky movement and awkward visual novel-style vignettes in order to experience a new (version of a) game from Mistwalker andSquare Enixwith music from Final Fantasy maestro Nobuo Uematsu. Between the physical dioramas, combat mechanics, RPG growth charts, and multiple party members, I suspect my holidays are sorted. Fantasian Neo Dimension releases on December 5, 2024 for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. If this particular game doesn’t interest you, there’s always all ofthe best JRPGsfrom our ranking to check out. 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no bite"1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now"2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now"2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 1 Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”