Fantasian Neo Dimension is a masterpiece

At last, non-Apple users can also enjoy this masterpiece from old master Sakaguchi and composer Nobuo Uematsu. Fantasian Neo Dimension is an ode to classics such as Final Fantasy VII-IX – including pre-rendered backgrounds based on handmade dioramas. But the game is reminiscent of the charm of past Final Fantasy games on more than just a visual level. Above all, it’s the lovable characters within a familiar story that make Fantasian a secret masterpiece.

Old story formula that feeds off great characters

Main character Leo travels between dimensions and looks like the lovechild of 2B and 9S from Nier: Automata. At the beginning of the game, he has – wait for it – amnesia. This hardly ever used JRPG cliché makes him set off in search of his past. Fantasian Neo Dimension uses a number of these clichés, including a love triangle and the pervy old man trope. This would bother me in other games, but I love it here. It just fits perfectly with the style of the game and my memories of titles like this from my youth.

The characters are so endearing and develop over the course of the game that I forget the clumsy premise – obviously Leo and everyone have to save the world. Instead, I concentrate fully on the protagonists. Sakaguchi still has what it takes to write great characters.

Then there’s the somewhat naive Kina, who, like Leo, wants to find out her background. And Cheryl, who at first seems arrogant, but later turns out to be loving and calm. There are also revolutionary robots Prickel and Clicker, who prefer chaos rather than order. And the mysterious Tan and Valrika. We’ve also got old sea dog Zinikr, who’s always quarrelling with young inventor Ez.

As for the music, Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu is just as good as ever, with the soundtrack being sheer brilliance. The orchestral and synthesiser-like sounds fit perfectly with the various locations.

As well as the narrative style in game graphics, the characters’ past is recounted in book form. Text appears in front of a sketched background. A narrator describes the scenes and the characters perform their lines. Personally, I’d have liked to see these passages in game graphics as well, since they end up being a stark break in presentation and narrative style. This design seems too blatant a way of depicting emotions. I want to see them in a game, not read them.

The story itself may be hackneyed, but the pacing is great. I don’t spend longer than necessary in any one place before moving on to new pastures. Obviously, it’s worth revisiting these numerous locations from time to time. In fact, it’s something I have to do. But it never feels like the developers want to keep me in one place because they’ve put a lot of time into creating it. Nonetheless, I can’t get enough of certain scenes.

The side quests aren’t the most original, usually featuring fetch quests with a boss to defeat. In most cases, however, they offer deeper insight into the world of Fantasian Neo Dimension or contribute to character development. Just as with the story pacing, they don’t drag on too long and are therefore definitely worth it.

Pre-rendered backgrounds make a comeback

I’m a huge fan of pre-rendered backgrounds. When the generation change from PS1 to PS2 gave way to more and more real-time rendering, I have to admit I shed a few tears. Fantasian is now bringing it back. Over 150 dioramas were made by hand and digitised. This lets me walk through magical mini-worlds with Leo and the other characters. From snow-covered mountains to huge cities, from an apocalyptic world to a highly technological one, Fantasian has it all.

If I don’t want to walk, I can use the Move feature to travel to certain points marked on the map. Later in the game, I get a warp device that allows me to teleport to places I’ve already visited.

The only criticism of the otherwise five-star presentation is the controls. As usual for pre-rendered backgrounds, I have no say over the camera, with the perspective changing automatically. Depending on the viewing angle, I then have to realign the stick on my controller so I don’t walk in the wrong direction. It takes a bit of getting used to.

Despite the relatively high rate of random encounters with enemies, I have enough time to explore and soak up the locations. This is down to a mechanic called the Dimengeon system.

Fights postponed rather than put off for good thanks to the Dimengeon

Combat in Fantasian Neo Dimension is turn-based, typical of this genre. As is customary in classic JRPGs, you don’t see the enemies in this world and instead meet them at random, with fights happening on a separate screen. Dimengeon fights join this classic category.

Leo has a device that transports enemies to another dimension, the Dimengeon. This is where they wait for me to finish them off. So I still have to fight – the battle hasn’t been cancelled. The machine only has so much capacity. If it exceeds this, the fight starts automatically. However, I can also start it manually or deactivate the machine. I can also expand its capacity with side quests. During these battles, Dimengeon Gimmicks appear, which are bonuses or power-ups, such as additional turns or increased attack.

Established combat system with a twist

Apart from the Dimengeon, fights are just as you’ve come to expect, in other words, choosing from physical attacks, magic abilities, special attacks or items.

Each skill and attack has different trajectories. For instance, straight lines that can pass through several enemies, curves or areas of effect. This provides additional strategic elements, especially in the Dimengeon battles.

All characters have unique skills. To begin with, they learn new ones automatically when they level up. Later, you can assign skills on a growth map and adapt them to your gaming style. Once you’ve learnt a skill, you can forget it and learn another one. This is necessary from time to time, as you’ll need different skills for certain enemies.

Unlike other JRPGs, Fantasian ensures you use all protagonists in battle as they don’t have the same abilities, despite variation in skill development. You can easily rotate them in battle. It takes certain skills to defeat some enemies, the bosses. For example, Ez can create a vacuum that concentrates opponents in a set place. You have to do that in a fight, otherwise you wouldn’t have a chance of winning.

Overall, the fights are fun. Boss battles are the real challenge, even in the supposedly easier difficulty level. Just hitting them won’t cut it. You have to come up with a strategy to avoid being the one that bites the dust.

That means equipping your characters accordingly so you’re ready for battle. As well as weapons and armour, you can use jewels to increase stats or grant resistance. This is another area I’d slightly criticise. If I want to equip a jewel that other characters have already equipped, I can’t choose who I want to take it from. I have to do this manually, otherwise it’ll be removed at random. Instead, I’d rather be able to select this when equipping. It’s happened to me more than once that the jewel was taken away from the wrong person and I lost a boss fight as a result.

Fantasian Neo Dimension is released on 5 December 2024 for Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox Series. I was given a copy of the PC version for testing purposes.