When I first foughtFantasian ’s Sandsea Serpent , one of the Apple Arcade RPG ’s first hirer , it pass over the storey with me . Now returning to it years later on inFantasian Neo Dimension , a new console porthole of the mobile standout , I did n’t get the engagement nearly as unmanageable as I remembered . Was it that I was already familiar with the political boss , so I had an advantage this time around ? Not on the button . That was thanks to one of the game ’s new features , a new “ normal difficulty ” that tone down what was once a brutal challenge .
This pocket-sized difficulty adjustment is one of many welcome changes toFantasian Neo Dimension , making it a much smoother experience than what ’s presently available onApple Arcade . Tweaks like that do n’t get in the way of what the original biz does so well , though .
Neo Dimensionpolishes anexcellent RPGwith an imaginative turn - based combat system , playfulness stamp of character , and standout visual presentation . Its mobile descent result in some separated tarradiddle pacing and awkward controls , butNeo Dimension ’s enhanced feature makes the 2021 RPG feel fresh again .
Modern throwback
Fantasian Neo Dimensionfollows a youthful valet de chambre advert Leo who becomes an amnesic after brook a magical explosion in a factory . In a journey to recover his lose memory , he aims to learn more about Mechteria , a machine - like plague that ’s increasingly taking over the surround . It ’s a classical world - hopping and man - save matter that ’s been explore many times in other RPGs , butFantasiansupplements the vernacular plotline with a witching cast of character .
Each character embody intimate tropes . These include the old guy Zinikr , the bothersome Thomas Kid Ez , the lone wolf Tan , and the girl with mysterious powers , Kina . Fantasianis fill with character - specific side seeking that allow us see what each submarine is like beyond these tropes , but not all character development was divide up equally . I enjoyed the banality yet fun subtle love triangle between Leo , Kina , and Cheryl , but Tan feels developing because he permanently fall in the cast too deep into the story .
The originalFantasian ’s story tempo felt uneven because the game itself was split into two one-half released month aside , each of which has pros and yardbird . The first one-half has tons of story exhibition and sets up intriguing plotlines later on on , but combat can grow a bit moth-eaten .
The second half greatly expands on gameplay by give each reference a skill Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , opening up novel struggle possibility . However , major plot maturation do n’t occur until the last few hours after bombarding histrion with party boss engagement . SinceNeo Dimensionis now one single package , the pacing feel a bit sound because I can simply jumpstart into the second half right after terminate the first , but the disconnect is still detectable in the coordinated release .
What helps palliate the story and character maturation ’s weird pacing isFantasian ’s excellent presentation . The environments are presented as dioramas ( created from real , handmade framework ) that look stunningly natural , particularly as an alternative to bland 3D fashion model or hyper - naturalistic visuals . The frozen camera angles add up a unique retro flair that make it feel like I ’m playing a throwbackNintendo DS game .
Line of sight
One ofFantasian ’s dear aspects , which is preserve on console , is its turn - based battle system . On Mobile River , Fantasiantook vantage of touchscreen controls by have players aline the flight of certain attacks . This allowed for some unique strategical gameplay . For example , some skills can hit multiple enemies at a metre , but if an foe had a shield up , the attack would cease dead in its tracks . By modifying the accomplishment ’s arc , I could redirect the attack to bypass the shielded foeman and still gain the enemy behind it . This touching - based battle organisation suffer a tiny bit of gewgaw now that it ’s been translated to a controller , but it still feels just as immensely satisfy hitting multiple enemies at once .
I ’m not a big fan of random meeting in innovative game , butFantasianhandles it like an expert with its Dimengeon ’s shop mechanic . Every sentence you trigger a random skirmish , the enemies get sent into a pocket property if you have a gadget activated . You do n’t have to fight them right away ; instead , you may tap out a twelve foe at once in one bighearted fight gauntlet . Eventually , the Dimengeon will run over after a certain verge and you ’ll be forced to confront them all at once .
Not only does this deliver a huge amount of time by not having to go through screen and transitions between the field of study and battle every time a conflict come but shoot down all these colossus at once get combat sense worthwhile . Instead of incremental EXP boosts after multiple modest battles , my company gets a immense cumulative rise that makes it finger like I ’m making actual advance . participant can toggle the Dimengeon twist on and off at any metre if you still need that traditional random clash experience .
While these new changes are welcome , I care that there were a few more . An option to increase the speed of battle like inDragon Quest III HD-2D remakewould’ve been appreciated . It especially could have helped during the long - winded Dimengeon fights . A minimap in the corner of the sieve would ’ve been a nice summation too , as it ’s annoying to keep have to pull up a map to see where I was go .
What’s new?
All of these features translate well to consoles . The diorama now front even respectable inNeo Dimension , with 4 K resolution making them sharper . I could see all of the small details like mountain grooves on TV much loose than I could on a flyspeck phone screen .
It ’s well-heeled to see why fans have been so eager to seeFantasianbreak out of Apple Arcade .
However , Neo Dimensionhas some uneasy control carry over from its roving tooth root . Whenever the fixed camera would wobble in a new slant as I traveled across a field of honor or town , I ’d seek to change Leo ’s centering , yet the ascendance would be unresponsive . I ’d have to stop first , and then move in a new direction . It feel like this is an issue leftover from porting its mobile touchscreen controls to modern consoles .
As a nice touch , the plot comes thoroughgoing with voice dissemble for cutscenes , which adds weight to its most emotionally heavy story scenes . The biz has a grotesque soundtrack to boot , compose byFinal Fantasyveteran Nobuo Uematsu . It especially shines during some boss themes toward the end of the second one-half . Neo Dimensioneven adds the selection to customize its soundtrack and play Final Fantasy music during combat , which is a soppy recall to its inspirations .
In the original rendering , Fantasian ’s second half was criticise for being too hard , with bosses consume the ability to pass over the party out if you ’re not prepared . In response , the aforementioned “ normal difficulty ” was add up . However , players can still prefer to playNeo Dimensionat its original difficulty by choose “ hard difficultness . ”
After playingNeo Dimension , it ’s easy to see why fans have been so eager to seeFantasianbreak out of Apple Arcade . Its unique spin on a twist - based struggle organisation was engaging on a mobile machine , and its stunning dioramic visuals made its color pop out of the projection screen . Despite some bumpy eccentric and story development , Fantasian Neo Dimensionsolves a bit of the original ’s fragmented story while also giving it new life sentence on it on other platforms with additional features .
Fantasian Neo Dimensionwas reviewed on Xbox Series X.
