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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

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Previews:

Noisy Pixel

Playing Fantasian Neo Dimension felt familiar but still full of wonder—it’s mostly the same, but the potential reach this game has for new audiences makes it feel brand. The game controls well enough on a gamepad, and the new voice acting adds depth to the characters. The story, centered around Leo’s quest to recover his memories and stop a strange mechanical infection, remains compelling, but it’s also familiar territory for anyone who’s played.

Combat remains one of the Fantasian’s stronger points, with the Skill Trajectories feature allowing for some tactical depth as you plan your attacks. It makes combat more engaging than simply selecting actions, as there’s a strategy in every attack.

Fantasian Neo Dimension plays and looks great on its new home. Considering the team behind this adventure, it truly is a must-play, especially for those who missed out on it the first time. The console version is a welcome addition, but we’ll need more time with it to see if it can break free from its mobile ties.

The Gamer

• Fantasian Neo Dimension offers a challenging RPG experience reminiscent of classic Final Fantasy titles.
• The game's original mobile design is evident through clunky controls and battle mechanics clearly made with touch-screen in mind.
• New features include English and Japanese voiceovers, difficulty options, and the ability to replace background music.

RPG Site

The hands-on demo for Fantasian Neo Dimension fulfilled my expectations for what I wanted from Fantasian; it was no longer confined to the limitations of Apple devices, so the hand-crafted diorama environments looked as crisp as ever. They were already stunningly beautiful in the original Apple Arcade release, but they pop out so much more brilliantly in Fantasian Neo Dimension. It’s very easy to spot all the love put into the little details in these dioramas and I personally wish Fantasian Neo Dimension had some sort of diorama gallery to view all the original diorama models in isolation from the in-game assets.

Gamereactor UK

While the presentation is all very classical, it would be unfair to criticise the developers for staying true to the ideas they themselves helped popularise. And there are some ingenious concepts as well. One of them is the so-called Dimengeon, a feature that lets you skip random battles. Instead, the monsters you are supposed to battle get added to a sort of queue, and once it's full, you will have to battle them all at once with the aid of extra abilities. I didn't actually get to experience this doing my half-hour preview, but I did get to meet an item-hungry monster, which forced me to approach battles in a new manner. Speaking of the battle system, I found it quite engaging, with swift attack animations, a snappy menu layout, and the added dimension of being able to direct your attacks in specific directions opening up for AOE damage.

TechRaptor

Fantasian Neo Dimension's UI still looks like it's made more for the phone than console, and while that is truth of the matter, I had hoped Square Enix would do a bit more to make it look appealing for gamers playing this new version on the big screen.

I'm just not a fan of the somewhat generic looking UI design, so it reminds me that yes, I am playing a mobile game. It's serviceable and does the job, but keep your expectations in check. Regardless, Fantasian is a coveted title for a reason, and I can see why fans were so quick to praise it back when it launched in 2021.

wccftech

Thankfully, random battles are never a problem with FANTASIAN Neo Dimension, thanks to the twist to one of the oldest JRPG mechanics introduced by the Dimengeon System. By employing this system, it is possible to send encountered enemies to a dimensional dungeon, and skip the battle altogether. At some point, however, Leo and his companions will have to fight the enemies sent to this dungeon, otherwise the Dimengeon Machine will overflow and force them into a longer battle. To make these battles more manageable, however, players can attack Dimengeon Gimmicks, which grant some welcome buffs, widening the array of available strategic choices to make combat even more engaging.

While 30 minutes or so are too little to provide a proper evaluation of FANTASIAN Neo Dimension as a JRPG due to the little story covered, it is undeniable that the Final Fantasy series DNA is very prominent in the game.

vooks.net

Fantasian: Neo Dimension is going to be a great game on Switch, given its origins in mobile gaming, but even on other consoles it will be fun. The Dimengeon system will likely catch many players off guard, but I really like it, as it keeps the game moving at a decent pace, instead of stopping every 20 seconds. Playing with a controller was fine, which I know is something some mobile games have not done well when going to consoles, so worry not there. I only wish I had more time to learn the mechanics better, and my characters skills, so I could have put up a decent fight against the golem, but oh well. If you are someone who likes a more traditional JRPG experience, but not one locked in the past, then Fantasian: New Dimension is one to look out for.

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[jshackles]

Too many good JRPGs coming out

 

[near]

"One of the new unannounced features that I got to tinker around with in my hands-on session is the new battle music selector. Accessible both in the settings menu and in battle, people can pull up a list of various Final Fantasy games that will play select tracks from them. The titles selectable were Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Final Fantasy VII: Remake, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, and Final Fantasy XVI. There was a random option at the very bottom too, if you want combat to just play a different tune every time you engage into battle."

Nice. It looks good too. Can't wait.

 

[ManaByte]

Is this the same Apple Arcade game but with a new subtitle?

 

[near]

Is this the same Apple Arcade game but with a new subtitle?

Yeah, console/PC port of the mobile game. It's getting a visual revamp, dioramas were originally shot in 4K so they're using all that raw data that was originally diluted. Plus a few new QoL features.

 

[Ojeteespacial]

Someone that played the original can tell me if its a good game? Im a fan of the old final fantasy games, until X.

 

[Fess]

Someone that played the original can tell me if its a good game? Im a fan of the old final fantasy games, until X.

It’s great! Feels like an old school Final Fantasy, looks fantastic. Probably plays better now, there were some screen to screen transition stutter on Apple TV.

One preview complained about the controls being clunky and that it felt like it was made for touch screen, but I played it with a controller on Apple TV and had no problems. Can’t see why they would change the controls now, could be the previewer trying to create something to complain about there.

 

[near]

 

[Hudo]

I wish Yoshida would ask Sakaguchi to direct FF17.

 

[near]

I wish Yoshida would ask Sakaguchi to direct FF17.

Would be a megaton announcement if that ever happened. At least Yoshida respects the goats that came before him. Now we just need SE to announce that Yoshida and CS3 are producing/developing FFT remaster/remake with Matsuno.

 

[Hudo]

Now we just need SE to announce that Yoshida and CS3 are producing/developing FFT remaster/remake with Matsuno.

That would be one of the best things ever. I actually hope that this is what is happening behind the scenes. That Square got Matsuno to work on "Final Fantasy Tactics Reborn".