Fantasian: Neo Dimension (Nintendo Switch) Review

By Sandy Kirchner-Wilson 30.01.2025

Review for Fantasian: Neo Dimension on Nintendo Switch

Originally released on Apple Arcade back in 2021 to relative success, Mistwalker's Fantasian -now dubbed NEO Dimension - has made the jump to the current generation of gaming devices. It's great to see the return of Hironobu Sakaguchi, not only in re-releasing this game but taking the time to dip in to tweak, touch up and otherwise polish the title. For the first time in a long time, he has paired up with Square Enix. Can it stand up in a gaming space saturated with amazing RPGs and JRPGs?

First of all, this game has a real sense of style. The team has done an amazing job creating fascinating and unique backdrops for the entire adventure. Development involved building physical sets, which are then captured and placed as pre-rendered backdrops. Somehow the team has done so at a great fidelity; even on Switch with reduced resolutions they are stunning. With pre-rendering, often characters or interactable objects stand out due to a lack of mixed or interactive lighting but Fantasian is excellently blended together. This is one of the best-looking classic style JRPGs in a long time, bringing to mind the fantastic work on show in Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX and X.

Screenshot for Fantasian: Neo Dimension on Nintendo Switch

When it comes to the story this is a somewhat typical affair given its inspiration is Final Fantasy VI. The protagonist Leo, who looks quite Nier-ish, is in the middle of an explosive mission in the Machine Dimension when things take a turn and he loses his memory. Newly 'brain mushed' he learns that he is good with machines and has created a teleportation device, though after escaping the teleporter breaks. Here the game gets going slowly, progressing by having players restore the protagonist's memory while doing a good job of introducing a likeable and colourful cast. Although being a little cliché, this plot device is decent at making the story and world interesting to learn about. The world is at threat from a technological disease from the machine dimension which is draining areas of their resources and killing life as it goes. The characters quickly find themselves working against this force and an antagonist called Vam. It is a rather fun tale told traditionally by presenting the player with both in-engine and pre-rendered cutscenes. These are surprisingly engaging and give the game a distinctive PS2/3 era feel.

In terms of gameplay, there is a solid turn-based battler here. Like Mistwalker's other titles, it is quite close to the system used in Final Fantasy X but with some key changes to set it apart. Instead of the overused "press A at the point of impact" twist that developers use a lot, this title is instead focussed on letting the player aim and control their attack. For example, the player might have a move that hits multiple enemies but by picking the right angle of attack it will be able to hit three instead of the usual two. This system is simple to grasp and satisfying to master, especially in later-game fights where the difficulty can spike quite severely.

Screenshot for Fantasian: Neo Dimension on Nintendo Switch

This is then juiced up with the Dimengeon device which allows the player to store enemies in another dimension to fight later. By storing up to 30 enemies (that have to have been defeated once before) the player can skip fights. Once the Dimengeon is full though the player must commit to fighting the stored enemies. This is a fun system and has a lot of interesting player agency in the battles. It really gives Fantasian its own unique feeling. There are some little problems with traversal with the camera angles causing the directional inputs to become confusing, but they are sparing and the overall enjoyment of exploring these dioramas is unspoiled. looking for hidden chests is surprisingly satisfying given the fixed camera and interesting environment design.

The audio is a real treat, voices are available in both English and Japanese and both sound excellent. The actors do a good job at selling the story and it elevates the title above its original Apple Arcade release. Music is done by long-time final fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu. In an interview with PlayStation Blog he says, "I had decided that this would be the last video game title which I'd produce the full soundtrack for, solely on my own.", meaning this game is kind of his last big composition job! Luckily the soundtrack is excellent, it has Uematsu's signature styling with thumping battle to gentler, more reminiscent tracks. It's really something and it gives the game a real old-school "Square Enix" feeling.

Screenshot for Fantasian: Neo Dimension on Nintendo Switch

Visually the game is stunning as well with the whole hand-crafted look of the backdrops to the surprisingly detailed character models who dwell within; everything just feels polished. Some of the bigger backgrounds show off just how incredible this design choice was, it has Nintendo Switch outputting far better graphics than most other titles. The game, looking as it does, does occasionally present frame drops, or lag, during more intense moments. This isn't unexpected but it is a shame as it otherwise is a fantastic feeling game to interact with. Fighting can sometimes make backdrops feel a bit empty, especially in some of the initial, more barren areas. Jazzing up these scenes are the multitude of enemy and boss designs which stand out at times. Along with characters these have an interesting amount of visual flair with the smoke of the bosses feeling insurmountable and looking like angry mountains. Finally, the cutscenes complete the visual makeup and contribute a lot of flair to the story. They are lovingly rendered, sharp and sparkly in all the right ways for them to feel like rewards. Real PS2 era energy.

Screenshot for Fantasian: Neo Dimension on Nintendo Switch

Cubed3 Rating

8/10
Rated 8 out of 10

Great - Silver Award

Rated 8 out of 10

Fantasian: Neo Dimension is an exciting turn-based RPG that cements the stylings of Mistwalker and Sakaguchi-san's directorial vision. A marked uptick in quality from Fantasian on Apple Arcade, this revamped version hits the classic highs of JRPGs as well as offers an experience that feels polished, complete and exciting. For lovers of older Final Fantasy games, this will scratch the itch, doubly so with the involvement of Uematsu-san, yet another auditory love letter from the master. All in all, this is THE game for JRPG fans.

Developer

Mistwalker

Publisher

Square Enix

Genre

Turn Based RPG

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date None   North America release date None   Japan release date None   Australian release date None   

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