Fantasian Neo Dimension Challenged Me More Than Any Final Fantasy Game Has In Years

Summary

• 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.

As a steadfast Samsung user, I never played Fantasian when it launched for Apple devices in 2021. This meant when I got to play Fantasian Neo Dimension at Gamescom, it was an entirely new experience for me, unlike the other two journos I shared the session with. While they were smashing through the demo with ease thanks to their familiarity with the game, I was struggling so much that I was questioning whether I had missed something glaringly obvious, peeking at the controls cheat sheet often in case there was some clue I had overlooked.

I haven’t found an RPG this challenging since classic PlayStation Final Fantasy titles when I was haunted by the likes of Shinryu in FF5 or Dark Elf from FF4. I was seriously considering that I’d need to grind to overcome the boss, which I naturally didn’t have time for in the preview. It was a Golem that kept absolutely slaughtering my team by swinging its arms through them like they were nothing. One of the wiser journalists with me explained there was a set tactic and that I needed to take out the Golem’s arms quickly to ensure it couldn’t unleash its heavier attacks that were decimating my party. Thanks, buddy.

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My initial impression was that it was rather obvious that Fantasian Neo Dimension was originally designed for mobile and touch screens. It doesn’t look bad. In fact, it looks quite clean, and gives me classic RPG vibes despite the more modern 3D graphics and voiceovers. Yet the biggest giveaway this came from a mobile device originally is that the controls feel clunky.

The battles were another big giveaway that this game was made for touch controls. You can target enemies with Skill Trajectories, some of which place a circular AoE, or a line of attack that you want to move and angle to encompass as many enemies as possible. It’s a very interesting concept that was fun to use, and I can imagine how well it worked with a touchscreen. It doesn’t feel entirely out of place with standard controls, but you can absolutely see where the original concept came from.

For the preview, we checked out the Ancient Hill area with our party of heroes, and it wasn’t immediately obvious how much this game would challenge me until I decided to take the Dimengeon System for a spin. It was utter chaos. I found myself facing over 22 enemies on the battlefield, with even more appearing to replace their fallen comrades.

This was where the Skill Trajectories really worked wonders, as you had an abundance of fodder on the battlefield. You can also use your trajectories to pick up buffs on the field, such as extra attacks, damage boosts, or steal turns from enemies. This adds a layer of strategy to battles beyond the usual button mashing of your best moves. It feels like one of the ways that Fantasian Neo Dimension manages to stand out from the crowd.

Fantasian Neo Dimension has a few new perks that the original launch didn’t have. It now has full English and Japanese voiceovers, new difficulty options, and, most importantly, you can now replace the background music with songs from Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Naturally, I spent most of my preview time listening to the FF14 bops.

As a longtime Final Fantasy fan, I was already keen to try out Fantasian Neo Dimension as it was made by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the FF series. After taking it for a test spin, I’m even more excited to play. I won’t lie, though, I’m now a little wary that my RPG skills might not be up to scratch for this new challenge. If in doubt, grind it out? Time will tell.

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