Fantasian Neo Dimension review

pcgamer.com:

I thought I'd had enough of RPG heroes with dead parents and memories full of holes. I was done with save crystals, world maps, and feisty princesses with magical powers. What's that? The world's very existence is under threat because an ancient and all-powerful being got a bit sad? Spare me.

What is it? A sweet RPG exterior hiding a rock-hard battle core
Release date: December 5, 2024
Expect to pay: £44.99/$49.99
Developer: Mistwalker Corporation
Publisher: Square Enix
Reviewed on: Intel i9-13900HX, RTX 4090 (laptop), 32GB RAM
Steam Deck: Verified
Multiplayer? No
Link: Official website

But it's hard to hold such timeworn clichés against Fantasian. The game's producer and chief storyteller is none other than Final Fantasy legend Hironobu Sakaguchi, who's been making RPGs for so long he practically invented some of these tropes, or at least knew the person who did. Besides, this retro-styled approach to the plot brings a fantastic focussed attitude along with it, never spending any longer than absolutely necessary on an energetic prison break sequence or the latest almighty god's dramatic monologue. The game wants to take me away on a grand adventure filled with magic and monsters, whisked from one place to the next before I've had the chance to think too hard about why I'm currently fighting a haunted gondola or a really angry sun.

The places I end up in are as traditional as they come—a dusty little town, a shining city, strange mechanical nowheres filled with danger—but they all look brand new thanks to the game's unusual visual style.

Here the locations I visit aren't created from 3D renders or detailed pixel art, but photographs of real handmade dioramas. The effect is so stunning I often ended up wandering around just to see more of the craftsmanship that's gone into these sets, places where every tiny glass bottle and folded bed sheet has been made and then positioned by hand. There are obvious paint marks on rocky outcrops, curled corners on tiny rugs, and