Fantasian

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Fantasian
App Store icon featuring main protagonist Leo
Developer(s)Mistwalker
Publisher(s)Mistwalker
Director(s)Takuto Nakamura
Producer(s)Hironobu Sakaguchi
Saho Nishikawa
Designer(s)Masahito Inoue
Artist(s)
  • Takatoshi Goto
  • Manabu Kusunoki
Writer(s)Hironobu Sakaguchi
Composer(s)Nobuo Uematsu
EngineUnity
Platform(s)Apple Arcade
Release
  • Part 1
  • April 2, 2021
  • Part 2
  • August 13, 2021
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Fantasian[a] is a 2021 role-playing video game by Mistwalker for iOS devices through the Apple Arcade service. It was produced and written by Hironobu Sakaguchi with music by Nobuo Uematsu, best known as the creators behind the Final Fantasy series. The game was released in two parts.

Gameplay[edit]

Screenshot showing the diorama style used in Fantasian and the HUD that appears during a battle.

Exploring the world of Fantasian involves players tapping on a location, which Leo will then navigate his way to. As the player navigates the world, random encounters occur where the player must fight a small group of enemies. During these battles, the game changes to a turn-based RPG.[1] When in combat, the player controls a small party, where during the player's turn, the player can deal physical damage to a single enemy, use items to aid themselves or cure status ailments, or use skills that require magic points such as offensive magic attacks or attacks that hit multiple enemies. When playing on a mobile device, players can swipe on the screen with their finger to select multiple targets to attack.[2] Characters earn experience points after battles that automatically increase their stats when a character "levels up", and a skill tree is accessible towards the end of the first part of the game.

Equipment can be purchased from various stores or obtained by treasure chests scattered throughout the world to increase a character's attack or defence stat. The game features checkpoints and save points that save the player's progress.[3]

A unique element to Fantasian is the "Dimengeon" system which allows players to skip battles against previously encountered enemies.[4] When the "Dimengeon" system is enabled, players do not fight enemies immediately – instead, the enemies are placed into the "Dimengeon", thus allowing players to explore the game's world without interruption. However, the "Dimengeon" can only hold a certain amount of enemies, and once this capacity has been exceeded, the player is forced to fight all of the enemies they have accumulated at once. Various enhancements are available during these "Dimengeon" battles, such as increased attack power or the ability to steal a turn from an enemy, to help the player fight the large amount of enemies.[5]

The game does not contain any microtransactions, a feature of games available through Apple Arcade.[6] The game also has mouse and keyboard support and can be played with controllers such as the DualShock 4.[7]

Plot[edit]

The game's plot revolves around Leo, a young man who becomes amnesiac after entering an alternate universe known as the Machine Realm. Various characters join him in his quest to recover his memory and discover who he is, while also confronting the mysterious Vam the Malevolent along the way.

Development[edit]

Fantasian was produced and written by Hironobu Sakaguchi (left) with an original score by Nobuo Uematsu (right), both known for being the creator and composer the Final Fantasy series respectively.

Fantasian was developed by Mistwalker, a studio founded by game producer and writer Hironobu Sakaguchi in 2004, with some character modeling outsourced to Arzest.[8][9] Development began in 2018.[10] The game was revealed during Apple's introductory video of Apple Arcade in March 2019.[11][12] The game was first conceived after Sakaguchi had met with some Apple employees, who were fans of both Final Fantasy and Uematsu's work. After spending some time conceptualizing on possible ideas, Sakaguchi's team wondered if it would be possible to create a game for Apple.[13] The game was created with the Unity game engine.[14] Fantasian was released in two parts: part one on April 2, 2021, and part two on August 13, 2021.[15][16]

Conceptually, Sakaguchi felt inspired to go "back to [his] roots" after replaying Final Fantasy VI in 2018 with some of his former colleagues who had worked on the game.[17][18] Prior to this, the producer had spent time working on mobile games like Party Wave and Blade Guardian, with his last narrative role-playing game being 2011's The Last Story for the Wii.[19] With Fantasian, Sakaguchi wanted to work on something that emulated the Japanese role-playing games (JRPG) of the past, stating that it was a style that he enjoyed and that "old styles can be great in their own right".[20] He also acknowledged that potentially, Fantasian could be his last project due to his age.[17][21]

Visually, Fantasian uses hand-crafted dioramas, a concept decided upon at the beginning of its development.[21] A miniatures hobbyist, Sakaguchi had previously used hand-crafted elements in the mobile strategy game Terra Wars, and wanted to explore the concept further in a traditional RPG.[19] Unlike the pre-rendered levels from earlier Final Fantasy games, Fantasian used drones equipped with 3D scanning technology to digitally recreate miniature sets built by hand.[22] Over 150 dioramas were created this way.[20] The dioramas were created by veterans of Japan's Tokusatsu industry, including one created by Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame.[4][23] This process was laborious, and required longer conceptual planning times since the development team could not go back and change things in a 3D modelling program.[22][24] Despite saying that a game "with a diorama [development] pipeline probably shouldn't exist", Sakaguchi noted that this process was necessary in order to get the appearance he wanted, saying that it offers a "unique handmade touch that cannot be replicated".[22][24][25] Due to the challenge of modifying the dioramas, gameplay and story elements were changed to match them instead of the other way around.[10] Sakaguchi developed the Dimengeon system because he felt that random encounter battles would interrupt players' peaceful exploration of the diorama environment.[10]

The game's music was composed by Nobuo Uematsu, best known for being the longtime composer of the Final Fantasy series.[4] He composed 60 tracks for its score and considers it among his favorites.[26][20] Alluding to health issues, Uematsu noted that it could be his last full score.[20][27] Fantasian's soundtrack consists of a fusion of baroque-style music with synthesizers.[28] Wanting to break free of conventional music found in the JRPG genre, Uematsu experimented with elements like dissonance and ethnic instruments.[29] Some of the music features improvisations, which the composer had never used prior to Fantasian,[20] with him taking a year to complete the score.[30] The soundtrack was released on Apple Music in July 2021.[31]

Reception[edit]

Fantasian received "generally favorable reviews" according to Metacritic.[b][32] Particular praise was given to the "Dimengeon" system, the diorama sets, the soundtrack, and the gameplay during battles, while criticism centered around the game's story being a typical JRPG story, navigating the world being somewhat cumbersome via the touch controls, and the game's graphics being subpar when playing the game on higher-resolution devices such as through macOS.[2][1][3][33]

During the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Fantasian for Mobile Game of the Year.[37]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Japanese: ファンタジアン, Hepburn: Fantajian
  2. ^ Reviews are based on the first part of the game.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Andriessen, CJ. "Review: Fantasian (Part 1)". Destructoid. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Bramwell, Tom (2021-04-14). "Fantasian review – random battles and quirky banter in beautiful iPhone game". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  3. ^ a b Webster, Andrew (2021-04-14). "Fantasian isn't just charming; it's the most approachable JRPG I've ever played". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  4. ^ a b c "FANTASIAN on the App Store". Apple. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  5. ^ a b Sapieha, Chad (2021-04-15). "Fantasian review: Like Final Fantasy for your iPhone". Financial Post. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  6. ^ "Apple Arcade complete guide: Everything you need to know". Macworld. 2021-04-06. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  7. ^ "FAQ/Support(EN)". Mistwalker. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  8. ^ Wen, Alan (2021-04-02). "JRPG 'Fantasian' is out now on Apple Arcade". NME. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  9. ^ アーゼスト - Works. Arzest (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2021-03-17. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  10. ^ a b c Hayashi (2021-10-02). "Tokyo Game Show 2021 Online, Famitsu Presents The Appeals and Possibilities of RPGs". YouTube. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  11. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (2019-03-27). "Mistwalker Announces Fantasian Game for Apple Arcade Service". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  12. ^ "Apple introduces Apple Arcade — the world's first game subscription service for mobile, desktop and the living room" (Press release). Apple. 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  13. ^ Madnani, Mikhail (2021-04-19). ""There Were No Plans of Any Kind Before Apple Arcade", an Interview With 'Final Fantasy' Creator Hironobu Sakaguchi on Fantasian and More". TouchArcade. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  14. ^ "FANTASIAN" (in Japanese). Made with Unity. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  15. ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (2021-04-02). "Final Fantasy creator's latest game, Fantasian, launches on Apple Arcade". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  16. ^ "Fantasian Part 2 is Coming This Week - IGN". 9 August 2021.
  17. ^ a b Scullion, Chris (2021-03-26). "Hironobu Sakaguchi interview: 'I'm aging… so I made a game that returns to my roots'". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  18. ^ White, Sam (2021-03-02). "Hironobu Sakaguchi's Fantasian is part sculpture, part role-playing game". British GQ. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  19. ^ a b Hardawar, Devindra (2021-04-02). "'Final Fantasy' creator Sakaguchi on what makes 'Fantasian' a unique mobile RPG". Engadget. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  20. ^ a b c d e Krabbe, Esra (2021-03-23). "How Nobuo Uematsu's Newest Soundtrack Made Final Fantasy Creator Hironobu Sakaguchi Cry". IGN. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  21. ^ a b Lynch, Gerald (2021-03-26). "His Final Fantasy? JRPG legend Hironobu Sakaguchi talks Apple exclusive Fantasian, next-gen gaming and an iconic career". TechRadar. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  22. ^ a b c Macy, Seth (2021-03-02). "Final Fantasy Creator Talks About His Latest RPG Fantasian and the Diorama Worlds In Which It Inhabits". IGN. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  23. ^ Hashimoto, Kazuma (2021-03-03). "Final Fantasy Series Creator Hironobu Sakaguchi Talks Uematsu's Involvement in Fantasian". Siliconera. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  24. ^ a b Webster, Andrew (2021-03-02). "Final Fantasy's creator is back with a classic RPG made of incredible handcrafted dioramas". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  25. ^ Martens, Todd (2021-03-02). "How the creator of 'Final Fantasy' challenges himself: A game made with 150 dioramas". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  26. ^ Brown, Shelby (2021-04-02). "Apple Arcade: Fantasian is Final Fantasy creator's returns to nostalgic roots". CNET. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  27. ^ Robinson, Andy (2021-03-07). "Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu 'could have made his last soundtrack'". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  28. ^ Park, Gene (2021-08-13). "Creator of 'Final Fantasy' reflects on his last game, his career and the puppetry of his works". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-08-13.
  29. ^ Higham, Michael (2021-03-02). "How The Creator Of Final Fantasy Is Evolving The Classic RPG With Fantasian". GameSpot. Retrieved 2021-08-13.
  30. ^ "FANTASIAN | Nobuo Uematsu Short Interview". YouTube. 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  31. ^ Webster, Andrew (2021-07-21). "Nobuo Uematsu's beautiful Fantasian soundtrack is now on Apple Music". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-08-13.
  32. ^ a b "Fantasian for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  33. ^ a b Gregoire, Aubin (2021-04-09). "Fantasian sur Apple Arcade: le papa de Final Fantasy revient avec une perle du J-RPG à l'ancienne". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  34. ^ "Fantasian review - "An innovative and jaw-droppingly gorgeous RPG"". Pocket Gamer. 7 April 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  35. ^ Musgrave, Shaun (2021-08-30). "'Fantasian' Apple Arcade Review – The Father of 'Final Fantasy' Isn't Fooling Around". TouchArcade. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  36. ^ "Fantasian - レビュー". IGN Japan (in Japanese). 2021-05-02. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  37. ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Fantasian". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
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