Skyrim (The Elder Scrolls V)
Skyrim, part of the Elder Scrolls series by Bethesda Game Studios, is one of the most influential open-world fantasy RPGs
In 2021, developer Mistwalker self-published an RPG titled Fantasian, helmed by fabled studio head and founder Hironobu Sakaguchi.
According to Sakaguchi, development on Fantasian began in 2018 after the developer had recently replayed Final Fantasy VI, one of the popular RPGs from the series that he had worked on. While the idea of a Sakaguchi-led and Mistalker-developed RPG piqued the interest of many RPG enjoyers—myself included—the RPG was released as an Apple Arcade exclusive, playable only on Apple devices. Now, three and a half years later, those like myself who don’t have an Apple device finally have the opportunity to check out the RPG on consoles and PC. Mistwalker and Final Fantasy developer and publisher Square Enix have worked together on Fantasian Neo Dimension, an HD version of the RPG with upgraded graphics, English and Japanese voiceovers, as well as various gameplay adjustments and enhancements.
Despite the upgrades, I had fears going into Fantasian Neo Dimension that the transition from being built purely for iOS to consoles and PC could be a rough one. But while there are some noticeable signs and reminders throughout Fantasian that the RPG was clearly originally developed for mobile devices, such as simplistic yet big blocky UI and some limited mobility on certain maps, overall, the Neo Dimension version plays well and does a great job of hiding the fact that this was originally a mobile game.
If you’re a fan of previous Mistwalker RPG gems like Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and The Last Story, you’ll know that creative storytelling and unique gameplay features to the genre are the developer’s strong suits. Fantasian Neo Dimension starts off with the main character, Leo, finding himself suffering from amnesia in a strange machine-inhabited world—properly named the Machine Realm—that serves as the tutorial and introduction to the game. Accompanied by two peculiar machines that are helping him, Leo manages to use a strange portal device to return to his own world, the Human Realm.
As the story progresses you’ll learn more about the strange and fantastical world Leo lives in, where the people who live there reside alongside a strange Mecha Infestation that has started to plague it. Along the way. You’ll meet new characters that join Leo in his journey as well as learn about Leo’s past and exactly what he was doing that resulted in him ending up with amnesia and in the Machine Realm.
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