Fantasian has a familiar setup-the protagonist, Leo (who looks straight out of Nier), is in search of his father in their world governed by machines. But a major reason why we hold some classic RPGs in high regard is for their storytelling.

With world design and gameplay innovations, Fantasian seems to have a lot going for it. Sakaguchi also mentioned that boss battles will emphasize strategy, saying, 'Even if the player's characters might not be at the so-called recommended level, if they have a lot of cunning and items and use skills properly, then they can still defeat the boss.' Some character abilities require you to aim spells in lines or curves to hit multiple enemies effectively, while some have area-of-effect properties. Essentially, the Dimengeon system lets you stack several instances of random encounters in your back pocket as you explore hostile areas, then initiate them all at once to take out all those enemies in one longer battle.Īlthough Fantasian uses a turn-based combat system, there are some active elements to battles. What stuck out most to me was the Dimengeon system, which seems to solve the pesky problem of frequent random encounters. He continued with examples of how he can set up in-game scenarios, concluding, 'Because the object is present, it gives you a different perspective on how the characters might be able to interact with the environment, which was kind of fresh.'įantasian might draw you in with its elaborate diorama sets and throwback sensibilities, but Mistwalker is trying some new things gameplay-wise as well. 'When you construct these dioramas, seeing the actual objects in person can almost inspire and inform new gameplay or new elements in that, you see how a house is constructed,' he explained. So in the concepting phase, it's very important to have a clear vision of what it is you're trying to build and create as the environment.'Īs intimidating as that might sound, Sakaguchi also said working with dioramas was key for the vision of Fantasian.

'You might want to add a road here, maybe connect these two areas-that really isn't possible. 'Once you commit to a design, there really isn't a lot of leeway in terms of changes,' he said. This is a unique method of constructing a game world, and I asked Sakaguchi how it affects the development process. The game boasts over 150 dioramas used for scenes, backdrops, interiors, and overworlds to explore, and even the objects and props in these environments were physically created. When Fantasian was first revealed during the Apple Arcade premiere in March 2019, Sakaguchi was shown working with handmade dioramas-this is how in-game environments are made for Fantasian.

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