The Apple Arcade-only JRPG looks like such a labor of love
It’s rare for me to want to play a game just to appreciate its environmental artwork, doubly so when it’s stranded on a less-than-ideal platform likeApple Arcade. But that’s where I’m at withFantasian, a new RPG from Mistwalker (Terra Battle,Lost Odyssey) that’s set in a painstaking world of miniatures.
I can’t get over the craftsmanship that went into creating “over 150 handmade dioramas” for this game. Creators fromGodzilla,Attack on Titan, andUltramanhelped establish the miniaturized look.
Hironobu Sakaguchi and co. know what they’re dealing with here: there’s a built-in way to postpone the random JRPG battles inFantasianso that you’re able to breezily take in the sightsand sounds “uninterrupted.”
A so-calledDimengeon Battle mechanic lets you push “previously encountered” foes into a “separate dimensional dungeon,” at which point you may square off with the creeps when you’re good and ready.
What else do you need to know? Nobuo Uematsu composed forFantasian, the story concerns a hero, Leo, who’s stranded in a realm with a “bizarre mechanical infection,” and there’s no release date yet.
Down the line, hopefully it’ll also land on Nintendo Switch like many other once-exclusive Apple Arcade titles. If touch-centric games likeShinsekaiandGrindstonecan come over, I’m not super worried.
