Hironobu Sakaguchi is regarded as a family name by many enthusiasts of the RPG style. Known favorably as the “father of Last Fantasy” thanks to his labor on the first 10 major titles, Sakaguchi has created many different games with worship followings, including Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey and Terra Battle, developed by his organization, Mistwalker Corporation. Sakaguchi’s future future name, Fantasian Neo Dimension, brings his critically acclaimed activity to wider followers on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 with the release of his acclaimed sequel. It will include new features like 4K PlayStation 5 aid, words acting in English and Japanese, and an additional difficulty option. It even signals a second collaboration for Sakaguchi and Square Enix after about 20 years.
Fantasian Neo Dimension follows the hero Leo on a multi-dimensional journey to reclaim his lost memories and discover the secrets of a peculiar mechanical disease that is threatening to end his world.
Laid across the landscape of over 150 radiant and beautiful hand-crafted dioramas, the game features a distinctive visual style with a fun, proper twist on standard turn-based battle mechanics. Nobuo Uematsu, a well-known artist known for his Last Fantasy films, contributes to the soundtrack.
During yesterday’s State of Play, it was revealed that Fantasian Neo Dimension would become launching on December 5, 2024. We spoke with Sakaguchi, who is the maker for this subject, to talk about the development process and what fans can anticipate.
How did Mistwalker and Circular Enix form a relationship? What’s it like working with Naoki Yoshida on this transfer?
Sakaguchi: I thought it was impolite to show up without having played his activity when Yoshida San and I were scheduled to do a panel discussion meeting five years ago. I knew I was a big fan of Consoles, so I was worried that if I did sing, I might find addicted. And sure enough, I’m on Last Fantasy XIV every day now. Yet this morning I played for 3 days. Because of that, Yoshida san and I got really tight. I had mentioned Fantasian, a match I had just developed for Apple Arcade, at dinner and we had a lot of conversation about Final Fantasy XIV. And we talked on, well,” could we send this to Computers and computers”? Because from my standpoint, I wanted because wide an audience to be able to play the game. And Yoshida san was kind enough to claim, “you know what, maybe there is an opportunity to do this up”, and the rest is history.
What can fans expect from the fresh PS5 type of Fantasian Neo Dimension and how are you going about it?
Sakaguchi: One of the original ideas for Fantasian was, I happened to be sitting in front of a dollhouse, and I imagined, “what do it feeling like if I was walking through this planet and exploring the diorama”. And while CG seems to be the norm in today’s world, I believe that the heat of something made by humans really shines in the dollhouse settings. However, I had a better idea of what to expect. To build the needed models, we had to 3D record these dioramas first, and then we projected photos onto them. However, in order to fit all of these dioramas into the game, we had to think differently and develop a unique network. And speaking of the PS5, I think the narration in both English and Japanese is fantastic. At the same time, the pictures — the dioramas, we had previously photographed these in 4K quality, but the initial version for several reasons, we had to scale them over. For the first time, the PS5 will display the 4K images. So I advise people to watch it on their large screen and experience all the details and charm of the craftsmanship found in the dioramas. And I think it’s going to be a truly enjoyable experience.
What did you set out to accomplish with Fantasian Neo Dimension that you had n’t done before, given your successful history with RPGs?
Sakaguchi: When I set out to develop Fantasian there was a part of me that idea, “well, if this does get the final game I develop, I may feel happy with that and have no sorrow”. And one of the grounds I felt that way was that I had the opportunity to enjoy Final Fantasy VI while working on Fantasian. I felt my own unique design come through in Final Fantasy VI, and playing it once more definitely made me feel like I had come back to where I was as a sport designer. But Fantasian is a turn-based, what you can visit, very conventional design RPG. And from Final Fantasy I all the way through VI, there has always been some sort of music creation, just like there is with Fantasian. I know it’s a really classic style Rpgs, but I wanted some form of creation. But aside from the figurine design, there are various mechanics. Players can store their strange encounters in a different dimensions and then beat them all at once afterwards, whenever they feel ready, using the Dimengeon System, for instance. And what this accomplishes is that it allows the players to fully engage themselves and easily discover the dioramas without being interrupted by sporadic contacts. And also, there’s another engineer, the “skills” or special magic in the game. Depending on how they cast a spell, people can have an impact on their skills ‘ paths or the place of influence. But, when you load a lot of enemies, you get to target and defeat them. It’s a quite enjoyable and fulfilling experience. But, despite it being a more traditional turn-based Mmo, I think there’s some beauty or creation as effectively.
Do you have something to declare to RPG fans who may be hesitant to put together a portable game first for their PS5?
Sakaguchi: We were aware that wireless equipment would be the game’s primary connector when Fantasian was first released on Apple Arcade. But, it even needed to be adapted to Mac and Apple TV. So essentially, there were ways to use a controller to perform Fantasian on a large screen. And it was always my goal for people to eventually be able to enjoy it and gain access to it in that format. The resources and visuals that we had planned were made to withstand that kind of media. However, the 4K photos we had taken had to scale down due to the size and storeroom restrictions of the various wireless devices. Whereas you can encounter Fantasian as you imagined it on the PS5 without worrying about storage limits. Because of this, monologues will also be available in Japanese and English. But, I did acquire Fantasian Neo Dimension the so-called author’s slice of this sport, and I’m very happy to be able to give that to everyone.
Pre-orders available today
With Fantasian Neo Dimension launching this December 5, 2024, pre-orders are also now available. The Vibran Secret Stone will be available as an in-game bonus item for players who pre-order it to give their equipped characters an experience boost. This resource will be useful in a game that was once known for its strategic combat and particularly difficult battles!