Artistic And Multi-Faceted Gameplay

Fantasian is an all-new fantasy role-playing game developed for the Apple Arcade and published by independent Japanese studio Mistwalker. If that doesn’t ring a bell, the studio is led by one Hironobu Sakaguchi, or as many gamers know him, the creator of Final Fantasy.

- Kenneth Ang

Fantasian

AT A GLANCE

DEVELOPER

Mistwalker

PUBLISHER

Mistwalker

GENRE

JRPG

PLAYERS

Single

PLATFORM

Apple Arcade

Frankly, if you enjoy Final Fantasy-style aesthetics, then Fantasian probably gets a pass by default. Not only does it look absolutely bonkers for a mobile title, but the artistic pages it takes from its more prominent cousin provides an odd but interesting measure of familiarity. Heck, even the environments are the same - you’ve got towering dystopian cities that don’t look too different from Midgar, quiet frontier towns in the desert and tranquil magical forests, just to name a few.

That goes for the monsters and enemies too, of course. You’ve got your usual array of dystopian RPG mobs, and the spread is actually quite impressive. From run-of-the-mill encounters like wild beasts and armoured mechs, to more amusing ones like a giant tree with gold coins growing from its branches, it’s hard not to get even a little excited (and nostalgic) when you come across them.

Amusingly, the audio package is probably one of the few aspects where Fantasian doesn’t feel exactly like Final Fantasy. Instead of intense guitar riffs that amp up the intensity of combat, Fantasian takes an approach that’s more vibrant and playful, and in that sense, it feels like the kind of music you’d find in a Dragon Quest game.

The other area where Fantasian gets a good score from me is in its gameplay.