Fantasian Neo Dimension

Our analysis

Hironobu Sakaguchi and Mistwalker at their boldest, a JRPG love letter that both delights and frustrates. The stunning diorama-crafted world, exploration, and deeply strategic combat (highlighted by the satisfying Dimengeon enemy-storage system and puzzle-like bosses) are real highlights. It is held back by uneven pacing, a lackluster story, repetitive late-game encounters, and brutally demanding optional fights, making it a mechanics-first RPG.

Our analysis

A cracking, fully-fledged classic Square Enix-style JRPG from Mistwalker that nails nostalgic Final Fantasy charm with likable characters, fluid and inventive combat, and a clever Dimension Battle system that lets you store random encounters for fights on your own terms. The diorama-style miniature environments look great and the soundtrack is brilliant, though the screen-relative controls are clunky and the shop interface lacks easy gear comparison.

Our analysis

An enhanced re-release of the mobile RPG that plays like a proper classic, Final Fantasy-style turn-based experience, helped by producer Hironobu Sakaguchi and composer Nobuo Uematsu. New English and Japanese voice acting, richer character interactions, and added difficulty settings address the original's biggest complaints and ease its steep later-game spikes. The turn-based combat adds clever twists like bending or lining up abilities, and the unique diorama-based environments make exploration rewarding and surprisingly immersive.