Not every encounter can be collected, though. When you have large groups of enemies standing against you, it’s easy to line up attacks that strike multiple foes.ĭimengeon Battles also dot the battlefield with power-ups, like increase attack strength or steal a turn from the enemy, that can make these battles more methodical. Not only does this making grinding for experience a snap, as you usually see massive amounts of XP when these battles are over, but as I said above, they are a great showcase for the battle system. Dimengeon Battles start with a large group of enemies depending on how many you’ve collected, with each defeated foe getting replaced by more enemies until you’ve exhausted all the monsters you collected. When you first obtain this ability, you can collect up to 30 monsters before you’re forced to fight them. But rather than bogging players down with the pitfalls traditionally associated with such encounters, the game gives you the ability to “collect” all of the monsters you randomly encounter on their journey and fight them in what is known as a “Dimengeon Battle”.

Unlike a lot of its modern contemporaries that put enemies directly on the map, Fantasian uses random encounters. It’s a pretty genius and engaging system one starts to shine when you unlock the ability to send monsters to the Dimengeon. Magic attacks can be curved, so if you have some big oaf right up front with a shield down stopping any shot you send its way, you can bend your spell around them like James McAvoy in Wanted. Some abilities will ensnare foes if they’re within the attack radius, while others allow you to strike any creature you can line your shot up with. So a basic melee attack will hit just one creature, but if you use a skill or magic, you can target several opponents. This is because every character in the game has attacks that can target either single or multiple enemies depending on where they are positioned. When you engage with monsters, they’re scattered on the diorama battlefield rather than standing in straight lines or groups. While it is a fairly standard turn-based RPG, Fantasian’s combat has two elements that craft an identity of its own. The visual disconnect between the locations and the character designs wilted away quickly as I opened up more of this enchanting place and engaged in its magnificent combat system. And while they don’t exactly look like they belong in this diorama world, they don’t really look out of place either. The overworld map is a traditional 3D map, and all of the characters, NPCs, and monsters that you encounter are 3D models. Not everything in Fantasian has been handcrafted and scanned into the game. There is so much detail in each space, and it’s a bit mind-boggling to see how intricate of a world its artists could create on such a small scale.

These sets and locations are brilliantly designed with Mistwalker employing several model shops to bring the game to life. And let me just get this out of the way right now: this game is stunning. Dubbed a “Diorama Adventure RPG,” it uses more than 150 handmade dioramas to create most of its world. If you’ve been paying attention to Fantasian at all over the past few weeks, it’s probably because Mistwalker has been dropping absolutely gorgeous screenshots of the title in the lead-up to its launch. MSRP: Part of Apple Arcade ($4.99 a month) I don’t know if that will change with these new titles, but if there is any game that will get people paying attention to it again, it’s probably this stunning RPG from the father of Final Fantasy. Then, out of the blue, it dropped last week alongside a slew of new titles for Apple Arcade.įor many people, this was the first time they read the words “Apple Arcade” in months as the subscription service has more or less dropped out of the spotlight since its high-profile launch. After getting announced back in 2019, it flew under the radar until right around New Year’s when developer Mistwalker confirmed the JRPG would release this year. The launch of Fantasian really snuck up on us.

Fantasian diorama