Fantasian, inspired by Final Fantasy VI, has been released on Apple Arcade in Canada.
The game was created by Hironobu Sakaguchi’s studio, Mistwalker, and is being released in time for the 16th anniversary of his previous game Final Fantasy VI. We reported on the game early in March with no release date in sight, but almost one month later to the day, Fantasian is available for download on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.
The game was created after Sakaguchi played Final Fantasy VI with a few colleagues that originally worked on the game with him, “That really renewed my interest and love in this classic JRPG genre, and gave me an opportunity to return to my roots,” thus inspiring him to create something classic. The crafting that went into Fantasian is a true work of art with over 150 handcrafted dioramas setting the scene for the game. More than 150 people worked on the designs and then 3D characters were overlaid on the physical scenes to create the game. Mistwalker wanted players to feel fully immersed in the environment, allowing the full rotation of each scene.
Fantasian players can expect all the traditional JRPG tasks like dungeons, travelling between different towns, random encounters, NPCs and turn based combat. Developers have created the Dimengeon system, which combines dungeons and dimensions by allowing players to tuck their battles away for later. On your journey, you’ll be able to take your random encounters and banish them to another dimension to defeat them all in one fell swoop when you’re better prepared.
Some fans on Twitter have been disappointed that the game will only come to mobile, but Jessica Chavez, a freelance writer who worked on the game, has assured players that it has been adapted for everyone’s preferences. After a fan stated that they would not be playing because it is on mobile, and hopes the game is released for consoles one day, she noted, “No worries. I hear ya. It can be played on Apple TV and with a controller, though, if the fancy ever takes you! Looks fab on the iPad/everything I’ve seen it on.” So controller savvy players can join in on the action too!
Developed with touch screen controls in mind, Fantasian is an exclusive release for Apple Arcade. The game is now available for download in Canada, just slightly earlier than its Japan release.
