Most JRPG followers on PC most likely know Hironobu Sakaguchi because the creator and grandaddy of the Final Fantasy sequence. After he left Square Enix in 2003, Sakaguchi opened his personal studio and labored on turn-based adventures like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey – games that arguably matched his genre-defining classics – however PC avid gamers have been largely unable to expertise them, till now. Maybe. Sakaguchi lately took half in a Q&A (reported by IGN Japan, translated by VGC) the place he expressed the will to convey his Apple Arcade unique Fantasian to PC.
Speaking of Fantasian, Sakaguchi mentioned, “We have obtained many requests to launch the game on PC too, and there have additionally been requests for a sequel,” earlier than including, “so we want to proceed working as arduous as attainable to satisfy their expectations.” It’s not clear if he was referring to sequel requests or a PC port, however I’d be pleased with both.
Fantasian was a pleasant JRPG with tons of latest twists. Fantasian’s most immediately hanging high quality was its environments, which have been mini dioramas, sculpted in actual life after which scanned into the game. Every space had this uncanny, fairytale resemblance to the actual world, however it additionally labored as a throwback to the pre-rendered painterly backgrounds of older Final Fantasies.
Fantasian wasn’t only a looker although, its fight thoughtfully remixed the tropes we’re all accustomed to. At the beginning of each turn-based battle you may select to ship enemy monsters into an alternate dimension, delay the struggle, and tackle waves of interdimensional monsters one other time. This procrastination characteristic was referred to as “Dimengeon Battles”, a wise transfer for the game’s transportable nature that additionally opened up exploration and negated the grind present in different RPGs. That’s all with out mentioning how enjoyable battling may truly be right here; enemy positions and the trajectory of spells have been all vital components to think about, so taking up waves of baddies was at all times a precedence.
Mix in one other all-time OST from legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu, and you’ve got a JRPG that’s on par with the classics and deserves a port to different methods. Fantasian wouldn’t be the primary game to flee the Apple Arcade dimension as Lego Brawls was ported to PC and consoles final 12 months, and the coolness city-builder Outlanders (additionally excellent) is coming to Steam subsequent week.