Interview: The joys, challenges and secrets of making FANTASIAN Neo Dimension

Hironobu Sakaguchi and the FANTASIAN Neo Dimension development team reveal what went into making this acclaimed RPG, their proudest moments and more!

Tuesday 18 March 2025 16:00

By Duncan Heaney

Tags: FANTASIAN Neo Dimension

FANTASIAN Neo Dimension is a very special game.

On one hand, it’s a love letter to classic RPGs, with everything that’s great about the genre - rich storytelling, exciting party-based combat and beautiful audiovisual production. On the other, it’s an excitingly fresh take on the genre, with an innovative combat system, and bold ideas like the Dimengeon System, which lets players decide how and when battles play out.

In short, it oozes quality - which is hardly surprising considering it comes from developer MISTWALKER (LOST ODYSSEY, BLUE DRAGON) and Hironobu Sakaguchi - the creator of the FINAL FANTASY series.

With the game now available on Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S and Steam, we asked the team to look back on the game’s development, the parts they’re proudest of, and even offer a few tips to help new players overcome its challenges.

And don’t forget – the game is currently available at a reduced price in the Square Enix Publisher Sale! Please visit your preferred platform’s storefront for more information:

Please note: This article contains spoilers for FANTASIAN Neo Dimension.

We'll let the incomparable Ben Starr introduce the game and others available in the sale and then on with the interview!

What did you want players to experience with FANTASIAN Neo Dimension?

Development Team: We wanted players to enjoy a gameplay experience that realizes the desire to "enter a diorama," which was the starting point of Producer Hironobu Sakaguchi's idea.

We also designed the characters like figurines or dolls to fit with the diorama aesthetic as much as possible.

We tried to impart the warmth of a diorama to the 3D character models, while striving not to hinder the warmth of a handmake work as a whole.

The concept of this game centers on the warmth of dioramas, but the detail put into battles is also hard to ignore.

It's not a game where you can just win by pressing buttons at random, but rather you need to prepare in advance and think carefully about your choices during battle - and there are plenty of intense battles spread throughout the game. Please enjoy the battle experiences where you can't help but react out loud.

If you like challenging games, please try the Hard difficulty!

Those dioramas - or locations in the game - are so beautiful. Do you have any personal favorites?

Takuto Nakamura (Director): The Hidden Valley map is my favorite. The diorama was made in such a way that it looks best when photographed with a camera, and it has a delicate yet handmade feel which is typical of dioramas, so the end result is amazing.

Saho Nishikawa (Line Producer): The Junkyard is filled with a huge amount of PC parts that exist in real life, as well as some original designed machines that we placed there. The main feature of a diorama is that objects actually exist there, so this field was created by skillfully combining objects that exist in real life. Please try searching through the parts that were apparently bought in Akihabara.

The game is also full of amazing characters. Do any standout to you as particularly memorable?

Hironobu Sakaguchi (Producer): I think my favorite character would have to be Ez. He can turn the battle around and also take care of money or items that tend to be left over in the later part of the game, so even from a creator’s perspective he is a very reliable character.

Development Team: We think the Cinderella Tri-Stars will leave a strong impression. Not only are they charming characters, but you end up fighting them eight times throughout the story. Each time, we were conscious of creating an engaging plot that would make you laugh with different gimmicks and comical exchanges. We had to come up with battles where the Tri-Stars also became stronger every time and all the themes were connected, which was a challenging task. We feel like we got so attached to them, so they became a bit too tough in the end, but we’re sure you'll be moved by the emotional development of the story.

Do you relate to any of the characters personally? Who are you most similar to?

Hironobu Sakaguchi (Producer): I guess it would be Zinikr with that beard (laughs). I hope that more people in the world become beard-lovers.

Development Team: The reason why Valrika loves beards comes from our desire to use the word 'beard' in the game because Sakaguchi-san's nickname is 'Hige' (Japanese word for ‘Beard’)!

Toward the end of the game, a certain character also says the line, "No way (localized as ‘I request a factory recall’)," which is a catchphrase of Director Nakamura!

What's your favorite moment in the game?

Takuto Nakamura (Director): The battle when Leo goes to rescue Kina and Cheryl became a very emotional scene with audio added. Please enjoy it with the volume turned up.

Development Team: We put in a lot of time and emotions when creating the scene where Cheryl becomes queen. The scene was not originally included in the story, but we felt that it was necessary for Cheryl's awakening, so we decided to include it.

How did you create battles that were challenging but still fun?

Development Team: There weren’t strict specifications for battles, and we polished them by actually playing them during development. At first, we asked Sakaguchi-san and the battle team to play the battles without giving them any hints and would repeatedly make adjustments based on their feedback.

There were some battles that were not enjoyable at all and had to be redone, but bosses were created by programmers, so we think we were able to quickly put together the gameplay that we were aiming for.

In terms of balancing, if the same members continued evaluating it then they would become too familiar and it would dull their senses, so we carefully planned which members would play for the first time and eventually gathered feedback from external testers to make final adjustments.

The game is clearly made with a lot of love and passion - are there any Easter Eggs or details in the game?

Saho Nishikawa (Producer): Amongst the paintings that are displayed in the Luxury Cruiser, Uzra, we snuck in some artwork from past MISTWALKER titles. I like that in the ship, you can also see the name of Manabu Kusunoki, who created the artwork in this title. Also, in one of the houses in Vibra Royal Capital, a painting of the gods that appear in the game is displayed on the wall.

The 'ceramic bell' sound effect that plays in a certain novel was performed by a game creator and percussionist, Chihiro Fujioka, who was a member of the game design team for this game.

Are there any quirky character details that only the devs know?

Development Team: Clicker was originally a humanoid character with a completely different design. However, due to various circumstances, we settled on its current form. I think we managed to create a character with personality and endearing characteristics who is always by your side.

The original FANTASIAN release was known for being quite challenging. How did you change things for Neo Dimension?

Nakamura (Director): Normal difficulty was rebalanced when creating Neo Dimension. If Normal difficulty is selected, we don't think there are many situations where you would get stuck.

However, difficulty can be changed freely during the game, so it's possible to start with Normal difficulty and if it feels too easy, increase it to Hard difficulty.

To let you in on a secret, opening the Config menu five times on the title screen will unlock a hidden difficulty level called Super Hard. It is a very, very challenging difficulty level that even the developers can barely play, but if you have the skills, please give it a try!

Let’s talk tips! Do you have any advice to help new players just starting out?

Takuto Nakamura (Director): When fighting Dimengeon battles, try to hit as many targets as possible with piercing skills. Also, the Dimengeon Gimmicks that appear in Dimengeons grant very powerful buffs to the player. Be sure to pick them up as much as you can.

In boss battles, pay attention to your HP. Bosses use very powerful attacks at key points. I recommend paying attention to the boss's actions, healing and fighting with plenty of HP to spare.

Are there any tricks to the Dimengeon Machine that players should know?

Takuto Nakamura (Director): In the later part of the game, there is a machine that empties the Dimengeon Machine in exchange for money. After emptying it ten times, a special item is acquired. It gives you an edge when attempting Dimengeon battles, so try to get a hold of it.

Do you have any advanced tips for players?

Takuto Nakamura (Director): Later in the game, there is a boss called Blue who can actually be inflicted with poison. It can do quite a lot of damage, so please try it out.

Also, when fighting the meteorite-like Entrapped Zinikr boss, there are times when it is surrounded by small fragments and you cannot attack it, but when the fragments are the smallest size, they can be sucked up using Vacuum.

What’s a skill on the Growth Map that players should invest in as soon as possible?

Development Team: The first one is Jewel+. We would then recommend prioritizing buff extensions like ATTACK UP TURNS+ and debuff extensions like ATK DOWN TURNS+. For healers, HEAL EFF is also essential. For characters who can use Charge, Support (Charge) is also a useful feature.

Once you are in the later part of the story and have a certain number of allies, unlocking advanced skills by entering the Communication Network and progressing through the Quest “The Six Elements” will make the game significantly easier. There are trials at six locations on the world map, and we recommend starting off with the Trial of Ice.

Finally, which boss do you think is the most challenging, and what was your winning strategy?

Takuto Nakamura (Director): Personally, I think Omega is the most difficult. Well of course it would be strong with a name like that!

I made good use of Tan to defeat it.

Tan can perform two actions if you're lucky, so I rely on luck to see me through; just believe I'll get lucky and plan for two actions, such as using two items to revive and fully heal, or healing and attacking at the same time.

Many thanks to Sakaguchi-san, Nakamura-san, Nishikawa-san, and the entire FANTASIAN Neo Dimension Development Team at MISTWALKER for their insight into the game.

And, of course, thanks to them for the game themself. It’s a delightful love letter to classic RPGs with a fascinating story, beautiful diorama-built world, and super-satisfying combat.

It’s available now for Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam – and it’s currently on sale with up to 25% off! Please visit your preferred store for more information!

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