June's Nintendo Direct was jam-packed with major announcements. We were shown a new 2D Zelda game – with the titular character taking the lead role for the first time since the CD-i – along with our first real look at Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, a brand new Mario & Luigi title, and much more. Yet arguably the biggest announcement might not be what you'd expect: Fantasian Neo Dimension, which Apple Arcade users have been clamoring about for the last three years. Can you blame them? After all, it's the latest RPG from Final Fantasy veteran Hironobu Sakaguchi and features what is likely the last full soundtrack from legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu.
Fantasian originally released on Apple Arcade in 2021, with its linear first half releasing in the spring, and the far more open-ended second half launching later in the summer. Developed by Mistwalker, Sakaguchi's company, Fantasian was (fittingly) a turn-based RPG made in a similar style to the developer's previous work on Final Fantasy. Inspired by the pre-rendered backgrounds of the franchise's original PlayStation era, Fantasian's environments were hand-modeled and scanned for use in the game, while the story followed Leo on his quest to regain his lost memories and how they might connect to his place in the world.
