Last updated on December 13th, 2025 at 02:38 pm
FANTASIAN – Roleplaying Game Review
FANTASIAN is a Roleplaying game from MISTWALKER CORPORATION, first launched in 2nd April 2021.
It’s rated 12+ and currently has 2,124+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes FANTASIAN Stand Out
Fantasian by Mistwalker Corp. — From the creator of Final Fantasy, comes the next breathtaking adventure from industry legend Hironobu Sakaguchi. Fantasian is an exciting, new RPG set against a spectacular backdrop made from nearly 160 handmade dioramas that blends physical environments and 3D characters.
● Dive into the Dioramas
Explore the nearly 160 different hand-crafted dioramas in Fantasian, with particular attention to detail. The adventure lasts between 60~90 hours with the first part more focused on story and the latter half more quest-driven, giving players the freedom to explore the world.
● New Battle Mechanics
Tapping into his experience from the Final Fantasy franchise, Sakaguchi brings to Fantasian several quality of life improvements to the classic JRPG genre, such as the “Dimengeon Battle” mechanic, which allows players to send previously encountered enemies into a separate dimensional dungeon to streamline combat and maximize uninterrupted exploration of the beautiful locations.
“Dimengeon Battles” introduce various “Gimmicks” or power-ups that can turn the tide of battle for a satisfying encounter.
Likewise, the Growth Map gives players various customization options and party members can be swapped in and out for even more diverse strategic options.
● Legendary Soundtrack
Celebrated composer Nobuo Uematsu, known for his work on the Final Fantasy series, scored all 60 tracks. The many layers of a full orchestra and diverse synth melodies compliment the memorable and magical world of Fantasian.
This Roleplaying game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, FANTASIAN is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 6th January 2022
Recent improvements include:
Ver. 2.5.3 updates:
-
A music player has been implemented.
In New Game+, a special treasure chest will appear in the back room of the bar in the Frontier Town of En. If you obtain an item from this treasure chest, save your progress, and go back to the title screen, a new button will appear to grant access to this feature. With this music player, you can listen to all the in-game music. -
Misc. small bugs have been fixed.
With the addition of the end game content, the Void Realm and New Game+, Fantasian is now in its final form.
We hope you continue enjoying your adventure through this world of dioramas!
Void Realm:
A realm where a powerful boss awaits. You can access this dungeon once you reach a level high enough to complete the game.
By defeating the Shangri-La boss (the Guardian) and using an item you obtain afterwards, the Void Realm will appear on the warp screen. It consists of three layers, and the recommended levels for each are LV65, LV80, and LV99, respectively. This dungeon area is designed to be cleared using a character you leveled-up in conjunction with New Game+. This dungeon also offers a means to reinforce weapons, and you will ultimately be able to obtain a very strong treasure.
New Game+:
This mode allows you to play the game from the beginning while keeping already leveled characters and/or equipment. Though enemies will be more powerful than the first time around, it's designed to give players an advantage and refresh the gameplay to some degree. Furthermore, the balance changes in the third replay, and the difficulty will increase further.
In order to start the end game content, you need to have all the party members and have awakened all of their Divine Artifacts. Additionally, you need to obtain the Tachyon Medal from the Sanctum – Laboratory in the God Realm and check the altar in Shangri-La while meeting these conditions.
From the second replay onwards, you will be able to unlock the second part of the Growth Map by filling in everything on each character's individual map. This allows you to develop your characters even further. The contents of treasure chests will remain the same as the first time around but additional SP Capsules will occasionally appear.
Download & Availability
FANTASIAN is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
We have gotten a decent way into it and am satisfied. Works well and is paced for the phone. No gachas, stories alright if a little shallow, graphics are hittin. The hero, par for the course, looks like Tim Henson dressed like 2b.
El juego esta muy bien ms de lo que esperaba us encanta la dificultad y las horas de entrenamiento El rbol de experiencias us encanta y como obtienes los recursos para aumentar el equipo.
A couple years we played this game and struggled. Now we have come to appreciate the difficulty in combat. We typically lose the first battle with a boss and can change our loadout to prepare for a redo. Every battle is still a close call but we simply feel like we have to prepare a real strategy. This is not for a casual player. It will be challenging. You will have to be smart with weapon, party, gem, and skill selection. You wont be able to get by never using debuffs, you will have to utilize every part of the gameplay to win. But thats the whole point.. Im not sure why people want a lite version of this. Go play an easier game. Dont leave negative reviews because the game is hard. Get better. Skill issue.
There are a lot of bossfights in the midgame (the bosses that have a level recommendation) that require excessive grind to reasonably beat. Additionally, certain bosses have unclear gimmicks that you NEED to master to be able to beat in a fair fight. 2* becaus it's not a total dealbreaker.
Fantasian is perhaps the best JRPG since Final Fantasy IX. We loved this amazing game by the studio founded and run by the creator of the original Final Fantasy series: Hironobu Sakaguchi. Featuring amazing character development, story, and, most of all, the unforgettable musical score by Nobuo Uematsu (one of his magnum opuses in our opinion), this game had us in for hundreds of hours without even realizing it. The battle system is innovative and perfect for an iPhone. We highly recommend you give this Fantastic app a try today.
Very reminiscent of old (ff7-9) era final fantasies. Loved the diarama art. Fun characters and story. Great game – hope they make another.
We had a blast playing this game! There are a bunch of characters you get throughout the game that each get their own story that really makes you feel connected to each. We do think the overall story started off a bit cheesy, but it eventually got really intriguing. This game has masterfully perfected utilizing every feature the game has to offer. It seems like every ability, item, and character has to be utilized accordingly to actually be able to win certain fights and progress. Our only critique is that we wish you could change the difficulty of the game as the game overall can be a little difficult, and there are parts of the game that are incredibly challenging that we could not get past without looking up online guides. We would recommend using a guide to help you for the second half of the game. Overall, amazing experience, but be ready to utilize some thought out strategy.
We have always been obsessed with Final Fantasy 7, and this game plays just like it! The graphics are amazing and Im loving the story. We love that Apple Arcade came out with a game like this good. Keep it up Apple.
We normally dont write reviews but this game has blown us away in all aspects. It reminds us of Chrono Cross and FFVII on the PS1 but remastered with better graphics and gameplay. It has all of the best aspects of old Anime RPGs with modern graphics. Highly recommend if you enjoyed any FF style RPGs.
So we just got it on,November 29, 2024 the next day we were in town still and now we are stuck at the town. So can you guys give us instructions on how to get out of town in fantasian.
Im so glad they have this on apple arcade. Its one of few high quality gaming experiences you can get on apple arcade and its an amazing rpg. Easily the best one on the service. We would love to see more offerings from this developer on apple arcade asap.
It feels like a classic final fantasy game with a unique take on combat. Playing it on a giant screen in Vision Pro is perfect. Gaze and pinch works great.
It definitely gives off a Final Fantasy mobile type of game. Always have to put our thinking cap on every boss battle which is why we recommend this arcade game.
Wish we can play it on pcNintendo switchxbox and playstation.
Playing this transports us back to our childhood playing old 2D Final Fantasies. Great characters, beautiful writing and presentation. A truly handcrafted experience with actual miniatures built for the backgrounds.
We hope to add language packs for multiple countries. For players who are not good at English and Japanese, the experience is very bad. We hope to update and add language packs for multiple countries.
This game is amazing and we almost overlooked it because we thought the icon logo made it look like a Nier Automata ripoff- NOPE! This might be the best Apple Arcade exclusive. Story: Passable. The characters are likable but we havent been blown away by the story. Its got a lot of JRPG tropes so you wont find depth like Nier or most western RPGs but its fine. Graphics: All the backgrounds are hand made models and its so charming. The monster designs are great, we just wish there was more variety because you start to see a lot of differently colored clones after a while. But eh, budget. The bosses are where the graphics shine most. Sound: Fantastic soundtrack. No notes. They got the composer from the old school final fantasy games doing this and its great. Gameplay: Oh, yes, here is where this game shines. Like a chefs kiss of JRPG gameplay. Honestly, Id gotten pretty bored with the genre a long time ago but this game? This game knows what its doing. First, there are random battles- but early on youll get a device that lets you collect the random encounters so youll face 30 – 40 monsters at once instead of being interrupted constantly. These big battles are really fun and take the tedium out of grinding. Attack placement, timing, and elements is a huge part of this game. Each attack comes out in a line and can be either a straight line, or an arc. You can cut through enemies, or use the arc to bypass enemies that will block your attack. There are no limit break style cinematic attacks (that Ive seen, anyway, Im 25+ hours in so time will tell. The game is 60 – 80 hours long) we feel engaged with each battle. There are no wasted items either! Every single item is useful, even the low level potions from early in the game can be useful. (One characters gimmick is that he synthesizes items for his attacks/buffs) This is one of those games where you will NEED to use buffs. You will NEED to have the right item accessorized, and you will NEED to plan character placement ahead of time. Its one of the best JRPG battle systems Ive seen and the boss battles are nail biting. They are balanced so you are always just barely getting by and party wipe is very common. The only knock we have against the gameplay are the early side quests. Theyre very tedious (THE CAT ONE- Its in the alleyway next to the potion shop after you find the fish bones in the road up to the old town. Youre welcome.) and this game has instances of Go over here. No. Go over there now. Now go over there. Which is padding that it doesnt need. Overall, worth checking out if you are in the mood for a JRPG or if you liked old school RPGs and are open to giving them another shot. Its only on the iOS store which is kind of a shame because its exclusivity really locked out its audience.
We like this game, its pretty fun and not like a lot of other games. However, we cannot get past the sand serpent thingy when on the cruise ship! Its impossible to beat and we have failed time and time again! Because of this, we rarely pick this game back up and play others. Please make this easier! But its pretty good otherwise.
Im not a review guy, but we had we write one for this game. Its hands down the best mobile game Ive ever played. The combat is perfect, the music is solid and the graphics are as good as youre going to get for a mobile game. We will say that we enjoy harder games, and this scratches that itch. The level of difficulty might not be for everyone though. The only hint holding it back is the story is alittle on the weak side. We still definitely recommend this game though, give it a try! Its beatable in a month, so its well worth the $6 for Apple Arcade.
We have only played a few hours so far but everything about this is magical. The first hour seemed a bit boring and bland, but as soon as we reached the first town it became a ton of fun. The music is incredible, and the backgrounds are so pretty it's unreal. Just a wonderful game, it is criminal that we paid next to nothing for it, we hope Apple is giving these guys a ton of money for this beautiful, fun game.
Honestly, we had to come back here to check who made this, because we were sure it was going to be SquareEnix. This game really reminds us of Final Fantasy and other similar JRPGs made during their heyday. While it's not technically SE, surprise surprise, it IS made by the same person who created Final Fantasy! If you like those kinds of games, you should enjoy this. Our only gripe is the inability to skip/fast-forward through cutscenes, but that's a relatively small gripe considering the rest of the game is great. We're actually enjoying the combat, too. It's a nice take on turn-based, where you still get SOME kind of engagement in battles by using your fingers to manually aim and etc. We think that's definitely more fun than the typical, old-school turn-base combat. We also REALLY like the system that lets you store random encounters you collect, allowing you to complete those battles at your leisure, instead of them constantly stopping your path/the story as you run around. We don't know how big the game is so we don't know how far we're in, but probably still very early on, so we'll have to come back for a more in-depth review when we're further in or finished.
We love final fantasy and if apple puts more games like this here our iPhone/ipad could replace our switch.
We wish more games were like this, Ive been trying to find a FF like game and this it.
Fantasian is a unique and standout game on iOS. It is unlike any other game on the platform, and is a must-play for fans of classic JRPGs. The game was created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series, and it shows. Fantasia has all the hallmarks of a classic Square Enix RPG, from the turn-based combat to the epic story. However, Fantasian also has a number of unique features that set it apart from other JRPGs. The most notable of these is the game's use of dioramas. The entire world of Fantasia is made up of over 150 real-life dioramas, which are brought to life with stunning 3D graphics. The dioramas are not just a visual gimmick. They also play an important role in the game's gameplay. For example, certain areas of the dioramas can be interacted with, such as by moving objects or solving puzzles. Fantasian is also a challenging game. The combat is not as forgiving as some other JRPGs, and players will need to be strategic in order to succeed. However, the challenge is also part of the game's appeal. It makes for a more rewarding experience when you finally overcome a difficult boss battle. Overall, Fantasian is a fantastic game that is sure to please fans of classic JRPGs. It is a unique and challenging experience that is unlike any other game on iOS. If you are a fan of classic JRPGs, then Fantasia is a must-play. It is a unique and challenging experience that is unlike any other game on iOS.
This is actually a beautiful work of art not some cheap app game like Im used to on iOS\ipadOS. Usually when we download a game, we Dont play JT very long. Im over half way through and Im addicted. Story is so gooood! This a great break of overly complicated open work PS5 games. This has all the classic goodness of the greatest final dynasty titles. Its so refreshing reading dialogue instead f your typical boring NPCs. Im watching our girl play the Harry Potter PS5 game while Im in bed playing this and this we think is so much more fun. Sometimes simple is supreme. If you enjoyed classic RPGs you wont be disappointed with your investment of time into this game. Highly recommend you play this.
This game ranks up there with Chrono Trigger and the Final Fantasy series. Simply put it is a must play RPG fans. Some of our favorite aspects: -The battle system which allows you to save encounters for later. -Targeting system that makes battles fun and not a repetitive grind -Just the right amount of side quests -Its actually challenging and requires preparation for bosses. Not just level grinding and buying the best equipment. -Characters with funny dialogue that you end up loving but at first may not care for. -Open word to explore and not just a linear run through. Hats off to the developers because this is a perfect game IMO. The only criticism is the tap to move controls. We hope Apple Arcade can put out more like it as we would gladly pay the subscription for games like this.
Hands down, best graphics for this kind of gameplay! The realism is phenomenal and we hope they create a similar, yet even better, sequel! We cant stop playing.
We loved this game and would greatly appreciate a stand-alone paid version for the sake of preservation. Thank you to everyone who worked on Fantasian.
We love turn based RPGs. The quality of this game is excellent and well executed.
Hands down the best mobile Ive ever played, period. 126 hours of gameplay, no pay to play. This game is an absolute masterpiece and if youre a seasoned gamer, youll love it. We look forward to any other work this developer puts out.
Please please please bring this to PC / major consoles! We would legit buy the game again. This game is too good and more people need to get the opportunity to play it.
Must have must play one of the best most beautiful games ever made.
Cant believe how good this game is. Seriously, play this NOW if you have ever loved any jrpg.
We have to say this.. Just Wow.. This game is absolutely insane. This game is as good as final fantasy 7 in its glory days. This fresh new concept. Goodness it truly is breathtaking. We appreciate this game very much. We were NOT prepared for what we were getting ourselves into or expecting from FANTASIAN. Anyone that gives less than 5 stars is probably doing so because they are tech savy in the knowledge of how video games are made. As for a player.. This is your 5 star game you have been Looking for. :) Thank you DEVS for creating a masterpiece! Its truly refreshing! Hope our review helps because Im sure you guys worked hard at this game and deserve all the encouragement you can get! :].
This game is pretty amazing we love this game a lot. Cool powers, awesome places to explore EVERYTHING! But the one thing we wish that could be on here would be were all the characters can talklike in story quest they can talk and for people quest they dont, just like in other games P.s we would love to hear there voices plzzzzz.
If youre like us, growing up in the golden era of games like Final Fantasy RPGs, then this game will put a smile on your face. Ive been downloading and deleting so many RPGs this year in an attempt to hopefully find one that connects with us the way those old games did, and Im almost always disappointed by the pay-to-win structures that steal the soul of a game, or simply bad storytelling and gameplay. We rarely write reviews, and after spending maybe an hour playing the beginning of this game, we had to write one. When Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu come together with their storytelling and music, how could it be anything other than beautiful? And thats what this game is. Simply beautiful. Everything that we loved about those RPGs from our adolescent years, packed into a mobile experience, and rendered in such lush detail. Im already pulled in, wanting to know what happens next, enveloped within a soundtrack nostalgic of FFIX, FFX, Chrono Cross/Trigger, etc. All Ive wanted is for someone to make a game that actually feels authentic like those older games; that has soul and depth to it, along with a fun interactive playability. We will VERY happily be playing this whole game. If you want a game that brings back that golden era of RPGs on mobile, we personally have not found a better game than Fantasian. Wow! A+++.
This is hands down the best RPG Ive played in over fifteen years. This is on par with FF VII for game play and design. As with all the old greats, this game is open world, semi-railed. For anyone not old enough to recall those games, the game guides you for the first quarter of the game, than hands you the reins to do as you please, excluding major story triggers that have to be completed once started. How hard the game is, is up to you, mostly. Unlike the old RPGs that you could put level every boss in the game except the optional Uber bosses, your levels tapper off to a soft cap of around 60-65 in your first play through, player static/consistent damage is not over the top to the point of being overkill. You have to use strategic gearing, character change during battle, and smart skill use to finish the game. Even on a third fourth play through with max gear, levels and growth, you still have to do the boss fights smart or you will die. Our two grips , more annoyances. Your second play though, is a total walk in the park to the point that you can just over power everything because the monsters only got a 30-35 level upgrade, so even end game is still lagging behind the player. Starting with third everything is 99 and leveled accordingly with power and defensive abilities. Have to pay attention again. Except for one portion of the game anyone on third play or later knows where. Mistealker left hints for additional game play and story in the game. We wait anxiously for the third game expansion of the game. We just hope they do smart monster leveling so that new area is leveled and skilled accordingly to the player. Fresh 99s are nothing close to maximum 99s in terms of damage and defensive ability.
The graphics and combination of diorama style is beautifully done. The music, imagary, and game play remind us so much of Final Fantasy, Chrono Cross, and other class JRPG games. Absolutely fantastic, was hooked within minutes of playing and couldn't put it down.
The length of the RPG is one of the characteristics that allows for a very high degree of immersion. The dioramas provide endless fascination. Very very enjoyable and not too easy to get through.
Preface: we very rarely write reviews unless something is either so good or so bad that we feel compelled to. Fantasian falls under the so good category! We downloaded it expecting a light game to kill time, thinking maybe it would be too easy or janky to actually finish it. We were totally wrong. Fantasian isnt just a great phone game, its just an all-around great JRPG. The writing isnt terribly compelling and it serves as more of a vehicle for the gameplay itself – which is where this game shines. Its a remarkably balanced, challenging, and rewarding game. It has a lot of boss fights, but only a handful of them felt needlessly punishing. Otherwise, we enjoyed the gameplay loop of trying a boss fight, failing, then strategizing on which party member and loadout to use before coming back and overcoming it. It doesnt waste your time, nor does it (always) give you easy victories. The devs added a nice feature called the Dimengeon, which allows you to stockpile mobs from random encounters and fight them all at once so as to not interrupt the gameplay out of combat. Later in the game it does grow tedious, and we eventually turned it off so we could just run from battles instead. But for the first 2/3 of the game, it really helps the games pacing. The art and music are excellent – the diorama style is beautiful and feels like a more modern incarnation of the PlayStation 1 Final Fantasy games pre-rendered backgrounds. The music fits scenes and battles well and never grew grating to us. (we couldnt stand the MIDI-sequenced music in Dragon Quest XI, before XI S was released.) As we mentioned before, the writing is just fine. Pretty forgettable, and honestly it feels a little self-indulgent at times (especially when a robot reads a story to you that the developers just wanted to include for its own sake). Part 1 is great, but Part 2 is where the game really shines and turns into a full-fledged JRPG experience. Its a modernized 90s Final Fantasy game by any other name – and yes, you get an airship. Play it.
Ive been looking for a game to fill our rpg itch. Although a tad different, this game reminds us of the time when we played Golden Sun the lost age. The story is interesting, there are secret items/bosses, you can swap characters within your party, the music is nice. If these developers make another rpg game we will play it.
This game makes an immediately great first impression and serves as a modern update to the Final Fantasy classics we grew up with. Love the new combat system, love the new music, and its just beautiful. Lets go.
And its a SHAME that its locked exclusively on the apple arcade. This game deserves so much more than being locked to a subscription only service exclusively on one companys device. Apple, do the right thing and slap your logo on the opening screens and allow the release of this game on as many platforms as possible. Typical turn based combat has started to bore us after years of playing them, but this game refreshes ever possible of that. Also this game is not for the casual player. The 5 stars stand, but it is the most frustrating jrpg ever, but beating any of the bosses and their gimmicks makes it that much more worth it. If this game ever escapes the prison that is apple arcade, we hope they add a difficulty switch AND fix the terrible movement bug when using a controller.
This game's story always has our attention, it is so good! It reminds us a lot of the Final Fantasy game series. We wish this game wasnt in the apple arcade so we could buy it.
This is just the best game in Apple Arcade.
We never post reviews. We had to. Best game we have ever played on iOS , period.
We love not having a virtual d-pad, just point to an area and go. The music and graphics are cool, too.
Been playing it for a few weeks now. So far the story has not dissapointed. It reminds us a little of FFIX. Even the skillset building as you progress. The game is challening and fun story. Plenty of explore and you will back track by warping at different points. The hardest thing is that there's no virtual jouystick. So on iPhone or iPad you move by tapping which makes it intuitive. However in some of the toybox rooms espailly the 3rd one it was hard to get the chest could not face it. Did learn that it works with mouse pad on iPad. Havent beaten the hgame yet and at level 31 but so far its been a lot of fun.
Every character is something. As slow as it maybe, there is a beauty to this intricacy with its pacing. Truly a one of a kind.
This is the best game put out on Apple Arcade. So much of this game captured the essence of what makes a good turn-base RPG. The story is deep yet simple. The characters are heroic yet full of flaw. We were drawn in by the beauty and stayed for the play.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 2.5.3
- Size: 3,797.70 MB
- iOS: 13.0 or later
- Languages: EN, JA
- Content Advisory: Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence, Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
- Developer: MISTWALKER CORPORATION
Last updated: 6th January 2022 | Genre: Roleplaying | Developer: MISTWALKER CORPORATION