This is a throwback to both snes-era and ps1-era jrpgs, with the open-ended second half of Final Fantasy 6 meeting the carefully framed 3D angles of Final Fantasy 9. It also throws Final Fantasy 10's turn order system and its own area of effect attack skills in for added depth and variety.

As a throwback, it succeeds brilliantly and shows why many of those games it references are still considered timeless classics. However, it also carries along with it a few tedious and overwhelming design choices which may turn off less avid jrpg players. Those elements are less "buyer beware" and more "buyer be prepared."

For the tedious elements, the encounter rate, while not overbearing early on, can become time consuming toward the middle and latter half. The game's unique encounter control mechanic called the Dimengeon helps alleviate this issue by allowing the player to stockpile encounters, then fight them them in greater numbers to eliminate them more quickly with area of effect skills, but these stockpiled battles can become long winded in their own right. Fortunately, there are ways to mediate these stockpiled encounters through optional side quests, though they may still slow down an otherwise well-paced playthrough.

What players should definitely prepare themselves for, however, is the second half's boss and unique encounter difficulty. This is less of a point of criticism as compared to the encounter rate as the boss's become rewarding to defeat thanks to their challenge, but also makes reattempting long boss fights from the beginning a strong possibility. That said, I found the game less frustrating in this regard than Bravely Default 2 (a game I finished on Switch), and felt extremely accomplished after defeating the final boss, since I knew the game wasn't pulling any punches. You may want to put the game's difficulty on normal for the second half, however, since I did so as well and feel I may not have finished or enjoyed it otherwise.

Apart from the gameplay, the narrative is campy fantasy with an underlying serious tone. It hues closer to pulp fantasy than anything approaching the heavy politics of Game of Thrones, so characters may be goofier or more prone to silly actions than many modern fantasy fans may expect, but those elements of tragedy and melancholy still persist if under a sunnier disposition. It's more of a feel good adventure story than a nuance-driven political epic, which makes it a nice companion to something like Metaphor Refantazio or even Final Fantasy 12.

I strongly recommend Fantasian Neo Dimension, especially for fans of the snes, ps1, and ps2 era of jrpgs. It has a great deal of charm in its pulp fantasy storytelling which isn't overly diminished by some of its more tedious or challenging aspects. I also didn't need to rely on a guide for the majority of the game, only needing to check online for one important story beat (an area on the overworld map that didn't seem accessible at first) and for an extremely useful item pickup that unlocks a useful skill path. It may not initially be to everyone's liking as a classic-style turn-based jrpg, but it is also a powerful reminder why that style of game can be so charming and engrossing for so many.

I can't recommend enough Fantasian. For those Final Fantasy Veteran out there, namely the one who grew up with Hironobu Sakaguchi's Final Fantasy and Nobou Uematsu OST (Final Fantasy 1-10), This is the game for you. It is for lack or better term the Spiritual Successor of those game. You feel a feeling of nostalgia even though you never played the game before. The Great Story Telling, The Turn Based RPG and many other feature are like its predecessor (to be expected since its the same person designing it). and Just like its predecessor, the game is vast where you travel form one place to another (diorama like environment). What's new (and i argue an improvement is that the game is HARD. You gotta strategize if you want to win. A great game for its price too

Currently fighting against the Final Boss. try it guys. you won't regret it