Although the Hawaiian studio Mistwalker gained notoriety in the late 2000s and early 2010s thanks to its work on acclaimed console RPGs likeBlue Dragon,Lost Odyssey, andThe Last Story, the firm has primarily made mobile games in recent years, such as 2021’sFantasian. Unlike some of its more recent free-to-play efforts,Fantasianis an RPG in the traditional sense; it’s entirely singleplayer, doesn’t feature any microtransactions, and is narrative-driven. For a mobile game, it also had quite a lot of talent behind it.Fantasianwas written by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of theFinal Fantasyseries. Its soundtrack, meanwhile, was scored by the esteemed video game composer Nobuo Uematsu.
WhenFantasianfirst made its debut in 2021, it was only available on Apple Arcade, Apple’s Game Pass-like subscription service for iOS and Mac. Exclusivegames on Apple Arcadearen’t available for purchase individually and can be wiped from existence the moment they are delisted. Because of this, many were worried that ifFantasianwas never ported to other platforms, it would eventually be lost to time. Luckily, in summer 2024, Mistwalker responded to fan demand and revealed thatFantasianwould be brought to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC later this year with the support ofFinal Fantasypublisher Square Enix. Its multiplatform availability aside, this re-release of the RPG, titledFantasian: Neo Dimension, will be of particular significance to fans of Nobuo Uematsu’s music, as it’s the final game he will ever compose from start to finish.
Fantasian: Neo Dimension Will Be a Big Deal For Fans of Nobuo Uematsu’s Work
Nobuo Uematsu Composed the Soundtracks of Many Classic Final Fantasy Games
For those unfamiliar with him, Nobuo Uematsu is the composer behind the soundtracks of many classicFinal Fantasygames and other iconic JRPGs. Uematsu has been in the gaming business for roughly 40 years, and has worked with SquareSoft and its successor, Square Enix, for most of his career. The first game he ever composed music for wasCruise Chaser Blasty, an obscure 1986 RPG that only released in Japan. Uematsu didn’t really make a name for himself until the release ofthe originalFinal Fantasy, which came out in 1987 on the NES and was one of the first mainstream games he wrote the soundtrack for.
After the success of 1987’sFinal Fantasy, Nobuo Uematsu lent his musical talents tomany subsequentFFgames, fromFF2all the way up toFF12. Most recently, the famed composer also wrote “No Promises to Keep,” the main theme forFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. In addition to theseFFtitles, he has contributed to other projects outside the franchise as well, such asLost Odyssey,Granblue Fantasy,Terra Battle,Ragnarok Odyssey, and, of course,Fantasian. The soundtracks that Uematsu has composed for all these games feature a wide variety of musical genres. In one moment, a player may be listening to a classical, baroque piece of music in, say, aFinal Fantasytitle, and in another, they may be humming the tune to a heavy rock music track from the same game.
Fantasian: Neo Dimension Will Be The Last Game to Feature a Soundtrack Composed Entirely by Uematsu
Nobuo Uematsu has, without a doubt, defined a generation of JRPGs with his music. As such, many gamers, especially classicFinal Fantasyfans, will likely be sad to hear thatFantasian: Neo Dimension will be the last game with a soundtrack written entirely by Uematsu, as previously mentioned. To be clear, this doesn’t mean Uematsu is retiring; rather, he’s simply taking a step back from video game composition so he can have more time to work on other music projects that he’s passionate about. Uematsu will probably still write some theme songs here and there, but when it comes to composing entire soundtracks,Fantasian: Neo Dimensionwill be the last of his work.
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension
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The Father of FINAL FANTASY, Hironobu Sakaguchi, and renowned composer Nobuo Uematsu return to deliver an original RPG story.Mechteria—a deathly mechanical infection that robs humans of their emotions and lives—is slowly engulfing the world. The protagonist Leo awakens with only one memory left to him in a strange land abundant with machines. The human world, threatened by mechteria… a machine world, filled with mysteries… and the unseen dimensions that lie beyond both.Using the Warp Device that was left behind, Leo must now embark on an interdimensional journey to reclaim his lost memories and save the world from the mechteria infection.
