Each time I load up Fantasian Neo Dimension, I feel a bit of catharsis. While it’s certainly fulfilling to find the former Apple Arcade exclusive RPG on a full-fledged console at last, what really warmed my old Final Fantasy fan heart was seeing the logos for Mistwalker and Square Enix both pass by on the way to the loading screen.
Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi left SquareSoft, the company he put on the map, shortly after it merged with its former rival, Enix—partly because of the box office shortcomings of his first feature film, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. He then struck out with his own small studio, Mistwalker, and has since put out a couple smaller titles like Lost Odyssey and The Last Story. In recent years, however, he’s begun to re-enter Square Enix’s orbit, lured out by anniversary celebrations and his infatuation with the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV.
Now his former home is publishing the console version of Mistwalker’s crowning achievement. It’s like... Read more