Final Fantasy XIII or Final Fantasy XIII-2 not doing it for you? Is Final Fantasy VI still your favorite game in the series? Or perhaps you insist that Final Fantasy V’s job system is still the best thing in the world? Well, I have a surprise for you!

Final Fantasy Dimensions released as a mobile game in Japan in 2010. Accordingly, it was a return to the old-school Final Fantasy style: 2D pixel art, white text on blue menus, random encounters, and turn-based gameplay with active-time battles. Oh, and there is a job system.

Interested? Well, Final Fantasy Dimensions is finally coming overseas to iOS and Android.

Dimensions stars Sol, an older gent by the name of Aigis, blue-haired Sarah, and towheaded Dusk. After some catastrophic thing seems to have gone down and arguments have arisen, the group finds itself on a classic Final Fantasy overworld.

Before the view shifts, however, a mysterious, fairy-looking lass wanders into the frame where the party had just been and looks over the scene. She even had the classic “???” for her name in the dialogue box.

Once out on the world map, I booked it towards the nearest town. Puzzlingly, the podunk town was entirely comprised of octogenarians with a strangely slang dialect; the first person I talked to said, “You know why them dragons be all in a tizzy? It’s cause o’ that poison th’ Empire done used.”

Another NPC later informed me that the town was made up of elderly people because all the young folks took off. Probably because of how the old people speak.

The game has three options for movement. A fixed touch-based directional pad is available, but the build I played was set to use a d-pad that simply shows up anywhere on the screen you click, disappearing if out of use for a while. You can either tap each direction individually, or, more fluidly, slide and hold your finger in the direction you want to go. It’s large enough that is sort of obscures the screen if you click towards the center, and occasionally I would accidentally bring it up when trying to interact with the environment. It is translucent, however, and I did eventually get a bit more comfortable using it; that said, talking with moving NPCs was something of a trial.

After buying a bit of armor, I went back to the world map and into a classic Final Fantasy-style cave to get through the encapsulating mountains. The build I played pitted Sol as the warrior, Aigis as the monk, Dusk as the white mage, and Sarah as the red mage. All the roles I expected the characters would be in.

Thankfully, it also had all of the jobs and abilities unlocked and mastered, so I was able to check out the thief, red mage, black mage, summoner, and jobless classes as well. Jobless allows you to use all available armor or weapons.

In battle, the characters wear the standard accoutrements associated with their respective class, though they wore unique garb during dialogue scenes and in town. Speaking of battles, the game uses an ATB system, is turn-based, and features random battles. All classic Final Fantasy fare.

There was a myriad of job-dependent abilities -- Aigis, in particular, had some impressive monk skills, given that I had access to high-level moves.

The brief bits of music I heard were good, the enemy design featured the interesting reimagining and adaptations of pre-existing Final Fantasy beasts and the game played well. Provided you don’t mind the old-school style, Final Fantasy Dimensions could be a plenty good entry in the series.

It could even be great, if the story and characters are any good.

Legacy Comments (will be imported soon)

mythbuilder

...ugh, menus don't look too good (would be nice if they brought the old menus back). But, hey 5 person parties are back! Here's hoping it can live up to FF IV, V & VI!

Rabite

How will Squeenix fuck this one up? FF1 iPhone had crappy menus and was still easy easy easy mode. FF2 was basically the same thing. FF3 was still the shit ass 3D remake from the DS. Menus for this one don't look bad, but this is modern Squeenix we're talking about.

able to think

Wow those graphics look like fucking shit! It's like a cross between pixel art and hand drawn sprites. Pick one and stick with it. It lacks the personality of the old 16 bit Final Fantasys. It looks like they put no effort into it and that's a damn shame. Now watch them charge $15 for it.

SaveFaustus

Ugh, hate when pixel art is used but the edges are rounded. Kills the entire style for me. Despite that the Job system in FF5 was cooler than Raptor Jesus on a skateboard with a meatball sub, so I'll probably be picking this up.

Atma1231

This could be interesting. Too bad all the fanboys and/or anti-fanboys will find any little thing to critique to the nth degree. Menus, graphics, pixels, etc.

You guys are going to criticize whatever "Squeenix" does, and it's getting incredibly old. Why don't you ask about the FF7 remake or KH3 while you're at it? Kill 2 birds with 8 stones.

VersusX

This is nice, but where is Type 0?

Shoop

Mos

jjjoooobbbssss

Rabite

Atma1231: I'd rather see a remake of FF5 and FF6 with updated sprites. But I'll probably just stick with the GBA versions of those. The only disc based FF I've really enjoyed was FF12, with FF9 following behind. And Kingdom Hearts was OK, but I lost interest rather quickly.

So no, I'd rather they made a game that's fun instead of wasting time with KH3 or FF7 remake. Or just do it and get it over with so people will shut up about them. A 5 minute scene of Aerith gasping for air with Sephiroth's sword through her. Maybe a musical number. Mmmm.

DrippingSins

Release it on PSN ad we'll talk. I very much dislike iOS games.

Smackybutts

Perro

Someone should've lent Baugauven some Pepto Bismol.

Tasteless joking aside, I honestly haven't played too much of the 2D FF games aside from I + II on the GBA, and FFIV Complete on the PSP. I got pretty far on FFVI but honestly got so bored of it. I personally don't think it is as legendary a game as everyone makes it out to be

Gamescook

It needs a story and characters worth giving a damn about, and we all know those are in short supply at Square these days.

Retrofraction

FFVI had best story out of the series hands down

you can make almost anything glitter these days...

VicYoungblood

I'm not a "Squeenix" bashing fanboy oozing from the arse with copious butthurt, but with all due sincerity, fuck this. SE has been rehashing the same gameplay in the Kingdom Hearts franchise for over a decade in god-knows-how-many spinoffs, dumbs down their franchises to the worn little nub Final Fantasy has become, and tries to blow us away with graphics that offer little more than a temporary diversion from weak plots, annoying characters, and worn settings. My goodwill towards them from the phenomenal "The World Ends With You" has worn off. They're a shitty company, and now they have the nerve to say, "Hey, guys, you know that classic FF formula you've been begging for? Well, here it is, with shitty graphics on your cell phones in a non-canon entry!". These jokers spit in the faces of their fans, and as an a writer and aspiring game dev, I think it's utterly atrocious how much they dick over people who have been with them since day one. Screw this game, and screw Square Enix.

TheNephilym

Let me guess... $15. I had a hard enough time paying that much for some of the SquareSoft classics on iOS, which I already knew where great games with the addition of sexy graphics, but this... this doesn't even look half as good as some of those reboots do, and for all I know, it has a lame story and characters (as per SE's current FF trend). There's pretty much no reason for me to give a shit about this - especially if SE charges the usual 15 smackers.

ShloopyDoo

Squenix releases "classic" FF game, fans rage over its simplicity and archaic design.

Squenix releases great RPGs that just happen to have FF in the title in the form of FFXIII and XIII-2, fans rage that they miss archaic design like random battles, towns, NPCs that repeat the same dialog, etc.

Conclusion: FF fans are stupid and don't know what they want anymore.

TurboKill

I was intrigued, but then I saw iOS and the graphics smoothing overload, or something. Odd, I liked the graphics for Final Fantasy IV: CC.

snukastyle

Ah, Final Fantasy the way I remember it. I'd play this in a heartbeat if it wasn't for a mobile.

Pint Sized Slasher

should of released it for PS Vita. poor bastard is need of an RPG right now (excluding the PSP games available).

PhilKenSebben

I'm very interested in it as that's my fav type of ff. My problem is SEs mobile pricing. I got Chaos Rings (and loved it) on sale for $6 and felt it was worth every penny. I just have a problem spending around $15 on a phone game. I'll probably pass till a sale.

arkane9

Release it on the 3DS eShop, Square, and you've got yourself a sale.

MegaSeveN

I'd like it way more if it was on anything other than phones.

Couldn't pass any fucking harder.

Maniac

Is it just me or does it look like it was made with RPG Maker?

Smo5000

That last picture in the article is damn cool, I really wont be getting this game though.

Felix Kyo Grnewald

Nope, Maniav, it's not just you...

tellytoy

This couldn't have been an XBLA game? Or a game for Vita or 3DS? I don't have a smartphone, and due to my butterfingers, I doubt that will ever change.

tellytoy

This couldn't have been an XBLA game? Or a game for Vita or 3DS? I don't have a smartphone, and due to my butterfingers, I doubt that will ever change.

Dylan Anantha

I dont understand why Square would put this for iOS, the casuals have probably never played a Final Fantasy before 12 or 13.

Richie the Sign Painter

Why is everyone so against it being on phones?
So much negativity.

Gundy

Square enix is dead to me until they release either Versus XIII or Type-0...

Woogity

There is something odd about the graphics, and not in a good way.

OmnipotentBagel

Well, Richie, can't speak for everyone, but personally,



Yep, definitely getting this game...

OmnipotentBagel

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OmnipotentBagel

Oh, goddammit. I have a frickin' 4 year old flip phone. I literally CAN'T play this game.

Kyousuke Nanbu

Oh its cellphone crap, pass.

jasondm300

I hope it has controller option because I have loved being able to hook up a USB controller on my tablet

Raby

Bullshit square, just bullshit. Why do you refuse to listen to your dwindling fanbase?

RPGFan2k

such anger

ThrashingLimbsEd

@SmithyX

Are you offering?

Daxelman

I'll take this on my phone. I need something that's not Tiny Tower.

Seriously, all I do is Tiny Tower. Tiny Tower Phone, Tiny Tower Tablet, Tiny Tower Android Emulator...

chemwizard

Looks interesting...hoping for a non-iOS version, since my fingers are fat.

Steven Hansen

I agree with Stealth. Such anger. You can play it on a tablet, too.

Topken

Agreed apparently people are forgetting the tablets out there running both Andoird and iOS. I will be playing this mainly on my tablet personally. Phone is to small for anything but a quick text and calling people and listening to music where a screen isnt needed. I got the tablet for everything else that needs a larger screen such as gaming, reading, videos, browsing the web and this game will fit perfectly in with that.

ScrappyDoo

It looks really ugly.

OmnipotentBagel

@Steven, Topken, et al: Don't own a tablet either. You know what I do own? A bunch of systems that are designed specifically to play games. Be nice if this game were released on one of those.

AlucardsQuest

Didn't we try this already with FF9? Hell, that was a great game! Why not use that model, beef it up, and put some effort into FF15 instead of this rehash and a sketchy next gen tech demo?

BobPalindrome

YEEEEESS! Hip hip! HOORAY! FFV Job System! YES YES YES!

bigdonkey1

at first you had my attention. then you said it's on iOS and the screens look kinda shit.
i want a new old style FF game but i want it on a system i can actually play it on (without having to fork out £400 every year) and it to actually look like an old style FF game, not a sad attempt at a fan project inspired by one.

DarthGadget

Cool,but I want FF10 remade in HD please...