Reviews View More
Not all that deep of a game but damn does it have soul in this little short bundle of a joy PS2 retro throwback.
The original FantaVision always intrigued me, but the game needed lots of improvements for me to actually push through it. What I didn't expect from FantaVision 202X is that this isn't like a sequel or anything, but a faithful Unreal Engine recreation of the original, similar to the treatment Rez got (although obviously different developers).
FantaVision 202X is... just that. The same game, right down to the 6 stages and the wacky live-action scenes in between.
Managing to finally play through a game of this though, it actually made me re-analyze my thoughts on the original puzzle game's design. The game relies heavily on making chains and connecting to other fireworks with already-detonated explosions. In the later stages, the screen and fireworks tend to rotate, forcing the player to focus more on aiming at your next target.
It's not that the game's design is flawed or difficult. It's that the original lacked something that this new one has implemented: a goddamn level selection screen (along with an easier difficulty, if you need it). No longer do you have to worry about restarting your entire playthrough after losing.
So, yeah. Same unique game, just more accessible and incredibly vibrant. Makes the original pretty much irrelevant, and that's honestly enough for me.
FantaVision 202X is... just that. The same game, right down to the 6 stages and the wacky live-action scenes in between.
Managing to finally play through a game of this though, it actually made me re-analyze my thoughts on the original puzzle game's design. The game relies heavily on making chains and connecting to other fireworks with already-detonated explosions. In the later stages, the screen and fireworks tend to rotate, forcing the player to focus more on aiming at your next target.
It's not that the game's design is flawed or difficult. It's that the original lacked something that this new one has implemented: a goddamn level selection screen (along with an easier difficulty, if you need it). No longer do you have to worry about restarting your entire playthrough after losing.
So, yeah. Same unique game, just more accessible and incredibly vibrant. Makes the original pretty much irrelevant, and that's honestly enough for me.
This was an interesting puzzle game that I'd say fails to fully explain it's mechanics in a fun way, but when you get the hang of it it's fun. Getting a 5 chain I'm convinced is impossible, but I'm gonna go for the platinum anyway. Will update if I do.
A very faithful VR update/remake of the original Fantavision, which means it will never beat the mid allegations, but playing this with the fancy new toy that is the Playstation VR 2 makes the fireworks pop and sparkle more than they ever did in 480i. It's over in an hour, half of the stages are basically repeats, and nothing new is added gameplay wise outside of being able to move the cursor with PSVR2's sense controllers, which makes the whole ordeal breezy but only moderately more enjoyable. This may have been a hoot if it had been released on the original PSVR's launch just to demonstrate how old games translate well into 3D rendering, but it's 2023 and outdated tech demos (of an already outdated tech demo) are the last things VR needs right now.