Fantavision (video game)

Fantavision
North American cover art
Developer(s)Japan Studio
Cosmo Machia (202X)
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Cosmo Machia (202X)
Director(s)Katsuyuki Kanetaka
Designer(s)Shigeru Kurihara
Katsuyuki Kanetaka
Programmer(s)
  • Toshio Fukui
  • Akihiro Taguchi
  • Toshitake Tsuchikura
  • Nobukazu Ohta
Composer(s)
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, mobile phone
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • JP: July 4, 2002 (Futari no Fantavision)[5]
Mobile phone
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Fantavision,[a] sometimes stylized as FantaVision, is a puzzle video game developed by Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 (PS2). The game's objective is to use a cursor to select three or more launched fireworks (called "flares") of the same color in a row and then to detonate them to increase the player's score. Used in conjunction with various power-ups, the resulting explosions can ignite and chain together even more flares for additional points.

Fantavision was created during Sony's transition from its original PlayStation (PS1) to its next generation console. The game was initially conceived by director Katsuyuki Kanetaka, inspired by the fireworks shows he witnessed in his youth. After successfully pitching the project to Sony, Fantavision was supervised by the company's first-party development head Shuhei Yoshida and was completed by a small team in a short time frame. The graphics emphasize the PS2's ability to show particle effects.

Fantavision was released in Japan on March 9, 2000, a few days after the PS2 itself. It was released the same day as the console in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand later that year with an added two-player mode. An updated version with this mode titled Futari no Fantavision[b] was released in Japan in 2002, featuring revised cutscenes and design. Fantavision was then remade for Japanese mobile phones starting in 2003. Finally, the game was digitally re-released on Sony's newer consoles via the PlayStation Network outside of Japan beginning in 2015. The game received a mostly above-average critical response with reviewers generally praising its visual presentation, core gameplay, and multiplayer. However, many found fault with the length and replay value of its single-player experience when compared to contemporary titles in the puzzle genre.

  1. ^ Sony staff (October 26, 2000). "FantaVision™ Brings an Explosive Display of Brilliant Pyrotechnics Into the Home on PlayStation®2". Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  2. ^ Zdyrko, Dave (February 8, 2000). "Fantavision Delayed". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 19, 2001. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  3. ^ Jones, Tegan (June 21, 2020). "The Games Every PlayStation Console Launched With". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  4. ^ IGN staff (December 1, 2000). "The P2 Goes Down Under: The Launch in New Zealand". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Dengeki staff (June 5, 2002). "SCE、花火パズルゲーム『ふたりのファンタビジョン』の超美麗なムービーを公開！" [SCE releases a super beautiful movie of the fireworks puzzle game Futari no Fantavision!]. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  6. ^ Dengeki staff (July 1, 2003). "SCEの人気PZG『オトスタツ』と『FANTAVISION』が、J-SKYで配信開始" [SCE's popular PZG Otostaz and Fantavision are now available on J-SKY]. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  7. ^ Dengeki staff (July 3, 2008). "花火を繋いで爆発させよう！ 『ファンタビジョン』がアプリに" [Connect fireworks and let them explode! Fantavision becomes an app]. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Archived from the original on February 5, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2022.


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