Fantavision is a classic puzzle game. It was actually a launch title on the PlayStation 2, and while it didn’t really turn heads in the West, it was a game that resonated pretty strongly in its homeland in Japan. And now the series is finally coming back, with a PlayStation 5 title in development (that will even have VR support).
See, the thing is that while we certainly like fireworks in the West, they have a very strong cultural resonance in Japan. I’ve been to a Summer fireworks festival, where masses of people put on yukata and other traditional wear, buy festival foods like dango and shaved ice from dozens (and dozens) of street vendors, meet up with their beaus and friends, and then, once it’s dark, drink in the spectacle of a fireworks show. It is a very different experience to even the New Year’s events and associated fireworks in places like Australia.
Fantavision tapped into that, by turning fireworks into puzzle elements, and tasking you with linking flares up to cause them to detonate together and build big scores. It was fairly esoteric (you can actually play it as a PS2 Classic on your PS4 and Ps5 if you want to check it out), but for the time it was an audio-visual spectacle.
This new Fantavision, Fantavision 202X, will bring the spectacle back, and we won’t have to wait long for it. It launches on February 22 next year. Here’s hoping it can be a similarly audio-visual spectacle that Tetris Effect from a few years ago was. 
