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Lost Dimension
Lost Dimension
Lost Dimension
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Lost Dimension
PlayStation Vita cover
DeveloperLancarse
Publishers
ProducerHiroyuki Abe
Designers
  • Takeshi Oga
  • Yuu Yamashita
  • Makoto Tsuchibayashi
WriterJun Kumagai
Platforms
ReleasePlayStation 3, PS Vita
  • JP: August 7, 2014
  • NA: July 28, 2015[1]
  • AU: August 27, 2015[2]
  • EU: August 28, 2015
Windows
  • WW: October 30, 2017
GenreTactical role-playing
ModeSingle-player

Lost Dimension[a] is a 2014 video game developed by Lancarse originally for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. It is a tactical role-playing video game with visual novel-like elements, where the choices of the player determine the fate of the game's story, as well as its characters. The game's protagonist is 18-year-old Sho Kasugai, a member of S.E.A.L.E.D., an organisation tasked with stopping a mysterious man named "The End", who wants to destroy the world. A Windows version, published by Ghostlight, was released in October 2017.[3]

Gameplay

[edit]

Lost Dimension is a tactical role-playing video game. The characters climb the mysterious five-floor Pillar, in which they encounter a number of enemies. During battles, the characters attack enemies as a group, with each character having unique attacks and abilities.[4] The game's "Assist" feature automatically occurs when an ally is nearby when the player attacks.[5] Each character also has a unique "Gift" special ability, and by obtaining "Gift exp" in battle, new abilities can be unlocked.[5] The "Defer" feature allows the player to pass up their turn to an ally; this can be used to allow the strongest party member to continue to attack, and take advantage of the characters' strengths and weaknesses.[5] There is also a "Berserk" status effect; when a character loses all their sanity points, they become berserk. Berserk characters gain a boost in attack damage but will hit both allies and enemies alike.[5]

Lost Dimension also has a visual novel-like system where the choices of the player determine the fate of the game's story, as well as its characters.[6] Of the game's eleven playable characters, five are traitors; one is potentially revealed per floor. The characters which are traitors are randomly selected, and vary from game to game, although the main character is never a traitor. The player must use deductive skills to find out who the traitor each floor is.[7] During the "Judgement" phase of the game, the remaining characters vote on whom to "erase", including the player. It is best for the player to successfully identify the traitor and convince others to vote his way, though if the player chooses wrongly or is ineffective at persuasion, an innocent character will be killed instead.[8] To determine who the traitor is, protagonist Sho Kasugai uses his psychic ability, "Vision", to look into the future to obtain hints on the traitor's identity. The player can also look into the thoughts of the different characters, as well as question them.[8] The player can rig teams sent out on missions to attempt to deduce who the potential suspects are, and use "Vision" for confirmation or denial. As the characters climb the pillar, five team members total will be eliminated in Judgment by the endgame, one on the first three floors, and two on the fourth floor.[9]

Story

[edit]

Lost Dimension takes place in the near future, with the world in ruin. The game's protagonist is 18 year-old Sho Kasugai, a member of S.E.A.L.E.D., a special group of 17-to-18 year olds with psychic abilities tasked with investigating a giant pillar that appeared out of nowhere.[10] Sho has a special ability called "Vision", which grants him the ability to foresee events before they happen, and after he used it to save people from a mass destruction, he was chosen to be a member of S.E.A.L.E.D.[10] The main antagonist is a mysterious terrorist known as "The End". The End has caused massacres and destruction that kill over 2 billion people, and is the reason why the United Nations put together S.E.A.L.E.D., in order to kill him.[10] The End's seeming goal is to destroy the world, and considers the fight against S.E.A.L.E.D. to be a bizarre game.[10]

Alongside the precognitive Sho, the other members of S.E.A.L.E.D. are: Mana Kawai, a brawler with superhuman strength; Marco Barbato, a psychic; Yoko Tachibana, a telepath; Zenji Maeda, who can resonate and copy the powers of others; Toya Orbert, who has magnetic powers; Himeno Akatsuki, a pyrokinetic; George Jackman, a psychometric swordsman; Sojiro Sagara, an ex-doctor who can heal and restore other teammates; Nagi Shishiouka, who can levitate; and Agito Yuuki, who can teleport.[11][12]

As the members of S.E.A.L.E.D arrive at the base of the pillar, The End tampers with their memories; they can't recall how they got there, or much of their younger pasts. The party learns that the Pillar is a place that connects between dimensions; The End claims to be from a different plane of existence. The group must now go up the floors of the Pillar; but at the end of each floor, the group is forced to vote off one of the party's traitors in order to succeed. Sho must deduce, during the time he spends fighting alongside his teammate, who the traitor is and also encourage the others to vote them off.

The game has a number of endings. If somehow Sho is "voted off" in the Erasure process, it is an immediate game over, although this is very unlikely if the player is not explicitly angling for it. If Sho arrives at the top of the Pillar with 1-4 traitors accompanying him, then the player, before they can face The End, must face off against those traitors and then face off against The End (albeit with a significantly smaller party). However, if Sho arrives with 5 traitors (having erased only the 5 innocents), then the player will receive an instant game over where The End mocks Sho, claims he will possess Sho in the past, and that he and the other traitors would save "their" world.

In the normal ending, any undetected traitors defect and attack at the top of the Pillar. After Sho and his remaining comrades defeat them (if there are any traitors), they defeat The End in a final battle. The End claims that the traitors were merely trying to save the world, same as the other members of S.E.A.L.E.D, and that his own goal was simply to force Sho to suffer, not to destroy or save any world. He accuses Sho of sentencing him to death, and causing the deaths of millions, but refuses to elaborate and has a strangely unfazed attitude upon defeat.

After completing the game on a "New Game Plus" (at least the second playthrough) where Sho has maximized his bonds with all of the teammates (bond levels carry over to future playthroughs), a True Ending is unlocked which explains the backstory of the game. Ten years earlier, Earth was facing eventual destruction from a meteor, and scientists implanted powerful "fate materia" into 12 young children in an attempt to clone a new dimension where this disaster would be averted - these were the 11 members of S.E.A.L.E.D., and The End. This materia was the source of the psychics' powers in-game. However, the cloned dimension still seemed destined to destruction; the meteor was in it as well. Six of the fate materia were materia of change, and six of constancy. The effects canceled out. A young Sho was asked to divide the group using his precognitive powers and send only those who would allow a new fate to the new dimension - those with the change materia. Sho and the random five allies had the "change" materia, while The End and the random five traitors were sentenced to stay in the doomed world. Due to The End's ability to travel between dimensions, each of the different permutations for the allies in a playthrough represent a different dimension where Sho chose different allies (but always chose The End as one of those to leave behind). The End rigged the whole erasure system to force a more mature Sho to suffer the weight of his actions in knowingly sending a comrade to their death, and to relive his choices from ten years earlier. After being defeated by the party, The End forgives Sho on the basis of his youth, with the help of his erasure machine and Sho's growing powers forged from the bond of his allies, destroy's the meteor about to destroy the "old" world, saving it, the End and the 5 allies of his. (Who are revealed to be still alive if erased.)

Development

[edit]

The game is developed by Lancarse, developer of Etrian Odyssey and Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey,[13] and published by FuRyu, developer of Unchained Blades.[13] The game's story is written by Jun Kumagai, who has worked on the scripts of the Persona 3 movies, as well as a few episodes of Persona 4: The Animation, with Takeshi Oga being head of tower designs and character designs being provided by Yuu Yamashita[14] and Makoto Tsuchibayashi.[15] The game's producer is Hiroyuki Abe.[6] The game was revealed on April 17, 2014,[15] and scheduled for release on August 7, 2014 in Japan, with players who pre-order the game receiving bonus content such as an alternate costume, as well as an additional quest.[16] Select retailers also offer additional items.[16] A demo of Lost Dimension was released on July 30, 2014, and is free to download.[17]

In 2017, UK-based localization company Ghostlight announced that it would be porting the game to Windows, and it was released there in October 2017

Reception

[edit]

Lost Dimension has a score of 72% on Metacritic.[29]

All four Famitsu reviewers gave the PlayStation 3 version of Lost Dimension a score of 8, for a total of 32/40, while the PlayStation Vita version received scores of 8, 8, 8 and 9, for a total of 33/40.[30] It has a Metacritic score of 72%[31] The Vita version sold 3,868 copies during its first week on sale in Japan, ranking 19th for all video game sales for that week, while the PS3 version failed to enter the top 20 sales chart.[32]

IGN awarded it a score of 7 out of 10, saying "Lost Dimension has interesting characters and smart combat, but lacks a compelling story."[18]

Notes

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Lost Dimension

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Lost Dimension is a tactical developed by Lancarse and published by in . Originally released in by on August 7, 2014, for and , it was released in on July 28, 2015. The game centers on a of psychics assembled by the to infiltrate a massive pillar constructed by a terrorist known as "The End," who has already destroyed much of the world, while players must identify and eliminate a traitor hidden among the through deduction and voting mechanics. The game's narrative unfolds across multiple playthroughs due to its randomized traitor system, blending turn-based strategy combat with social simulation elements. In the game's post-apocalyptic setting, players control Sho Kasugai, the leader of S.E.A.L.E.D., a squad of 11 agents equipped with unique abilities such as energy manipulation and . Gameplay progresses through floors of the pillar, where teams engage in grid-based battles emphasizing positioning, ally support, and psychic power combinations to defeat enemies, with the ability to defer actions for tactical flexibility. Outside combat, players build relationships via free-time activities to uncover clues about potential traitors, whose identity varies per playthrough, encouraging replayability to achieve the true ending by correctly identifying all betrayers across routes. Lost Dimension received generally positive reviews for its innovative traitor mechanic and engaging combat system, earning a Metacritic score of 72, though it was critiqued for a linear story and dated visuals reflective of its budget constraints. A port for Windows followed on October 30, 2017, published by Ghostlight, expanding accessibility beyond the original consoles. The title stands out in the tactical RPG genre for integrating social deduction inspired by games like Danganronpa, within a sci-fi framework.

Gameplay

Combat Mechanics

Lost Dimension features a turn-based tactical system played on a grid-based , where players control a of up to six psychics deployed at predetermined points often separated by environmental obstacles. Movement is free-form within a circular range from the character's starting position, with the arc narrowing as distance increases from the origin, and is determined by each unit's MOV stat alongside considerations for attack and Gift ranges. Positioning is crucial, as it enables assist attacks from adjacent allies, allowing unlimited cooperative strikes on a single enemy to amplify damage output and potentially defeat tougher foes in a single round. Central to combat are psychic powers known as Gifts, which are categorized into Passive, Attack, Recovery, and Support types and consume Gift Points (GP) while also depleting the user's (SAN) meter. Each character possesses unique Gifts reflecting their abilities, such as Sho's "Daydream" teleportation for repositioning, Mana's Recovery Gifts for allies, Himeno's manipulation for area attacks, and Yoko's for support effects. Gifts integrate strategically by allowing characters to enhance mobility—e.g., Agito's extends effective range—or provide utility like remote item use after upgrades, with low SAN risking a "rage" state that temporarily causes the unit to lose control and attack indiscriminately. Gifts are upgraded through ability trees unlocked via leveling and expenditure of GP earned in battles, enabling deeper customization such as expanding radii or increasing attack potency. A distinctive turn deferral mechanic permits players to skip a character's action, passing it to an ally for an extra move or activation, which costs additional SAN but facilitates combo chains like sequential heals or concentrated assaults. Enemies consist primarily of AI-controlled adversaries encountered on the floors of the central Pillar structure, ranging from standard mobs to larger, high-damage variants that demand coordinated positioning to exploit weaknesses. Boss encounters, such as battles against high-ranking foes like Peragrande or the ultimate adversary The End, emphasize psychic synergy through Support Gifts to buff allies, reduce enemy SAN for dazing via critical hits, and leverage assist attacks to break armored defenses and deliver bonus damage.

Traitor System

The Traitor System is a core gameplay mechanic in Lost Dimension that introduces elements of social deduction and betrayal, requiring players to identify and eliminate hidden traitors among the S.E.A.L.D. team after progressing through each floor of the Pillar. There are five traitors hidden among the 11 team members, randomized per playthrough, requiring identification across the game's five floors to achieve the true ending. One traitor is present per floor starting from Floor 2 (with Floor 1 fixed on initial playthroughs), and their identities are randomized across new games to encourage replayability and varied team dynamics. This system integrates with the game's structure involving five betrayals that unfold progressively, forcing players to adapt squad composition and strategy throughout the tower ascent. Investigation begins post-mission in the base lobby, where protagonist Sho Kasugai's Premonition gift activates to reveal up to three suspicious voices from party members, displayed as anonymous voices with potentially distorted or garbled text indicating suspicious intent. Players can adjust team rosters for subsequent missions to track fluctuations in the number of traitorous voices—typically three voices signal a traitor in the current lineup, while fewer may mislead or confirm safety—allowing systematic elimination of suspects through . For deeper analysis, Vision Points (starting with three and earned via specific battles) enable Deep Vision scans on individual characters, revealing clearer loyalty indicators or psychic compatibility hints through targeted thought probes. Complementary tools include base conversations and gift exchanges, which build trust levels and provide subtle cues on team members' reliability, though these are influenced by prior mission assignments and cannot directly confirm betrayal. After gathering evidence, players enter the Judgment Room for a team vote to "erase" a suspect, with Sho's influence weighted by camaraderie bonds to sway outcomes. Correctly eliminating a traitor advances the floor unhindered, but erroneous votes remove an innocent ally, weakening the squad and potentially introducing a second traitor on the next floor, which escalates combat difficulty as betrayers may reveal themselves mid-mission by turning hostile. Erased members drop materia orbs that transfer skills to survivors, mitigating some losses but emphasizing the permanence of choices; repeated mistakes can lead to branching narrative paths, team breakdowns, or scenarios if too many loyalists are lost. The system autosaves before votes to allow reloading, balancing tension with accessibility.

Progression and Customization

The gameplay of Lost Dimension revolves around ascending the 5 floors of a colossal structure known as the Pillar, where players lead a of psychics in tactical missions to upward. Each introduces main quests that must be completed to unlock the next level, gradually revealing new areas within the tower and granting access to enhanced abilities for the team. Optional sub-quests, which can be repeated, provide opportunities to resources and refine strategies without advancing the core narrative. This structured ascent emphasizes strategic team management, as players select up to six members per mission from their roster of 11 agents, adapting compositions to the challenges of higher floors. Character advancement occurs through a traditional leveling system fueled by experience points (EXP) earned from mission completions and enemy defeats. As agents gain levels, their core stats—such as strength (STR), vitality (VIT), agility (AGI), and technique (TEC)—increase automatically, bolstering both physical durability and the potency of their psychic powers. Additionally, reaching odd-numbered levels or clearing specific first-time main quests awards Gift EXP, a separate currency dedicated to customizing psychic gifts, which represent unique abilities like area-of-effect attacks or support effects. Players allocate Gift EXP at the team's hub to unlock new gifts or upgrade existing ones, allowing for tailored builds that enhance individual roles within the squad. Stat growth can be further optimized using consumable vials purchased or found during missions, targeting specific attributes to address weaknesses in team synergy. Customization extends to equipment and interpersonal affinities, managed primarily at the Generator—a central facility on each floor serving as a shop and upgrade station. Weapons and armor are categorized by type (e.g., swords, guns, or fists) and can be bought, sold, or reinforced using materials gathered from missions, with shareable gear enabling flexible loadouts across compatible agents. The gift system integrates deeply with team-building, as equipped gifts influence affinities—metrics of trust and compatibility derived from post-mission conversations and joint deployments. Higher affinities unlock hidden traits, such as bonus effects during maneuvers, and foster stronger bonds, though players are limited to fully developing relationships with up to seven agents per playthrough to encourage selective investment. These elements combine to create a progression loop where and relational dynamics directly impact squad effectiveness outside of combat. New Game Plus activates after the initial ending, resetting most progress while carrying over key elements to support replayability and deeper exploration of multiple narrative branches. Retained features include completed agent backstories, approximately 10-15% of accumulated Energy Points (EN) for generating items and facilities, and S-rank mission rankings that unlock bonuses like additional Gift EXP scaled to prior levels. Levels, equipment, affinities, and trust values reset to provide a balanced challenge, but new content—such as an easy difficulty mode, exclusive quests, and DLC items from previous cycles—becomes available, allowing players to experiment with alternate team strategies and uncover additional endings without starting from scratch. This mode rewards thorough first playthroughs by refunding unspent Gift Points and amplifying customization options in subsequent runs.

Plot

Setting and Premise

Lost Dimension is set in a post-apocalyptic ravaged by the sudden appearance of a enigmatic antagonist known as The End, who has already annihilated two billion people in an instant through unexplained means. This cataclysmic event leaves humanity on the brink of , with world leaders desperately seeking a way to avert . The game's world-building emphasizes a desolate, ruined overshadowed by an otherworldly that challenges the remnants of civilization. At the heart of the narrative is the Pillar, a colossal, alien tower-like structure that materializes mysteriously and serves as the central hub and primary battleground. This impenetrable edifice, accessible only to select individuals, towers over the devastated world and houses The End at its summit, who issues a 13-day for humanity's destruction unless challenged. The Pillar functions as the game's progression gauntlet, filled with floors teeming with enemies and traps, symbolizing the escalating peril faced by survivors. To counter this existential menace, the forms S.E.A.L.E.D., a specialized comprising young individuals endowed with abilities referred to as "Gifted." S.E.A.L.E.D. trains and deploys these psychics, including the protagonist Sho as the player avatar, to infiltrate the Pillar, identify internal threats, and confront The End directly. The premise explores themes of amid global ruin, the of human potential as a tool for resistance, and the profound dread posed by an incomprehensible, possibly extraterrestrial force intent on eradicating life on Earth. These elements underscore a narrative of fragile hope, where the fate of the remaining population hinges on the success of a small, elite team navigating betrayal and otherworldly horrors.

Main Characters

Sho Kasugai serves as the protagonist and leader of the S.E.A.L.E.D. unit, a silent and customizable character whose psychic gift, known as Vision, allows him to glimpse possible futures, aiding in strategic decisions and traitor identification within the team. As the central figure, Sho's ability integrates with the group's dynamics, enabling him to replicate certain ally skills in combat through progression, though his core power remains foresight-based. Voiced by Yūsuke Yamamoto in Japanese and Michael in English, his reserved demeanor underscores the narrative's focus on player-driven choices. Among the key allies, Mana Kawai is a melee-focused fighter with the gift of , enabling her to deliver powerful physical strikes enhanced by her Accelerate ability, which boosts speed for rapid assaults. Her bubbly personality, marked by a love for cute things and occasional self-doubt, contrasts her formidable role in close-quarters engagements. Mana is voiced by in Japanese and in English, with Buckland's performance noted for capturing her endearing yet resilient traits. Nagi Shishiouka acts as a disciplined ranged operative, utilizing her gift for agile positioning and evasion, often functioning in a stealth-like capacity to flank enemies from elevated or obscured vantage points. Trained from a young age in the military, she embodies precision and duty, contributing to the team's efforts. Her Japanese voice is provided by , while Erin Fitzgerald handles the English dub, praised for conveying Nagi's stoic professionalism. Other core members include Yoko Tachibana, a telepathic support specialist who can read minds and provide buffs to allies, voiced by Honoka Miki (JP) and (EN); Toya Orbert, a magnetism-wielding gunner for mid-range control, voiced by Ryohei Kimura (JP) and (EN); and Himeno Akatsuki, whose delivers area-denial fire attacks, voiced by (JP) and (EN). Additional allies like Agito Yuuki ( for mobility, voiced by JP and Ben Diskin EN), Sojiro Sagara (healing for team sustain, voiced by JP and EN), Marco Barbato ( for defense, voiced by JP), George Jackman (psychometry for insight and melee power, voiced by JP and EN), and Zenji Maeda (synchronization to copy ally abilities, voiced by JP and EN) round out the roster, each bringing unique psychic contributions to the unit's structure against the pillar's threats. The S.E.A.L.E.D. team operates as a cohesive yet tense unit within the pillar's confines, where every member is a potential traitor harboring undisclosed motives that could undermine the mission, heightening interpersonal suspicions without revealing specific identities. This dynamic fosters strategic alliances and interrogations, emphasizing the psychics' roles in both combat and . Notable English voice performances, such as D.C. Douglas's charismatic portrayal of George, have been highlighted for adding depth to these layered characters.

Story Arcs

The narrative of Lost Dimension is structured around the S.E.A.L.E.D. team's perilous ascent of the pillar constructed by the antagonist known as The End, with branching paths driven by the traitor identification mechanic. In the initial arc, following the catastrophic —an event in which The End eradicated two billion people using an unspecified weapon—the assembles the team of 11 s, including protagonist Sho Kasugai, to infiltrate the pillar and neutralize the threat. As they begin their climb, The End communicates telepathically, declaring that a traitor lurks among them and demanding the execution of one team member per floor to proceed, introducing immediate paranoia and forcing reliance on Sho's precognitive "Vision" ability to gather clues on suspects' thoughts. This phase emphasizes team formation amid early battles against pillar guardians, where psychic gifts such as manipulation and projection are first deployed, highlighting the players' post- evolutions from ordinary humans into gifted individuals. The mid-game arc intensifies with escalating ascents through subsequent floors, where multiple traitors emerge—one per major level—requiring repeated investigations and eliminations that fracture alliances and deplete the roster. Revelations gradually unfold regarding the Collapse's origins: The End, originally one of six chosen to sacrifice his life to avert a pre-Collapse meteor impact on , survived and sought vengeance against the world that he believed had forsaken him, with the pillar serving as a final mechanism to consume the remaining humanity. Concurrently, the team's psychic abilities evolve through combat experience, unlocking advanced techniques like and mind control, which stem from latent potentials awakened by the Collapse's psychic fallout, transforming survivors into superhumans capable of challenging The End. A pivotal twist on the fourth floor exposes an additional traitor layer, often leaving the party understrength and amplifying the traitor system's role as a catalyst for . The climactic arc culminates in confrontations at the pillar's summit, pitting the surviving team against The End and his augmented form, The Bitter End, in a multi-phase battle that tests remaining synergies. Success hinges on prior traitor eliminations; correctly identifying all traitors eases the encounter by preventing betrayals mid-fight, while errors lead to devastating ambushes. True ending paths, accessible only in New Game+ after maximizing interpersonal bonds across playthroughs, unlock deeper resolutions where Sho harnesses time-manipulating visions to revisit the Collapse's timeline, averting The End's initial attacks and merging alternate realities for global salvation. The game features up to 13 distinct endings, categorized by the accuracy of traitor eliminations (from zero to all correct) and moral choices in judgment votes, such as sacrificing innocents for progress or sparing suspects at great risk. Bad endings depict total party annihilation or The End's unchallenged victory, underscoring themes of futile sacrifice; neutral outcomes allow a pyrrhic defeat of The End but leave the world in ruins; while optimal and true endings explore redemption, portraying The End's tragic and offering paths to forgive or rehabilitate him through temporal intervention, ultimately affirming bonds forged amid .

Development

Concept and Planning

The development of Lost Dimension stemmed from a creative vision to fuse social deduction mechanics involving betrayal and paranoia, akin to those in Danganronpa, with the grid-based tactical combat of strategy RPGs like Fire Emblem. This hybrid approach sought to heighten tension through interpersonal suspicion while delivering engaging turn-based battles featuring psychic abilities. Planning for the game occurred in the years leading to its 2014 Japanese release, led by developer Lancarse under publisher , with a strong emphasis on psychic themes central to the narrative of espers combating a world-ending threat. The scenario, penned by writer Jun Kumagai—known for contributions to adaptations—integrated sci-fi elements of , , and mind control to drive both story and gameplay. A core design decision involved crafting branching narratives tied to player choices in traitor identification and character bonding, planned to necessitate multiple playthroughs for full exploration and featuring multiple possible endings based on which suspects are eliminated and relationships developed. This structure was intended to boost replayability, as the true ending requires maximizing bonds across runs while correctly navigating the randomized traitor system. The planning phase grappled with integrating deep combat customization—such as synergies and positioning—with the deduction layer's , like limited Vision Points for probing suspects, to prevent cognitive overload while preserving the genre's strategic essence. Directors Yuta Kawamoto and Atsushi Motouchi oversaw these efforts to ensure the traitor hunts complemented rather than overshadowed tactical engagements.

Production Process

The development of Lost Dimension was handled by Lancarse Ltd., a small Japanese studio founded in 2004 and based in , with contributions from publisher Corporation. The core production team consisted of key roles filled by Lancarse staff, including s Mitsuhiro Hoshino and directors Yuta Kawamoto and Atsushi Motouchi, alongside FuRyu's Hiroyuki Abe as and Masaru Ohchi as director; overall credits list approximately 114 professionals involved across programming, , and design. Development spanned from early 2013 to mid-, aligning with the game's announcement in April and Japanese release in August , enabling cross-platform support for and through optimized asset sharing and portable-specific adjustments. The project utilized the E-mote engine from M2 Co., Ltd. for dynamic character animations, particularly to render psychic ability effects during combat and cutscenes, supplemented by custom scripting for tactical mechanics. The game's art direction employed 3D models for characters and environments, featuring anime-style designs by artists like Makoto Tsuchibayashi and , with animations handled by external studios LineFarm and Acht Acht Animation to achieve expressive facial and elements. As a lower-budget title, production incorporated simplified animations and occasional asset reuse in tower floors and battles to manage resources, which was mitigated via intensive testing phases focused on balancing the traitor system and combat flow for both platforms.

Voice Acting and Music

The Japanese voice cast for Lost Dimension features notable talents such as Yûsuke Yamamoto as the Sho Kasugai and as the healer Mana Kawai, alongside performers including Honoka Miki as Yoko Tachibana and as the antagonist . These recordings were conducted in professional studios in to capture the emotional depth required for the game's narrative of betrayal and . The English dub was produced by Atlus USA for the game's 2015 Western release on and , directed by and featuring voice actors like as Sho Kasugai, as Mana Kawai, and as The End. This dub was created specifically for the localized version, which exclusively uses English audio without the option for Japanese tracks. The , composed primarily by Yoshiyuki Ueda and Tomomi Ohashi with contributions from Daisuke Asakura on the main theme and ending theme, integrates electronic and orchestral elements to underscore the tension of psychic battles and interpersonal suspicion. Tracks such as the pulsating main theme and the ominous "Betrayer" motif, which accompanies traitor identification sequences, effectively amplify the game's themes of and urgency.

Release

Regional Releases and Platforms

Lost Dimension was initially released in Japan on August 7, 2014, for the and , published by Corporation. The game launched in on July 28, 2015, and in on August 28, 2015, for the same platforms, published by Atlus USA in and NIS America in , available in both physical and digital formats. The digital versions for and were delisted from the in March 2021. A port for Windows via followed on October 30, 2017, published by Ghostlight, including Steam achievements and controller support. As of November 2025, no additional ports, remakes, or re-releases have been announced or released for the title, though minor post-launch patches, including version 1.02 for the Japanese PS Vita edition, were issued.

Localization and Marketing

Atlus USA handled the localization of Lost Dimension for North American audiences, adapting the Japanese tactical RPG developed by Lancarse into English while maintaining its core gameplay mechanics, including the deduction-based traitor identification system central to the . The translation efforts focused on careful editing to ensure narrative coherence, with reviewers noting that the work brought life to the characters and story without major inconsistencies. The English voice acting, featuring talents like as Nagi Shishiouka and as Toya Orbert, sparked debates among players regarding its quality. Some praised the performances for suiting the characters and delivering emotional depth in key scenes, while others criticized inconsistencies, such as perceived boredom in Himeno's delivery or artificial tones in Mana's lines. Since the Western release omitted Japanese audio tracks, many fans expressed a preference for over the dub, allowing them to envision the original voice performances and focus on the translated text. Marketing for Lost Dimension centered on its unique blend of tactical combat and betrayal-themed storytelling, prominently featuring the tagline "A Cataclysmic Whodunnit!" to highlight the traitor-hunting premise. promoted the title through character introduction trailers, such as those showcasing team members like Sho, Yoko, and Toya, released in the lead-up to launch. A key promotional push occurred at , where an official trailer emphasized abilities, team synergy, and the apocalyptic setting to appeal to strategy RPG enthusiasts. Additionally, a playable demo was available prior to release, allowing players to experience early floors of the tower and core mechanics. Atlus employed a niche tailored to JRPG fans, leveraging their reputation for publishing cult-favorite titles to build anticipation through digital announcements and incentives rather than broad . While no dedicated limited edition was produced, from development was shared via official channels to engage the community.

Reception

Critical Reviews

Lost Dimension received generally positive reviews from critics, earning aggregate scores of 72/100 on Metacritic for the PlayStation Vita version based on 29 reviews and 71/100 for the PlayStation 3 version based on 18 reviews. Reviewers frequently praised the game's innovative traitor identification system, which introduces tension and replayability by requiring players to detect and eliminate betrayers among their squad through investigation and voting mechanics. However, common criticisms centered on the story's pacing and repetitive dungeon-crawling elements, which some felt undermined the overall experience despite strong tactical combat. IGN awarded the game a 7/10 in September 2015, commending the depth of its turn-based combat system, which features strategic team positioning, special abilities, and assist mechanics that encourage thoughtful squad management. The review highlighted how these elements create engaging battles but noted weaknesses in story pacing, describing the narrative as lacking compulsion and failing to maintain momentum amid lengthy dialogue sequences. Similarly, gave it a 7/10, appreciating the traitor system's integration with , where building relationships affects team dynamics and combat effectiveness, though it critiqued uneven pacing and technical issues like framerate stutters. Destructoid rated Lost Dimension an 8/10, lauding the traitor mechanic's originality in adding suspense and variability to each playthrough, which elevates the tactical RPG formula beyond standard exploration. The outlet emphasized its memorable blend of social deduction and strategy but pointed out criticisms regarding repetitive floor designs in the tower structure, which can make progression feel formulaic despite the core innovations. The PC port on garnered a "Mostly Positive" user reception, with approximately 76% of 238 reviews positive as of recent data, often highlighting improvements in controls and interface that enhanced accessibility compared to the console versions.

Commercial Performance

Lost Dimension achieved modest commercial performance upon release, reflecting its niche appeal within the JRPG genre. In , the version sold 3,868 physical units during its first week of availability from August 4 to 10, 2014, securing 19th place on the Media Create sales chart. The version failed to enter the top 20, indicating limited initial uptake for that platform. Western sales were similarly restrained, with the game distributing primarily through digital channels on the following its July 2015 launch in and . It did not register on major sales charts but maintained consistent performance in the JRPG category, bolstered by positive that sustained buyer interest among dedicated fans. The 2017 Steam port further improved accessibility for PC players, contributing to ongoing but low-volume digital sales, as evidenced by the game's all-time peak of 82 concurrent users on the platform. Atlus employed a targeted release aimed at core JRPG enthusiasts rather than broad market appeal, resulting in overall modest commercial success. No official lifetime sales figures have been disclosed by the publisher as of 2025, though VGChartz estimates approximately 0.10 million units for the version and 0.08 million for the version, excluding PC sales.

Legacy and Remakes

Lost Dimension has cultivated a dedicated within JRPG circles, particularly for its innovative traitor-detection mechanic that encourages replayability through multiple routes and endings, even as players acknowledge its technical shortcomings on original hardware. highlight the game's enduring appeal as an underrated tactical RPG hybrid, blending social deduction with turn-based strategy in a post-apocalyptic setting. A January 2025 retrospective by Noisy Pixel highlighted its legacy as a suspenseful JRPG that paved the way for hybrid genres. As of 2025, the title has seen no official remakes, sequels, or ports beyond its 2017 release, which broadened accessibility on PC while preserving the core experience. Fan-driven preservation efforts remain active, with community-created mods for the version, such as undub patches restoring original Japanese voice acting and custom DLC integrations. Emulation support via tools like Vita3K has further sustained playability, rendering the game largely functional despite persistent graphical glitches, fostering ongoing interest among retro gaming enthusiasts.

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