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Phantom Brave is an NIS America strategy game series that can feel a little out of place when compared to other titles from the company. It doesn’t involve demonic overlords trying to prove themselves or conquer Netherworlds. We aren’t dealing with antiheroes like Soul Nomad’s Gig or Makai Kingdom’s Zetta. Marona’s always been an earnest young woman who wants the best for people, even though she’s initially demonized and misunderstood due her gifts, and both entries are bright and colorful with optimistic outlooks. Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero continues the series’ strong strategy game tradition while also telling a story where the heroine isn’t a pariah, but the new entry is also incredibly predictable.

Following the end of Phantom Brave, Marona is now no longer feared for her Chartreuse Gale ability that allows her to see Phantoms and summon them to assist her or interact with the real world. Thanks to her and Ash saving Ivoire from Sulphur, she’s now universally beloved, respected worldwide, and taking trips to assist people around the world. However, on one of these voyages the duo ends up encountering the Shipwreck Fleet. Its masked leader steals some of Marona’s powers, but she’s able to get away due to Ash stepping in and using his powers to send her to safety.

Marona washes up on an island where Apricot, a Phantom of the daughter of the Argento Pirates captain, resides after her death. She’s been there hoping her father, who left three years ago to face the Shipwreck Fleet, would return. The two of them and one of the remaining living of that crew team up to revive the Argento Pirates, build up enough territory to gain allies to confront the Shipwreck Fleet, find their missing loved ones, and save the day again. 

At this point, I’m pretty sure you have some idea of where the story is going in Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero. Especially if you’ve seen the images of major masked antagonists in the official trailers. Everything is very much telegraphed here. I didn’t encounter any “twists” that surprised me. This isn’t to say the story isn’t pleasant enough! I loved seeing Marona universally loved and appreciated for who she is and everything she does for others after how depressing it was to watch folks bully, harass, and villainize her in the original game. It is just all very cookie cutter in such a way that I didn’t find it all that interesting. 

While the narrative is “okay,” the gameplay in Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is exactly as addictive as you’d expect from one of NIS America’s “numbers go up” strategy games. While there are some named, unique characters like Marona, Apricot, and Rouen, the bulk of your forces will be the Phantoms you have Marona “summon” via the character creator. The bulk of these roll out gradually as new chapters unlock, and I loved how you’re encouraged to make ones you might not have due to needing at least one of a certain class to unlock certain Facilities. Said Facilities allow you to do things like merge weapons to increase their experience, venture into dungeons to bulk up equipment, take on optional requests, go on salvage missions to get more items and equipment while you’re going through the campaign, acquire abilities for characters by equipping weapons, buy items, get buffs from ships and crews, and dole out stored EXP to new or unused units via the Juice Bar. Yes, it’s a lot. (This is a NIS game, after all!) But it’s all added in increments and makes sense.

Actual gameplay in Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is pretty much identical to the original game, so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into in the new one. You start with Marona on the field. She can Confine her Phantom allies to items or pieces of equipment in the field to summon units to fight alongside her. If said character’s Steal stat is high enough, that may even result in it being taken with you at the end of the stage as a reward. Each Phantom can remain active for a certain number of turns, though Marona does have a default skill that can extend that by one. (Another one of her two skills allows one Phantom ally to immediately act after she uses it and her turn ends.) There is free movement within a certain area defined by the move stat, with no grids, and the jump stat determines how high you can jump up ledges and platforms. 

One of the unique gameplay elements in the series is that Items in the field can also have properties that can act as buffs and debuffs. Lines may connect these to other items or characters, which means allies or enemies could gain additional traits. So it might mean destroying objects or tossing them out of bounds to get rid of healing or even invincible effects could force different strategies. 

There are also some elements that those familiar with strategy games may be encountering for the first time. One is the notion of gadgets. These can appear in stages, or you can use a Facility to make sure one is available for Apricot to summon on one of her turns with Confire. These could involve things like a cannon with an AOE effect that can also decimate certain blocks, a catapult that can help you propel units to certain spots, or a fan that could blow or pull allies, enemies, or objects to set positions. Those are quite handy, and I felt stages when they appeared tended to make good use of them. It’s also a highlight if there happens to be a stage with gadgets in a island with a biome that includes interesting use of space or perhaps slippery terrain effects.

The other new element is the Confriend system. It’s basically a way of making Marona completely over-powered. What happens is as you summon Phantoms on the map, her bond with them will increase. Also, as you fight, a gauge will fill for her. When conditions are right and maxed out, you can choose the Confriend option to Confine a character to Marona. This buffs her stats and adds extra abilities to make it easier to tear through things. I honestly felt it was a bit too overpowered at times, and as such only used it a handful of times on some of the more difficult bosses and situations. It’s an interesting concept and fits the tone of the game!

Of course, I might also only think that because Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a game where it is so incredibly easy to unintentionally over-level. I had so much fun building up characters to learn new skills. Because I needed to make Phantoms for certain Facilities, I used units I wouldn’t normally. The ability to fulfill requests and Salvage functions meant I’d grind just to potentially get a great piece of equipment, needed request item, or extra cash. Not to mention I’d sometimes replay a new map a few times with my almost-all-thief crew to plunder items and equipment that might come in handy. I spent way, way too much time just building folks up, and I loved every minute.

That said, performance was usually fine. I did notice a few things when playing Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero on the Switch, though. Early battles were fine, and I had no trouble with performance in the hub in early chapters. Once the island or battlefields started to fill up, then it seemed like there'd be a bit of a dip in performance. This might come after some character movement or attack animation in the field, or when loading up Skullrock after coming back to check in after a battle was done.

The funny thing is that while Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is absolutely a joy to play when you’re going through battles or building up characters and equipment via Facilities, I also do think it sometimes doesn’t feel like all of the quality of life features you’d expect are here. By the time I finished the first two chapters, I was looking for a means to turn off the extended attack and action animations in the options. There was none. When it comes to executing attacks, there’s no option to pick an attack, select an enemy, and perhaps have some sort of auto-positioning mechanism help you narrow the gap. Instead, you have to choose the attack, then hold a button while moving the character to try and get the opponent into the correct range. I also did note that there were some maps and moments when it seemed like it chugged along a bit on the Switch when there were too many Phantoms, enemies, items, and effects in play on the field. However, that last one could just be a consequence of playing it on that system in handheld mode. 

I genuinely enjoyed my time with Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero, and I am so glad NIS made a game in which Marona gets to be universally beloved after her initial adventure. The strategic elements are a lot of fun, and I feel like elements such as gadgets and Facilities are quite well utilized. It would have been nice to include some additional quality of life features found in past NIS games and there are no surprises in the story, but it all makes for a good time.

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero will come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5 on January 30, 2025, and it will eventually show up on the PC via Steam in 2025. 

The post Review: Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero Is Predictable, but Fun appeared first on Siliconera.

Nippon Ichi Software announced that the Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero sequel will add Castile and Walnut as DLC characters. The two are returning from the original game. The company also revealed that other characters from a variety of Nippon Ichi Software titles will be ing the game as DLC. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

More details about Castile and Walnut as DLC characters in the Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero sequel will appear in the future, as well as more information on other DLC characters for the game. Castile is a14-year-old girl and Phantom Brave protagonist Marona's best friend. In Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero, Castile seems to have recovered from her illness and is no longer wheelchair bound.

You can check out Castile and Walnut in Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero here:

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a brand-new sequel to the original PlayStation 2 title released in 2004. The sequel was revealed during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct. NIS America recently announced that the original Phantom Brave game will receive a remastered version for the PlayStation 5 due out on November 7, 2024. A limited edition for Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero was also revealed during TGS 2024.

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero will come out on January 30, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

The post Phantom Brave Sequel Includes Playable Castile and Walnut DLC appeared first on Siliconera.

NIS America announced the release date for both Phantom Brave Remastered on the PS5 and the Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero sequel for all platforms. The PS5 version of the original strategy game will arrive first, as it shows up on the system on November 7, 2024. Meanwhile, the sequel will be on the PS4, PS5, and Switch on January 30, 2025, with the PC version following in Spring 2025.

In the case of Phantom Brave Remastered for the PS5, this is the original game. It features Marona and Ash as they deal with her ability to connect with Phantoms and use them to handle various situations. The announcement trailer reintroduces the game and gives people a chance to see the younger version of Marona. 

As for Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero, the sequel TGS 2024 release date announcement also included a limited edition release and new trailer. NIS America is directly selling the $99.99 bundle for the PS4, PS5, and Switch. It includes a copy of the game, a hardcover art book, art cards, a two CD soundtrack, an acrylic diorama, and a coaster. As for the video, it goes over the story, characters, and gameplay again.

The Phantom Brave Remastered PS5 release date is November 7, 2024, while the Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero sequel will come to the PS4, PS5, and Switch on January 30, 2025. There’s no PC release date for the second game beyond Spring 2025 just yet. The original Phantom Brave can also be found on the PS2, PSP, Switch, Wii, and PC. 

The post Phantom Brave Remastered PS5 and Sequel Release Dates Set appeared first on Siliconera.

I often skip strategic-RPGs, as I find they rarely grasp my attention for longer than a couple of hours. This usually includes even NIS America’s renowned Disgaea series. My issue with these games largely comes from how often grid-based combat bores me, but such wasn’t the case during my recent opportunity to test Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero at Anime Expo 2024.

The reason for my early appreciation for the Phantom Brave sequel stems from the fact it eschews the usual tactical RPG grids for a more free-form battle system. This allows for plenty of freedom in how to approach each fight. I felt like I could tackle combat during my demo in whatever way I wanted, with whatever units I’d like.

The star of Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is Marona, a girl with a collection of Phantom friends. She summons these allies to help her out in combat, as they otherwise might not be so visible. Players can pick where to summon Phantoms, and I was able to bring out as many as possible on the field during my session. There is just one caveat. This can only be done so long as they have an item, such as a tree or bush, to inhabit.

Even in the singular battle I completed during my short demo of this RPG, there were so many gimmicks to appreciate. For instance, Marona herself can fuse together with her Phantoms. This gives her a unique transformation, depending on the pal, and makes her even more powerful. While transformed, each kill she gets on an enemy grants her an extra attack phase during the same turn. This allowed me to chain up kills one after another for four kills on the same turn, which wiped out a significant number of the enemy forces.

After that, I was able to take control of a different Phantom. This character had the power to control gadgets. This included a barrel mech she could pilot. It added so much depth to how to tackle each fight. How I approached the battle might be completely different than how someone else dealt with it.

This idea also shows up in its heavy emphasis on a risk and reward system. Going back to Marona’s transformation ability, there is a catch that keeps it in check. The Phantom you fuse with leaves the field after the transformation concludes. From what I gather, this transformation only lasts for a few turns. After that, the Phantom retires from that particular fight. So, it left me with the challenging decision to know when to fuse at the right moment so as to not make the battle tougher in the long run. I appreciated the sheer amount of depth I saw in this rather early fight.

While I never played the original Phantom Brave, The Lost Lord grabbed my attention more than most NIS America strategy RPGs from my initial preview. I like the lack of grids on the battlefield, which provides a more open movement system. Everything feels much smoother and swifter than similar games. Unfortunately, this preview didn’t show off the story. That said, these cutesy and colorful characters might be worth a look when this comes out in 2025. Especially with how fun the lengthy battles seem to be.

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero will release for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC in 2025.

The post Preview: Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero Provides Immense Freedom appeared first on Siliconera.

There’s a new Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero trailer, and it features looks at a slightly older Marona, Ash, and new Phantom Apricot. The video also introduces the set-up for the sequel and explains what we’ll be dealing with as we go through the game.

The video begins by showing the slightly older Marona, who’s grown up a bit since the first Phantom Brave, as she and Ash are on a ship journeying in The Lost Hero. After a Ghost Fleet led by a masked pirate attacks, she’s separated from him. It’s then that she meets the Phantom Apricot, who also has a pirate theme due to being the daughter of a legendary one. As both are looking for someone, with Marona searching for Ash and Apricot trying to find her father, the two build up a crew and prepare to set sail to fight the phantom pirates. 

At the 1:50 mark, the trailer gets into gameplay. It goes over elements like the Confine system, which lets Marona turn Phantoms into physical fighters by binding them to real-world items. This also lets us see new character types, like the Sea Angel, as well as returning ones such as the Archer, Fighter, Healer, and Wizard. The new Confining method also shows how Marona can transform by Confining one of her Phantoms to herself. 

Here’s the new Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero trailer. It ends with a peek at an antagonist that looks like Ash named Grey.

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero will come to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam in 2025.

The post See Older Marona in Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero Trailer appeared first on Siliconera.

NIS America announced during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct that a Phantom Brave sequel is on the way, and the game is called Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero. It will arrive in 2025. 

The initial trailer showed off gameplay for the title. Marona is on the search for Ash, who disappeared. A Masked Man threatens to take her powers. Ash defends her, but puts himself in danger in the process. She then must go on a journey to save him. The rest of the video focuses on how the strategic gameplay will work in the Phantom Brave sequel. In addition to being able to Confine Phantoms to objects to summon them as warriors, she’ll be able to use the Confriend ability for greater attacks.

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero will come to the Nintendo Switch in 2025.

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