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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 upcoming 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.
