Sometimes, there’s nothing better than a decent strategy RPG. Whether it’s Disgaea or Final Fantasy: Tactics, there are plenty of options out there for those who like a bit more strategy with their roleplaying. Now, over a decade and a half since the original release, NIS has finally dropped a sequel to one of their cult-classic PS2 SRPGs. In our Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero review, we’ll try to figure out if the wait has been worth it in the end.
If you like this article then you should consider checking out our preview of Aloft, a new survival crafting game set amongst floating islands and caves. If not, we've also taken an early look at Hyper Light Breaker, the sequel to the much-loved indie title Hyper Light Drifter.
What is Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero?

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a direct sequel to Phantom Brave, a PS2-era SRPG with the distinct feature of not using a grid system for movement. As well as that particular feature, another interesting facet of the game was that the main character, Marona, was the only living character you controlled, while everyone else was phantoms (ghosts) who had to be summoned inside of objects on the battlefield to have physical form.
This gave the original game something of a unique feel, which is great because honestly after a while playing SRPGs could start to feel a bit samey. Not only do you have completely free movement, encouraging you to explore battlefields to set up your attacks, but you also have a variety of different strategies available to you depending on which of your ghost pals you decide to summon and when. Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero bares many of the same unique features that its predecessor had.
A New Land, A New Enemy?

Gameplay is much the same as the original Phantom Brave. Each level is a new battlefield covered in enemies and items, and you spawn with only Marona on your side of the field. You then have to use her to ‘confine’ phantoms into items on the battlefield, both to provide a good offense, but also a good defense, as if Marona is killed you lose the fight immediately. Each phantom has different skills based on their class and weapon, and they each have different response times and ‘return’ counters that define how long they’re on the field.
You can use Marona to manipulate both how long a character is around for, as well as when they’ll get to move, as her two primary abilities will either bring a character higher up in the turn order, or increase their ‘return’ counter by 1. Using these abilities at the right time is integral to victory as well. Certain enemies can move several times before your characters have a chance to respond, so knowing which of your characters to confine onto the field and who needs to go first to secure a good position for the rest of the team can make or break any battle you go into.
New Features Abound

That’s not to give the impression that Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a flimsy clone of its predecessor; far from it. There are several new features that are even recognizable to a casual fan of the original. Firstly, you now have access to a bunch of gadgets on the field, from cannons, to catapults, and even giant fans. As an action, a character may elect to use one of these gadgets to effect something in the field, which can turn the tide if used correctly.
The gadgets are another great inclusion, especially once you’ve unlocked the character that can drop their own gadgets. These things are especially powerful and once or twice had me winning fights I definitely should have lost. The other new key feature is the ability to fuse Marona with any of the phantoms you have, as long as she’s developed a close enough friendship with them by summoning them in battle, and talking to them back on your home island. Again, these fusions often act as trump cards, turning Marona into a formidable fighting force that can often cause mass destruction and huge damage to powerful enemies.
Characters and Story

While there’s plenty to enjoy about the gameplay, a large part of what makes Phantom Brave interesting is the setting, characters, and story. Once again, you’re in an oceanic world mostly filled with tiny islands, though this time, you’re adding them to your territory as a pirate crew, rather than simply trying to make them all like ghosts now. You start out in a very vulnerable position too, with Marona’s long-time best friend Ash going missing. Meeting up with a new set of phantoms, you have to journey around, increasing your influence so you can attempt to find and rescue your missing best friend.
The characters each have their own story arcs, and while the dialogue came across as a little cliche at times, it ended up being a worthwhile experience. Early on, the characters occasionally come across as either 1-dimensional, or just a bit trope-y, but as you continue journeying with them you learn more about them and their motivations. While I won't go so far as to say that the characters and plotline completely avoid straying into heavily played-out narrative threads or moments, even when it does happen, it’s mostly handled in a tongue-in-cheek way, something that fans of NIS SRPGs will probably be familiar with.
Graphics, Sound, and A Full Voice Cast

When it comes to the sound and visuals, Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a departure from the first game. Long gone are the pixel-art characters and battlegrounds, with all of the characters and worlds rendered in full 3D, though typically in a very stylized ‘chibi’ style. While it will probably be lamented by some, I have to admit that these graphics worked incredibly well and fit the bright, colorful world the game takes place in. The different character archetypes are easy to differentiate, and considering how many types there are, that’s pretty good going from the character designers.
On the sound side, a huge upgrade is the inclusion of a full voice cast. While certain re-release versions of the original have been upgraded with a localized voice cast, the original release did not. This time around, a full cast is included from the get-go, and they mostly do a really good job of voicing their characters. A couple of the minor characters are a bit grating, but considering how many there are, it would be weird any other way. When you combine it with the excellent soundtrack, auto-play feature, and top-class art of all the characters, you can basically enjoy the storyline between gameplay moments like a pretty well-made anime.
Difficulty, Problems, & That End-Game

At this point, you should have a pretty good idea of whether you’re going to enjoy Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero or not. If you’re a fan of the original or just want a strategy RPG with good freedom of movement, then you’ll enjoy this. If you’re still unsure, or just don’t play the genre much, you might be interested to know that there is a difficulty selector, and the easier difficulty settings are perfect for anyone who isn’t already a veteran of strategy games, or SRPGs specifically. For the hardcore fans, you’ll also be happy to learn that there is a cameo-filled end-game that is chocked full of extra challenges and bonus story content to enjoy.
The only downside on that front is the occasional bug. Once or twice my characters would become entirely stuck inside a rock or leaf, requiring them to be dismissed from the field for the rest of the battle. However, the bigger issue was the semi-consistent crashing. While the game does autosave very diligently, on the Nintendo Switch version I experienced fatal crashes no less than 5 times throughout the game. Always in a menu on the home island, but still a point to look out for. I also did find myself getting caught out by the bonus effects that some items would bestow on enemies, but that very much feels like a ‘me’ problem. I don’t want to say how many hours I spent figuring out that items that can make enemies invincible can also themselves gain effects such as “no lifting” from items. Felt like an idiot afterward.
The Verdict

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a fantastic game. Not only is it a great-looking and sounding title, but it’s a polished, high-class SRPG from the masters of the genre over at NIS. All-in-all, it manages to be a game for hardcore, long-time fans of the series/genre, while remaining accessible to everyone thanks to the difficulty settings and generally forgiving mechanics. If you’ve always wanted to find a more gentle SRPG to dip your toes into, this could be the best option out there, and with two fan-favorite characters at the helm, it’s not hard to see why it’s been given the sequel treatment.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero was reviewed on Nintendo Switch with a copy provided by the developer over the course of 30 hours of gameplay - All screenshots were taken during the process of review.
Review Summary
Pros
- Fantastic SRPG gameplay with freedom of movement
- Looks and sounds fantastic
- Great characters and a fun story
- Lots of content to explore, both pre and post-game
Cons
- Does crash occasionally
- Characters can become stuck