Phantom Brave is a SRPG from the good people at Nippon Icchi. It came out sometime after Disgaea, and wasn't really advertised like its predecessor was. Hell, I didn't even really know about it until I saw it at my Gamestop. Since I liked Disgaea so much, and I liked the genre, I decided to pick it up. So, what did I think of it? Read further to see.



Game: Phantom Brave
Developer: NIS
Publisher: NISA
Genre: Turn-Based Strategy RPG
Year:2004

You play as Marona; a 13 year old girl who can see phantoms. She is watched over by Ash, a phantom and friend of her parents who died when she was young. The story itself is pretty serious, and deals heavily with discrimination. See, Marona has an ability called Chartreuse Gale (which allows her to see and summon phantoms). Because she has this ability, many fear and hate her for this. Instead of dwelling on this, she strives to help others by working as a Chroma (a sort of bounty hunter). Eventually, she is able to make friends and change peoples' perception of her. I really loved the story, and found it one of the best aspects of the game. I found many of the characters to be well developed, and some are really memorable. The only issue is that it does tend to be overly dramatic at times (but not enough to make it a big issue).


Castille is one of Marona's first friends.

The game itself is similar to many Turn-Based Strategy RPGs, but does has some distinct differences. First is that it is a grid-less board, and character movement is restricted by their dm (decimeters) rating. Terrain also has has traction(like sliding to increase your movement distance), which is important to utilize because of the game's other unique aspect. Phantoms are summoned by "confining" them to objects on the battlefield and they only have a set amount of turns that they remain in battle. Once that number is up, they can't be summoned for the remainder of battle. This makes it really important to plan out your moves ahead of time. You can also pick up enemies and throw them out of bounds, but at the cost of leveling the enemies up. Your units level up like in any other RPG, by killing enemies and objects (like rocks). Environmental objects can also be used as makeshift weapons in case of emergency. It really emphasizes the strategy element of the genre, and still remains fun.

Another important point to make is how you will make your team stronger. While leveling your character up is important (max is lvl 9999), it doesn't really have as much of an effect as their title or weapon. Titles give stat bonuses to your character (the amount is dependent on the title's level, which increased by going through its random dungeon). Weapons also heavily affect their stats, as a strong weapon can make even a level one phantom as strong as a level 100 one. It is important to keep this in mind, especially later on in te game.


Weapons are really important. You should always get the newest one in stock.

Outside of battle, you'll wander around the small island that Marona calls home. It is here that you will create phantoms, shop, and access the random dungeon feature. The phantoms are important because they serve functions outside of battle. For example, a dungeon monk allows you to delve into a random dungeon (the difficulty depends on the title you use). You can also store and summon phantoms on the island, in case you must use another phantom's feature and the island is too crowded.

The game's graphics are great (for sprites, that is). Each unit's sprite is clear, and well animated. The sprites for the cut scenes are very well detailed, and move really well. As with many other NIS games, the special attacks are over the top, and look really cool. The art is, as you'd expect from Harada, really good. Each background looks nice, and has plenty of detail. And all the characters look unique enough. It's just another great aspect of the game.


Marona can be a really strong fighter, but if she gets KO'd, it's game over.

The audio is freaking fantastic. The voice acting is well delivered, and ranges from good to great. Not once did I hear a really bad line or voice that didn't fit. The soundtrack is also really good. You won't hear any rock or techno in this game. Most of the tracks are calm, and relaxing (R&R Junkie is a good example). There is plenty of variety of tracks in this game, so you won't get bored with the music.

There is also a whole lot of replayability in this game. After you beat the game, you are able to continue off from the ending. There are plenty of extra stages to play through (some even explain the back story of a certain Brave), characters to unlock, and the random dungeon can also hold your interest. The fact that the max level is 9999 may hold the interest of those who are determined to max out their characters.

Phantom Brave is a fantastic SRPG from the folks at NIS. There are so many things it does right, and only a few flaws. If you are a SRPG fan, I suggest you buy this game (Even if you are not, at least look into it). It has enough great content to occupy your time, and is worth definitely the money.

My Score:
9/10

On a side note: I'll definitely get the wii port and be sure to tell you if it is worth getting.