Random Game I Like #47: Phantom Brave 

Random Game I Like #47: Phantom Brave

Phantom Brave is the second game by my favorite new developer, Nippon Ichi that I have played, the first being the incredible Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. It's hard to talk about Phantom Brave without invoking Disgaea, so I won't even try to avoid it.

Phantom Brave is in some ways better and some ways worse than Disgaea. First, the bad: It's not as funny as Disgaea. One thing that I can say about Disgaea with absolute certainty is that it was a funny game. So far Phantom Brave doesn't have that. What it does have, though is an interesting plot and a revamped battle and character system.

The battle system is great. First it does away with the grid system, a standard in tactical RPGs. Your characters can move anywhere they want on the battlefield. In itself this makes little difference, however it enables a new gimmick in which anything on the battlefield can be wielded. This wielding system assists character development (not in a literary sense) as skills are earned from items. Each character can only have one item at a time, however items move around the battlefield so fluidly and often that all kinds of tactical opportunities arise, such as having your healer toss her staff, grab a bush, and attack with a leaf based move.

The art is great too. I think it might just be me, but I'd rather have sprites any day over rendered objects.

Phantom Brave is great. Try it.