I absolutely love your reviews! You have a way of painting such a vivid picture of what to expect, and I really appreciate how you focus on who might enjoy the game and why, along with pointing out areas that could be improved. This approach feels so much more meaningful than just assigning a numerical rating or following a formula to evaluate graphics, gameplay, etc. It’s refreshing and acknowledges that everyone’s tastes are different, and the enjoyment of a game is ultimately subjective. It’s always a joy to hear what sparked your enthusiasm for a game (or what didn't). This game looks great. I love how colourful it is, including the menus. This was kind of on my periphery and after this review, I'm pretty sure this is one I'm going to enjoy a lot!
I'm a good 60 hours in the demo, doing inefficient but fun grinding. Lilke taking my Cleric and getting her Spell Mastery from F to B, getting my Sailor basic Dood up to B's or As etc. Got my Juice Bar up to 10/90 now, and have a few of the rare fishing stuff done with that at level 4 as well hehehe. But my people are all level 15, merchant lv 18, and my equipment is like 15-20 (I cycle out). So I won't be like in the stratosphere at launch. The music is so good and the battles are a ton of fun; grinding up masteries and teaching skills to people and stuff. I love it.
I've been so excited for this game ever since it popped up on last year's Direct! The original was such a mechanically rich game, and from what I've seen and played of the demo so far, it looks like the sequel holds up to it. Can't wait to play it!
Biggest peeve is this game is substantially less dark/serious than the first game, which was a strong point especially in the Another Marona story, partially due the chibi bobble head models, but still looks nice!
Bro. I played the original back when it came out and I was 14. This game looks great. Can't wait to play. I don't have the energy to be sad about the fact that pixel art isn't everywhere anymore... the art style looks great. And it looks like the same light-hearted yet earnest adventure.
As much as I loved the original game back in 2004, this was one of the last jRPGs I expected to ever get a sequel. Still, I'm REALLY excited to get into this. I plan to play it and Disgaea D2 simultaneously later this year. =)
Never heard of this game before or this channel, haven’t even played Disgaea since the PSP but RUclips recommended this video and damn, this looks like exactly my type of game. Subbed, liked and gonna pick up this game when I can
I played like... 12 hours of the demo just enjoying my time trying out all the different combinations for Confriend that I had access to, leveling weapons a bit, learning skills etc... I loved it so much and I'm so looking forward to the new game, was surprised to see it to be honest. I love the original as well. As much as I do prefer the 2D Sprites visually, the 3D Sprites make this particular game's combat a bit easier to to see and attacks easier to line up. IN particular it made knocking things out of bounds a bit more... obvious? If that makes sense. In regards to the targeting I too have shot my fair share of Daggers, but, just in case anyone doesn't know you don't need to be super fiddley with your single target attacks, you just have to be careful. You can line anyone up in them, and then press left or right on the D-Pad to swap between all targets in the target area. The one the green arrow is pointing at is the one you will hit, and as mentioned in the vid, also in the top left corner. I only have one complaint about the game, well one major complaint and one minor I should say. The Minor complaint was that even on the PS5 Pro the game can sometimes lose some framerate in combat, usually when confining on a large map with a lot of units. I worry about that going forward (And I tried it on the switch... good lord it's a slideshow). The Minor complaint and I know this is a personal thing. I cannot stand Apricot. The voice is like nails on a chalkboard and the personality is even worse, at least in the demo. That overly apologetic, submissive obnoxious child personality is one of my least favorite tropes and NIS seems to loooove using it. I Wish I could just turn her voice off because the rest of the cast so far sounded great. Loved Rueben the most. But, that's a minor qualm, I can always skip the story and not use her in combat. The combat is where the old game shined and where this one shined in the demo as well and I wish it was the 30th already so I could play this all damn night!
I wonder if you can still make failure dungeons to completely break the game like you could in the first game. I remember turning Marona into a one man army pretty much at the beginning of the game.
The moment I heard 'Juice Bar' I thought 'Smoothie Stand' (Zelda EOW, lol), having a War Chest filled with EXP is indeed a luxurious necessity for this complex RPG. I'm sure the gameplay will be clever but I'm not too sure about the story. At first glance, the names 'Marona' and 'Apricot' can be taken positively as 'Marooned' and 'Cott' (sailing terms), or negatively upon a second look as 'Moron' (I can't grasp the mechanics) or 'Pric' (this scene will explain 10:43). Overall, I like what this game has to offer... but that's only because I fall FAR "Out of Bounds" and am returned to the default furthest end of the intended spectrum 😁
Nice review and maybe think of myself as "vintage" instead of "old as dirt" is a better mind set. Anyway, I had the original back in the PS2 days but never got around to it. At the time, I had burned myself out on strategy JRPGs. I have the re-release on the Switch, but it sits in the pile of shame. Maybe I'll give it a go after this review though, and If I like it, I'll think about picking the new one up. I am more in deep, brooding JRPGs, but sometimes I need something lighter to help balance things out.
The illustrations looks great and the backgrounds are charming but I hate 3D chibi lol. I much prefer the 2D sprite chibi. I have the same issue with bravely default (still like the games though) and world of final fantasy and the ds ff3 and 4 remakes etc. Still glad the game turned out well for those into it! Sounds cool indeed
![Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero - Review [Tactical Excellence]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/w34Ux9lQhy0/mqdefault.jpg)
I absolutely love your reviews! You have a way of painting such a vivid picture of what to expect, and I really appreciate how you focus on who might enjoy the game and why, along with pointing out areas that could be improved. This approach feels so much more meaningful than just assigning a numerical rating or following a formula to evaluate graphics, gameplay, etc. It’s refreshing and acknowledges that everyone’s tastes are different, and the enjoyment of a game is ultimately subjective. It’s always a joy to hear what sparked your enthusiasm for a game (or what didn't).
This game looks great. I love how colourful it is, including the menus. This was kind of on my periphery and after this review, I'm pretty sure this is one I'm going to enjoy a lot!
Thanks for that! And yeah, this one is just super fun, I even did battles that weren't just to advance the main story (gasp!) 😂
I'm so glad that Phantom Brave got a sequel, I'm hoping for a part 3, I love the gameplay.
Interesting. I like the 'juice bar' / experience idea, especially for a tactical RPG.
I'm a good 60 hours in the demo, doing inefficient but fun grinding. Lilke taking my Cleric and getting her Spell Mastery from F to B, getting my Sailor basic Dood up to B's or As etc.
Got my Juice Bar up to 10/90 now, and have a few of the rare fishing stuff done with that at level 4 as well hehehe. But my people are all level 15, merchant lv 18, and my equipment is like 15-20 (I cycle out). So I won't be like in the stratosphere at launch.
The music is so good and the battles are a ton of fun; grinding up masteries and teaching skills to people and stuff. I love it.
I've been so excited for this game ever since it popped up on last year's Direct! The original was such a mechanically rich game, and from what I've seen and played of the demo so far, it looks like the sequel holds up to it. Can't wait to play it!
Still kinda torn on this one BUT I love that it's a colourful game...so that does look appealing to me!
Yeah, I'll admit I was really surprised, I enjoyed it a ton!
I only play on PC so I had no idea the console version was coming out a few months earlier! Glad it turned out great
Biggest peeve is this game is substantially less dark/serious than the first game, which was a strong point especially in the Another Marona story, partially due the chibi bobble head models, but still looks nice!
Bro. I played the original back when it came out and I was 14. This game looks great. Can't wait to play.
I don't have the energy to be sad about the fact that pixel art isn't everywhere anymore... the art style looks great. And it looks like the same light-hearted yet earnest adventure.
This brings back memories nearly 20 years since I played phantom brave.
10:50 the story is one of the best selling point of first Phantom Brave for me. Still, alot of stuff in the sequel looks neat though.
As much as I loved the original game back in 2004, this was one of the last jRPGs I expected to ever get a sequel. Still, I'm REALLY excited to get into this. I plan to play it and Disgaea D2 simultaneously later this year. =)
This one’s been on my radar for a little while. I’ve never played a Phantom Brave game before, so this might be my first.
why havent you?
Great review! The first PB was one of the few NIS srpgs I could tolerate but it was very complex. Looking forward to the sequel
I'm a big SRPG fan so this looks really appealing
Never heard of this game before or this channel, haven’t even played Disgaea since the PSP but RUclips recommended this video and damn, this looks like exactly my type of game. Subbed, liked and gonna pick up this game when I can
I played like... 12 hours of the demo just enjoying my time trying out all the different combinations for Confriend that I had access to, leveling weapons a bit, learning skills etc... I loved it so much and I'm so looking forward to the new game, was surprised to see it to be honest. I love the original as well. As much as I do prefer the 2D Sprites visually, the 3D Sprites make this particular game's combat a bit easier to to see and attacks easier to line up. IN particular it made knocking things out of bounds a bit more... obvious? If that makes sense.
In regards to the targeting I too have shot my fair share of Daggers, but, just in case anyone doesn't know you don't need to be super fiddley with your single target attacks, you just have to be careful. You can line anyone up in them, and then press left or right on the D-Pad to swap between all targets in the target area. The one the green arrow is pointing at is the one you will hit, and as mentioned in the vid, also in the top left corner.
I only have one complaint about the game, well one major complaint and one minor I should say. The Minor complaint was that even on the PS5 Pro the game can sometimes lose some framerate in combat, usually when confining on a large map with a lot of units. I worry about that going forward (And I tried it on the switch... good lord it's a slideshow). The Minor complaint and I know this is a personal thing. I cannot stand Apricot. The voice is like nails on a chalkboard and the personality is even worse, at least in the demo. That overly apologetic, submissive obnoxious child personality is one of my least favorite tropes and NIS seems to loooove using it. I Wish I could just turn her voice off because the rest of the cast so far sounded great. Loved Rueben the most.
But, that's a minor qualm, I can always skip the story and not use her in combat. The combat is where the old game shined and where this one shined in the demo as well and I wish it was the 30th already so I could play this all damn night!
Sooo Phantom Brave is XOXO
fun game can't wait to recruit CORNET FROM THE RHAPSODY TRILOGY series and PRIER FROM LA PUCELLE RAGNAROK
original Phantom Braves plot and characters... it's just too sad T - T we cried...
I wonder if you can still make failure dungeons to completely break the game like you could in the first game. I remember turning Marona into a one man army pretty much at the beginning of the game.
The moment I heard 'Juice Bar' I thought 'Smoothie Stand' (Zelda EOW, lol), having a War Chest filled with EXP is indeed a luxurious necessity for this complex RPG. I'm sure the gameplay will be clever but I'm not too sure about the story. At first glance, the names 'Marona' and 'Apricot' can be taken positively as 'Marooned' and 'Cott' (sailing terms), or negatively upon a second look as 'Moron' (I can't grasp the mechanics) or 'Pric' (this scene will explain 10:43). Overall, I like what this game has to offer... but that's only because I fall FAR "Out of Bounds" and am returned to the default furthest end of the intended spectrum 😁
Nice review and maybe think of myself as "vintage" instead of "old as dirt" is a better mind set. Anyway, I had the original back in the PS2 days but never got around to it. At the time, I had burned myself out on strategy JRPGs. I have the re-release on the Switch, but it sits in the pile of shame. Maybe I'll give it a go after this review though, and If I like it, I'll think about picking the new one up. I am more in deep, brooding JRPGs, but sometimes I need something lighter to help balance things out.
stop buying so many games
Mushrooms might have extra magic power. Of course 😂
🙃🤪
The illustrations looks great and the backgrounds are charming but I hate 3D chibi lol. I much prefer the 2D sprite chibi. I have the same issue with bravely default (still like the games though) and world of final fantasy and the ds ff3 and 4 remakes etc. Still glad the game turned out well for those into it! Sounds cool indeed
The final boss is apricot's father isn't it
Is this a remake of the original Phantom Brave? I have that one and I never got into the flow of the combat.
Its a sequel
I don’t get why people kept harping on it before the game was even released
I like the Disgeae-ish artstyle but doesn’t seem like my type of game.
Babe, wake up. Branden posted a new video.