Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero Review
Ships Ahoy
A sequel can be a risky venture. For every Scream 2 and The Godfather Part 2, which surpass expectations, we also get served with slop like Jaws 2 or The Rage: Carrie 2. It was a pleasant surprise when NIS America announced a remaster of the first Phantom Brave nearly twenty years after the game’s release on the PlayStation 2, while the actual release was a rather unpleasant surprise. For these reasons, the odds seemed stacked against Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero when it was announced in June 2024. This belated sequel mostly retreads familiar and uninspired story beats. Mechanically, however, it is a slick and lively refresh, bringing the series into an era of modernity that bodes well for the future.
Like the first game, The Lost Hero is set in the oceanic world of Ivoire and follows Marona — a girl able to see Phantoms. Marona works as a Chroma, taking on dangerous requests to solve problems. Six months after the events of the first game, Marona and her Phantom partner Ash are attacked by the ghostly Shipwreck Fleet, during which Marona’s powers are stolen. After washing ashore without Ash, Marona encounters a Phantom girl named Apricot, who is looking for her father, the captain of the Argento Pirate Crew. Marona and Apricot set off to find the Argento Pirate Crew, with Marona hoping to recover Ash in the process.
The sprite graphics have been replaced.
The story takes a while to get into gear, with a lot of false starts and fake outs during the search for Argento. During this time, players get to know Apricot, who suffers in her characterization as a mild-mannered, young pirate ghost. As the pair travel around and solve issues for various islanders, deeper themes are very lightly touched upon. Marona’s new base of Skullrock Island might be sunny and colorful, but its denizens are almost entirely dead. Despite what should be a morose subject matter, the plot is generally lighthearted and thematically scattershot, with no real narrative arc throughout the bulk of the game.
While they are ostensibly in search of people, Marona and her undead child friend’s quest takes them on a handful of jaunts to various islands where they typically end up discovering a problem waiting for them to solve. It feels like a low stakes children’s cartoon, lacking the emotional depth and poignancy present in the first game. Fans of the first game, however, will more or less feel at home with the framing of the story.
Battles are turn-based and take place on a gridless map. Marona is the leader, and each battle opens with Marona as the single friendly unit on the field. Apricot and all the Phantoms have to be summoned through the returning Confine system, where Marona channels the unit’s spirit to manifest through rocks, bushes, trees, and more. Players need to pay attention, however, as the confining item affects the stats of the summoned Phantom. For instance, summoning a phantom through a rock will increase defense, but reduce attack and speed.
Prepare to spend some time in these menus.
While there is no limit to the number of phantoms allowed on the field at any time, there is one caveat: each phantom has a number of turns before they are removed from the item and rendered unusable for the remainder of that battle. An eager player may frontload a fight with their toughest units, only to end up with a field of inanimate pebbles at the end of the battle. The Confine system is certainly novel and adds a touch of planning to the proceedings, but it’s hard to escape a sense of being overwhelmed at times both in and out of combat.
There are just so many systems to juggle in The Lost Hero. There are phantoms to summon from eventually dozens of classes, all of whom will need equipment in order to be viable in combat. Yes, there are some wild weapons again in this game, including motor vehicles and pottery. Each unit can also change their assigned Title, an adjective that confers stat bonuses, buffs, and other perks. While the game gently onboards these systems, the opening chapters are bogged down by these lengthy tutorials. It may take a few levels, or replays of the opening maps, in order to fully acquaint oneself with these mechanics. When they work, though – like throwing enemies out of bounds off a map – they absolutely deliver.
Outside of combat, there are more opportunities for management. Each unit learns skills from their equipped weapon, providing a host of customization options. While on Skullrock Island, Marona can visit various facilities to further develop the team: units can be sent out on missions to collect resources; Marona can level up underserved units through the Juice Bar; and later on, players are even able to indulge themselves as a dungeon master with the Dungeon Creator feature. There is seemingly endless content here for those who want to fully immerse themselves, including randomly generated dungeons and the ability to level units up to 9999. Players less interested can skate past it for the most part, even if that means not engaging with some of the more nuanced mechanics of the game.
Quirky combat returns in this sequel.
The original Phantom Brave featured 2D sprite characters against 3D environments, which was well-drawn and gave the game a classic feel. It has been replaced this time around with chibi 3D models, which are sharply drawn with a charming aesthetic. The Lost Hero certainly looks and feels updated, providing crisper and fresher visuals. Fans lamenting the change from sprite work should still be able to appreciate the visual flair brought to the individual units and characters, including the attractive portrait art that dominates the screen during cutscenes. The serviceable but forgettable soundtrack features plenty of island and pirate-esque themes as well as breezy combat tracks. There is plenty of voice acting, with Marona’s voice actor in particular being well-suited for the role. However, players should expect to hear a lot of the same lines from individual units or resources on the island, which will quickly grate.
Fans of the first Phantom Brave know just what to expect with the sequel, and it delivers on those grounds. Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero brings the best gameplay mechanics from the first title and lightly refreshes them for a new era, with crisp graphical updates and slight improvements that are sure to delight fans of the genre or developer. While the story lacks the narrative depth of its predecessor, Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a sequel that knows what it is good at, and leans into it, delivering a sharper and more refined experience.
Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.
Updated graphics presentation
Fully voiced cutscenes
Extensive, seemingly endless customization…
…Almost overwhelmingly so
Narrative is underwhelming
Forgettable music
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