Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a tactical JRPG and the long-awaited sequel to the fan-favorite Phantom Brave, arriving more than 20 years after the original game’s release. RPGFan recently attended a live demonstration of the new title by NIS America, which primarily focused on gameplay and mechanics, leaving us excited for this second entry.
In The Lost Hero, you once again play Marona, a teenage girl who can see and interact with phantoms, which are also the source of her other spiritual capabilities. This time around, she sets sail across the sea with her spectral companion, Ash. On the way, they are attacked by ghost ships, forcing Ash to stay behind, and soon Marona is stranded on an island. Here, she meets a new phantasmal friend named Apricot, and the adventure begins anew.
Straight away, we notice the return of the bright and colorful graphics of the original, except this ghost has been revivified, its cel-shaded imagery looking glorious and sharp on modern technology. The island environment is lush and welcoming, making us think of Ys VIII’s setting, if it ramped the chibi up to eleven. We don’t have much time to revel in the scenery though, as Scenario Writer Kento Jobana is on hand to take us through all The Lost Hero has to offer. Jobana has a long history with NIS, most notably working on the scenario for Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless.
The similarities between that title and The Lost Hero are immediately apparent, featuring a similar level of complexity in its systems. At the same time, the game seeks to form its own identity, building on the elements that made the first title special.
The team at NIS describe The Lost Hero as a “play it your way RPG.” They achieve this through the sheer volume of options available, as broad and deep as the ocean that surrounds Marona. Firstly, they acknowledge that this is an inherently difficult game, so to appeal to all skill levels, there is an adjustable difficulty level, catering as much to those who simply want to experience the story as to people who desire a real challenge.
In an interesting divergence from many other tactical RPGs, The Lost Hero, like its predecessor, is not presented in a grid-like format when it comes to movement and attacks. Instead, you move your characters anywhere in the environment within a range circle, opening up a realm of possibilities. The freedom to maneuver wherever you want reminds us of tabletop games such as Warhammer, which is never a bad thing. Jobana explains how this pairs with the central gameplay conceits throughout the game.
Marona can “Confine” the phantoms she summons to objects around the field; from rocks to trees, you name it, she can stick a specter inside. Each object confers different stat adjustments, so you need to be careful with your choices. Characters also have a set number of turns before leaving the battle, so you must carefully choose when to use the Confine ability.
On top of this, the “Confire” ability lets Marona confine characters to weaponry, expanding their battle capabilities. We saw Marona confine a phantom into a cannon, which provides a satisfying increase in attack range, which should be a blast to use.
Additionally, Marona can “Confriend” with her teammates, combining the two of them together, changing Marona’s form and unlocking powerful skills, reminding us of the “Armitization” ability from Tales of Zestiria.
Jobana covered the different types of phantom units that Marona can summon. Many familiar units will be on show, but the emphasis during the demo was on the new units available. The selection is fun and quirky, ranging from the straightforward Sniper class, which does significant long-range damage, to more eccentric choices, such as the Chef and the Musician, the latter of whom is a perfect depiction of the tortured artiste. We especially liked the Angler, who helps guard against the danger of being knocked off the edge of the map (causing massive damage) by utilizing the ability to reel characters back in again with their rod.
A great amount of flexibility is built into the unit summoning process. You can change the elemental affinities (flame, wind, and ice) and resistances of characters in a pleasingly numerical way, balancing traits against each other. This system lets you create well-balanced units or overpower them in one area at the expense of greater vulnerability in another.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero features a seemingly simple social mechanic, where returning to the island hub area allows you to chat with your units or offer them gifts, raising their affinity with you. We look forward to experiencing the conversations this may lead to, and hope this helps us to grow more attached to those units we take into battle.
Some characters give you access to specific areas with unique features; for instance, using the Chef gets you the Juice Bar. This feature carried over from Disgaea lets you save some experience gained in battle for other characters who did not participate, giving you more control over leveling.
We were happy to see the Marina location, which should allow us to live out our piratical fantasies. You start by choosing your ship and “pirate style,” which affects how many crew members you can take with you and influences the various stats available. There is no shortage of things to keep you occupied in this game, including randomized dungeons, which sounded intriguing but were not extensively covered during our time with The Lost Hero.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero Q&A
We then joined a Q&A session with Kento Jobana, which proved to be revealing. Firstly, we asked how involved he had been with the composition of the music and how closely he had worked with composer Tenpei Sato. Jobana advised that they had indeed joined forces in this area, where they talked about the nature of Phantom Brave and the narrative choices Jobana had considered, after which Sato was left to create the pieces on his own. It’s comforting to know that the scenario writer had this close involvement with the score, as a game’s soundtrack can make or break narrative moments.
We also asked how approachable the title was for beginners, and Jobana confirmed that even returning players were likely to have foggy memories of the first game’s plot, so they designed this one to require no knowledge of that title. When asked how they adapted the narrative for modern audiences, he replied that the original title featured a somewhat dark storyline in its opening hours that had put some players off, so with The Lost Hero, they sought to obtain a better balance of lighter and darker elements throughout.
In discussing The Lost Hero’s replayability, Jobana emphasized that it’s highly replayable, which isn’t surprising given the variety it offers. He also estimated the main story would take about 30 hours to complete, with over 80 hours of post-game content. RPGFan’s review of the original Phantom Brave raised concerns about it taking too long to truly get started, so we’ll see if this sequel addresses that issue.
While understandably coy about revealing too much, Jobana confirmed that there are at least 11 islands to explore in the game, each with varying biomes, including one inhabited solely by phantoms. The battles in these areas should remain engaging, as he mentioned there are around 50 enemy types in total, not counting boss encounters.
We asked how Jobana’s experiences with Disgaea might differ from his time on Phantom Brave. The main thing he highlighted was the greater requirement for gags and jokes in Disgaea, whereas Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero required a more delicate touch. He especially pointed out the lack of dirty jokes in this title, which we can live without, but will miss!
Finally, we asked if the game’s extensive options make it challenging to balance. Jobana emphasized that this level of choice is central to the experience, allowing players the freedom to approach the game however they choose. And so, our time came to an end. We left the prevent event with the impression that this game will truly let you play it your way—almost to an overwhelming degree. However, the charming presentation and the creators’ evident passion for the series reassure us that Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero has the potential to be something special when it launches.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero launches January 30th, 2025 for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 & 5. It will also make its way to Steam in spring 2025.
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