Impressions on “Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero” Preview

Back in 2004, Phantom Brave made its debut on the PS2, and it quickly gained a following. Nintendo enthusiasts might recall its updated Wii version, Phantom Brave: We Meet Again, from 2009, or perhaps its appearance in Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1 on the Switch.

Now, if you’ve had a chance to dive into any of those editions, you’re likely counting down the days until the release of Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero on Switch, slated for January 30th. And even if you’re new to the series, there’s plenty to be excited about—especially if you’re a fan of strategy RPGs or enjoy the unique visual and storytelling style of Disgaea.

Recently, Pure Nintendo got the chance to team up with NIS America and chat with a member of the development team, Kento Jobana, in an online preview and Q&A session. For me, this was my first real exposure to the Phantom Brave universe. Here are my thoughts from that session, conveniently laid out in bullet points for easy reading.

Firstly, don’t worry if this is your first Phantom Brave experience. The Lost Hero stands on its own, despite featuring characters from earlier games. It’s a brand-new adventure waiting for you.
The core story revolves around Marona, a young adventurer navigating the oceanic realm of Ivoire, helping those in need. However, when a ghostly armada begins causing chaos, Marona must gather a crew to face the threat.
As you’d expect from Nippon Ichi games, it’s a blend of fun, humor, and a surprisingly dark narrative undercurrent.
The game is designed for player autonomy, encouraging you to play however you like. You’ll find a plethora of customization options that might seem overwhelming at first. Thankfully, you can choose a difficulty level to either breeze through the storyline or dive deep into the mechanics for a tougher challenge, though be warned, you can’t change the difficulty mid-game.
These customizations involve crafting character builds from 51 distinct types. The unit types you create will influence the types of shops you can build, which in turn provide useful items. Have a chef? That means a juice bar. Got an angler? You can go treasure hunting. With an engineer, you’re able to craft and enhance gadgets for battle.
Missing a crucial unit for a map? No problem. Simply create and level up a new unit on the spot using “juice points,” but be mindful of your juice balance!
The Lost Hero introduces some non-traditional characters, like a chef or a musician, each offering unique skills and traits. Figuring out how to use these characters effectively in combat is one of the game’s fascinating challenges.
Character creation isn’t the only form of customization; players can also create ships and dungeons, which offer different bonuses and exploration opportunities. Our demo didn’t delve deep into this area, so I can’t comment on how complex these processes get.

When it comes to gameplay, battles are turn-based on an isometric grid, the size of which varies with each level. Within a movement circle that shrinks as you wander, characters can explore and plan their moves before committing. If the circle gets too small, you can retrace your path and try another route.

A unique twist involves Marona “confining” your crafted characters to objects within the circle for use on the battlefield. This means you’re not just moving to engage enemies, but also to reach and transform parts of the environment—say a tree or a bush—into a character you’ve created. These characters have a limited lifespan on the field. They can also inhabit gadgets like canons unless these items are controlled by the enemy.

As for how this all translates to the Switch, I can’t say definitively since the preview wasn’t conducted on Nintendo hardware. That said, the turn-based nature shouldn’t be too demanding on the processor, and the menus seem well-suited for handheld mode.

As someone brand new to Phantom Brave, the demo packed in a lot of information. No doubt there’ll be more details as we near the January 30th launch. The great news is a demo will be available for you to test everything out yourself.

Meanwhile, you can visit nisamerica.com/phantombrave-the-lost-hero/ for more information. Don’t miss the Limited and Deluxe Edition physical releases, now available for preorder.