Ash, who was vanquished 8 years earlier on
the Island of Evil, mystically shows up in Marona’s room. The little girl is
laying clothes out on a bed and the two engage in a discussion that has
ramifications beyond the clothing on the bed.

 

“Sometimes you have to speak up,” Ash tells
her.

 

“How can you say that, Ash?”

 

“Even that little girl back there called
you the possessed one.”

 

“Something mom and dad used to say … They
said, ‘People will judge you because they can’t understand your gift, but don’t
hate them … You were blessed with that power so you can help people.’ “

 

Prejudice has reared its ugly head in the
world of Phantom Brave, a PlayStation 2 release from Nippon-ichi Software and
Atlus. The sentiments seem to be at odds with the subtle and innocent – to the
point of almost being childish – nature of this title. But if there is something
that Phantom Brave does very well, it is the turn-based combat, aligned with
some role-playing elements.

 

This two-dimensional adventure title sports
anime graphical elements, but borrows from turn-based tactical titles for the
action sequences.

 

Haze, Marona’s father, was killed (though in
his dying breath, he called on the power of “blessed chartreuse” – apparently
they belonged to a race called Chromas, which believe in the power of color)
during the opening sequence – which also acts as a bit of a tutorial for the
game. The narrator explains that Marona lost her parents when she was 5 years
old, but still follows the beliefs they instilled in her. She lives alone, and
Ash occasionally visits. Ash, you see, hovers in the plane of existence between
life and death, and is a phantom.

 

On the surface, the game seems to be a
mish-mash of ideas, as well as incorporating overtly obvious notions. Marona can
manipulate spirits, and lives alone on Phantom Isle. She receives Sea Mail via
bottles. One day an emergency bottle arrives with a job offer on Terra Firma.
Marona rejoices because should they make enough, they will be able to afford to
buy the island she lives on, and not have to worry about higher rent or
eviction.

 

Of course, the first thing that must be done
is to form a party of other phantoms. To start, you get a merchant, a healer and
a soldier (not that tough initially, but willing).

 

This is during Chapter 1: Jill of all trades.
Episode 1 of Chapter 1 is called The Possessed, and begins with a native of
Terra Firma looking at Marona and proclaiming, “Hey, isn’t that the possessed
chick? She doesn’t look so tough …”

 

Apparently the bad guy has taken all the
jewels on the island, as well as all the food. The villagers don’t have the
strength to tackle the boss, so they hire the outcast girl to do the job. The
game gets a little strange here simply because after you decide to proceed with
the mission, you have to leave Terra Firma in order to return to Terra Firma to
do the mission.

 

 

The combat is based on several factors, one of
which is character speed. The fastest gets to attack first and may even get
several consecutive attacks because of the speed. You move, attack (and the
higher level you are, the more variety there is available in your attack moves)
and then end your turn. The game does not have any auto-save points. You have to
hit the triangle button to save progress. If you neglect that, you will return
to the start of the game.

 

Marona is not much of a fighter (she can’t
fight at all), so in order to battle the foes, she must confine phantoms to
elements within the environment. She can confine Ash to a boulder, which will
increase his defense. But once a phantom is confined, they will only be there
for a finite amount of turns, and then they will disappear and not be able to
return to the battle. Different environmental elements give different results. A
flower increases intelligence and is good for magic users.

 

Also some elements give off protection bonuses
and you can either tactically use them, or destroy them.

 

Since Marona does little during the combat
phase, except summon phantoms, it is a good idea to stagger the summoning of the
phantoms during a particularly large level. If there are mobs in the back of the
level, you may actually use all the rotations (turns) and have your phantom
warriors disappear before clearing the level. Should that happen, get ready to
restart the level. Marona cannot accomplish the combat on her own.

 

Graphically, Phantom Brave presents a lush
two-dimensional look. The special effects are merely average, and the movement
is a little awkward, but serviceable. The musical score is bright and belies the
theme of the game, and it is rather repetitive, and can get a little annoying
after 20 minutes.

 

 

The game’s controls take time to get used to,
and players should not expect to pop into this title and play without first
working through tutorials and understanding the core fundamentals. Applying them
in the combat challenges seems easy, but combine that with the combat scheme and
you need the time that the turn-based nature of the game allows to work through
each scenario.

 

The game does have some elements of role-play
attached to it, but that mostly is in regards to leveling your characters. You
can find items to equip them with to increase their abilities, and you can buy
items as well. You may have to repeat battles in order to level your characters
for the next challenge – which can lead to a repetitive feel for this game.

 

There is little doubt that Phantom Brave is a
mixed bag, offering up some disjointed moments in the storyline, but at its core
is complex combat model, which will challenge any player.
 

 

Gameplay: 8

There are a lot of cutscenes, which try to
establish the story, but because the story line seems so disjointed, they are
not really worth the effort to watch. The battles themselves involve thought and
planning. The combat of the game is smart and involved, especially when you have
only a finite amount of turns to use phantoms and you have to take into account
auras of protection afforded by some elements.

 

Graphics: 7

The anime-style two-dimensional graphics are
lush, but the animation is jerky and moves on a horizontal and vertical plane
during the cutscenes, which are plentiful. During combat you can set up a
diagonal track to your opponent. The special effects carry the overall style
well.

 

Sound: 7

The musical score can be a little annoying
after a while, but it is persistent. The voice acting seems to make the most of
a somewhat disjointed script, but deals with some tougher subject matter in an
innocent way.

 

Difficulty: Medium

The combat is involved and will require gamers
to think moves in advance. You cannot pull out all your phantoms at once against
stronger multiple enemies but must stage them into the game.

 

Concept: 7.5

This game goes from very childlike to
intelligent with few stops in-between.

 

Overall: 7.8

This game is a mixed bag that goes from simple
(and a tad frustrating) to thoughtfully compelling in the combat. The game takes
on some very mature themes and undercuts it with a script that can sound
childish. But in other ways, the combat scheme of this title is worth the price
of admission. While the game itself plays out in some average ways, in terms of
looks and sound, the combat model is challenging from top to bottom. The game
can be very repetitive, especially when you re-fight battles in order to level
up characters in order to advance to the next battle. Phantom Brave looks good,
has some breakdowns when it comes to a fluid script, but sports intelligent
combat.