The developers at Nippon Ichi always
produce the most quirky and yet enthralling games. The latest game released by
them is entitled Phantom Brave: We Meet Again, which is a port of a PlayStation
2 game that was released back in 2004. RPG fans will really appreciate this game
as there is a severe lack of titles on the Nintendo Wii. Thankfully this game is
also really fun to play so it will give RPG fans an even greater reason to
rejoice.
Unlike many games developed by
Nippon Ichi, Phantom Brave: We Meet Again starts off light hearted. It does
eventually take on a more serious tone. Players take on the role of Marona, who
lost both of her parents at a very young age. Like her parents she has the
ability to see and talk to "phantoms." Since she has this ability she is treated
like an outcast by everyone else in the world. She often talks to Ash, who used
to work for Marona’s parents but became a Phantom in a tragedy that happened on
the onset of the game, and now protects Marona with all of his heart. With these
two main characters set, players will start doing little jobs that will
eventually uncover a malicious plot that they will have to solve in order to
help save the world.
There is one issue that some players
might have with the Phantom Brave: We Meet Again; and it is the game flow. The
problem with the flow is that it is very predictable and very rarely strays from
it. It goes like this: players will be introduced to a cut scene in each new
chapter, and they will be made aware of various objectives. After the cut scene
is finished players will wander around Phantom Isle (which is Marona’s home) and
she will be able to talk to her allies, heal, buy items, and generally prepare
for battle. Next players can select the mailbox on the island and travel to any
spot on the world that is accessible. When players select the location they wish
to visit another cut scene will appear that gives another portion of the story.
Next players will hit the destination where they can walk around, but most
likely be drawn into a fight. After each fight players can usually go back to
visit Phantom Isle to heal or continue on until the chapter ends. After the end
of each chapter the game flow starts all over again. Many gamers will have
played games that are more repetitive than this, but a little diversity would
have been nice.
Time to play follow the leader
This game does not support motion
controls, which actually might have helped out in certain areas of the game.
Instead players have four different controls schemes they can use: Wii-mote, Wii-mote
plus Nunchuk, Classic Controller, or the GameCube controller. No matter which
setup players choose the controls are really quite simple. Players will have to
use one button to confirm text or an action on the battle field, one to
jump/cancel commands, another to lift/throw items, zoom in/out, and control the
movements of the characters.
One of the best things about this
game is the combat engine. Players will find it very interesting because it is
really different from other turn-based games, most notably the lack of the
standard grid map system. Instead players are free to move around on the map and
attack. The lack of the grid really makes the environments seem more realistic
and natural. Even though the lack of the grid really helps in some areas overall
players will miss it. Without the grid, some players might find it challenging
to hit specific targets correctly, this is especially true for ranged fighters.
Another annoyance is that players will constantly second guess themselves to
make sure that they are in the correct area of an attack. They might have to
recheck their positions many times before continuing with an attack, which ends
up being a lot of wasted time.
Another unique aspect of the combat
engine is that here is only one main character on the battlefield. The main
character, Marona is a very weak fighter, so in order to defeat enemies, she
will have to summon various phantoms to help out. The problem is that the
phantoms can only be summoned once per battle, and they only stay in the battle
for a specific amount of turns. A lot of forethought must be used before each
battle if players are to survive, which really makes this game suspenseful as
many times players will wonder if they will win the battle before the phantoms
disappear.
Will she win?
The graphics for Phantom Brave: We
Meet Again does not put a heavy toll on the Nintendo Wii in any sense. This is a
shame because it looks nearly identical to the PlayStation 2 game that was
release nearly 5 years ago. Even though this game is not using the most
sophisticated and up-to-date graphics engine, it still looks decent. The game is
full of 2D sprites that have a nice animation set and mesh well with the overall
feel of the game. It is just a shame because the graphics have a very
low-resolution look when played on a high-definition television. Thankfully the
game is chock full of details, from the character models to the clothing to the
weapons.
Musically, the game has a very nice
soundtrack that is very catchy, and will not get on players’ nerves. Most
importantly it fits really well with the entire theme of the game. The voice
acting is also very solid and doesn’t get very annoying, which is a plus with
this type of game. The sound effects are decent, but they really could have been
better, and had a better impact with the rest of the game. Overall, the audio
portion of this game is really strong, but it does feel a little dated.
Since Phantom Brave: We Meet Again
is a port of a PlayStation 2 game, players will be happy to know that new bonus
content was added. Players will notice immediately that a new game mode is
included and it is entitled: "Alternate Marona," which allows players to dig
right into the new content. This game mode tells a new story of Corona and and
Marona from a different dimension.. The best part is that this mode is unlocked
from the moment players start the game, so players of the original game can hop
right into the new content without having to beat the game first. This game also
comes with an additional artwork CD, that players can put in their computer and
download the artwork from the game.
Phantom Brave: We Meet Again is
rated Teen.
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Gameplay: 8.0
The battle engine is very fun and engrossing, but also requires a lot of
planning if players want to win.
Graphics: 6.1
The graphics for this game are decent but do not push the hardware in any
sense. Even though this game is a port of a PlayStation 2 game it would have
been appreciated if the developers opted to give it a graphical boost.
Sound: 7.8
The voice acting is very good. The soundtrack is decent, but not mind
blowing.
Difficulty: Medium
Thankfully the combat is very involved, which means players will have to
attempt to stay one step ahead of the enemies.
Concept: 7.6
Player will enjoy the progression in the game and how it starts with a very
child-like theme and then progresses to a more adult theme; all in all it is
handled very nicely.
Overall: 7.9
Phantom Brave: We Meet Again is a very interesting game that players will
love to get their hands on. This game offers numerous hours of playtime and is
one of the most "hardcore" games on the Nintendo Wii. Even though this game has
a few pitfalls, overall players will enjoy the experience it offers.
