Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero debut trailer, details, and screenshots

■ About the Game

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is an RPG set in Ivoire, a world made up of unique floating islands, that depicts the adventure of a young girl named Marona who can communicate with Phantoms, the spirits of those who have passed on.

The game’s appeal lies in its dynamic and versatile combat, allowing for free movement across a gridless battlefield. You can utilize unique systems like “Confine,” enabling Phantoms you have befriended to combine with and possess items on the map to fight alongside you.

Additional systems will broaden your range of strategies, such as “Confriending” Marona to a befriended Phantom with strong bonds to alter the course of battle, or “Confiring” Phantoms to gadgets on the map, like cannons and tanks.

You can also enjoy a plethora of side activities similar to those in the Disgaea series, including character creation with over 50 units, strengthening your favorite characters to their maximum potential, exploring random dungeons for leveling up and gathering items, and more.

■ Story

Ivoire is a world mostly covered by the sea and made up of various islands big and small. In this world, a variety of species live together, including humans, beastmen, monsters, and magical creatures.

Marona, a young girl who can see Phantoms, the spirits of those who have passed on, and her dear friend, the Phantom Ash, lived their lives fulfilling the wishes of others, traveling around the islands as Chromas helping others solve their problems.

On the way back from completing a regular Chroma job, Marona and Ash encounter a tragedy. The ship they are on is attacked by a fleet of ghost ships called the “Ship Eaters.” Ash ventures into enemy territory alone to rescue Marona, whose powers have been stolen by a mysterious masked man… And so they become separated.

After escaping the Ship Eaters and washing ashore on a deserted island, Marona meets a Phantom girl named Apricot who wishes to be reunited with her missing father. Apricot’s father was the captain of the Argent Pirates, who once defeated the Ship Eaters, and with the loss of their captain, the Argent Pirates were on the verge of disbanding. Marona offers to help Apricot, who wishes to resurrect the band of pirates her father left behind, as well as find her father.

The only way to sail these seas, largely pirate territory, is to become a pirate yourself and expand your territory. And so Marona and Apricot work together to reunite with their loved ones and resurrect the Argent Pirates.

Set on the seas where pirates and ghost ships roam, the story of the bonds between a young girl and Phantoms, the spirits of the dead, is about to begin.

■ Characters

Marona (voiced by Kaori Mizuhashi)

“The miraculous ability “Chartreuse!'”

A girl who can speak with “Phantoms,” the spirits of the dead.

A young girl who possesses the mysterious ability to communicate with Phantoms, the spirits of the dead. Because of her ability, she was once said to be “possessed by evil spirits” and loathed by those around her, but she is now treated as a hero thanks to her role in saving the world from the God of Destruction. She has a bright, positive, and gentle personality. She tries her best to help others through her work as a Chroma.

Ash (voiced by Hiro Shimono)

“I’ll protect Marona…! Water Dragon ability ‘Eccarlate!'”

A young man who supports Marona, even in death.

Marona’s dear friend, a young Phantom who continues to support her after she lost her parents at a young age. He has a kind personality and a strong sense of justice. He and Marona get separated after he tries to protect her from a mysterious ghost ship’s surprise attack.

Apricot (voiced by Megumi Toda)

“Someone, please save this child…!”

A lonely Phantom girl who longs to reunite with her father.

A lonely Phantom girl Marona meets on Skull Island, a deserted island where she drifts ashore. Her swordsmanship skills, learned from her heroic pirate father, are exceptional, but since she hasn’t spoken to anyone for several years, she is not good with words and is easily frightened. Encouraged by Marona’s positivity, she decides to search for her missing father and resurrect his band of pirates.

■ Systems

A Free Movement RPG

Battles in Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero feature free movement on a gridless map. You can move freely within the area indicated by the circle on the map.

Actions can be taken by the fastest characters, whether enemy or ally. You can check the order of actions via the “Turn Order” in the top-right of the screen. Devise your strategy by keeping an eye on the order of actions.

Confine: Transform Trees, Rocks, Swords, and More Into Ally Units

In battle, you can utilize Marona’s abilities to “Confine” befriended Phantoms to various objects on the map, such as trees, rocks, and items.

The performance of the unit will vary depending on what it is Confined to. For instance, if you Confine a Phantom to a rock, it will possess high defense power but lower speed. Conversely, if Confined to a weapon, it will exhibit high attack power.

Highly Strategic Systems

Confines are automatically removed after a certain number of turns. Though be aware that removed characters cannot be Confined again during that battle. It is crucial to think carefully about who you plan to Confine and when.

Depending on the timing, your characters might be removed before you even get close to the enemy, leaving you with a shortage of power…

You can Confine deep in enemy territory, group up and Confine around Marona—the strategies are endless when considering the who, what, when, and where of Confining.

Confriend: The Power of Bonds that Can Turn the Tides of Battle

A special Confine called Confriend allows Marona herself to possess a befriended Phantom. By Confriending with an ally with deepened bonds, Marona’s stats will significantly increase, enabling her to unleash powerful special attacks and turn the tides of battle.

—Confriending with Phantoms will also transform your appearance.

One More!: A Follow-Up Attack

If you defeat an enemy while Confriended, you will active a “One More!,” allowing you to perform one more consecutive action. And if you continue to pull off “One More!” actions, your stats will gradually increase. You may even be able to destroy your opponent with a single hit.

Gadgets: New Actions for Confines

Trees and rocks are not the only things you can Confine. Robots, vehicles with cannons, and flying gadgets can also be Confined. Depending on the gadget you Confine to, you will be able to perform a variety of actions such as expanding your attack range or engulfing enemies, broadening your range of strategies.

—Gadgets can be developed and upgraded at your base on Skull Island.

You May Find Certain Gadgets Depending on the Map

Depending on the map, you may encounter special gadgets like cannons, catapults, electric fans, and slot machines. Approaching these gadgets allows you to perform various actions, and by Confining to them, additional special actions become available. These actions can often be the key to clearing the map successfully.

—You can even get rare items from slot machines.

Character Development and More to Continue to Play Post-Game

On Skull Island, your pirate hideout serves as your base where you can customize characters and undertake various battle preparations and challenges.

In addition to the popular “Reincarnation” character development system from the Disgaea series, Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero introduces “Awakening,” a much easier character strengthening system than Reincarnation, as well as a “Drink Bar,” which allows you to allocate the experience points accumulated in battle to your favorite units.

These systems cater to both players who want to enjoy the game as deeply as possible, and those who prefer a more casual approach.

There are plenty of other activities to enjoy on Dokuro Island as well, such as “Magical Synthesis” for item synthesis, “Marina” for customizing your pirate ship, exploring “Random Dungeons” to find rare items and titles, and much more!

Plus Plenty of Other Systems to Play as You Please

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero features many other new and unique systems, such as picking up an item lying on the map and equipping it immediately, throwing obstructive enemies off the map, and lifting and stacking objects to reach higher places.

For example, by lifting up an ally, you can utilize that character’s skills or wield them as a weapon. This game offers a diverse array of gameplay elements that will spark your imagination.