Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero (PC) review

With seven mainline entries, Disgaea is Nippon Ichi Software’s most popular role-playing game. And except for Disgaea 7’s decision to sell cameo-driven, ancillary storylines (which had been historically free), the franchise’s fervent fanbase is wholly justified. But if you were to ask me what N1 property most deserves a follow-up, my unequivocal response would be Phantom Brave.

The original 2004 title spawned a trio of re-releases: 2009’s Phantom Brave: We Meet Again for the Wii, 2011’s Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle for the PSP, and a remaster as part of the 2021’s Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1 compilation. But woefully, the game’s 13-year-old phantom-perceiving protagonist and her faithful protector Ash never received any additional exposition. Given the game’s unapologetically heart-wringing premise and combat that diverged from the typical grid-based tactical RPG battles, the lack of a sequel was disheartening.

Now, twenty years after the original release, Marona finally gets another moment in the spotlight. While Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero isn’t perfect, it’s one of the best PC-based tactical role-playing games since 2022’s Triangle Strategy.

No Longer an Outcast

Set six months after the events of its predecessor, Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero finds Marona’s reputation upraised, as she’s earned the title of a ‘Legendary Chroma’. But after saving the world alongside her phantom guardian Ash, fame hasn’t tainted our plucky lead. She still finds fulfilment in assisting others, utilizing her Chartreuse Gale ability that permits communication with phantoms. It also allows Marona to bind souls to inanimate objects, providing them with a temporary body.

Abruptly, Marona and Ash’s deeds are disrupted by a crew of pirates known as the Shipwreck Fleet. During a standoff, the Fleet’s captain corners Marona, intent on seizing her potent chroma abilities. But Ash valiantly steps in to protect her, allowing Marona to escape through a portal, but separating the duo.

Compassion Remains a Key Theme

At the other end of the gateway, our plucky protagonist arrives on an island beach. Here, Marona meets Apricot, a shy girl whose father also disappeared in an encounter with the Shipwreck Fleet. With a common goal of reuniting with their captured loved ones, the pair band together, eventually adding additional members to The Lost Hero’s eccentric cast.

Pleasingly, The Lost Hero embraces the poignancy of the first game. Apricot’s growth mirrors Marona’s own development, as she gradually becomes more confident and finds contentment when helping others. However, the first half of the game is heavy on set-up, focusing on introducing a larger party of characters.

But this approach isn’t without its benefits. Interaction between the game’s personalities is indulgent. And while the writing favors lighthearted charm, sporadically Lost Hero can tug at the heart strings and deliver pulpy plot twists. With its admonition-issuing adults and perpetually hopeful youth, the game also speaks on how pessimism can often accompany aging.

Strategy Meets Shinto Beliefs

But like the original game, appreciation of the plotline isn’t compulsory for players seeking engrossing confrontations. Like the first game, Marona takes to an array of battlefields, harnessing her ability to confine souls to different objects, providing plenty of strategic freedom. After building a party of different classes, you can bind the characters to elements like trees, rocks, or even weapons. Each object provides different stat bonuses, from a mountain of hit points to near-immunity.

Frequently, arcs connect objects to enemies. As such, you might have to figure out a way to remove an indestructible barrel from the playfield before a boss can be damaged, injecting some light puzzling into some of the encounters. The Lost Hero absolutely shines in keeping combat fresh. Allies can be confined to objects for a limited number of turns, so unit capabilities are always in flux.

Autonomy is the Best Tool in Your Arsenal

Given this approach, ordering a speedy onslaught to reduce enemy counts or steadily summoning reinforcements is a lingering dilemma. And on-field gadgets like cannons and catapults provide plenty of adversary annihilating potential as well. Best of all, Lost Hero rarely forces a specific solution, allowing you to use melee, ranged, or magic attacks as well as tap into the potential of a myriad of different weapons and over 50 different character classes. When coupled with multiple difficulty settings, the game extends far more autonomy than most TRPGs. Agreeably, grinding doesn’t seem as tedious when you’re testing different strategies.

Pleasingly, The Lost Hero layers on a load of new mechanics. Confriending allows Merona and an ally to temporarily combine into a single unit that has profoundly elevated stats, potentially turning the tide of battle. Both Reincarnation and Awakening can be used to further augment characters after they’ve hit level caps, while dungeon generation provides an Item World-style locale where players can source rewards.

As such, The Lost Hero often feels like Nippon Ichi Software assembling their best ideas while jettisoning mechanics that haven’t worked. The biggest downside is that you have to reopen your wallet to enjoy some of the post-game cameos. At launch, that means a hundred-dollar package for the base-game, six additional scenarios, and eight playable characters. I had hoped that Marona would make us cry for the right reasons.

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.