Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle Review

In the 1975 play Same Time, Next Year, George and Doris are two soul-crossed souls who schedule an annual, clandestine reunion despite being committed to other people. Ironically, the illicit couple share an emotional intricacy far deeper than the one experienced with their respective partners. This plotline also happens to be a pretty accurate depiction of my relationship with Phantom Brave. After a third rendezvous with the title, I have become endearingly enraptured, and have found the game seeping into my thoughts during time spent with other, more compulsory diversions.

To be honest, our initial acquaintance wasn’t under ideal circumstances. Back in 2004, I found the strategy RPG lurking in the clearance bin at Toys R Us. Half a decade later, the fittingly titled Phantom Brave: We Meet Again found its way to me, this time adorned with a graphical make-over, remixed soundtrack, and a tweaked control scheme. With the recent release of the PSP iteration, subtitled- The Hermuda Triangle, the game has been augmented even further with the inclusion of several Nippon Ichi luminaries. Although a third playthrough of the eighty-plus hour epic might seem superfluous, the title is well suited for portability. With the duration of most battles matching a prolonged train or bus ride, commute times tend to vanish within The Hermuda Triangle.

A significant share of Phantom Brave’s allure comes from its lead protagonist- the thirteen-year old Marona. Shunned by society for her ability to summon phantoms, her eternal optimism and tenacity could charm the most solemn misanthrope. Complementing the young girl’s enthusiasm is Ash, a phantom who died alongside Marona’s parents years ago, and now serves as her ethereal guardian. To make ends meet, the adolescent works as a Chroma- vanquishing evil doers for a meager living, across the game’s tropical landscapes. Altruism serves as the main impetus for a majority of the title, before Phantom Brave regretfully employs a global crisis to drive the story along. With the cataclysmic plotline being so ubiquitous in role-playing games, Marona’s more intimate interactions express a tenderness uncommon to the genre; it’s a shame these moments don’t persevere.

One element which does persist throughout Hermuda Triangle‘s playtime is the satisfaction reaped from the game’s rich combat system. Forgoing the tradition grid of the SRPG, the title allows characters to move within a ring, with the circle’s radius determined by a unit’s move speed. While this mechanic abstains from giving topography and positional bonuses, it also allow characters to launch attacks across  circular fields or wedge-shaped zones. The freedom of movement comes with a few snags- units can cluster together, making it difficult to select a specific enemy or piece of equipment from a stack. Sporadically, characters disobey the player’s wishes- shuffling pack and forth instead of ascending a steep incline.



On the battlefield, Merona is the only ever-present character, with every other unit required to be ‘confined’ to an environmental entity. Since each phantom inherits traits based on the composition of the object, players much carefully strategize, embedding characters with both stat-boosts and elemental immunities. These tactics are essential because Phantom Brave‘s antagonists don’t just shift around and occasionally strike. Foes gang up on weak characters, steal equipment, and even throw confinable objects off the playfield in an effort to stymie players. To add an additional wrinkle, each phantom has a limited number of turns of the battlefield.

In between conflicts, a robust party management system awaits, allowing players to create new phantoms, purchase and enhance weapons, heal teammates and save your game. Beyond your basic role-playing workhorses like warriors, mages, and soldiers, players can also create characters which help Marona in more roundabout ways. From merchants who earn a steady stream of income to monks which can generate randomized dungeons teeming with potential experience points, these units embed Phantom Brave with an startling amount of depth. In typical N1 style, there’s a bit of grinding to earn the money, experience, or weapons required to surmount some of the game’s more forceful foes.


For a seven year-old game,  has aged quite gracefully.  While some might balk at the title’s pixelated characters, the hand-drawn sprites convey emotion exceptionally well. With stirring spell effects and pre-rendered backdrops for the cutscenes, the game delivers the occasional visual dazzle. Equally as competent is the game’s sonic delivery, with well-voiced main characters and a hummable soundtrack. Purists should enjoy being able to play Phantom Brave with a Japanese voice-over.

With a collection of five new phantoms (Unloser Ranger, Hero Prinny, Lord Zetta, Castille, and Asagi), as well as the Another Marona scenario from the Wii iteration of the game, Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle is the definitive version of the game. Coupled with a very reasonable twenty dollar price tag, the title comes recommended both to enthusiasts who yearn for a portable version as well as PSP-owning strategists. Despite the imminent release of Disgaea 4, I have a sneaking suspicion I’ll be returning to Phantom Island to rekindle our romance once more.

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

35 comments

  1. The NIS fanboy we we and love is back, baby. Hail to the JRPG king.

  2. Look at you and your fancy video!

  3. So it’s kind of like Disgaea, then? How come you din’t mention Disgaea in the review?

  4. Halfman Halfhorse

    Nobody writes a batshit crazy love poem to an NIS game like our man Deagle. Freaking brilliant.

  5. Dude, you just might be too smart for your own good, comparing your ‘relationship’ with a game to some old play.

    Still, a much better read than the words they cobble together these days at IGN.

  6. Is the Hermuda Triangle a bad pun or something?

  7. JessicaSimpsonisHavingmyBaby

    Ok, cool, but where our Dragon Age 2 review, MANG?!?!

    Seriously, sounds like a good game, just not for me.

  8. I hate when Deagle writes stuff like this. I can feel my wallet getting lighter already.

  9. It’s only a matter of time until Desert starts working for NIS now. Maybe they need someone for the Prinny suit.

  10. yep, great read.

    But I want to know how you play so many goddamn games. You are a machine, Robert.

  11. Wheres the unlosing ranger pics?

  12. great review, you crazyman!

  13. I’ll probably get this. I like these kinds of games. Playing on the go is a big plus.

  14. Sting Cheese Warrior

    I hope after the quake in Japan, that everyone, their families and friends from Nippon Ichi is safe.

  15. Thanks for mentioning there’s some grinding. Involved. Not a deal killer, but something I’d want to know.

  16. Kind of scary at the same time. Waiting to hear about the drunken one-night stand he had with Killzone 3.

  17. Finally, a score from someone who doesn’t hate on SRPGs. You gets get it.

  18. Hows the sprite animation? There’s a bit in the video where it looks pretty good.

  19. Hey, is that Rafeal from Soul Caliber in the game? If no, that’s pretty cool.

  20. IMO, stealing and throwing player OB kind of wrecked the game. It causes players just to stand in the middle of maps. Also, with some Dungeons its hard to see what going on.

    Oh, and having to pay to leave a dungeon wasn’t cool also.

  21. So this remade this a third time instead of giving us a portable La Pucelle?

  22. Shopping Samurai

    You seem to like it more than most on Metacritic. So far the highest score is a 74. Hmmm.

  23. I remember playing the PS2 version way back when. Really fun, but occasionally frustrating. Probably worth $20 as a PSP game, though.

  24. Freaking incredible review- you are a madman.

  25. This reviews reminds me why you are one of my favorite review sites.

  26. The music that opens the video sounds like something you’d use in the podcast.

    Looks kind of cool. I might try to rent the Wii version to see if I like it.

  27. The thing about Phantom is you have to name all your characters; after 20 or so, I can’t come with any more names.

    Marona is moe, but cute- I agree with what you said about the story.

  28. Really? This game looks just like Disgaea and all the other NIS games out there. I can see why NOLA isn’t a fan.

  29. Where the hell do you come up with references like that Deagle?

  30. Video should say “grind, and grind some more”

  31. moe is cute, no buts. Lolicon is even cuter 😉

  32. I haven’t read a really original game review in a while. Thanks, Deagle.

  33. Is that one any good? it’s one of the few NIS strategy games I haven’t played.

  34. Ive never heard of this game before.

  35. Electric Relaxation

    What happened to the Tactic Ogre review?