Phantom Fury Reviews
Phantom Fury simply doesn't feel like it's ready yet, with too many bugs and nowhere near enough polish to become the game that it could be. Too many encounters are designed to only be beatable once you memorize enemy placement and a giant-mech boss shouldn't be an easier, more enjoyable encounter than a handful of guys in a hallway. Bugs are also abound, with enemies zipping between cover points while stuck in the kneeling position, music that you can almost hear playing in the background despite the volume being maxed out, or getting trapped in an elevator when its doors won't open. "Reset to checkpoint" is always an option, but in this case it was an open service elevator, and while sticking to the '90s/early-2000s gameplay convention of a hero who can't hop over a waist-high obstacle is authentic, it's the wrong kind of authenticity. Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison has the potential to be a great 90s throwback character, but Phantom Fury is nowhere near what's needed to see her reach her potential.
A first-person-shooter that sometimes falters but makes up for it with strong devotion to detail.
But regardless of what caused the project to get derailed, it still means that Phantom Fury is a disappointing result. It’s a mash of ‘00s FPS cliches without reprieve. I spent most of its runtime wishing it was over. Or, at least, wishing it was what it promised to be. Its overall blandness has done the impossible and made me appreciate Duke Nukem Forever just a little bit more.
Fans of the shooter genre will find a good time with Phantom Fury. While not perfect, slipping a bit with map design and pacing among some other smaller things, Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison's latest outing still hits more than it misses.
Phantom Fury is a classic FPS that manages to engage and entertain. It is a simple but well-finished evolution of its predecessor, to whom it owes a lot and which can still be an excellent yardstick in the panorama of boomer shooters. The new production, while not shining for originality, knows how to be a remarkable follow-up.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Nostalgic feeling is no longer enough.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Phantom Fury is an unapologetic boomer-shooter that can definitely talk the talk, but fails to walk the same walk that its inspirations did some 25 years ago. Countless technical problems, obscure level design, and a sad excuse for a story unfortunately make what could have been a good game a middling one.
Phantom Fury is a fun experience from start to finish, with a great roster of weapons and plenty of exciting levels to blast your way through. It does have some noticeable flaws such as technical issues and a subpar finale, but the gunplay won't leave you unsatisfied.
Phantom Fury is quite easily one of the most refined boomer shooters in the market today. It combines classic action movie tropes and 90s shooter gameplay with more modern visual technology and level design, making for a fun rampage across America.
Phantom Fury is a decent boomer shooter, albeit one that emphasizes environmental interactivity over an arcade-inspired killing spree in which everything is a weapon. The few moments of cinematic silliness are par for the course in the boomer shooter genre, but they’re not enough to make this any less of a slog.
Phantom Fury feels like stepping back in time to the late 90s in an explosion of pixilated carnage that only occasionally stumbles due to its unwavering reliance on old-school sensibilities.
Phantom Fury satisfactorily fulfills what it promises to be. With fluidity in gameplay, constant action and a plot that serves as the basis for continuous progression, the game overcomes a dubious level design to deliver one of the best boomer shooters today.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Phantom Fury could have been great – after another half a year of development and completely revamped final act. But now it is ok at best.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison is back again to show the charm of retro action that continues to the present day. Dynamic FPS will not be lost among current competitors in the genre.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Despite being a game with exceptional ideas developed by a talented team, the reality is grim: Phantom Fury debuts with fundamental design flaws amidst the crossfire of survival, Embracer Group, and layoffs during development. Unfortunately, it is a rushed game, plagued by constant errors and a hastily constructed third act.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Phantom Fury is a fun throwback to classic shooters from the 1990s. It’s action packed with a decent variety of weapons at the player’s disposal to create a bit of chaos. While the core gameplay is enjoyable, it’s the few things around it such as the piss-poor weapon wheel, lack of aiming and the true to the classic formula: where do I go type of gameplay. If you can get over these like quirks, you’ll find a fun, challenging and fast paced shooter.
Phantom Fury - albeit with more than a few reservations - is a decent sequel to Ion Fury. The maps, aside from the disarming linearity in the first few hours of play - feature sprawling layouts that intertwine and require adequate exploration and even a decent memory in terms of exploration, the gunfights, although the gun system did not fully convince us, manage to entertain just enough by alternating between a few divergent sections that also require driving vehicles, the interactive environments that wink at illustrious works of the past and the “old style” graphics make up for the shortcomings in terms of performance (definitely many) and several questionable choices such as the save system, which uses classic checkpoints and which does not always work very well forcing the player to replay rather extensive portions of the game, and an AI that to say seesaw is putting it mildly. In short, all elements that as disorienting as they are in 2024, can be easily fixed with a corrective patch. At the moment The title from Slipgate Ironworks and 3D Realms is just a good game that barely exceeds sufficiency. If you are a fan of boomer-shooters you certainly cannot fail to give Phantom Fury a chance; if, on the other hand, you are looking for a qualitatively superior product, we advise you to direct your attention elsewhere!
Review in Italian | Read full review
Phantom Fury is an engaging FPS, taking cues from early 3D shooters, such as Half-Life and SiN. For the most part it is well executed, having solid gunplay, a staggering arsenal of weapons and great level variety. It could have been an amazing experience if it wasn't for some pesky issues, primarily of a technical nature.
With Phantom Fury, Slipgate Ironworks leaves the 90s boomer shooter era behind and dives straight into another subgenre: Half-Likes. Those who aren't interested in exploring and figuring out which items are useful and which are not will quickly become frustrated with this Ion Fury sequel. Gamers who can't handle clumsily constructed levels or questionable A.I. should also wisely avoid Phantom Fury. However, if you can overlook these issues and are simply looking for an over-the-top boomer shooter that delivers a decent blast and doesn’t take itself too seriously, you might still find some enjoyment in Phantom Fury. Just don’t set the bar too high and be prepared to overlook a lot of imperfections.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
I love it when a developer gets things right. Yes, there are minor issues with Phantom Fury, but it is mostly a raving success. I adored the visuals and the incredible audio. What’s more, the range of enemies and the challenging gameplay will keep you on your toes. However, a few bugs were annoying, and I’m hoping that these problems are ironed out. Despite this small indiscretion, this title is great, and I recommend buying it here! Can you save humanity? Grab some weapons, master your bionic arm, and make every goon pay.