Phantom Fury Reviews
Phantom Fury needed more time in the oven. It’s certainly not that raw, but it’s not well-cooked either. Even if Slipgate Ironworks ‘irons out’ all the bugs, the game would still be an above-average FPS in a market dominated by nu-Boomer Shooters. Certainly not the sequel Voidpoint’s Shelly deserved.
Phantom Fury unfortunately doesn't work as it should. The levels are unimpressive, confusing and packed with an inflationary number of enemies. The weapons are really fun and there are lots of nice little gimmicks and attempts to add some variety to the game, but it remains an average shooter that falls well short of its potential.
Review in German | Read full review
While Phantom Fury started as a charming, fun and easy-going game, issues began to crop up. The final parts of the game were too long, and some boss fights were tedious. The worst problem I encountered was a bug that made all my weapon and bionic arm upgrades disappear. I had to reload the game two levels back to fix it, which is worse, considering there is no manual saving. While early-level designs were great, later levels lacked decent cover from the mass of enemies attacking you. A level that frustrated me was an underwater level. It was too dark to navigate well, and I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to go, and the submersible was awful to control. Some of the weapon's damage didn't seem effective, even upgraded. I wish the bionic arm had more upgrades besides a shield and punching.
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.
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.
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.
Nostalgic feeling is no longer enough.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Phantom Fury attempts to be a love-letter to retro shooters like Doom and Duke Nukem 3D, but only ends up disappointing with its plethora of bugs, poor level design and frustrating enemy AI.
So many recent shooters have emulated the glory days of the 1990s. These games now hugely outnumber the ones which inspired them to begin with. In this context, a game which instead mines inspiration from the early 2000s is very welcome and Phantom Fury could have been a superb entry in the genre. Sadly, something seems to be very wrong with Slipgate’s design and development process, and much of their game’s potential has been squandered. While this is a fun and occasionally great experience, it could and probably should have been much more.
Bombshell Harrison is back in Phantom Fury, a new, more ambitious, bigger and more destructive installment loaded with details that show a lot of effort, but a loose consistency and rough edges that evidence a rushed development. As a result, Bombshell's new adventure leaves mixed feelings. Still, it is playable, although perhaps it would be good to wait for a discount to give it a chance.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A first-person-shooter that sometimes falters but makes up for it with strong devotion to detail.