Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero
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Unscored Reviews
This is truly a tactical RPG that you can play any way you like. You decide which Phantoms to take into battle, how to deploy them, which equipment to use and more. Now, that is true for more games like this, but the sheer number of possibilities is quite something. Add the gridless battlefield to that and the special abilities Marona has, and you’ll have many hours of gaming fun with Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero certainly isn’t a terrible sequel. As mentioned earlier, NIS’ usage of familiar concepts from the first game should make this offering a worthwhile treat for long-time fans. Sadly, those who are relative newcomers to the series might be turned off by the campaign structure and overall progression.
Scored Reviews
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is an amazing experience and story that rides the experience from the first game well. There can be some technical hiccups with the free movement features, but it doesn't lessen the experience in combat.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a superb SRPG that every fan of the genre needs to play. Its complex battle system and engaging story make this an absolute blast to play through!
After almost a decade, “Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero” showcases the best parts of the “golden era” of NIS, in which the developer tried more unorthodox approaches to strategy RPGs. Its story its simple, childish sometimes. Its systems deep and complex. If you want a game to spend a massive amount of time grinding, creating some of the most broken and brilliant builds, this one is for you. Also, its one of the very few games where you can defeat a boss by beating them up with a fish.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero surprises players with its fluid gameplay and fun personality. The game offers various opportunities for creativity, captivating the player. Despite its interesting content, the price may seem high, and the lack of Portuguese localization causes some references and jokes to be lost. Overall, it’s a good choice for tactical RPG fans or those looking for a lighthearted experience to enjoy on a Sunday.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero may not be the most unique JRPG in recent memory, but there’s still not much out there that can capture the specific charm of its gameplay. It’s a delight if you’ve never played a Nippon Ichi RPG or if you’re a veteran, and as one of those veterans, I’m so glad that this series has returned from the dead. Seems to be a theme.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a charming tactics game with a lot of depth, but its Switch performance leaves a lot to be desired.
A solid sequel 20 years in the making...
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero manages to bring many iconic ideas from the previous game, such as the confinement system, while also injecting new life and ideas to make the formula even more refined and appealing to the new generation of players.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Despite some pacing issues and a demanding difficulty curve, Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a fantastic SRPG that offers deep, rewarding combat, an engaging world, and a unique battle system that sets it apart from other games in the genre. The nautical theme adds a fresh twist to the experience, and the strong English voice acting and charming presentation make it a joy to play.
e other. Its creative gameplay, deep customization, and nostalgic charm make it one of 2025’s standout SRPGs. While its narrative occasionally feels predictable and its early tutorial may deter some, these flaws hardly dim its brilliance. Like a ship navigating the turbulent seas of JRPGs, it’s not flawless—but brimming with wonder and worth the journey. For longtime fans, it’s a heartfelt reunion; for newcomers, it is an invitation to a world with untold stories.
Review in Persian | Read full review
I absolutely loved my time with Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero and hope that it marks the start of many more sequels as I'm excited to see where Marona's adorable adventures take her next. 🏝️
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero , although technically imperfect, remains an excellent game that deserves to be discovered, especially by fans of the genre.
Review in French | Read full review
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is an absolute gem that shines whether you're a returning fan or a newcomer. It takes a while for the very many mechanics of the game to make sense and click, but once they do, you're in for an unforgettable experience.
Given a choice, I’m sure I would pick a different game from NISA’s illustrious PS2 JRPG lineup that I would rather have a sequel of, but all things said, Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a great sequel that improves on the original in almost every way, providing a fun, tactically satisfying RPG that I’m very glad made a return.
Tactical RPGs are always a hit and miss with gamers but Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a fun and accessible title for anyone looking to get into the genre and those who already enjoy it. With a fun cast of characters and entertaining, if somewhat simplistic combat, I found myself addicted and had a hard time putting it down.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero revives a two-decades-old series with aplomb, all while managing to stay accessible to not only newbies but also relevant to long-time fans.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is likely to overwhelm even the most experienced of SRPG aficionados at the start, but that's by design. Its depth and uniqueness will delight those choosing to stick with it, while others can just lower the difficulty to push through this colorful and charming adventure.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a surprising sequel that does a good job of living up to its predecessor, but it doesn't exactly tread new ground for the franchise. A cute but forgettable plot, solid gameplay, and a near-infinite amount of grinding potential give the game a solid amount of value. The only thing holding it back are the unimpressive visuals and poor performance. If you're a fan of the Nippon Ichi games or the original Phantom Brave, there's a lot of fun to be had in this sequel.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero brings its own approach to SRPGs, and with it, a freshness worthy of the best sea breeze. With a light and pleasant story, as well as engaging gameplay, we have very good waters to navigate for fans of the genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a strong sequel to what was perhaps Nippon Ichi’s most unique title. The characters are charming, the gameplay is robust and tactical, and while the unlockable methods of powering up may be slightly overwhelming, newcomers should manage just fine playing through.
The Lost Hero is a honorable sequel that doesn't limit itself to the past and wants to offer to the player something refreshing while keeping it faithful to the original. It's a title that innovates in its systems and abuses them in the right way; it's especially challenging enough for SRPG fans, but also accessible in the same manner for those who aren't as keen in the genre. Its story is equally accessible, offering a simple narrative, but well structured and tight with a colorful and fun cast.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
All and all, I had a pretty good time with Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero. The story and characters are great, and the music is very fitting for the game, overall. If you are a fan of other NIS strategy titles, picking this up is a no brainer at $59.99 price tag, you’re gonna find a lot to love here. This is a good entry point for newcomers as well since the story is self contained and you really need no knowledge of the previous game to have a good time here. Now if you will excuse me, I have some more random levels to attend to.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero offers a refreshing take on the SRPG genre with its unique gridless combat and deep customization. While the slow pacing and complex systems may deter newcomers, fans of tactical games will revel in its rewarding gameplay and intricate strategies.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is packed with content and provides about 10 hours plus many more for the completionists. Despite its negatives, Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is the sequel that fans have been waiting for, which has been worth it.
This long-awaited sequel’s story is filled with adorable characters and combat that is both solid and designed to be busted open make it a great return for Marona in Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a sequel that manages to use the concept of the original SRPG from over two decades ago and explore it in depth. With complex mechanics and a combat full of options, this work is a great choice for fans of the genre despite some serious performance issues that don't let it shine more.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
[...]Marona's, Ash's and Apricot's adventure is yet another worthy entry in Nippon Ichi Software's catalogue and a memorable experience for fans of the company or those who like a borderline experimental touch to the tactical RPG genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a fun tactical JRPG with a great story and many systems to get to grips with for a fun pirate adventure, it may seem a bit complex for anyone not familiar and not all systems seem to be explained in depth, if at all, but once you get to grips with it theres a lot of fun to be had.
The sequel, Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero, expands on the original's mechanics. It introduces new ways to employ the phantoms and their quirks in strategic combat and also adds fresh methods to strengthen and progress characters. However, a lackluster and overly childish story might turn off players uninterested in grinding to astronomical levels, potentially putting the series back into a long hiatus or even ending it for good in favor of NIS's more acclaimed tactical RPGs.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a clumsy-feeling game, but its scatterbrained energy comes from an admirable place of bucking standardized gameplay conventions in a genre that doesn’t budge often.
If you’ve somehow gotten here with no Disgaea in your history and a love of complex strategy RPGs, The Lost Hero will be an excellent adventure. Otherwise, I’m simply not so sure.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero can scratch that SPRG itch if you have it, but it is unlikely to be intriguing to those without an interest in the genre.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a good sequel to a beloved series that introduces a lot of good ideas. Still, it's a game that falls flat in its storytelling, going a bit too over the top, resulting in something that is hard to get engaged with.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a game that I have no trouble saying is better than its predecessor, yet I’m left with the sense that it’s not as much of an upgrade as it ought to be. I have no complaints with the story and feel it is about as good as a sequel to the original should have been. While in terms of gameplay, it offers up some varied systems that allows for player freedom and fun improvisation that provides dynamic play, it’s also undoubtedly cumbersome. Game speed is slow and the way it completely eschews quality of life features means that a lot of time is spent tediously fiddling with menus rather than engaging with the meat of its strategy elements. Its tutorialization is equally as clumsy, and coupled with its high difficulty, it means I can only really recommend this to highly dedicated SRPG players. A charming game with rich mechanics, to be certain, but you’ll have to wade through some weeds to fully grasp the fun.
While the story lacks the narrative depth of its predecessor, Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a sequel that knows what it is good at, and leans into it, delivering a sharper and more refined experience.
Aside from its main gimmick of confining and leaning on a main human with medium abilities, Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a plain strategy RPG. It has no shortage of content and will keep gamers playing for well over 100 hours if they aim to defeat the optional superbosses or endlessly grind characters to god-like strength in hopes of surviving the hardest modes. It can be exhausting and sleep-inducing, but it is a well-made strategy RPG for anyone who has a tolerance for intense sweetness.
