Nippon Ichi Software and NIS America have announced that their upcoming tactical RPG Phantom Brave The Lost Hero will be released worldwide on January 30, 2025, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch on January 30, 2025.
Afterward, the title will be released on PC via Steam sometime in Spring 2025. A demo is planned for later this year.
Regarding new gameplay details, the basics of the overall gameplay loop have been established. Players will witness event sense, prepare for combat at the home base, and participate in combat sequences.
When combat begins, Marona will be the only ally unit on the map, meaning you should check out the environment to peruse the enemy types, items, significant terrain, and objects. Additionally, the Protections embedded within characters and items, communicated by glowing lines, should be examined.
Marona’s allies are Phantoms that are summoned using the Confine command, which are imbued into objects around the map. There are no limits on Confine usage, with Mrona able to use it anytime her turn is active.
Further, the stats of the summoned Phantom will alter depending on the type of object they’re imbued in. And allied Phantoms only have a set number of turns. Marona’s Confight ability can increase the number of turns they can remain on the map, though.
During combat, items around the map can be equipped for attacking, and they can even be lifted and thrown, including ones from enemies that can be stolen. Throwing enemies off the map instills significant damage.
On the other hand, another character, Apricot, has a unique application of Conifine that summons Gadgets, which can become affixed to Phantoms. This methodology can unleash unique abilities.
Circling back to Marona, she has a special iteration of Confine known as Confriend, which affects the Phantoms with whom she has formed profound bonds. Additional attacking opportunities and new techniques will become available when this application is executed, alongside the presence of enhanced stats. Friendships can be raised by granting gifts at the home base or deploying units in battle.
Over 50 character classes will be creatable, with three basic ones highlighted below:
Fighter – A straightforward class perfect for beginners
- Good at using swords and physical attacks and are perfect on the front lines.
- Possess the unique ability where the more surrounded by enemies they are, the higher their attack power gets. This means they’re the strongest when they’re in a tough spot!
- Can learn many abilities. For example, if they have a melee weapon equipped when their physical and defense power rises, their turn will come around more quickly.
Witch – A powerful class that excels in elemental magic and can attack from a distance
- Character type specializing in magic attacks
- While they excel in attacking enemies from afar, they are physically very weak. Be sure to have a class like the Fighter protect them!
- Remove and Move are lower than the Fighter, so be sure to not deploy them too early and have them Removed before they can attack
Archer – A class that can strike from afar
- A character that specializes in using bows. Can attack from the back ranks.
- Deals more damage by attacking enemies from a greater height. Perfect for stages with high vantage points.
- Weak to attacks and won’t last long when in an enemy’s range. Use height advantages and distance to keep the enemy from getting too close.
Check out the previous information drop.
Phantom Brave The Lost Hero occurs in the world of Ivoire, almost entirely comprised of water. Various islands are scattered across the globe, populated by humans, beast-people, magical beings, and more.
Marona, a girl who can see Phantoms, works alongside her Phantom partner Ash as a Chroma, a contractor, solving people’s problems as requested. During one such return from a Chroma job, however, they are attacked by ghost ships known as the Shipwreck Fleet. Then, a masked man steals Marona’s powers, leading Ash to confront the enemies alone in order to save her. The duo then becomes separated.
Following this parting, Marona meets a new Phantom character named Apricot. She is seeking to reunite with her lost father, the captain of the Argento Pirate Crew that once defeated the Shipwreck Fleet. But now that their captain is gone, the crew is close to disbanding. Marona agrees to help Apricot revitalize the crew and search for her father.
Traversal throughout this adventure is full of pirate territories, with Marona and Apricot needing to become privates themselves to expand their own territory.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero will be released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam in 2025. The Steam version is stated to arrive later in 2025.
