An incredible one of a kind masterpiece
You appear, shaken, to a nightmarish town. A blue toned hue pervades throughout the landscape and in the background you can hear children laughing. Your eyes dart around, but the town is empty, haunted by a ghostly silence. The Phantom Dust swirls around you, formulating itself into three distinct capsules. You stride over to one, aware that in moments you could be engaged in the fight of a lifetime. After inhaling the pure energy of an Aura Capsule, you vault over to a gleaming crimson Attack Capsule and let the energy engulf you. Just in time you see one of the Gyne sisters charging towards you. Her awkward movement and painfully malformed figure prove with dreadful clarity that she has been taken by the Dust’s evil powers. You ready yourself, muscles tensing, preparing to strike that moment before she slashes you with her psycho blade. She nears, and you lunge forward, striking her with your flame sword. She falls, and the ground shimmers a bright yellow before returning to the stagnant blue that sets the ethereal tone in this, one of the many battles that you will engage throughout the course of Phantom Dust.
Phantom Dust is a third person action/strategy hybrid unlike anything you will play on the Xbox. Similar to card based games like Pokemon, Phantom Dust tasks you with winning matches against computer or human opponents, using hundreds of skills across nearly a half dozen categories. Like in other Pokemon-esque games, Phantom Dust’s skills require you to collect energy, here called Aura Capsules. With enough energy, and by meeting the skill’s conditions, your character can “cast” skills ranging from melee skills, to long-range snipers. One skill, for example, can only be cast once you have less than 3 life, while others can only be cast after you have used most of the skills in your arsenal. The variability in skill casting requirements adds a layer of depth to the game. It’s important in games like Phantom Dust that battles are both fun to play, and rewarding once completed. Phantom Dust masters both of these requirements while adding such unique elements a real-time combat on destructible 3D battlefields.
Microsoft’s genre-bending hybrid also weaves a horrific tapestry of intrigue, love, friendship, and ultimately, betrayal. Phantom Dust takes place on a futuristic earth, where the remains of humanity live miles below the surface - a requirement now that a mysterious dust covers the landscape, erasing the memories of those who stay out in it long enough. As the tale begins, a group of elite warriors, known as the Espers, find two chambers in the Dust, each holding a person. One person, Edgar, holds a locket with a picture of a girl in it. The other is you, a voiceless character who you name soon after the game starts.
Mission based in structure, Phantom Dust revolves around a city, which acts as a hub from which you can take on missions and learn about the happenings in this sci-fi society. No one in the city can recall how they got there or what their real names were. Hence, names like Cuff Button and Know prevail. The leader of the city is called Leader, and it is through him and his spokesman that the story is told. The characters are quirky, and they are all fun to talk to. One character that really stands out is the baroness, who is in fact a male bar tender who’s always looking for new recipes. Sadly, except for in cutscenes, all of the dialogue is written with no voice-overs. This is disappointing as there were more voice-overs in the Japanese version, and also because all of the characters are so interesting. Between their hilarious names, strong backgrounds, and idiosyncratic art design, characters in Phantom Dust are easy to get attached to, a real rarity in gaming.
In between major story missions you can take on various quests in an attempt to help the Espers. Sparse but determined, the Espers are the few humans with the ability to transform the Dust into energies that can be used to create skills of varying sorts. The first several missions are actually tutorials teaching you how to use all of the basic skill types. These tutorials are highly effective and never seem tacked on. In truth, Phantom Dust features one of the best tutorials in any game, ever.
Skilld types such as attack and defensive skills, as well as skills that give you enhanced stats, special abilities like levitation or teleportation, and skills that affect other players or the environment. All of these skills are split across several classes, such as laser skills and psychic skills, and each has its own advantages and drawbacks; they balance each other out nicely. The laser class focuses on long-range attack skills. It also features one of the most impressive skills in the game, called the octolaser. This skill shoots eight lasers into an enemy causing, you guessed it, eight damage. You’re health starts at twenty, so this skill is not only graphically impressive but is also highly effective. The skill isn’t overpowered though, as all skills can be blocked, and lasers travel in an arc and can be easily dodged. Of course some skills like flame sword require you to be right next to you’re target. These skills are hard to counter, and offer the most visceral combat in the game. Of course, a long-range skill can easily hit you before you make it to your target. Still, the enjoyment of slashing your opponent over and over with a blade of fire just never gets old.
Building an arsenal of skills is simple. You can have thirty items in a skill set, including Aura. Also, you can only have up to three classes of skills in each set, and that is only by the end of the game. In the beginning you are restricted to just one class, such as the laser class. This is fine though, because it’s important to become efficient in creating arsenals before creating complex, multi-class juggernauts. To create an arsenal you have to buy skills from the local junk dealer. These skills then move into a general pool of sorts, and it is from this pool that arsenals are created. The game gives tons of info about each skill; making it pretty easy to know what skills you want where. For example, flame sword is a close range attack skill that does three damage, and knocks down an opponent. It costs three Aura to use, and there is a visual display showing exactly how the skill will look when cast. If all that isn’t enough, you can simulate battles to get a hang of things.
What really makes Phantom Dust excel so greatly is it’s attention to detail. Battles are a joy to play. The camera can be manually controlled, or you can use a targeting system. All skills lock onto your target, and there is no need to aim any of your shots. You merely need to be the correct distance from him or her. Colored circles appear around your opponent - green for far away, yellow for mid-range, and orange for close opponents, so that you can monitor the distance.
Battles are fought by picking up skills and then using them against your opponent. Skills are either exhausted after one cast, or can be used endlessly. To pick one up, simply stand over the capsule and press one of the face buttons. The skill is then mapped to that button, and you merely have to press it again for the skill to be cast. Skills look great in action too. From the massive rock shower skill, to the huge octolaser, these skills are truly fun to use and watch.
Enemies vary greatly. Some focus on close range skills, while other use longer-range abilities. When you complete a mission a memory box appears back in town. By reading the information in the box you can gain more insight into enemy behaivor, skill uasge, or plot details. There are several boss fights, and bosses are usually gigantic. Coming in all shapes, the bosses are beautifully designed and realized. They require a lot of strategy to beat, and can be difficult, sometimes to the point of frustration.
Before most boss fights a stylized cutscene will play out, and it is here you get to experience the incredible original and licensed music. Ranging from techno to Beethoven, the music is eclectic to say the least. It also fits well, with its moving choral pieces used in cutscenes, and fast tempo rock used in battles. One of the coolest uses of music comes in the room of your Leader, where the Moonlight Sonata is played. Added with the town’s freakish mix of gothic and futuristic architecture, your base is easily a place to get lost in.
The world you fight in has been constructed meticulously with care and love. Almost everything is destructible and the gorgeous art-style is mind-boggling. There is one arena in a destroyed town. The floor is made up of fallen signs and advertisements, while in the sky, there are remains of cars and trucks, as well as lampposts and advertisement screens like those seen in Times Square or Tokyo. In an inspired move, falling debris, such as lampposts hit by a poorly aimed laser blast, can actually damage a player standing in its way. Perhaps it is technically though, where the game shines most. The textures are amazingly clear, with the skies being the highlight. The clouds change to all sorts of colors, and seem to flow along the sky, creating that spectral feel that the game is going for.
After you complete the twisted and twisting story mode, you can compete online with up to three other people. The multiplayer matches are enjoyable, as humans tend to put up a much better fight than the AI. This isn’t because the AI is bad, it is simply because the AI is forced to use skills that correspond with the type of creature they are. It is important to play the story first, though, because it is there that you unlock new skills and buy new arsenal cases. If you didn’t get all of the skills you want in your playtime with the single player, then you can trade with other people online. There is also a two-player offline mode, which is equally as enjoyable, although your arsenals will still have to come from the same pool.
Phantom Dust is an incredible game, with a gripping single player story, and a long lasting multiplayer experience. With its literally mind-bending graphics, haunting yet eclectic score, and well-balanced gameplay, Phantom Dust should be in the library of any Xbox gamer. There is nothing else like it on the system, and the game sells for a budget price. This game isn’t a fast paced action adventure epic. Be prepared for its slow and strategic approach to combat, which will require you to invest a lot of time to reap this game’s generous rewards. But be well aware, this game is worth the effort.
Phantom Dust is a third person action/strategy hybrid unlike anything you will play on the Xbox. Similar to card based games like Pokemon, Phantom Dust tasks you with winning matches against computer or human opponents, using hundreds of skills across nearly a half dozen categories. Like in other Pokemon-esque games, Phantom Dust’s skills require you to collect energy, here called Aura Capsules. With enough energy, and by meeting the skill’s conditions, your character can “cast” skills ranging from melee skills, to long-range snipers. One skill, for example, can only be cast once you have less than 3 life, while others can only be cast after you have used most of the skills in your arsenal. The variability in skill casting requirements adds a layer of depth to the game. It’s important in games like Phantom Dust that battles are both fun to play, and rewarding once completed. Phantom Dust masters both of these requirements while adding such unique elements a real-time combat on destructible 3D battlefields.
Microsoft’s genre-bending hybrid also weaves a horrific tapestry of intrigue, love, friendship, and ultimately, betrayal. Phantom Dust takes place on a futuristic earth, where the remains of humanity live miles below the surface - a requirement now that a mysterious dust covers the landscape, erasing the memories of those who stay out in it long enough. As the tale begins, a group of elite warriors, known as the Espers, find two chambers in the Dust, each holding a person. One person, Edgar, holds a locket with a picture of a girl in it. The other is you, a voiceless character who you name soon after the game starts.
Mission based in structure, Phantom Dust revolves around a city, which acts as a hub from which you can take on missions and learn about the happenings in this sci-fi society. No one in the city can recall how they got there or what their real names were. Hence, names like Cuff Button and Know prevail. The leader of the city is called Leader, and it is through him and his spokesman that the story is told. The characters are quirky, and they are all fun to talk to. One character that really stands out is the baroness, who is in fact a male bar tender who’s always looking for new recipes. Sadly, except for in cutscenes, all of the dialogue is written with no voice-overs. This is disappointing as there were more voice-overs in the Japanese version, and also because all of the characters are so interesting. Between their hilarious names, strong backgrounds, and idiosyncratic art design, characters in Phantom Dust are easy to get attached to, a real rarity in gaming.
In between major story missions you can take on various quests in an attempt to help the Espers. Sparse but determined, the Espers are the few humans with the ability to transform the Dust into energies that can be used to create skills of varying sorts. The first several missions are actually tutorials teaching you how to use all of the basic skill types. These tutorials are highly effective and never seem tacked on. In truth, Phantom Dust features one of the best tutorials in any game, ever.
Skilld types such as attack and defensive skills, as well as skills that give you enhanced stats, special abilities like levitation or teleportation, and skills that affect other players or the environment. All of these skills are split across several classes, such as laser skills and psychic skills, and each has its own advantages and drawbacks; they balance each other out nicely. The laser class focuses on long-range attack skills. It also features one of the most impressive skills in the game, called the octolaser. This skill shoots eight lasers into an enemy causing, you guessed it, eight damage. You’re health starts at twenty, so this skill is not only graphically impressive but is also highly effective. The skill isn’t overpowered though, as all skills can be blocked, and lasers travel in an arc and can be easily dodged. Of course some skills like flame sword require you to be right next to you’re target. These skills are hard to counter, and offer the most visceral combat in the game. Of course, a long-range skill can easily hit you before you make it to your target. Still, the enjoyment of slashing your opponent over and over with a blade of fire just never gets old.
Building an arsenal of skills is simple. You can have thirty items in a skill set, including Aura. Also, you can only have up to three classes of skills in each set, and that is only by the end of the game. In the beginning you are restricted to just one class, such as the laser class. This is fine though, because it’s important to become efficient in creating arsenals before creating complex, multi-class juggernauts. To create an arsenal you have to buy skills from the local junk dealer. These skills then move into a general pool of sorts, and it is from this pool that arsenals are created. The game gives tons of info about each skill; making it pretty easy to know what skills you want where. For example, flame sword is a close range attack skill that does three damage, and knocks down an opponent. It costs three Aura to use, and there is a visual display showing exactly how the skill will look when cast. If all that isn’t enough, you can simulate battles to get a hang of things.
What really makes Phantom Dust excel so greatly is it’s attention to detail. Battles are a joy to play. The camera can be manually controlled, or you can use a targeting system. All skills lock onto your target, and there is no need to aim any of your shots. You merely need to be the correct distance from him or her. Colored circles appear around your opponent - green for far away, yellow for mid-range, and orange for close opponents, so that you can monitor the distance.
Battles are fought by picking up skills and then using them against your opponent. Skills are either exhausted after one cast, or can be used endlessly. To pick one up, simply stand over the capsule and press one of the face buttons. The skill is then mapped to that button, and you merely have to press it again for the skill to be cast. Skills look great in action too. From the massive rock shower skill, to the huge octolaser, these skills are truly fun to use and watch.
Enemies vary greatly. Some focus on close range skills, while other use longer-range abilities. When you complete a mission a memory box appears back in town. By reading the information in the box you can gain more insight into enemy behaivor, skill uasge, or plot details. There are several boss fights, and bosses are usually gigantic. Coming in all shapes, the bosses are beautifully designed and realized. They require a lot of strategy to beat, and can be difficult, sometimes to the point of frustration.
Before most boss fights a stylized cutscene will play out, and it is here you get to experience the incredible original and licensed music. Ranging from techno to Beethoven, the music is eclectic to say the least. It also fits well, with its moving choral pieces used in cutscenes, and fast tempo rock used in battles. One of the coolest uses of music comes in the room of your Leader, where the Moonlight Sonata is played. Added with the town’s freakish mix of gothic and futuristic architecture, your base is easily a place to get lost in.
The world you fight in has been constructed meticulously with care and love. Almost everything is destructible and the gorgeous art-style is mind-boggling. There is one arena in a destroyed town. The floor is made up of fallen signs and advertisements, while in the sky, there are remains of cars and trucks, as well as lampposts and advertisement screens like those seen in Times Square or Tokyo. In an inspired move, falling debris, such as lampposts hit by a poorly aimed laser blast, can actually damage a player standing in its way. Perhaps it is technically though, where the game shines most. The textures are amazingly clear, with the skies being the highlight. The clouds change to all sorts of colors, and seem to flow along the sky, creating that spectral feel that the game is going for.
After you complete the twisted and twisting story mode, you can compete online with up to three other people. The multiplayer matches are enjoyable, as humans tend to put up a much better fight than the AI. This isn’t because the AI is bad, it is simply because the AI is forced to use skills that correspond with the type of creature they are. It is important to play the story first, though, because it is there that you unlock new skills and buy new arsenal cases. If you didn’t get all of the skills you want in your playtime with the single player, then you can trade with other people online. There is also a two-player offline mode, which is equally as enjoyable, although your arsenals will still have to come from the same pool.
Phantom Dust is an incredible game, with a gripping single player story, and a long lasting multiplayer experience. With its literally mind-bending graphics, haunting yet eclectic score, and well-balanced gameplay, Phantom Dust should be in the library of any Xbox gamer. There is nothing else like it on the system, and the game sells for a budget price. This game isn’t a fast paced action adventure epic. Be prepared for its slow and strategic approach to combat, which will require you to invest a lot of time to reap this game’s generous rewards. But be well aware, this game is worth the effort.
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