Oh, holy crap, when did this get by me? Nippon Ichi, the creator of the extremely famous Disgaea series, isn’t too well known for making PC releases other than the Disgaea PC sometime back. With the release of Phantom Brave on Steam, it’s pretty clear what direction the company is taking. The console industry certainly is a small demographic considering that the IPs Nippon Ichi often develops are for niche markets. What better way to find more of this niche market than by having their beloved games, such as Phantom Brave, available on a previously unexplored platform? And even more importantly, a platform as big as a Steam account?
Steam Account Value: A Gem of a Series
Initially released in 2004 for the Playstation 2, Phantom Brave found itself moderate commercial success but quite some acclaim from RPG aficionados. As a tactical role-playing game, Phantom Brave’s gameplay occurs on an isometric board, akin to the Disgaea series and other tactical games like Final Fantasy Tactics or Vandal Hearts. Unlike the Disgaea series, however, there are only a few true playable protagonists and most unit creation is done via “phantoms” through Marona, the female lead.
Marona sends out phantom allies and has them inhabit inanimate objects throughout the playing field, like rocks or trees, that determine their overall combat capabilities. Specific objects give specific stats and abilities to specific classes, making it a tactical decision as to where to confine a specific phantom. Up to 14 phantoms can be dispatched during any given battle, but the phantoms can only be confined to the physical world for a particular number of turns. The number of turns that a character can stay confined is based upon their class.
Steam Account Value: A Great Story
Phantom Brave comes from a period in time in the gaming industry where there was a strict adherence to maintaining a fantastic story. Akin to its Nippon Ichi contemporaries, Phantom Brave hosts a long and great story that distinguishes itself from the Disgaea series by maintaining a serious sense of self with only a few sprinkles of comedy in between.
If you’ve never played this game, then I suggest you stuff up your Steam account value with this amazing game. Buying steam keys for this is also going to be a big deal because the success of Phantom Brave (and Disgaea PC beforehand) will determine if Nippon Ichi will continue to publish their games on PC. Believe me, this game is worth every penny.