Are you familiar with 2D side-scrolling beat-'em-ups? If you've played even five minutes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or The Simpsons in the arcade, then your answer to that question should be a resounding "yes", but usually after a very short time with a game in this genre, you've seen virtually everything there is to see. Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is no different, featuring a traditional side-scrolling, button-mashing experience that may be endearing for the first few minutes, but once the redundancy sets in and the nostalgia slips away all too quickly, you're left with an experience that feels like it was made twenty years ago.
Gi - It’s no secret that the beat-em-up genre sort of died out back after the 90’s. Fans of the genre still exist and are dedicated to the golden days of simplistic side scrolling action. Unfortunately, most attempts at recreating 90’s classics has led to a wave of bland monotonous games that released then quickly faded into obscurity. Video game developer, 5pb, is looking to revitalize the genre with Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds but does this game stand strong as a modern 90’s classic or is it just another modern day clone?
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is a 2D, retro-styled, side-scrolling beat-em-up in a similar vein to 2010’s popular XBLA brawler, Scott Pilgrim vs The World. In Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds, players take on the role of one of the four colorful starting characters: Mikoto, Waka, Itsuki and Yuzuha, and battle their way through the streets of Tokyo and finally to a Demonsphere universe in order to rescue Waka’s sister Nagi from the clutches of the evil Phantom.
The XBLA game is actually a spinoff of Phantom Breaker, a retail fighting game released in Japan by 5pb, however the presentation ensures no prior knowledge of the characters or story is required.
EGM: "Though a few flaws do mar the overall experience, Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is an extremely enjoyable mix of retro beat-em-up design and modern fighting-game-inspired combat depth that offers far more satisfaction than its $10 price tag might initially suggest."
Yeesh, glad I only downloaded the demo. I haven't even tried it out yet.
Sounds like a waste of a download
It's actually more fun, albeit short, than this review makes it out to be. If you're a fan of chip tunes, or 8-bit music in general, then you'll love the music in this. The sound design in general is good (not sure what the reviewer was smoking). There's more to the game play than there appears to be at first; each character has their own unique style, and you won't see what they're capable of until you level them up (max level is 50). The stat system allows you to put points into attributes and/or skills, but you can't max out everything, so there's some thought involved in the process. There's unlockable characters too.
2/5 is a bit harsh. I'd give it a 3.5/5. The game's only $10 for crying out loud. I've played much worse for much more.