Phantom Dust

"Easy to learn, hard to master, and totally awesome!"

I was originally gonna give this game a score of 8 or 9, but after thinking about it I realized that everything this game tries to do, it succeeds at and surpasses expectations. With that said, when I bought this game I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's uniqueness, style, fun level, and addictiveness has really kept me enjoying it like no other game recently.

Gameplay
When I first started up this game, I thought it was most like an action game broken up into stages. But later on I slowly realized that it truly is basically a card game. Before a mission you create a deck consisting of many kinds of attacks, defenses and other skills. Then during the mission you are randomly dealt those skills in the form of three glowing orbs that continually reappear until your deck is exhausted. You assign those skills to whichever of the four main buttons of the controller you want and then use them on you or your opponents during battle. And then after you win missions you're awarded credits which can buy more skills in the shop. It's that simple. But it's learning when to properly use and conserve skills where strategy and challenge comes into play. This is not a button masher's game.

The story mode is intriguing, immersive and solid, and presents about 20 hours worth of gameplay. You can also play online which I really enjoy if I find an equal match, but is always interesting. Four players can play at once. and there's many modes of play, and the gameplay is perfectly smooth. I also like playing a friend in real life because it really does feel as though we're playing a very pretty card game. I suppose I should mention that there are over 300 skills, a ton of "memory boxes" (bits of information about the game world), and characters to unlock and use. There will also supposedly be downloadable content in the near future.

Graphics
These are seriously the best graphics I have ever seen in a console game; I was blown away. I only wish there was more of them. Other than the underground base, the few mission locations, characters models, and cut scenes, there's little else to look at. But dang is what's here ever pretty. The style and design is remarkable and unlike any other game I've played. The characters are particularly unique, with a neither western nor asian style. Environments are very detailed and even fall apart when struck with an attack. It's all very cool.

Sound
Once again there really isn't a lot, but what the game has is fantastic. Decent voice work, authentic sound effects, and some truly unique and incomparable music. A sort of mix of moody atmospheric, techno and classical styles, the music is really engrossing and stands out.

Overall
At only $20 new (and already getting rather rare) Phantom Dust should not be passed up by an xbox owner looking for something different, genuine, and fun to play and learn.

+Pros
Awesome atmosphere and style.
The graphics. Oh god the graphics!
Cool music.
Good online and offline multiplayer.
Completely unique and totally solid gameplay.

-Cons
May not be everyone's cup of tea.
Has a mild learning curve due to the fact that nothing like this has really been done before...
Would of been nice if scenario mode was on a bigger scale and if there were more stages and characters.
Battles often require patience.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/06/05