[Review] Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle Remastered [PS5]

Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle is a game where you play as ‘Marona’, a Chroma who is possessed by a Phantom causing her to be outcast by all but Ash, the phantom who happens to be possessing her.
This is a strategy/tactics RPG title where you as Marona get hired for jobs to take out creatures/phantoms that normal individuals cannot, which you accomplish by summoning Phantoms you have join you throughout your adventure.
Most zones have roughly 3 missions/zones which each provide an individual battle against multiple enemies where you summon your phantoms to engage in combat and meet the battle conditions. However, unlike the typical strategy/tactical RPG your summons are given a set number of turns before they leave the battle field and cannot be resummoned in that battle.
To add even more critical thinking to the mix, in order to summon a phantom you have to have them possess an object on the battle field, each of which will increase/decrease specific stats of the individual who is being summoned. An example being a rock will increase defense, but lower agility and intellect, whereas a shrub will increase intellect, but lower defense and physical attack.
And for the cherry on top, equipment that you make and provide to your character both counts towards your ‘total’ of allowable units within a lineup and can be stolen/destroyed by monsters on the field, however, some stages also include weapons a character can obtain during the mission and use against the enemies you’ve been pitted up against.
You have quite a bit of freedom in terms of unit development in this game, as you spend points to create new phantoms which are class based, like the Witch, Merchant, Healer, Dungeon Monk, and more. Not only that, but you also can purchase weapons which have their individual level and teachable moves and can merge both phantoms & weapons with each other to increase their level cap and classification.
Phantoms & Weapons are managed at your hub, which happens to be a house out in the middle of the ocean. From here you can purchase/sell items, heal your party, read articles & requests, as well as set up your island a bit in terms of decoration, phantom/weapon placement, etc.
The story of the game is presented in voiced cutscenes of the pixilated avatars up against beautiful scenic backdrops, adding a depth to the game where you can appreciate the roots while also appreciating the length the developer took to bring ‘more’ to the presentation than just pixel on pixel.
All in all, if you’re looking for a fun tactical RPG that allows for in depth character/unit customization and many hours of gameplay if you’re shooting for a 100% completion, at $20 USD at the time of launch, this is definitely a title I’d recommend grabbing for your collection!
You can also catch the Youtube short review here