It's no huge secret that support from Japanese developers is a little slim on Microsoft's big green monster. RPGs are also few and far between, with KotOR and Fable being some of the only exceptions. With that in mind, it would seem that Phantom Dust--an RPG from overseas--would be just what the doctor ordered, and in a lot of respects, it is. For what it's worth, Phantom Dust manages to offer an experience that you won't likely find anywhere else on consoles, let alone the Xbox. Unfortunately, the enjoyable aspects of Phantom Dust are overshadowed by a few rather tragic flaws, and the amount of fun you have with it is directly related to whether or not you have Xbox Live.
The plot of Phantom Dust is a refreshing change of pace from the standard RPG fare, even if it's borrowing heavily from the bizarre Bruce Willis film Twelve Monkeys. Like the movie in question, Phantom Dust takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where mankind has been nearly wiped out, and the survivors forced to live underground--in this case, because of a memory-destroying dust that smothers the surface. Nobody knows how or why this dust appeared, and that's where the player comes in.
How does one go about uncovering the details of mankind's near-extinction? By beating the snot out of the dudes on the surface, of course. While the motives behind it may not be all that interesting, the combat itself in Phantom Dust is what sets it apart from just about every other game out there. Though it exists under the guise of a third-person action RPG, Phantom Dust essentially boils down to a rather complex card game. Over the course of the game's 100+ single-player missions, you'll build up what the game calls an arsenal--basically a deck of cards, with each card representing a different skill or attack. You can only equip four of these skills at a time, and you can swap them for other moves at your spawn point, which serves as a sort of draw pile. Forging the perfect arsenal out of the over 300 skills can take a lifetime, and experimenting with different combinations of cards accounts for half the fun in the game.
Depending on which types of skills you use to fill out your arsenal, your role in battle will drastically change. There are basic long, mid, and short-range attacks, as well as defensive maneuvers like force fields. Also useful are the movement related skills that allow you to teleport, dash, or even fly around the maps. The real fun starts when you mess around with the more unconventional abilities, such as skills that erase your opponents equipped attacks, or the telekinetic powers that let you send debris hurtling at your enemies. There are even defensive skills that reflect incoming assaults back at enemies. It's stuff like this that will keep Phantom Dust in the back of your mind, even when you're not playing.
Just as polished as the card game mechanics are the game's visual and audio aspects. The character models are very detailed, stylized, and sort of resemble what you'd see in the Aeon Flux animated series. Even better looking are the environments these characters populate. The developers have crafted a gorgeous, believable world that has been shattered by unknown events. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that a majority of your surroundings reveal themselves to be destructible to a surprising extent. There's something beautiful about demolishing the very ground your enemy stands on, and sending them plummeting to the depths below. Musically, the game has a lot of eerie, revamped versions of classical music, such as Beethoven's famous Moonlight Sonata. These remixed tunes really drive home the creepy vibe that the rest of the game's aesthetics hint at.
So what gives? If Phantom Dust does all these things so well, what could possibly go wrong? For starters, the offline single-player game is likely to put you into a boredom-induced coma. Yes, it has a relatively interesting plot, and yes, there are over 100 missions to keep you busy. Unfortunately, the plot moves at a snail-like pace, with a good chunk of those 100 missions simply explaining how to play the game over and over. Some missions seem like a total waste of time, with NPCs sending you to the surface to find recipes for pasta, which you'll recover by--you guessed it--beating up bad guys. Also discouraging is the lack of maps throughout the game. In fact, for about half of the entire game, every single mission takes place on one of three maps. As entertaining as the core action is, you can't help but get a little sick of your surroundings.
Luckily for those of us with friends, Phantom Dust is a social game more than anything. The collection and customization-heavy gameplay is absolutely conducive to conversation, competition, and co-operation (not to mention alliteration). Xbox Live, system link, and splitscreen modes are available, with the latter being the least desirable option of the three. After playing with and against real people, you'll never feel the need to fly solo again. Online trading is also an option, which is the sort of thing a game like this begs for. Also good news is that the game will only set you back a cool 20 bucks, so convincing a few buddies to pick it up shouldn't be too much of a stretch.
Even though the bland offline game is more like a massive tutorial to prepare you for the awesome online play, Phantom Dust is a steal at the budget price. If you're an Xbox owner looking for something different, and you're Live enabled, be sure not to miss it. It's a great game that could've been far greater, had the offline game not been so dreadfully dull.
7.0