It wont break you
I swear here lately it seems we have entered a golden age for fighting games, especially the anime variety. With big hitters like Dragonball FighterZ, Guilty Gear Strive and King of Fighters dropping recently it seems the flood gates are open and that trend continues with Phantom Breaker: Omina. If you haven’t heard of the franchise before then you’re not alone; released solely in Japan in 2011 over the years the game has seen some updates. But thanks to Rocket Panda Games the Phantom Breaker series is seeing a worldwide release and it’s packed to the gills with bells and whistles for it’s coming out party.
Phantom Breaker Omina much like most fighting games save very few has an absurdly wild story but its as good a reason as any to have these folks fighting. A man called Phantom has bestowed random people with powers in a bid to have them fight others for his own ends; however, the winner of this tournament will see any wish they desire, granted. Each of the characters in Phantom Breaker Omina each have their own individual stories. During each tale there is a short cutscene that is played where each fighter banters. I was superbly happy to hear that Omina is fully translated; meaning all the voice overs, battle cries and grunts of pain have been re-recorded by a great cast in English. The visuals are also bright and colorful as most anime fighters are, each character oozes personality with their overall designs and movements. The only issue is the oddity that some fighters seem to be 2D sprites and others aren’t.
MSRP: $39.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $39.99
The actual fighting in Phantom Breaker: Omina is a breath of fresh air in a lot of respects. For one these of games usually are more flash than substance; large effects and flashy particles that fill the screen is all well and good. But while Omina has all that, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the fighting system here is deeper than most and for me made each win feel more rewarding. For starters when players choose their character, they will choose a style to use during the battle. There is a ‘Hard’ style which beefs up defense and is ideal for fighters like M, who find success up close and personal. A ‘Quick’ style that will basically make fighters into the proverbial “glass cannon” who can dish out a lot of damage but will shatter quickly once countered. And lastly the ‘Omnia’ style, which is the middle ground between the three with the slight change how burning meter works for some attacks. Personally, I loved all three styles but I enjoyed the ‘Quick’ style the most. Using M, I stay in my opponent’s face, so being able to unleash combos vast and furious to keep them off balance is my cup of tea. The style system that the developers have implemented here is easy enough for beginners but has enough depth to keep fighting game vets busy as well.
The style system isn’t the only way that Phantom Breaker Omina is making itself more approachable for players. The controls during fights are simplified; there is only 3 attack buttons and a special button. Instead of using the tried-and-true quarter circle forward + input for special attacks, Phantom Breaker Omina just asks that players use the special button and pick a direction. Most characters inputs are interchangeable which makes it easy when trying new characters and attempting to figure out the special attacks. I would say to check the command list that you know, every other game makes available during the fights when players pause. For some odd reason though the command list for Phantom Breaker Omina is buried under no less than 4 different screens and can only be looked at while on the main menu. Again, the inputs are pretty easy, so a quick glance will get most players under way but its still a shame you can’t look at this screen during a fight.
Phantom Breaker Omina is a solid fighting game, that is plagued by some odd issues. Aside from the command list debacle, when playing the game some character models are the usual 2D sprites while others appear to be flat images on 3D models much like old school Mortal Kombat used to do. It’s not a game breaking issue and I am guessing it has to do with this game being a remake and perhaps they used old models but changed styles when they added the newer characters. Either way its only really noticeable when you have one of each of the character types in the same match, the movements and animations are wildly different and makes it feel a little janky. But even with those issues Phantom Breaker: Omina is a really fun fighting game. With its low barrier of entry for controls and special moves; Omina is easy to pick up and just moderately difficult to master and with its rollback netcode for online multiplayer when you need a break from some of the bigger anime fighters, I recommend checking out Phantom Breaker: Omina.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
