Phantom Brave - NIS Talks Ghosts and Strategy

Recently we were given the unique opportunity to speak with Nippon Ichi, developers behind some of the most critically acclaimed strategy games on the PlayStation 2 console. With Phantom Brave on the horizon for release this month, we jumped at the opportunity to see just what the creators had in store for us all with this title.

Snackbar Games: Thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us about Phantom Brave. All of us are very excited about this game, as we are still riding high on that which was La Pucelle and Disgaea. Could you give our readers a little background as far as who you are, what projects you have worked on in the past, and what your role has been on the Phantom Brave project?

Yos***suna Kobayashi: Hello, my name is Yos***suna Kobayashi. My previous works include La Pucelle and Disgaea. For Phantom Brave I worked as the Director and the Game Designer.

SBG: One of the first things on peoples' minds, at least the minds of those who played both Disgaea and La Pucelle, is does Phantom Brave directly tie in with either of those games story-wise, or is it a wholly independent experience?

YK: Phantom Brave does not tie in with either Disgaea or La Pucelle. It is a wholly independent game from the two, but you might find some guest appearances in Phantom Brave from the previous titles.

SBG: The gameplay in both Disgaea and La Pucelle was different, but both games were at their core still quite similar. What is the gameplay like in Phantom Brave, and how is the same and/or different from what players may have experienced with the previous titles?

YK: Although Phantom Brave is a turned based RPG, we got rid of the ordinary phase-turn system used in Disgaea and La Pucelle. Instead we adopted a system where turns are determined by individual speed. Also gone are the chess like grids. Players are free to move their characters anywhere they want, as long as they are within their moving range.

SBG: Where on earth did the whole confinement of Phantoms concept come from?

YK: The confinement concept was my inspiration.

SBG: Can you explain a bit as to how confinement works, and its impact on Phantom Brave's gameplay?

YK: Confinement is the most important element of this game. Without confinement Marona will have to battle enemies on her own.

In order to summon your characters to the battlefield you must confine your characters to objects on the map. By confining with objects you may increase or decrease your character status. Different objects provide different status change. Some objects might receive a protection status from other objects; these protected objects may possess special powers like invincibility.

SBG: What is your opinion on the evolution of gameplay in the series from those previously mentioned titles to Phantom Brave?

YK: Phantom Brave has exponentially more freedom in the game play then previous titles. The game is in fact "imagination knows no limit."

SBG: Many of our readers are curious as to what are your opinions toward the quasi-censorship of the English release of La Pucelle, such as the removal of Croix's smoking and the many crosses? Has Phantom Brave been altered in any way other than the language for its release outside Japan?

YK: Regarding the quasi-censorship, I believe it is necessary to avoid expressions in the game that may disturb players. However I also believe it is important to include expressions that will improve the game. Phantom Brave has not been altered in anyway other than the language text. Of course the game dialogue can be changed from English to Japanese in the option screen.

SBG: One thing about both Disgaea and La Pucelle is that they had very limited pressings, and as such they became very difficult for people to find on store shelves in a rather short period of time. With NIS being now the North American publishing face of Nippon Ichi, will Phantom Brave enjoy a larger pressing, and thus be more readily available to those who wish to purchase the game?

YK: We do not believe that NIS titles, such as Phantom Brave are for the mass market. Placing mass quantities of our titles on the shelves will not guarantee sales. Instead we are aiming for the niche market and conducting sales promotions that will please our core fans. For Phantom Brave we are giving away a free soundtrack bundle for gamers that pre-order at participating retailers. In the end, the most important promotion for niche titles like Phantom Brave is word of mouth.

We do believe that it is important to be able to meet consumer demands, there for we will have to think of a way to respond to those who wish to purchase our titles.

SBG: Just from what we have played thus far of Phantom Brave it seems to feature a much more serious story than either Disgaea or La Pucelle. Was this a conscious effort on the part of the designers, and will the game still feature the same tongue-in-cheek humor fans have come to expect from these titles?

YK: We decided to go a little more serious on the story this time. In an effort to make the game more serious, we added "warmth" to the graphics and to the game contents. Phantom Brave does not have the tongue-in-cheek humor like the previous titles, but we believe players will still be able to enjoy the game.

SBG: I was wondering if you could talk a bit about your recently announced Makai Wars?

YK: I am sorry, but at this current moment we are not able to give out any information.

SBG: Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us today. I know al of us here and our readers are very excited about Phantom Brave. Is there anything else you would like to add?

YK: Thank you very much taking on interest in NIS and its game titles. We will continue to work hard to develop titles that will not disappoint our fans. We appreciate any support.

Aug 2, 2004 - 12:00 am | 0 comments
Jason Dobson