Phantom Rift ($2.99)from Foursaken Media is an interesting little creature of a game. It takes a novel approach to RPG battles by abandoning turn based strategy and adding a card management meta-game mechanic. Phantom Rift shows so much promise initially, but it quickly wears off as you realize that in between each exciting battle, the games plodding while interaction with the world can be downright frustrating.
The world in which Phantom Rift takes place is definitely a dark and mystical one; puzzling- as well. For such frenetic battle mechanics the “story” mode meanders around and never quite makes it home. The exploration is, for want of a better word: “clunky.” The footstep audio loop is also grating after just a few minutes as it is repeated infinitely while you bumble around, get stuck on objects in the world you should easily navigate around, and struggle to activate dialogue options when you meet a friendly NPC (read: ball of light). Also the style of world building where blocks come up from under your feet to form the ground as you run was something at first I thought was a cool presentation, especially against the drab darkened background. At some point I realized that it probably was done to keep hardware specs down as there are no draw distances to really speak of. By the end of the game I was neutral about it. It makes exploration even more daunting because you can’t see what is ahead. Moving in this robotic game is made even more annoying when you try to walk toward a goal, and the path that appears instead takes you bumbling around some more.
Back to that “story” thing I mentioned back there. There isn’t a whole lot of it in Phantom Rift. The introduction basically tells you that you got sucked into another dimension and that to survive you have to fight enemies and level up, and build your card deck so you can survive and level up. Sorry for the spoilers, there. I ruined the ending.
Phantom Rift is to be commended for the battle implementation. At the beginning of each enemy encounter you are whisked away to a 3×6 battle arena. The fights unfold in real time, with you tapping to dodge and to attack, constantly moving to evade attacks while getting in the position to deliver your own. This is where Phantom Rift shines. At the beginning of every battle you also pick cards that grant you various bonuses, some offensive and some defensive. While you get a list of cards you have in your deck already to choose from, the list generated is random. As you explore you discover new cards to add to your deck. The only problem I had with this mechanic is that occasionally you would get multiple identical cards so one ability effectively takes up two slots, limiting your choices.
Getting new cards to smite the crap out of your enemies, getting dexterous with the combat system and even getting new gear for your character is all fun. The first time you one hit kill a combat instance will make you giddy with pride. Unfortunately Phantom Rift is a genius (battle sequences) surrounded by dropouts (everything else). If you are a fan of RPG combat, don’t care about story, or don’t mind plodding around between sequences you could add a point to Phantom Rift’s scor But for those who are looking for a well-rounded experience, in the end,it all happens so repetitiously that eventually the substantial charm spell Phantom Rift casts on you with its cool mix of card-game deck-building and real time combat wears off, leaving only a mediocre title that I just can’t justify recommending 2.99$. Phantom Rift misses the mark.
Hardcore?
Not.
Fantastic combat approach and card game deck building fun can’t overcome a flawed presentation and plodding exploration.
