History VideoGame / PhantomBrave

A 2004 StrategyRPG game from Creator/NipponIchi, creators of ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' and ''VideoGame/LaPucelle'' for the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 2}}. It was the first game to be localized in North America by the company's American branch.

In 2009, it received an UpdatedRerelease for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, subtitled ''We Meet Again'', with a new chapter called "Another Marona", some new characters and a bonus art disc in a Collector's Edition. UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable also received a re-release in 2011, subtitled ''The Hermuda Triangle''. Lastly, it was released as "Phantom Brave [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]]" on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in July 2016. There was also an {{MMORPG}} spin-off, ''Phantom Brave Online''. In 2021, a remaster of ''The Hermuda Triangle'', alongside ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'', was released as part of the ''Prinny Presents NIS Classics'' (Volume 1).

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Most of the {{bonus boss}}es. Especially [[spoiler:Sulphur, who suddenly just returns out of nowhere at full power, and the only option Marona and Ash have is to just kill it]].

* AllThereInTheManual: Why on Earth did [[spoiler:Sulphur come back as a BonusBoss?]] Well, the game itself implies that it's AsLongAsThereIsEvil; however, [[spoiler:meeting a certain BonusBoss in ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'' reveals that the dimension-crossing ghost witch Lujei from ''VideoGame/GrimGrimoire'' sent him back for giggles. So chances are he's just plain dead now. Which makes the overly complicated in-story plan to get rid of him rather tragic, since it resulted in a couple of {{Heroic Sacrifice}}s]]. [[spoiler:Although Lujei did heal Walnut for giggles too.]]

* BonusBoss: It wouldn't be Nippon Ichi without absurdly overpowered bonus bosses hundreds of times stronger than the plotline final boss.
** In a mild subversion of the norm, [[spoiler:Baal is ''not'' the final BonusBoss and you can, in fact, recruit him. The ''true'' final BonusBoss is MythologyGag Pringer X]].
*** The remake goes for SerialEscalation with [[spoiler:Pringer XX and Pringer XXX]].
** At a certain point, you are given the choice to open a bottle by the Putties. Doing so [[spoiler:will release Laharl from it. Due to the world's EvilPowerVacuum, he tries to appoint himself ruler and tries to make the protagonists his Vassals.]]
** The PSP port adds in [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/MakaiKingdom Zetta]], Castille (reusing the sprite from her ''Makai Kingdom'' character), [[VideoGame/PrinnyCanIReallyBeTheHero the Hero Prinny]], the Unlosing Ranger, and Asagi as well]].

** Marona can ([[SpitefulAI and the enemies]] ''[[SpitefulAI will]]''), by attacking the "body" of one of her phantoms, Soul Kill them. She can still reconstitute it by sacrificing an object (and with a certain item, make the soul stronger). It is implied by dialogue (the evil has lifted and peace fills the air) that this is the right thing to do with Baal when it joins the party after you defeat it as a BonusBoss.

* DumpStat: Per Creator/NipponIchi tradition, DEF and RES become nigh-useless against most post-game enemies, primarily the [[BonusBoss Bonus Bosses]], reducing those battles into OneHitKO affairs.

* FightingAShadow: Wraith is the shadow of Sulphur, and so are the smaller "Summon" monsters. It's assumed Sulphur himself is this when fought as a BonusBoss, [[spoiler:but apparently he is just destroyed]].

** Sulphur: [[spoiler:Sent back to Ivoire by [[VideoGame/GrimGrimoire Lujei Piche]], who also sent Walnut to the ''Soul Nomad'' universe. Sulphur apparently dies permanently as a BonusBoss,]] but the main characters are now paranoid that [[spoiler:he will come back again when they least expect it]].

* RousseauWasRight: By the end of the game, [[spoiler:''everyone'' has become a good guy and is working with Marona to save the world from Sulphur]]. [[spoiler:Lujei Piche almost killed all that effort since she sent Sulfur back to Ivoire, but then Marona just ''kills'' him period as a BonusBoss. LevelGrinding beats ThePowerOfLove.]]

* WorfHadTheFlu: If how much stronger Sulphur is when he's fought as a BonusBoss is any indication, he was definitely this when fought during the main story; it's implied that since everybody saw him coming this time, they got him before he regained all his strength.

* TeensAreShort: Yes, Marona and Castile are canonically 13 and 14, respectively. [[OlderThanTheyLook They both appear roughly half a decade younger.]]

* KansaiRegionalAccent: Cauldron the Hawaiian shirt wearing shark man speaks in a Kansai accent in the Japanese voice options. It's kinda weird.

** [[spoiler:Storyline plot on how Sulphur is beaten. First, Sprout attempts to absorb it and kill himself in the hopes of taking it with him. That fails. The heroes fight it, with Ash attempting to serve as Sulphur's seal. Walnut interrupts and uses up his own life force to pull himself and Sulphur into the abyss between worlds instead, which the Putties finally seal away.]]

* BigBrotherInstinct: Ash and [[spoiler:Walnut]], to varying degrees. Ash goes out of his way to protect Marona (perhaps a bit too hard) to protect Marona from the harsh prejudice of the outside world and is always the first thing between hostiles and her. Walnut meanwhile is willing to sink to any and every low to [[spoiler: ensure Castile has access to medication]].

** Characters with the Blasphemy Title are a subversion. The Title grants the character the HP-reliant "Dark Eboreus" skill, improves all stats across the board, and grants a boost to EXP gains... but plunges every one of the character's Skill ranks to "F." If the character doesn't have some SP under their belt already, gaining SP immediately becomes an uphill battle as long as they carry the title. But, if they have enough SP, you've essentially doubled that character's stats. They become even better if they have high HP, as they can waste enemy mobs with Dark Eroberus.

* MoneyForNothing: Bounties for beating levels are paid out according to enemy level, so exploiting [[spoiler:3-2, which has two scrabbits with a constant "Level-Up" effect attached]] even once will give Marona more money than she could ever use.

** Raphael's Heliotrope, Sprout's Shiva and Carona's Hell Ansus can be disarmed from them and stolen each time you can encounter them. Raphael and Carona have 3 opportunities and Sprout, only one.

* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler:Storyline plot on how Sulphur is beaten. First Sprout attempted to absorb it and then killed himself, then the heroes fought it, then Walnut uses up his life force to pull himself and Sulphur into a portal into the abyss between worlds.]]
** Also, there is a Golem on Frigidia Isle that Scarlet the Brave managed to Seal away. One of Marona's missions has them just checking on the seal, but she ends up just killing the thing.

In 2009, it received an UpdatedRerelease for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, subtitled ''We Meet Again'', with a new chapter called "Another Marona", some new characters and a bonus art disc in a Collector's Edition. UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable also received a re-release in 2011, subtitled ''The Hermuda Triangle''. Lastly, it was released as "Phantom Brave [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]]" on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in July 2016. There was also an {{MMORPG}} spin-off, ''Phantom Brave Online''. In 2021, received a remaster of ''The Hermuda Triangle'', put together alongside ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'', as part of the ''Prinny Presents NIS Classics'' (Volume 1).

In 2009, it received an UpdatedRerelease for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, subtitled ''We Meet Again'', with a new chapter called "Another Marona", some new characters and a bonus art disc in a Collector's Edition. UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable also received a re-release in 2011, subtitled ''The Hermuda Triangle''. Lastly, it was released as "Phantom Brave [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]]" on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in July 2016. There was also an {{MMORPG}} spin-off, ''Phantom Brave Online''. In 2021, it will receive a remaster of ''The Hermuda Triangle'', put together alongside ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'', as part of the ''Prinny Presents NIS Classics'' (Volume 1).

* EverythingsEvenWorseWithSharks: Subverted. Cauldron, the shark man, gives Marona way more money than he promised, forms a fan club for her, and beats up anyone that badmouths her.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Axes, mid-game. The SPD reduction from early-game Axes is minimal and doesn't hamper a physical character all that much. However, as you get further into the game, better Axes result in even worse SPD reductions, to the point that someone with the latest Axe may not even be able to act. In a game in which SPD determines Turn Order, this turns hardy physical characters into paper-weights. Even worse, using Weeds and SPD objects to improve an Axe's SPD will eventually cost astronomically massive sums of Mana the more you try to improve. Axes end up such a risky Mana investment (especially Post-Game) that it's much easier to find a slightly weaker weapon type and work toward emphasizing ATK and SPD rather than try to improve an Axe 2/3rds of the time. They're outright a detriment in Another Marona, as enemy formations and [[BeefGate HP-buffed enemies]] demand a team faster than their enemies to compensate, forcing even brawlers to make do with daggers and such for a very long time.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Axes, mid-game. The SPD reduction from early-game Axes is minimal and doesn't hamper a physical character all that much. However, as you get further into the game, better Axes result in even worse SPD reductions, to the point that someone with the latest Axe may not even be able to act. In a game in which SPD determines Turn Order, this turns hardy physical characters into paper-weights. Even worse, using Weeds and SPD objects to improve an Axe's SPD will eventually cost astronomically massive sums of Mana the more you try to improve. Axes end up such a risky Mana investment (especially Post-Game) that it's much easier to find a slightly weaker weapon type and work toward emphasizing ATK and SPD rather than try to improve an Axe 2/3rds of the time.
** This becomes a requirement for Another Marona, as enemy formations and [[BeefGate HP-buffed enemies]] demand a team faster than their enemies to compensate, forcing even brawlers to make do with daggers and such for a very long time.

%%* BadassLongcoat: Walnut sports one.

%%* BigBrotherInstinct: Ash and [[spoiler:Walnut]].

* RegalRinglets: The Archer unit has this hairstyle. Later games from NIS gave her MegaTwintails, instead.

* ThePollyanna: Again, Marona. [[SlidingScaleLongName She's eventually vindicated.]]

* KillEmAll: The ExpansionPack epilogue in ''Phantom Brave: We Meet Again'', ''"Another Marona"'' starts off in an AlternateUniverse where instead of having to deal with the living, ''everyone'' except apparently Marona just keels over and dies. As Phantoms, they accept her a lot easier.

* IllGirl: Castille. She's very ill and paralyzed from the waist down.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Most of the [=NPCs=] who treat Marona terribly for most of the game get away with it by swapping to her side when it turns out only she has the power to defeat Sulphur, and their bad acts go free (though Marona prefers it that way). President Hogg is an exception to this rule, as at the end he atones by vowing to find a cure to IllGirl Castille's handicap. Walnut also... [[HeroicSacrifice atones properly.]]]]

** Characters with the Blasphemy Title are a subversion. The Title grants the character the HP-reliant "Dark Eboreus" skill, improves all stats across the board, and grants a boost to EXP gains... but plunges every one of the character's Skill ranks to "F." If the character doesn't have some SP under their belt already, gaining SP immediately becomes an uphill battle as long as they carry the title. But, if they have enough SP, you've essentially doubled that character's stats. [[UpToEleven They become even better if they have high HP, as they can waste enemy mobs with Dark Eroberus.]]

* AnimalWrongsGroup: Spoofed with Canary's monster rights group, [[FunWithAcronyms H.A.R.M.]]

* CatchPhrase: Ash's pre-battle taunt: "[[InTheNameOfTheMoon You'll go no further! For her sake, I will not fail!]]" There's also Marona's mantra of "Kitto itsuka," "One day..."

* CrapsaccharineWorld: The "cute" characters in the game are disabled, yelled at by angry villagers, are the angry villagers themselves, are harmless fools [[spoiler:[[DemonicPossession who get possessed by fragments of demonic souls]]]]... and that's not getting into the Putties, who are locked into cages or transported into circuses despite being fully sentient because, well, they can't talk. There's a thousand other things, and if not for the graphics and the music, this would probably be a CrapsackWorld.

** If starting Another Marona from scratch, level grinding becomes a must. Another Marona is significantly shorter than its main-game counterpart. The FinalBoss is the same level regardless. Do the math.

** Anytime a boss appears with a unique weapon (especially if they are swords), they can be disarmed using certain attack techniques and their equipment stolen by certain phantoms.
** Eggs, while not unique, are only found in extremely rare random dungeon types and/or a few specific story maps.

A 2004 StrategyRPG game from Creator/NipponIchi, creators of ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' and ''VideoGame/LaPucelle'' for the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 2}}. It was the first game to be localized in North America by the company's American branch. In 2009, it received an UpdatedRerelease for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, subtitled ''We Meet Again'', with a new chapter called "Another Marona", some new characters and a bonus art disc in a Collector's Edition. UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable also received a re-release in 2011, subtitled ''The Hermuda Triangle''. Lastly, it was released as "Phantom Brave [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]]" on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in July 2016. There was also an {{MMORPG}} spin-off, ''Phantom Brave Online''.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: The "cute" characters in the game are crippled, yelled at by angry villagers, are the angry villagers themselves, are harmless fools [[spoiler:[[DemonicPossession who get possessed by fragments of demonic souls]]]]... and that's not getting into the Putties, who are locked into cages or transported into circuses despite being fully sentient because, well, they can't talk. There's a thousand other things, and if not for the graphics and the music, this would probably be a CrapsackWorld.

** It's a turn-based Tactical RPG with ice physics. And somehow it works.