History VideoGame / PhantomDust

''Phantom Dust'' is a 2005 ActionRPG brought into the world by [[Creator/MicrosoftStudios Microsoft Game Studios]] for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, directed by ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon'' series creator Yukio Futatsugi. The core gameplay consists of building "[[CollectibleCardGame arsenals]]," each composed of thirty different skills of your choice. There are 320 such skills to choose from, plus the mandatory aura capsules you need to insert in your arsenal to use these skills. Like ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', most skills require a specific amount of aura to use. Once the skill is used, your aura level goes down and starts to recharge. This is to prevent mad spamming of powerful skills. [[JustifiedTutorial With the exception of the beginning of the game]], you are randomly given four of these skills to each of your four main buttons (A, B, X, Y), plus three more random ones positioned near your spawn point that you can switch out with skills that you can't use at the moment or have been used up. Once you use one of the three, another random one will appear in its place until you've had access to all thirty of your skills/aura capsules.

At E3 2014, it was suddenly announced that the game would be given a multiplayer-only ContinuityReboot for the UsefulNotes/XboxOne by Darkside Game Studios, but was cancelled in 2015 due to budget constraints, which also resulted in Darkside closing down. Microsoft still planned to release the game, but after years of DevelopmentHell, it was revealed at E3 2016 that a [[UpdatedRerelease port of the game]] was in the works, and was released in May 2017 for UsefulNotes/XboxOne and Windows 10 as a free-to-play title, with Xbox Play Anywhere support.

[[caption-width-right:275:This game was forged in a fire fueled by [[ContemplateOurNavels philosophy books]], [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs illicit]] [[MindScrew substances]], [[NintendoHard the tears of frustrated players]], and leftover ''[[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering Magic]]'' cards.]]

[[caption-width-right:275:This game was forged in a fire fueled by [[ContemplateOurNavels philosophy books]], [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs illicit]] [[MindScrew substances]], [[NintendoHard the tears of frustrated players]], and leftover [[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering Magic]] cards.]]

''Phantom Dust'' is a 2005 ActionRPG brought into the world by [[Creator/MicrosoftStudios Microsoft Game Studios]] for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, directed by ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon'' series creator Yukio Futatsugi. The core gameplay consists of building "[[CollectibleCardGame arsenals]]," each composed of thirty different skills of your choice. There are 320 such skills to choose from, plus the mandatory aura capsules you need to insert in your arsenal to use these skills. Like TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering, most skills require a specific amount of aura to use. Once the skill is used, your aura level goes down and starts to recharge. This is to prevent mad spamming of powerful skills. [[JustifiedTutorial With the exception of the beginning of the game]], you are randomly given four of these skills to each of your four main buttons (A, B, X, Y), plus three more random ones positioned near your spawn point that you can switch out with skills that you can't use at the moment or have been used up. Once you use one of the three, another random one will appear in its place until you've had access to all thirty of your skills/aura capsules.

* AllegedLookalikes: The enemy referred to as "redhead" is mistaken for Freia, despite the former's monstrous appearance and the troublesome little detail that Freia's hair is platinum-colored.

* BloodMagic: Many faith based skills require you to sacrifice health in addition to the standard aura cost. A basic but effective faith strategy is to use health absorbing skills to compensate.

* CloningGambit: [[spoiler: After discovering he is dying from a mysterious illness, Edgar creates a clone of himself to look after the world in his absence. Interestingly, the clone seems to have never been made aware that he was a copy.]]

* TomatoInTheMirror: [[spoiler: Some or all of the monsters the Visions fight against are actually degenerated humans. What's more, all of humanity are artificial creations Edgar made from the phantom dust. To top it all off? The original Edgar died some time ago, and the Edgar the players interact with over the course of the game is a dust clone. These revelations are so shocking to the people who witness them that must of them return to dust when exposed to the truth.]]

* AfterTheEnd: The whole world is dead barring horrifying abominations that defy most of the normal rules of what defines life. The world is so screwed up in places that the laws of physics and gravity are starting to break down. And this is before [[spoiler: You find out this is a recreation of the world. Humanity went extinct thousands of years ago leaving only a greyish white dust covering the planet which Edgar found after returning from his time in space, the dust gives humans godlike powers to create anything they want but slowly poisons them to death. Everyone alive is made of it and the person who created them all is dead.]]

* UncertainDoom: [spoiler: The player character] is strongly implied to have disappeared [spoiler: after returning Edgar's spaceship to orbit and removing the dust from the planet], but this is never made 100% clear. Likewise, the fate of the [spoiler: rest of the Visions] is never answered either.

* FantasticGhetto: NPCs like Reindeer mention that the hub has a population of non-Espers, most of whom are seemingly not allowed to get near the surface. If tilting the camera just right in the lowest area of the hub, the player can just make out a few lit homes made from scrap metal and shipping crates. Reindeer explains that, having nothing productive to contribute, civilians spend most of their time eating and sleeping. While it's never explicit, him patrolling the area with a key ring implies that it's his job to keep civilians sequestered to their area.

-->--Freia

* AfterTheEnd: The whole world is dead baring horrifying abominations that defy most of the normal rules of what defines life. The world is so screwed up in places that the laws of physics and gravity are starting to break down. And this is before [[spoiler: You find out this is a recreation of the world. Humanity went extinct thousands of years ago leaving only a greyis white dust covering the planet which Edgar found after returning from his time in space, the dust gives humans godlike powers to create anything they want but slowly poisons them to death. Everyone alive is made of it and the person who created them all is dead.]]

* KiAttacks: The ki school, which consists of the most close-ranged skills out of any other school and allows for superhuman martial arts and energy attacks.

At E3 2014, it was suddenly announced that the game would be given a multiplayer-only ContinuityReboot for the UsefulNotes/XboxOne by Darkside Game Studios, but was cancelled in 2015 due to budget constraints, which also resulted in Darkside closing down. Microsoft still planned to release the game, but after years of DevelopmentHell, it was revealed at E3 2016 that a [[UpdatedRerelease port of the game]] was in the works, and was released in May 2017 for UsefulNotes/XboxOne and Windows 10 as a free-to-play title, with [=XBox=] Play Anywhere support.