Phantom Brave
Encyclopedia
is a tactical role-playing game
for the Sony
PlayStation 2
video game console
developed and published by Nippon Ichi Software
. It was released on January 22, 2004
in Japan, on August 31, 2004
in North America and on February 4, 2005
in Europe. The game shipped in two "editions"—Normal and Special—the Special edition coming with a free soundtrack and shortened instruction manual.
A port for the Nintendo's
Wii
console, titled Phantom Brave: We Meet Again was initially announced to have a release date of March 12, 2009
in Japan, but due to manufacturing delays with the Wii discs, it was instead released on August 14, 2009. NIS America has also confirmed that they will be releasing the port in the US, giving it the subtitle "We Meet Again". In addition to the Wii game disc, NIS America has also included a DVD which contains various art work, and both animated and non-animated sprites.
Along with the Wii. NIS confirmed that they also plan on porting the game to PSP
. With added features that the Wii has and also features that were not present on the PS2 or Wii. Such as new characters. Recently Siliconera teased gamers with a "puzzlehunt", giving them the quote; "Maybe that means thank you?". This puzzlehunt eventually came to be the announcement that Phantom Brave is indeed headed to North America and Europe. While U.S. players will get both PSN and UMD versions, players in Europe will only get the PSN version.
The protagonist of Phantom Brave is a 14 year old girl named Marona. Having lost her parents at a young age, Marona lives on Phantom Isle in the land of Ivoire with a phantom named Ash. While he was still alive, Ash worked alongside Jasmine and Haze (Marona's parents) as a Chroma, a sort of bounty hunter. On an assignment at the Isle of Evil, a fragment of a malevolent being known as Sulphur attacked the group, mortally wounding them. Using the last of his life energy, Haze attempted to revive Ash after the battle. However, there was only enough life left in him to bring Ash back as a phantom. Haze and Jasmine's dying wish was for Ash to watch over their then-infant daughter Marona.
Marona is the only one able to see Ash in phantom form. This is primarily because of her unique ability known as Chartreuse Gale. This ability not only allows her to see and interact with phantoms, but temporarily bind their souls to objects and give them a temporary body using a skill called "Confine". Using this, she can summon Ash and other phantoms of her creation to the world of the living to aid her in her own endeavors as a Chroma, similar to the work done by her late parents. This work is very difficult for Marona, though. Because she possesses the Chartreuse, many assume that she is controlled by evil spirits and are afraid to even interact with her, much less employ her for Chroma work. Also, in the early portions of the story, people who offer Marona employment would rescind any rewards upon completion once they discover that she has the Chartreuse ability.
As she continued her Chroma work, Marona's path eventually crossed with a man named Walnut. Walnut prided himself on his status as a Chroma Oxide, one who secretly follows a Chroma on his mission and steals the reward for the work. Walnut regularly tries to meddle in Chroma-related matters involving Marona, but is rarely successful. As they continued their work, Ash and Marona also met a sickly young girl named Castille. Confined to a bed and a wheelchair for most of her life, Castille was unable to go out into the world or make friends. However, after helping Castille's family on an assignment, Marona agrees to be her friend, and leaves behind a Putty, a mischievous spirit found on an earlier assignment, to keep Castille company.(P.S. Walnut is Castille's brother)
More time passes, and signs of Sulphur returning to Ivoire in full force are more apparent. Earthquakes increased in frequency and monsters plagued the land, with a lesser form of Sulphur known as Wraith appearing to attack Ash and Marona several times. Ash and Marona meet more people who are aware of these signs and are making preparations to battle Sulphur, if necessary. Among these individuals are Raphael, a knight from a legion known as the Nine Swords of Ivoire, and Sprout, a renegade soldier whose family was killed by Sulphur when he attacked many years earlier. Sprout seems to side with Ash in this fight, but Sprout is bent on the destruction of Sulphur at all costs, no matter the means used.
As preparations for the final battle are made and Ash and Marona return to the Isle of Evil, Raphael is found possessed by Sulphur, and so Ash and Raphael engages in a duel. Raphael is injured, and entrusts Ash with Heliotrope, his sacred sword, for use in his battle with Sulphur. At the center of the island lies a portal from which Sulphur is fully entering the world, and upon the heroes' arrival to this point, they expect to engage in combat with Sulphur immediately. However, they are intercepted by Sprout. Having gone mad from his own power, Dark Eboreus and by Sulphur's curse, Sprout attacks Ash and Marona. As he loses he kills himself with his sword Shiva in order to stop Sulphur within him, but Sulphur materializes anyway.
Ash and Marona finally enter battle with Sulphur, and after the fight, Sulphur is weakened, but still making an effort to enter into Ivoire. At that point, Walnut appears, and sacrifices his own life to close the seal between Ivoire and Sulphur's domain.
. In Phantom Brave, Marona dispatches her phantom allies by confining them to things such as trees, grass, rocks, and flowers. Different objects
give different kinds of stat bonuses, making it advantageous to confine certain characters to certain things. A Soldier, for example, often benefits from the type of stat bonuses found on a rock, while a Witch does not. Up to 14 phantoms can be dispatched during a battle, but they only last for a particular number of turns. The number is based on class. A Witch lasts three turns, while a Soldier lasts eight. While a high confine is desirable for continuous use of the character, a low confine is often wanted for stealing purposes, or for 'bomber' units. The phantom known as bottle mail lasts for 3 turns and has a 100% steal rate making him/her an invaluable ally.
Unlike most tactical role-playing games, whose game board contains a grid used for movement, Phantom Brave has a gridless system, in which each character can move a certain number of dm in each turn. The terrain also has traction and bounciness characteristics, which affect how long characters continue to slide along after they stop moving and how high they bounce when they jump down from a ledge. On slippery surfaces, it's possible to make the characters "ice skate" by moving very short distances (consuming few dm) and letting them slide to their destination.
Also unlike most TRPGs, the board does not have barriers on the edges. Combined with the hold and throw system inherited from Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
, characters can be thrown or hit off the field and sent O.B. (out-of-bounds). O.B.'d characters are gone for the rest of the map. When an enemy is O.B'd, the levels of the remaining enemies rise, so the player can trade many small problems for one large one. If the enemies HP is zero when thrown out a level up to other enemies is not granted. Example : Ash uses berserker and kills enemy, in the process the enemy is O.B.'d. This situation does not give other enemies a level up. (The last enemy on the map cannot be thrown O.B.)
Another unique feature for character development is the fusion system. All characters and weapons accumulate mana whenever they kill an enemy. This mana can be spent to fuse two characters together, an item to a character, or an item to an item. Fusion increases the level cap of the beneficiary by the level of the consumed item or character. By spending mana, the player can improve equipment percentages (stat bonuses given to characters who equip the item or character) and confine percentages (bonuses to characters confined in the item on the field), and transfer skills to the beneficiary. In Phantom Brave, weapons have a much greater effect on stats than the characters, so mastering the fusion system to create super-powerful weapons is essential to conquering the extra maps. Also unlike most CRPGs the max level is 9999.
There are Random Dungeons. While on Phantom Isle, a Dungeon Monk can be asked to create a Random Dungeon. Some characteristics of the dungeon can be seen before creation, including the type and general number of enemies present, the floor conditions, and if the use of equipped weapons is restricted or not. Dungeons also have titles, which are applied to every enemy in the dungeon and change (usually improve) as floors are cleared. These titles can later be removed and placed on player characters or weapons. Random Dungeons take the form of a linear series of floors. The failure title is a good example. By giving a dungeon this title new beginners can beat hordes of high level enemies pretty easily. Unlike in Disgaea, where to descend to the next floor one may merely move a character to a certain panel, in Phantom Brave one must defeat all the enemies present to continue. Occasionally, a floor may have a special named layout (for example, "Self-Styled God" floors have a stronger enemy in the center of a terraced layout). These floors occur randomly and confer an extra bonus upon completion. To leave a random dungeon, one must either clear every floor, or use a Dungeon Monk's Return skill (which costs money proportional to the current depth).
While not in battle, Marona can return to her home - Phantom Island - where she can summon new phantoms to aid her. Phantoms actually populate the island as non-player character
s. Many classes have a utility on the island - Merchants sell things, Healers heal and resurrect, Dungeon Monks allow the player to go to random battle fields, Fusionists fuse characters and items, Witches order spells and Blacksmiths fuse mana with weapons to either level them up or to awaken hidden skills the weapon can use. Also on Phantom Isle one can obtain the changebook which allows you to switch "main" characters.
As Marona and her group of Phantoms advance through the chapters, her ability to create Phantoms grows. The player starts off by being able to make a small amount of Phantoms, but as time goes on, one will be able to create more powerful Phantoms, such as fenrirs and zombies.
Phantom Brave has a series of extra maps following the main storyline. These maps feature cameos by some members of the Disgaea cast as enemies; after defeating them, they join the player's side as "phantom doubles". While the first couple of extra maps can be completed immediately after the main story, the later extra maps are very difficult and require a large amount of time to be spent leveling characters and fusing weapons for characters before they can be completed.
The main heroine of the game, Marona is a young girl who has the ability to see and communicate with phantoms, an ability known as "Chartreuse". This power enables her to make a living off of being a Chroma, a kind of adventurer for hire, despite being at such a young age. She lost her parents when she was five, but Ash, a friend of her parents and a former Chroma who is now a phantom himself, came back to protect Marona after the demise of her parents and himself.
The main hero of the game, Ash is a young phantom who protects Marona. He worked as a Chroma with Marona's parents, and after having died along with Marona's parents he found himself stuck between life and death thanks to Marona's father. He has since sworn to watch over and protect Marona. Ash is often overprotective of Marona and is sometimes known to frighten the unwary when he accidentally speaks aloud when in phantom form, although he's usually careful and well intentioned.
A werewolf who impersonates Raphael of the White Wolf Army. He later returns in the Sand region under the influence of Sulphur, which fuels his impersonation into a belief that he really is Raphael. After he is defeated for the final time, he is shown to be a member of the Fighting Beasts under Drab. Along with many other story characters, he joins Marona as a playable character in the side story "Another Marona" on the Wii version.
A Chroma Oxide, a person who waits for a Chroma to near the completion of their assigned job and then finishes the last bit and takes proof of their work in order to steal the job from said Chroma. Willing to do anything and step on anyone to achieve his goals, Walnut at first appears to be a nothing more than a selfish bad boy who steals for his own merits; but throughout the game it is revealed that he is Marona's friend Castille's older brother, and that the money he's been "collecting" has been getting put aside to pay for an operation for her.
It is revealed that Walnut's power, "Burgundy", is in fact the same power utilized by the legendary Scarlet the Brave when she first defeated Sulfer thirty years ago, and is fueled by burning the wielder's soul.
Along with other characters, he joins Marona in "Another Marona", a side story only on the Wii version of the game, as a playable character.
Castile is a young girl who uses a wheelchair. Early in the story she is kidnapped by Wraith, a minion of Sulphur, but she is rescued by Marona and Ash, whom she then becomes best friends with.
Sienna is an elegant, beautiful businesswoman, who happens to own Phantom Isle. She is very generous and polite to a fault, but her calm demeanor seems to hold a few secrets. Even her assistant, Murasaki, seems utterly clueless as to Sienna's true motivations, or what it is about Phantom Isle that makes it so important to her. Besides Phantom Isle, Sienna owns an immense Bottle Mail factory. It is later revealed that she was Scarlet the Brave before she was severely wounded in her battle with Sulfer.
An 85 year old man whose family was slain by Sulphur's hand many years before the game's main storyline. He has sworn to kill Sulphur and avenge his family, and has turned to the use of dark powers in order to achieve his revenge, despite once being the wielder of a holy sword. He is the former mentor of Raphael, and one of the warriors known as the 9 Swords of Ivoire.
His signature technique is the power Dark Eboreus.
He joins Marona in "Another Marona" as one of many other now playable characters whom were previously unplayable.
A dignified old Scrabbit with a mustache that sends Marona on a search for Scarlet the Brave.
Leader of the White Wolf Army, a group of Ravens (demon slayers), Raphael is one of the warriors known as the 9 Swords of Ivoire. He is first seen in the quest to find the rainbow bird, a battle that does not result in a "Game Over" if lost.
His signature technique is Heliotrope Blade.
He is another now playable character that joins Marona in "Another Marona".
The most powerful minion of Sulphur, and the one that killed Marona's parents and Ash eight years before the game's story takes place. He is a minor character, but moves the plot along at multiple occasions, appearing at times when Sulphur's power is particularly strong.
The story's main antagonist. He doesn't appear until the final battle of the game, but plays a huge role throughout the storyline, his very presence causing chaos across the world of Ivoire. He possesses many people throughout the game.
After the main game is completed, Sulphur somehow returns to Ivoire in a bonus map on the Island of Evil. Though Marona and Ash are successful in defeating him once more, it was still a mystery as to how he had returned. The answer to the question wasn't revealed until an optional map in the PS2 game, Soul Nomad & the World Eaters.
A new character appearing for the first time in Phantom Brave: We Meet Again for the Nintendo Wii, she appears only in the new campaign; Another Marona. She is the Marona of an alternate reality, but in order to avoid confusion amongst the people of the game's world she goes by the name 'Carona'. Despite she and Marona actually being the same person, Carona and Marona are quite different. Where as Marona is carefree and optimistic, Carona is always serious and is quite the pessimist. Her goals and intent are both unknown, and she mostly keeps to herself.
Carona appeared in Ivoire just after the mysterious spreading of darkness that claimed the lives of all of the peoples of Ivoire; save Marona.
A character that appeared alongside Marona, this bearded Eringa claims to be a god. He entices Marona and company to work in his interest under the proposal that if they can defeat Sulfer within a certain number of days that he will revive all of the people who were felled by the darkness that swallowed Ivoire. On the last battle it is revealed that he is the "Merchant of Death" and also the one behind the spreading of darkness that killed everyone.
(ラハール, Rahaaru) He is the son of King Krichevskoy, who plans on becoming overlord after his father's death. He is incredibly arrogant, and he always tries to prove that he is the strongest demon in the Netherworld. He becomes physically sick when hearing optimistic sayings, especially "love", and when he sees women with sexy bodies. He is one of the characters that is unlockable in the bonus stages after the game is complete. He also happens to be the main character of the games Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PS2), Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness (PSP), Disgaea DS, and Netherworld Battle Chronicle Disgaea: The Prince of the Netherworld and the Red Moon.
She is the leader of the Prinny squad, and one of the few vassals who remain in the Overlord's Castle after King Krichevskoy's death. She serves Laharl, though in a very sarcastic and insincere manner. She is very abusive toward the Prinny Squad, often using excessive violence and fear to keep them in line. In the Etna Story we discover Etna made a promise to the King to watch over Laharl and make him into a great overlord. It is believed that Etna may have some feelings for Laharl, but this has not been confirmed. She is another character that is unlockable in the bonus stages of the game. She is one of the main characters of the Disgaea series of games.
(フロン, Furon) She is an Angel Trainee sent on a mission to assassinate Overlord Krichevskoy. After learning that her target is already deceased, she became determined to follow Laharl and determine if demons truly are incapable of love. She is very innocent and naive, though she is deeply devoted to Seraph Lamington and the concept of spreading love to others. It is thought that Laharl eventually develops feelings for her, as he mourns her 'death' and seeks revenge upon Seraph Lamington, but there is no further evidence to suggest this. She is obsessed with tokusatsu television series and movies, such as Ultraman
and Super Sentai
. She is a bonus unlockable character after the game is complete. She is one of the main characters of the Disgaea series of games, and appears to have a main role in the latest PS3 game in the series, Disgaea 4.
His true name is Vyers but he also likes to be called the dark Adonis. Vyers sometimes speaks bits of French, using words such as "moi" and "mademoiselle". Laharl ignores his rant about his title and name in the original Disgaea game and tells him that his new name is Mid-Boss, a name which Vyers very much despises. As Laharl's self-proclaimed rival, Vyers appears all over the place causing trouble for Laharl, Etna and Flonne whenever possible. He is unlockable after the game is beaten.
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
for the Sony
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
developed and published by Nippon Ichi Software
Nippon Ichi
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. They are responsible for such titles as Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Phantom Brave, La Pucelle: Tactics and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure.-History:Nippon Ichi Software was founded in September 1991 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, as an entertainment...
. It was released on January 22, 2004
2004 in video gaming
-Events:*January 20 — Wireds Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner Duke Nukem Forever.*March 4 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Peter Molyneux into the AIAS Hall of Fame*March 22-26 — Game...
in Japan, on August 31, 2004
2004 in video gaming
-Events:*January 20 — Wireds Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner Duke Nukem Forever.*March 4 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Peter Molyneux into the AIAS Hall of Fame*March 22-26 — Game...
in North America and on February 4, 2005
2005 in video gaming
-Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship....
in Europe. The game shipped in two "editions"—Normal and Special—the Special edition coming with a free soundtrack and shortened instruction manual.
A port for the Nintendo's
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
console, titled Phantom Brave: We Meet Again was initially announced to have a release date of March 12, 2009
2009 in video gaming
The year 2009 saw the release of many video games, including several sequels.-Events:-Scheduled releases:List of games scheduled for release in 2009 in North America....
in Japan, but due to manufacturing delays with the Wii discs, it was instead released on August 14, 2009. NIS America has also confirmed that they will be releasing the port in the US, giving it the subtitle "We Meet Again". In addition to the Wii game disc, NIS America has also included a DVD which contains various art work, and both animated and non-animated sprites.
Along with the Wii. NIS confirmed that they also plan on porting the game to PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
. With added features that the Wii has and also features that were not present on the PS2 or Wii. Such as new characters. Recently Siliconera teased gamers with a "puzzlehunt", giving them the quote; "Maybe that means thank you?". This puzzlehunt eventually came to be the announcement that Phantom Brave is indeed headed to North America and Europe. While U.S. players will get both PSN and UMD versions, players in Europe will only get the PSN version.
Plot
Marona is the only one able to see Ash in phantom form. This is primarily because of her unique ability known as Chartreuse Gale. This ability not only allows her to see and interact with phantoms, but temporarily bind their souls to objects and give them a temporary body using a skill called "Confine". Using this, she can summon Ash and other phantoms of her creation to the world of the living to aid her in her own endeavors as a Chroma, similar to the work done by her late parents. This work is very difficult for Marona, though. Because she possesses the Chartreuse, many assume that she is controlled by evil spirits and are afraid to even interact with her, much less employ her for Chroma work. Also, in the early portions of the story, people who offer Marona employment would rescind any rewards upon completion once they discover that she has the Chartreuse ability.
As she continued her Chroma work, Marona's path eventually crossed with a man named Walnut. Walnut prided himself on his status as a Chroma Oxide, one who secretly follows a Chroma on his mission and steals the reward for the work. Walnut regularly tries to meddle in Chroma-related matters involving Marona, but is rarely successful. As they continued their work, Ash and Marona also met a sickly young girl named Castille. Confined to a bed and a wheelchair for most of her life, Castille was unable to go out into the world or make friends. However, after helping Castille's family on an assignment, Marona agrees to be her friend, and leaves behind a Putty, a mischievous spirit found on an earlier assignment, to keep Castille company.(P.S. Walnut is Castille's brother)
More time passes, and signs of Sulphur returning to Ivoire in full force are more apparent. Earthquakes increased in frequency and monsters plagued the land, with a lesser form of Sulphur known as Wraith appearing to attack Ash and Marona several times. Ash and Marona meet more people who are aware of these signs and are making preparations to battle Sulphur, if necessary. Among these individuals are Raphael, a knight from a legion known as the Nine Swords of Ivoire, and Sprout, a renegade soldier whose family was killed by Sulphur when he attacked many years earlier. Sprout seems to side with Ash in this fight, but Sprout is bent on the destruction of Sulphur at all costs, no matter the means used.
As preparations for the final battle are made and Ash and Marona return to the Isle of Evil, Raphael is found possessed by Sulphur, and so Ash and Raphael engages in a duel. Raphael is injured, and entrusts Ash with Heliotrope, his sacred sword, for use in his battle with Sulphur. At the center of the island lies a portal from which Sulphur is fully entering the world, and upon the heroes' arrival to this point, they expect to engage in combat with Sulphur immediately. However, they are intercepted by Sprout. Having gone mad from his own power, Dark Eboreus and by Sulphur's curse, Sprout attacks Ash and Marona. As he loses he kills himself with his sword Shiva in order to stop Sulphur within him, but Sulphur materializes anyway.
Ash and Marona finally enter battle with Sulphur, and after the fight, Sulphur is weakened, but still making an effort to enter into Ivoire. At that point, Walnut appears, and sacrifices his own life to close the seal between Ivoire and Sulphur's domain.
Gameplay
As in other tactical role-playing games, battles take place on an isometric boardIsometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
. In Phantom Brave, Marona dispatches her phantom allies by confining them to things such as trees, grass, rocks, and flowers. Different objects
give different kinds of stat bonuses, making it advantageous to confine certain characters to certain things. A Soldier, for example, often benefits from the type of stat bonuses found on a rock, while a Witch does not. Up to 14 phantoms can be dispatched during a battle, but they only last for a particular number of turns. The number is based on class. A Witch lasts three turns, while a Soldier lasts eight. While a high confine is desirable for continuous use of the character, a low confine is often wanted for stealing purposes, or for 'bomber' units. The phantom known as bottle mail lasts for 3 turns and has a 100% steal rate making him/her an invaluable ally.
Also unlike most TRPGs, the board does not have barriers on the edges. Combined with the hold and throw system inherited from Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Nippon Ichi Software and published by Nippon Ichi Software in Japan, Atlus USA, Inc. in North America, and Koei in Europe for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
, characters can be thrown or hit off the field and sent O.B. (out-of-bounds). O.B.'d characters are gone for the rest of the map. When an enemy is O.B'd, the levels of the remaining enemies rise, so the player can trade many small problems for one large one. If the enemies HP is zero when thrown out a level up to other enemies is not granted. Example : Ash uses berserker and kills enemy, in the process the enemy is O.B.'d. This situation does not give other enemies a level up. (The last enemy on the map cannot be thrown O.B.)
Another unique feature for character development is the fusion system. All characters and weapons accumulate mana whenever they kill an enemy. This mana can be spent to fuse two characters together, an item to a character, or an item to an item. Fusion increases the level cap of the beneficiary by the level of the consumed item or character. By spending mana, the player can improve equipment percentages (stat bonuses given to characters who equip the item or character) and confine percentages (bonuses to characters confined in the item on the field), and transfer skills to the beneficiary. In Phantom Brave, weapons have a much greater effect on stats than the characters, so mastering the fusion system to create super-powerful weapons is essential to conquering the extra maps. Also unlike most CRPGs the max level is 9999.
There are Random Dungeons. While on Phantom Isle, a Dungeon Monk can be asked to create a Random Dungeon. Some characteristics of the dungeon can be seen before creation, including the type and general number of enemies present, the floor conditions, and if the use of equipped weapons is restricted or not. Dungeons also have titles, which are applied to every enemy in the dungeon and change (usually improve) as floors are cleared. These titles can later be removed and placed on player characters or weapons. Random Dungeons take the form of a linear series of floors. The failure title is a good example. By giving a dungeon this title new beginners can beat hordes of high level enemies pretty easily. Unlike in Disgaea, where to descend to the next floor one may merely move a character to a certain panel, in Phantom Brave one must defeat all the enemies present to continue. Occasionally, a floor may have a special named layout (for example, "Self-Styled God" floors have a stronger enemy in the center of a terraced layout). These floors occur randomly and confer an extra bonus upon completion. To leave a random dungeon, one must either clear every floor, or use a Dungeon Monk's Return skill (which costs money proportional to the current depth).
While not in battle, Marona can return to her home - Phantom Island - where she can summon new phantoms to aid her. Phantoms actually populate the island as non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s. Many classes have a utility on the island - Merchants sell things, Healers heal and resurrect, Dungeon Monks allow the player to go to random battle fields, Fusionists fuse characters and items, Witches order spells and Blacksmiths fuse mana with weapons to either level them up or to awaken hidden skills the weapon can use. Also on Phantom Isle one can obtain the changebook which allows you to switch "main" characters.
As Marona and her group of Phantoms advance through the chapters, her ability to create Phantoms grows. The player starts off by being able to make a small amount of Phantoms, but as time goes on, one will be able to create more powerful Phantoms, such as fenrirs and zombies.
Phantom Brave has a series of extra maps following the main storyline. These maps feature cameos by some members of the Disgaea cast as enemies; after defeating them, they join the player's side as "phantom doubles". While the first couple of extra maps can be completed immediately after the main story, the later extra maps are very difficult and require a large amount of time to be spent leveling characters and fusing weapons for characters before they can be completed.
Characters
- Marona
The main heroine of the game, Marona is a young girl who has the ability to see and communicate with phantoms, an ability known as "Chartreuse". This power enables her to make a living off of being a Chroma, a kind of adventurer for hire, despite being at such a young age. She lost her parents when she was five, but Ash, a friend of her parents and a former Chroma who is now a phantom himself, came back to protect Marona after the demise of her parents and himself.
- Ash
The main hero of the game, Ash is a young phantom who protects Marona. He worked as a Chroma with Marona's parents, and after having died along with Marona's parents he found himself stuck between life and death thanks to Marona's father. He has since sworn to watch over and protect Marona. Ash is often overprotective of Marona and is sometimes known to frighten the unwary when he accidentally speaks aloud when in phantom form, although he's usually careful and well intentioned.
- Bijou
A werewolf who impersonates Raphael of the White Wolf Army. He later returns in the Sand region under the influence of Sulphur, which fuels his impersonation into a belief that he really is Raphael. After he is defeated for the final time, he is shown to be a member of the Fighting Beasts under Drab. Along with many other story characters, he joins Marona as a playable character in the side story "Another Marona" on the Wii version.
- Walnut
A Chroma Oxide, a person who waits for a Chroma to near the completion of their assigned job and then finishes the last bit and takes proof of their work in order to steal the job from said Chroma. Willing to do anything and step on anyone to achieve his goals, Walnut at first appears to be a nothing more than a selfish bad boy who steals for his own merits; but throughout the game it is revealed that he is Marona's friend Castille's older brother, and that the money he's been "collecting" has been getting put aside to pay for an operation for her.
It is revealed that Walnut's power, "Burgundy", is in fact the same power utilized by the legendary Scarlet the Brave when she first defeated Sulfer thirty years ago, and is fueled by burning the wielder's soul.
Along with other characters, he joins Marona in "Another Marona", a side story only on the Wii version of the game, as a playable character.
- Castile
Castile is a young girl who uses a wheelchair. Early in the story she is kidnapped by Wraith, a minion of Sulphur, but she is rescued by Marona and Ash, whom she then becomes best friends with.
- Sienna
Sienna is an elegant, beautiful businesswoman, who happens to own Phantom Isle. She is very generous and polite to a fault, but her calm demeanor seems to hold a few secrets. Even her assistant, Murasaki, seems utterly clueless as to Sienna's true motivations, or what it is about Phantom Isle that makes it so important to her. Besides Phantom Isle, Sienna owns an immense Bottle Mail factory. It is later revealed that she was Scarlet the Brave before she was severely wounded in her battle with Sulfer.
- Sprout
An 85 year old man whose family was slain by Sulphur's hand many years before the game's main storyline. He has sworn to kill Sulphur and avenge his family, and has turned to the use of dark powers in order to achieve his revenge, despite once being the wielder of a holy sword. He is the former mentor of Raphael, and one of the warriors known as the 9 Swords of Ivoire.
His signature technique is the power Dark Eboreus.
He joins Marona in "Another Marona" as one of many other now playable characters whom were previously unplayable.
- Count Malt
A dignified old Scrabbit with a mustache that sends Marona on a search for Scarlet the Brave.
- Raphael
Leader of the White Wolf Army, a group of Ravens (demon slayers), Raphael is one of the warriors known as the 9 Swords of Ivoire. He is first seen in the quest to find the rainbow bird, a battle that does not result in a "Game Over" if lost.
His signature technique is Heliotrope Blade.
He is another now playable character that joins Marona in "Another Marona".
- Wraith
The most powerful minion of Sulphur, and the one that killed Marona's parents and Ash eight years before the game's story takes place. He is a minor character, but moves the plot along at multiple occasions, appearing at times when Sulphur's power is particularly strong.
- Sulphur
The story's main antagonist. He doesn't appear until the final battle of the game, but plays a huge role throughout the storyline, his very presence causing chaos across the world of Ivoire. He possesses many people throughout the game.
After the main game is completed, Sulphur somehow returns to Ivoire in a bonus map on the Island of Evil. Though Marona and Ash are successful in defeating him once more, it was still a mystery as to how he had returned. The answer to the question wasn't revealed until an optional map in the PS2 game, Soul Nomad & the World Eaters.
- Carona
A new character appearing for the first time in Phantom Brave: We Meet Again for the Nintendo Wii, she appears only in the new campaign; Another Marona. She is the Marona of an alternate reality, but in order to avoid confusion amongst the people of the game's world she goes by the name 'Carona'. Despite she and Marona actually being the same person, Carona and Marona are quite different. Where as Marona is carefree and optimistic, Carona is always serious and is quite the pessimist. Her goals and intent are both unknown, and she mostly keeps to herself.
Carona appeared in Ivoire just after the mysterious spreading of darkness that claimed the lives of all of the peoples of Ivoire; save Marona.
- God Eringa
A character that appeared alongside Marona, this bearded Eringa claims to be a god. He entices Marona and company to work in his interest under the proposal that if they can defeat Sulfer within a certain number of days that he will revive all of the people who were felled by the darkness that swallowed Ivoire. On the last battle it is revealed that he is the "Merchant of Death" and also the one behind the spreading of darkness that killed everyone.
Bonus Characters
- Laharl
(ラハール, Rahaaru) He is the son of King Krichevskoy, who plans on becoming overlord after his father's death. He is incredibly arrogant, and he always tries to prove that he is the strongest demon in the Netherworld. He becomes physically sick when hearing optimistic sayings, especially "love", and when he sees women with sexy bodies. He is one of the characters that is unlockable in the bonus stages after the game is complete. He also happens to be the main character of the games Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PS2), Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness (PSP), Disgaea DS, and Netherworld Battle Chronicle Disgaea: The Prince of the Netherworld and the Red Moon.
- Etna
She is the leader of the Prinny squad, and one of the few vassals who remain in the Overlord's Castle after King Krichevskoy's death. She serves Laharl, though in a very sarcastic and insincere manner. She is very abusive toward the Prinny Squad, often using excessive violence and fear to keep them in line. In the Etna Story we discover Etna made a promise to the King to watch over Laharl and make him into a great overlord. It is believed that Etna may have some feelings for Laharl, but this has not been confirmed. She is another character that is unlockable in the bonus stages of the game. She is one of the main characters of the Disgaea series of games.
- Flonne
(フロン, Furon) She is an Angel Trainee sent on a mission to assassinate Overlord Krichevskoy. After learning that her target is already deceased, she became determined to follow Laharl and determine if demons truly are incapable of love. She is very innocent and naive, though she is deeply devoted to Seraph Lamington and the concept of spreading love to others. It is thought that Laharl eventually develops feelings for her, as he mourns her 'death' and seeks revenge upon Seraph Lamington, but there is no further evidence to suggest this. She is obsessed with tokusatsu television series and movies, such as Ultraman
Ultra Series
The is the collective name for all the shows produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad Ultra Monsters. The Ultra Series is one of the prominent tokusatsu superhero genre productions from Japan, along with Toei produced series Kamen Rider, Super...
and Super Sentai
Super Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
. She is a bonus unlockable character after the game is complete. She is one of the main characters of the Disgaea series of games, and appears to have a main role in the latest PS3 game in the series, Disgaea 4.
- Mid-Boss
His true name is Vyers but he also likes to be called the dark Adonis. Vyers sometimes speaks bits of French, using words such as "moi" and "mademoiselle". Laharl ignores his rant about his title and name in the original Disgaea game and tells him that his new name is Mid-Boss, a name which Vyers very much despises. As Laharl's self-proclaimed rival, Vyers appears all over the place causing trouble for Laharl, Etna and Flonne whenever possible. He is unlockable after the game is beaten.