Platform: Switch
Publisher: tinyBuild Games
Developer: Bread Team
Genre: Action, Adventure
Players: 2
Release Date: August 10, 2017
Phantom Trigger delivers a unique presentation that caught my attention the first time I saw it. After playing the game for almost a week, I’m happy to say that Phantom Trigger is more than just another pretty indie title with a mysterious atmosphere. The game features an interesting narrative and a complete fighting/combo system. Phantom Trigger does its best to make each of these things feel unique. However, the narrative and gameplay fall short in some aspects that prevent the game from being anything more than simply good.
An Uncertain Connection
Phantom Trigger focuses on two main characters: Stan and the Outsider. As you progress throughout the game, Stan’s story is told through flashbacks. We’re first introduced to Stan when he’s talking about breakfast with his partner. Seemingly out of nowhere during the conversation, Stan collapses to the ground in what appears to be a stroke. The subsequent flashbacks demonstrate the harsh realities of being diagnosed with a disease and the decision to seek treatment or not. The Outsider’s story focuses on discovering why they are in this mysterious, “neon” world. The Outsider meets several characters that seek to aid him on his quest. There’s a connection between Stan and the Outsider, and your goal as the player is to unravel these secrets.
At first, I was invested in Stan’s health and discovering the mystery of the Outsider. As the game went on, however. I realized I did not really care for any of the characters other than Stan. Phantom Trigger’s narrative wasn’t anything innovative or that I’ll particularly remember long after. Regardless of this, the story accomplished its goal because it motivated me to play until its conclusion.
Flashing (Neon) Lights
One thing I will remember about this game is its impressive use of colors and lights. There’s a reason this game is called a “Neon Slasher.” The colors streak and glow sharply as you swing your weapons, fight enemies and explore the ominous world. The enemies you encounter glow menacingly and their attacks flash fiercely. Pixelated graphics offer a great complement to the striking neon colors. Despite its pixelated presentation, Phantom Trigger is quite detailed and distinct in its appearance. The music, however, is not. Originally, I was excited about the music in the game but after playing longer I realized that the music kind of all blends together. The sound effects, specifically the swinging of the weapons, is so repetitive that it became annoying for a while. Unfortunately, Phantom Trigger does not have any Nintendo Switch exclusive features like HD Rumble. I’m happy to report that I had no performance problems whatsoever in either docked or handheld mode.
Constant Combos and Combat
Phantom Trigger plays like an action-adventure dungeon crawler with hack-and-slash elements. The game features 3 different weapons, a combo system, and a leveling system. The three weapons you get to use are a green whip, a blue sword, and red fists. The leveling system is for the weapons, not your character even though your character’s health bar can be extended by finding shrines scattered throughout the worlds. As you defeat enemies and destroy obstacles, your weapons earn XP based on which one you’re using. Leveling them up makes weapons more powerful and unlocks new move sets you can use to defeat enemies in new ways. There are a few enemy types in this game, and some of them have an elemental variation that you’ll encounter in the later worlds. The three main types of enemies fight in close quarters ranged attacks or area of effect damage. You’ll encounter many enemies at once throughout your adventure. In the beginning, it will be quite overwhelming, especially the first time you get locked into an arena where you have to defeat all the enemies before you can leave. This will happen many times as you search for the items that were requested of you by the other characters in order to reach the boss of the area. The boss fights in this game are one of its highlights. Boss fights are not simply about hitting the enemy as fast as you can until it dies but instead is like a puzzle where you have to figure out how to let its guard down.
Phantom Trigger took me about 7 hours to beat, which is a good length for one of these small indie titles. The game features a normal and hard difficulty and even has a local co-op mode. The co-op mode is a nice touch, but Phantom Trigger isn’t really the type of game where you’ll feel like you’re missing out if you’re not playing with another friend.
Concerns
Despite its best efforts, the combat of Phantom Trigger can become repetitive and unsatisfying quite often throughout the game. I feel this is a result of the limited variety of enemies, their move sets, and how often you encounter them. The three main enemy types, even with their environmental variations, don’t offer enough changes to warrant a change in gameplay. Defeating each enemy doesn’t require a change in strategy or tactics. The combat itself, using different weapons together, chaining combos, and trying new move sets, is varied enough to be interesting. However the enemies you encounter are not, and they are all relatively easy to defeat. I never felt the need to use different move-sets when one of the ones I learned early on helped me eliminate enemies with ease. I was still able to enjoy Phantom Trigger, but I took breaks quite often so that the repetition didn’t become too much.
Final Thoughts
Whipping, slashing, and punching your way to solving the mysteries of Phantom Trigger make the game an engaging experience thanks to its neon colored presentation and constant combat. Despite its repetitive gameplay, Phantom Trigger managed to hold my interest thanks to its narrative. If you’re interested in a dungeon crawler or a hack-and-slash, I would suggest trying Phantom Trigger. It’s a solid title overall, but remember to keep your expectations in check. Phantom Trigger can be purchased on the Nintendo e-Shop for $14.99.
