Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero
Sequel to Phantom Brave, released in 2025 on multiple platforms.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a tactical role-playing game from Nippon Ichi Software. A sequel to the 2004 title *Phantom Brave*, it launched on January 30, 2025 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch, with a Windows version following on April 25, 2025.
The story picks up months after the original game. Marona and Ash are sailing across the sea when the Shipwreck Fleet—a group of ghost ships—attacks them. A mysterious figure forces Ash to stay behind so Marona can escape. She washes ashore and meets Apricot, a ghost girl searching for her missing father and hoping to reunite their pirate crew, which the Shipwreck Fleet had scattered. The two team up to rebuild the crew, aiming to find both Ash and Apricot’s father.
The game was announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation on June 18, 2024, with a simultaneous worldwide release set for January 30, 2025 (the Steam version was planned for spring 2025). Producer Yuya Hosono explained that the sequel came about after an American poll of Nippon Ichi Software’s most popular characters. The company expected top spots to go to *Disgaea* characters, but *Phantom Brave* characters ranked higher. This showed the team that “even after twenty years, there is still a desire for Marona and her team.” NIS America, the company’s U.S. subsidiary, also supported the decision.
On Metacritic, the PlayStation 5 version received “generally favorable” reviews, while the Nintendo Switch version got “mixed or average” scores. OpenCritic reported strong approval, with 75% of critics recommending the game. In Japan, four Famitsu critics each gave it an 8 out of 10, for a total of 32 out of 40.
- Release Date (Windows)
- April 25, 2025
Lore & Background
Months after the events of Phantom Brave, Marona and Ash set sail across the seas, only to be attacked by ghost ships known as the Shipwreck Fleet. When they are attacked by a mysterious figure, Ash manages to get Marona out of there but is forced to stay behind. After Marona washes ashore, she meets a ghost girl named Apricot who wishes to find her missing father and reunite their pirate crew who were broken up by the Shipwreck Fleet. The two agree to work together, sailing off to reform Apricot's father's pirate crew in order to find Ash and Apricot's father.
Reader's Guide
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero was announced at a Nintendo Direct presentation on June 16, 2024 and confirmed for a simultaneous worldwide release date on January 30, 2025 except for the Steam version which was planned to release in Spring 2025. According to Yuya Hosono, the primary reason for creating a sequel was due to an American poll of the most popular Nippon Ichi Software characters; the results showed the Phantom Brave characters ranked higher than the Disgaea characters, leading the development team to realize that 'even after twenty years, there is still a desire for Marona and her team'. Nippon Ichi Software's American subsidiary, NIS America, also supported the decision. The game received 'generally favorable' reviews on PlayStation 5 and 'mixed or average' reviews on Nintendo Switch according to Metacritic, while OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, recommended by 75% of critics. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 32 out of 40.
Did You Know?
- The game was announced at a Nintendo Direct presentation on June 18, 2024.
- The sequel was motivated by an American poll showing Phantom Brave characters ranked higher than Disgaea characters.
- The PlayStation 5 version received 'generally favorable' reviews on Metacritic, while the Nintendo Switch version received 'mixed or average' reviews.
- Famitsu critics gave the game a total score of 32 out of 40.
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