Phantom Brigade

Phantom Brigade is a science fiction-styled turn-based strategy with RPG elements. It is the work of the Brace Yourself Games studio.

Plot

The action of Phantom Brigade takes place in a futuristic universe, to be precise - on the territory of a country that became a victim of a large-scale invasion by a foreign power. Enemy forces have clashed its army in the dust and started the occupation. We play the role of a resistance commander, who stands at the head of the title brigade and tries to reclaim the homeland from the hands of the invaders.

Mechanics

In Phantom Brigade we spend most of our time performing missions played in turn-based mode, during which we command small squads of mechs. The authors took care of a large variety of challenges. During the game, among other things, we carry out sabotages of outposts with equipment, infiltrate bases and attack convoys. In most skirmishes our forces are clearly weaker and less numerous than the enemy army, so we have to rush through the tasks in order to make it in time before the arrival of enemy reinforcements. It is also crucial to discern the situation on the battlefield and use appropriate tactics.

Each turn is divided into two phases. During the first, the planning phase, time is stopped and we are free to issue commands to our units. Subsequent commands appear on the timeline, allowing us to control them and see how they will be deployed over time (and to gain confidence that they do not conflict with each other or are not mutually exclusive, which is not difficult in the chaos of war). In the second, or execution phase, events are set in motion, and we can watch the actions of our units and see for ourselves how successful our strategy has been.

Mechs vary in appearance and combat capabilities. Among them we will find both fast and agile machines equipped with machine guns, as well as heavy units armed with rocket launchers or, finally, colossi prepared for close combat. In addition, we can modify each mech to a great extent, starting with armament, armor, mechanical parts and camouflage patterns. All these aspects are important for the combat effectiveness of a given model. However, even the most powerful mechs are completely useless without pilots; these gain experience and develop over time. Interestingly, the game allows you to force an enemy pilot to leave the cockpit and flee, which is an excellent way to occupy his mecha and thus strengthen our forces. However, it is worth remembering that the same opportunities are also available to enemies.

In between missions, we end up on a strategic map, where we decide which mission we will undertake next, and select targets and territories to attack. As we progress, we gain resources that allow us to develop our base and increase the combat potential of the mech brigade, which, along with the losses suffered by the enemy, affect the further development of the conflict.

Technical issues

The graphic design of the game Phantom Brigade presents a decent level. Attention is especially drawn to the various designs of the mechs, as well as the destruction-prone environment - all objects visible on the maps can be razed to the ground.