beat 'em up
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds
By 5pb. Inc., released 1 Jan 2013
- Microsoft Windows
- PlayStation Vita
What it is
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is a 2D beat ’em up from 5pb. Inc. The Classic edition follows a fighter battling the bizarre minions of the wizard Phantom through colorful Tokyo locations. Story Mode spans eight stages inspired by Tokyo districts, while Arcade Mode challenges players to pursue combos, scores, or fast completion times. Four characters are available at the start, with six more unlockable; each has a customizable stat and skill tree, and character levels carry across modes. The game supports local and online co-op campaigns, plus player-versus-player battles, with up to four players. It also includes single-player, achievements, and shared or split-screen play. The listed platforms are Windows and PlayStation Vita, while the Steam listing is for Windows. Battle Grounds Classic is not compatible with, and cannot be upgraded to, Battle Grounds Ultimate, which uses a different engine.
What players like, and what they don't
- Story Mode covers eight Tokyo-inspired stages.
- Supports local and online co-op campaigns.
- PvP supports up to four players.
- Character levels persist between modes.
- Classic is not compatible with Battle Grounds Ultimate.
- PlayStation Vita is listed alongside Windows; Steam lists Windows only.
Who it suits
This suits players who want a beat ’em up with co-op or PvP for up to four players, as well as character progression across modes. The Classic and Ultimate editions are separate, so players should make sure they want Classic.
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds combines arcade-style brawling with persistent character builds and several multiplayer formats. Check the edition carefully: Classic cannot be upgraded to or used with Ultimate.
