Weapons and warriors UNITE! - Phantom of the Kill Reader's Review

There was this one time that I am walking in the mall, holding my cell phone, and watching some random YouTube videos. As I watch through the videos, there was this ad that popped in my screen...

It was a game that was somehow similar to another game that I became close with, and that game was Fire Emblem.

However, this game was different. It was on the mobile and it had some interesting design choices that made me like the game at first glance. That being said, behold one of the underdogs of the SRPG genre.

Enter... Phantom of the Kill's Reader's Review. For more information, feel free to go to their website at https://phantomofthekill.com/.


Title: Phantom of the Kill
Date released: May 19, 2016 in the US (with constant updates keeping into consideration)
Company: Fuji&gumi Games (gumi)
Genre: Strategy RPG
Platform: Mobile
ESRB Rating: None (but it's a sure-fire Teen)


Brief Background: gumi was founded in June 13, 2007 and the company has been since popularly known in the mobile community with games like the immensely popular Brave Frontier, the now defunct Chain Chronicle, and the recent Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius, a game developed in cooperation with Square Enix and Alim.

What do you do here?
In a world where malevolent forces dominates the land, you serve as a commander in this Norse-inspired post-apocalyptic world where the many weapons of legend are at your disposal; in the form of people known as "Killers". These are a selective few who partake a secret yet dangerous proposal by the Ragnarok Institute known as the Killer Project where these individuals are granted beast blood and essences from legendary arms (known as Killium) in order to make a last-ditch attempt to save humanity from utter destruction. However, these powers do not come without risks...

Killer Princes, male test subjects of the Killer Project, tends to go haywire when they undergo "Beast Mode" for long periods of time; making them more savage and uncontrollable. This is where you, the player, steps in. Commanders possesses a unique material called "Vibium" granting them the ability to keep these men in check. The troubles do not step there however, as a horde of monsters have taken over humanity and its up to you, and your army of Killer Princes and Princesses, to stop them.

What makes the game interesting?
The game play is simply a straightforward Strategy RPG; choose a unit, pick where you want to go, attack enemies, rinse and repeat. This is very cool as people who are fond of the Fire Emblem series will be able to identify these mechanics very easily. However, there are some mechanics that are quite distinct for this game. One of them is the elemental affinities. These affinities greatly affects on how much damage you can both deal and take. Additionally, each character are not basically carbon copies of each other unlike in other Strategy RPGs. While each of them can have the same job, the play style of each unit differs from one other; from the stats that they get when they level up to the unique special moves that they can learn. Speaking of special moves, specific characters can undergo special quests known as "Character Quests" where you see the origin of story of each Killer Princes and Princesses, after which they receive a special skill that you can use in battle. Another interesting thing about this game is that it has tons of Event Quests for you to enjoy, from the experience-filled Metal Gardens to some very important side quests like Gold Rush and quests that you can do to get evolution materials. There are two ways to recruit units, via Lazulis and another one using Mana Points, which you can use to make powerful units early on. Finally, there are a lot of updates going on right now, so be on the lookout for future upgrades in game modes and other stuff. Also, I would like to add that the game has no permadeath, so this will probably give some breathing room for those people who are not fond of that particular feature.

What are the flaws I found in this game?
Being a free-to-play title, it also utilizes micro-transactions. Fortunately enough, the game is so balanced that you won't be needing much Lazulis (the game's premium currency) to proceed further of the game. Also, with the game just recently released in the West, it is quite short and still needs more content to fill in to. Furthermore, like every other freemium games out there, it relies on a random number generator to determine certain outcomes; from the units that you want to recruit to the critical hit chance of your attacks. Weapon fusion also relies on RNG, which sucks because I am quite hesitant to fuse my strong weapons only to get useless ones in the end. Despite these short-comings, these are compensated by a very-well balanced combat system and a daily rewards system... just make sure to check in every single day! The arena matches are fun, but what's more fun is that they remove the EXP limit that players can receive (or at least increase the threshold).

How did you know about Phantom of the Kill? What was your initial reaction to it? Who is your favorite PotK character so far?
I am not entirely sure what to say at first, especially that the trailer that I watched is so cheesy that it's easily to assume that its terrible, but after playing the game, I must say that I am quite caught off guard. The game play is nice despite its random nature, and there really is no need for you to do anything special, which I've already mentioned above. I have to be honest, the game is not ground-breaking but it is a very nice addition to the mobile library by every means, if it only because of its familiar game-play. As for my favorite character in the game, I have to say Labrys, because she reminded me of Love Live... for some strange reason. :D

Can you recommend this game?
I say yes. The mechanics of this game is very much recognizable (if not innovative) and the game-play is so balanced that newbies can be able to get into the game so easily. Also, with a lot of constant updates and features, the developers really do know how to keep their player-base interested with the game.

Overall rating: 8.7/10
As expected from a freemium, this game has the setbacks and limitations of being an online-only game. Nevertheless, it is not a frustrating experience and it has a lot of things going for. Updates, events, freebies, you will be sure to play this game for a long time. Now then, go out there and bring victory for humanity!

Fight on, Commander!!!

--END OF REVIEW--

Character ideas for Phantom of the Kill - Part 1

Phantom of the Kill is a game where warriors (known as Killer Princes and Princesses) are bestowed by different powers based on different weapons coming from different mythologies.

That being said, with a lot of mythological weapons that are introduced in this game, there are some weapons that came in my mind that can become great additions to this game. NOTE: These are just ideas that I came up with and these are not confirmed by any way to be released as a character in the game (and if ever they are ever released eventually, then feel free to ignore everything that is written here).

For this topic, I would be mentioning that characters':

1. Potential Background (based on given gender)
2. Weapon Type
3. Preferred Trait
4. How many stars does this particular weapon have?
5. Signature Skill

Anyways, here it is. 

1. Claimh Solais (M)

Background: Calm yet tenacious, this young warrior is known among one of the most well-composed Killer Princes that was ever produced by the Ragnarok Institute. His Killium came from the legendary sword Claimh Solais, also known as the "Sword of Light". While outside the battlefield, he is known to be a very kind person; capable of making trades of jokes and puns. He is also a very cheerful young man which he can use to cheer up fellow Killer Princes and Princesses whenever odds are going against them. When backed into a corner, however, he unleashes a malevolent force, so powerful that not even he can't realize what's happening.

Weapon Type: Sword

Preferred Trait: Guard

Star Levels: Starts as a 4-star Unit, can evolve up to 5-stars!

Signature Skill: Radiant Force - May activate when attacking. Deals massive damage and has a chance to deal fatal damage against enemies.


2. Hrunting (F)

Background: A young woman with a lustful thirst for battle, however, she often fails to display them. Her Killium came from Hrunting, a sword that was once used by the hero Beowulf. It is known that Hrunting was once used by Beowulf to slay an evil giant, but the weapon fails to harm it. Just like her Killium, she often becomes a burden to her fellow Killer Princesses. But despite the backlash that she is getting from her peers, she is willing to do whatever it takes to prove her worth and not to end up like her source of Killium; to become useless.

Weapon Type: Sword

Preferred Trait: Force

Star Levels: Starts as a 3-star Unit, can evolve up to 5-stars!

Signature Skill: Unyielding Spirit - May activate when being attacked. When an attack is about to KO her, the attack will instead drops her HP to half of her max HP.


3. Gleipnir (M/F)

Background (for Male): A young prodigy with an undying passion for knowledge. His Killium came from Gleipnir, a mysterious ribbon that binds the wolf Fenrir. Like his Killium, Gleipnir used to bind his negative emotions by showing off his cheerful side to everyone around him, because he believes that getting depressed in such a grim time can be devastating for the team's morale. Despite his charade, however, his commander can see through his acts and encouraged him to become more open to his situation. 

Weapon Type: Staff

Preferred Trait: Magic/Vitality

Star Levels: Starts as a 3-star unit, can evolve up to 4-stars!

Signature Skill: Phantom Soul - May activate when attacking. When activated, his attack will never miss.


Background (for Female): One of the youngest Killer Princess to undergo the Killer Project, she finds strength from negative emotions and loneliness. Her Killium came from Gleipnir, a powerful ribbon that acts as a powerful seal against Fenrir. She is an anti-social and will do whatever it takes to avoid contact with anyone. If someone approaches her, she'll just simply shoo them away. Or in extreme cases, forcing them to do so. She believes that relying in her comrades is a stigma and can cause her to falter sometimes. Perhaps she's just trying to be independent? No one will ever know...

Weapon Type: Staff

Preferred Trait: Magic/Dexterity

Star Levels: Starts as a 3-star unit, can evolve up to 5-stars!

Signature Skill: Grand Hex - May activate when getting attacked. All damage taken instead heals her HP.


That's all I can think of for now. Nevertheless, if you have ideas, feel free to share them. Also, my Reader's Review of this fantastic game is already on the works, so be sure to check that out as well. :)

EDIT: The Reader's Review for Phantom of the Kill has already been released, so feel free to check that one at your own leisure.

First impressions about Monster Hunter Generations

So after hearing the Nintendo Direct last March (I think? I can't really remember), there is soooo much anticipation (and perhaps some disappointment) regarding to the lineup of games announced, and one of them is a game called "Monster Hunter X". It's international title was then revealed as Monster Hunter Generations which added to the hype because it is finally to be localized in the West.

The point is; after the monumental success of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Capcom really has no reason to localize the said game. After all, Monster Hunter has recently become one of Capcom's staple titles alongside Mega Man and Street Fighter after the game's remarkable performance in Japan (with no less than 3 MILLION copies being sold in just a month after release). 

For those people who are not familiar with this series, the Monster Hunter franchise was first released to the world by 2004 on the PlayStation 2 where it became a very popular title in Japan. However, unlike Japan, Monster Hunter wasn't all that well-received overall for western players. While Monster Hunter Freedom Unite had a very strong cult following, the game itself was met with mixed reviews despite its cult following.

Now, people are starting to wonder on what will be the future of the franchise at that point. Nevertheless, it remained strong till this day.

So, what will people expect from this new iteration of the Monster Hunter franchise? I will only be able to come up with the some of the highlights.

1. Hunting Styles - one of the newly introduced combat mechanics in Monster Hunter Generations is the Hunting Styles. These styles can allow you to mix and match your playstyle; whether it is acrobatic gun-play or powerful blade techniques, these styles can enable for you maximize your hunting experience.

2. Hunter Arts - another combat system that is introduced in conjunction with the Hunting Styles. Hunter Arts are special techniques, unique from weapon to weapon, which utilizes unique attacks and skills that are never seen in a Monster Hunter game before, making hunts faster and more dynamic than any other in the series. These techniques can allow you to unleash massive Hammer swings and even shoot a gigantic fireball!

3. Prowler Mode - among the newly introduced mechanics in MHGen, this is one is the most awaited one! For the very first time, players can now play as Felynes (cat-like NPCs that help you during hunts), utilizing a unique move-style and different sets of equipment. Additionally, it also has its own quest line, making the game itself even more expansive.

4. Deviants - Subspecies will not make a comeback in Monster Hunter Generations, instead we are being introduced to the Deviants, unique monsters whose skills and appearances differ greatly from their normal counterparts. They are more powerful, more vicious, and deadlier than ever before. They possess unique attacks that can destroy you if not fully prepared. The good thing is that they can only be accessed at a certain point of the game, which gives you some ample time to prepare for these beasts. There are 12 of them... in case you're wondering.

... and SOOO much more. There are a lot to be expected about Monster Hunter Generations, so stay tuned for more updates!

Monster Hunter Generations in stores July 15 2016!