The Brilliant Mech Tactics Game Phantom Brigade Keeps Getting Better
Get back in the robot.
When it launched in 2023, Phantom Brigade was already one of the most exciting mech tactics games I’d ever played. A clever strategy title with deep customization and time-manipulation mechanics, every battle was thrilling — but there were major caveats. Since launch, developer Brace Yourself Games has improved the game’s already strong foundation and reworked the elements that weren’t quite clicking, culminating in a recent 2.0 release that delivers on almost everything you could want out of a giant robot battle sim.
At its heart, Phantom Brigade is about thinking ahead. Battles play out on an open field where your mechs have total freedom of movement, and rather than traditional turns with action limits, you’re given five seconds' worth of time to work with in each round. In the planning phase, you can scroll through a five-second timeline like you’re using a video editor, which shows exactly what your enemies will be doing. Then, you can plot out your own moves to counter them, whether that’s dodging out of range, sending a missile strike where you know they’re going to be, or jumping in front of a vulnerable ally with a shield raised at the last second. Once your planning is done, you watch it all play out in a destructive synchronized dance.
Phantom Brigade feels like a brand-new game after its 2.0 update.
Phantom Brigade had plenty of issues at launch, some of which have already been addressed, like in a 2024 update that added fantastic boss battles. The latest patch is aimed at more fundamental flaws, like pilots feeling interchangeable and a flat, repetitive campaign with limited enemy and battle types.
The new pilot system offers an immediate impact. Originally, pilots were identical, so you’d never have to think about them unless they were incapacitated on a mission. Now, each is its own character with a unique upgrade tree, and a new recruitment system lets you select additional pilots. Some are already experienced and come with powerful traits, but are expensive. Others are cheap rookies you’ll need to safeguard until they earn experience. Pilots actually matter now, and matching your mechs’ loadouts to what best suits their skills adds a satisfying layer of strategy before fights even break out. Furthermore, pilots now get fatigued if you push them too hard, giving you a reason to keep a large relief roster on hand.
Phantom Brigade’s brilliant combat interface still feels great.
The even more drastic overhaul to Phantom Brigade’s campaign takes a little time to appreciate. One of the game’s problems was that battles all began to feel the same, and there was no real sense of progress across the entire story. Now, new scenarios change how you approach battle. Some require you to minimize damage to nearby structures, while others charge you with defending control points or evading detection. Setpiece missions also introduce more bosses and unique mechanics, giving the campaign a better sense of momentum.
As much as I loved the handful of hours I initially spent with Phantom Brigade, it quickly became clear that it wasn’t quite the mech tactics game I’d been dreaming of. The 2.0 update isn’t perfect (its story, for instance, is still thin), but it adds so much that it feels like a new game. The fantastic time-based combat system was always a masterstroke, and the updated campaign around it makes this a great time to start playing.
