Phantom Fury Reviews
But regardless of what caused the project to get derailed, it still means that Phantom Fury is a disappointing result. It’s a mash of ‘00s FPS cliches without reprieve. I spent most of its runtime wishing it was over. Or, at least, wishing it was what it promised to be. Its overall blandness has done the impossible and made me appreciate Duke Nukem Forever just a little bit more.
A first-person-shooter that sometimes falters but makes up for it with strong devotion to detail.
Phantom Fury is an unapologetic boomer-shooter that can definitely talk the talk, but fails to walk the same walk that its inspirations did some 25 years ago. Countless technical problems, obscure level design, and a sad excuse for a story unfortunately make what could have been a good game a middling one.
Phantom Fury is a classic FPS that manages to engage and entertain. It is a simple but well-finished evolution of its predecessor, to whom it owes a lot and which can still be an excellent yardstick in the panorama of boomer shooters. The new production, while not shining for originality, knows how to be a remarkable follow-up.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Nostalgic feeling is no longer enough.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Phantom Fury is a decent boomer shooter, albeit one that emphasizes environmental interactivity over an arcade-inspired killing spree in which everything is a weapon. The few moments of cinematic silliness are par for the course in the boomer shooter genre, but they’re not enough to make this any less of a slog.
Phantom Fury is quite easily one of the most refined boomer shooters in the market today. It combines classic action movie tropes and 90s shooter gameplay with more modern visual technology and level design, making for a fun rampage across America.
Phantom Fury simply doesn't feel like it's ready yet, with too many bugs and nowhere near enough polish to become the game that it could be. Too many encounters are designed to only be beatable once you memorize enemy placement and a giant-mech boss shouldn't be an easier, more enjoyable encounter than a handful of guys in a hallway. Bugs are also abound, with enemies zipping between cover points while stuck in the kneeling position, music that you can almost hear playing in the background despite the volume being maxed out, or getting trapped in an elevator when its doors won't open. "Reset to checkpoint" is always an option, but in this case it was an open service elevator, and while sticking to the '90s/early-2000s gameplay convention of a hero who can't hop over a waist-high obstacle is authentic, it's the wrong kind of authenticity. Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison has the potential to be a great 90s throwback character, but Phantom Fury is nowhere near what's needed to see her reach her potential.
Phantom Fury feels like stepping back in time to the late 90s in an explosion of pixilated carnage that only occasionally stumbles due to its unwavering reliance on old-school sensibilities.
Phantom Fury is a fun experience from start to finish, with a great roster of weapons and plenty of exciting levels to blast your way through. It does have some noticeable flaws such as technical issues and a subpar finale, but the gunplay won't leave you unsatisfied.
Phantom Fury could have been great – after another half a year of development and completely revamped final act. But now it is ok at best.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison is back again to show the charm of retro action that continues to the present day. Dynamic FPS will not be lost among current competitors in the genre.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Despite being a game with exceptional ideas developed by a talented team, the reality is grim: Phantom Fury debuts with fundamental design flaws amidst the crossfire of survival, Embracer Group, and layoffs during development. Unfortunately, it is a rushed game, plagued by constant errors and a hastily constructed third act.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
So many recent shooters have emulated the glory days of the 1990s. These games now hugely outnumber the ones which inspired them to begin with. In this context, a game which instead mines inspiration from the early 2000s is very welcome and Phantom Fury could have been a superb entry in the genre. Sadly, something seems to be very wrong with Slipgate’s design and development process, and much of their game’s potential has been squandered. While this is a fun and occasionally great experience, it could and probably should have been much more.
While Phantom Fury started as a charming, fun and easy-going game, issues began to crop up. The final parts of the game were too long, and some boss fights were tedious. The worst problem I encountered was a bug that made all my weapon and bionic arm upgrades disappear. I had to reload the game two levels back to fix it, which is worse, considering there is no manual saving. While early-level designs were great, later levels lacked decent cover from the mass of enemies attacking you. A level that frustrated me was an underwater level. It was too dark to navigate well, and I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to go, and the submersible was awful to control. Some of the weapon's damage didn't seem effective, even upgraded. I wish the bionic arm had more upgrades besides a shield and punching.
While Multiplayer would have been fun as Co-Op and other modes would add to the experience; the retro action brought plenty of enjoyment.
Although Phantom Fury is lacking in some places, the overall presentation and gameplay feel right about home. With its high-quality delivery of gameplay, you can see that the developers have thought of every single detail while creating a better sequel, and Phantom Fury easily manages to be one of the better boomer shooter titles to grab the attention of many, well, boomers who love first-person shooter games.
Bombshell Harrison is back in Phantom Fury, a new, more ambitious, bigger and more destructive installment loaded with details that show a lot of effort, but a loose consistency and rough edges that evidence a rushed development. As a result, Bombshell's new adventure leaves mixed feelings. Still, it is playable, although perhaps it would be good to wait for a discount to give it a chance.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Phantom Fury represents a significant evolution to its predecessor keeping the fidelity to its nostalgic aesthetics while offering visual and gameplay upgrades. Though the game has a few technical caveats, it offers a satisfying experience for FPS fans with a classic touch, especially for those who love the retro style.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Phantom Fury is far from perfect, but it still offers a satisfying boomer-shooter experience that feels like it has come straight from the noughties. The weaponry on offer is a lot of fun to use (especially when upgraded) and there’s plenty of variety to be found across the game’s levels, so you certainly won’t tire of the action. Just don’t expect anything unique, with Phantom Fury not offering anything that you wouldn’t have seen before. It does have a few technical issues, the difficulty could be better balanced, and there were times when I got completely lost in levels, but I still had a good time with the game. It’s silly, it’s over-the-top, it looks great, and it features some great weaponry – it gets all of the basics right to ensure fans of the genre will enjoy this blast to the past, even if a couple of patches would probably make it better (and knock my score up to an 8).