Phantom Brigade has just received a large free update billed as 2.0 that aims to fix many of the tactical holes players complained about and to give the game’s world and characters more weight. The patch reworks the campaign, remodels the overworld your squads move through, rebalances core combat systems and introduces a pilot progression and recruitment system.
The developer describes the campaign rewrite with the words “new maps, new quests, and new combat scenarios along with fully rebalanced factions” and says the overworld now includes entirely new provinces, more varied landscapes, and new points of interest. Brace Yourself also promises “improved” mission generation to reduce repetition and keep playthroughs feeling less predictable.
Pilot changes are among the most visible additions. The update adds a new class specialization system and a recruitment flow that comes with what the developer calls “over 100 unique pilot traits and abilities“. That combination should make individual pilots feel more distinctive and give more reason to worry when one gets blown out of a chassis.
The 2.0 patch also touches core tactical systems. It adjusts damage logic and prediction and fully rebalances weapons. The goal is to make encounters more tactical and to limit strategies that let a whole squad mow through encounters with the same loadout. There is more under the hood. Menus and mission UI have been updated, the workshop and crafting systems were reworked, and the update adds new mission types and mission preview options. The intention here is to make choices before a mission matter more and to reduce downtime between interesting decisions.
A trailer for the update is available to watch.
Early player response on Steam suggests the patch landed well. Recent reviews sit at 90 percent positive compared to an overall 76 percent. One Steam reviewer wrote “Just started a new game for the 2.0 update. Things are looking so clean. It seems like there are a lot of things that actually matter now like the Pilots for one.” Another said “It’s really fun to replay the game with the new conditions and changes.” If the update tempts any holdouts, Phantom Brigade is currently on sale for half price. The Steam store page lists the discounted price as $15 (GBP 12.50) and the discount runs until December 3.
How this could affect play. The campaign and overworld changes aim to address the repetition and predictable mission flow that frustrated some players. Improved damage prediction and weapon rebalancing should reward planning and make combat feel less trivial when the same strategy is applied to every encounter. The new pilot traits and specializations give the game more long-term hooks and more reasons to name, equip and keep pilots alive. Players who found Phantom Brigade’s core ideas promising but shallow may find 2.0 delivers the additional layers that were needed. The update is a substantial list of changes and judging by the early reaction it appears to move the game closer to the promise it showed at release.
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Phantom Brigade
Developed by Brace Yourself Games
Phantom Brigade is a cinematic, real-time and turn-based tactical RPG, focusing on in-depth customization and player-driven stories. As the last surviving squad of mech pilots, you must capture enemy equipment and facilities to level the playing field. Outnumbered and out-gunned, lead The Brigade through a desperate campaign to retake their war-torn homeland.
- Genre: Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Tactical, Indie
- Platforms: PC (Microsoft Windows)
- Modes: Single player
- Release: 2023-02-28
- Publisher: Brace Yourself Games
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Age Rating:
ESRB RP
