Phantom Brigade Reviews

Its such a travesty that this game's review score is sitting at "mixed". This, along with AC6, are hands down my favorite mech-type games on the market. No other mech game has combat quite like this, it is just so good. My only knock on the game is the pretty bland campaign and lack of pilot progression, which the devs are actively working on. Other than that, you deserve to at least give this game a chance.

i do like this but i dont love it turnbased is a bit past me by now, mostly bc i hate to wait for enemy turns. this game doesnt have enemy turns. its your go all the time that is nice. but the upgrade and part system is weird, the guns and their function are a bit mysterious to me still even after playing it all the way through. theres one gun (i think its a railgun?) that just beats everything else. just use 4 railguns youre set. that said, the beginning is very difficult. and losing pilots and mechs feels bad. im not keen on feeling the loss.

quite fun though the game play can get a little reppetitive

This game is an absolute blast to play, offering a visually stunning battlefield filled with destructible buildings, rolling hills for cover, and intense rocket barrages that make every fight feel cinematic. The level of environmental detail is incredible, and the way battles unfold with strategic positioning and destruction makes for an engaging experience. However, there are some mechanics that hold it back. The enemy scaling—where opponents level up as you do—feels frustrating, removing the sense of progression. It would be nice if not all enemies scaled at the same time. Some scaling is fine, but at least an indication—such as a small text notification like "The enemy has researched X and improved slightly after losing the previous five fights"—would make it feel more natural rather than an artificial difficulty spike. A better approach to progression would be rewarding players with weapon schematics after missions or implementing a research system to develop experimental weapons. Additionally, after defeating enemy mechs, unlocking their blueprints for crafting would make for a much more satisfying reward system. One of the more frustrating aspects is the lack of visual cues when using weapons. There is no in-game preview of how weapons function, leaving players to rely on YouTube videos or trial and error, which often leads to unnecessary defeats. Implementing a test ground where players can experiment with different weapons before deploying them in battle would be a significant quality-of-life improvement. A simple firing range or simulation mode could allow players to assess fire rates, projectile behavior, and area-of-effect capabilities without the risk of losing battles due to miscalculations. Another major issue is the complete lack of pilot progression—which is really disappointing. Your pilots never grow, develop skills, or specialize over time, making them feel interchangeable instead of valuable assets. A progression system with perks or specialties would add a layer of depth and investment in your squad. The story is minimal, which isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, but side objectives feel underwhelming. They mostly consist of fetching supplies or destroying towers, without any deeper narrative or meaningful rewards. Expanding these with lore, unique encounters, or rare gear would add much-needed depth. Another major drawback is the squad size limitation of just four units. It’s disappointing, especially since increasing it requires mods. A built-in option for larger squads would offer more tactical flexibility. Also, the HUD lacks detailed explanations—new players have to dig through discussion threads or rely on community guides just to understand all the mechanics. A better in-game tutorial or tooltip system would be a huge quality-of-life improvement. Final Verdict With all that being said, the game delivers an exciting and visually impressive combat experience but is held back by weak progression systems, lack of pilot development, and limited squad size. While the core gameplay is fun, it could benefit from additional polish and refinement. For those who enjoy tactical battles and don’t mind its shortcomings, it’s still worth playing—but best picked up during a sale. I will continue playing and remain hopeful that the game improves over time. If the developers continue to support and refine it, addressing some of these issues, I will gladly revisit and update my review to reflect the improvements.

Fun game, good UI, good graphics, excellent customization of mechs, good story line, and at a good price on sale.

Been awhile since I played. This game is just disappointing. Bland characters, bland story, and bland world. Combat is cool. Time-predicting mechanic is cool. Strategy lite elements that they do have are cool. But if you only have the basic elements of a game and don’t put more content into it then it’s just boring. I’d have more fun with a bad game than a mediocre one. It’s so boring I completely forgot it existed until 2 years later. P.S. Forgot to mention, the trailers basically showed you the entire game. There’s nothing else more to it. Buy on a 50% deal or equivalent only.

Amazing mech game, underdog setting and stealing everything that isn't nailed down. What more do you need? Would love to see this game get continued support and more love in the future, wouldn't say no to a proper expansion even.

Really enjoyed the core gameplay, but I'd love to see more content and the ability to watch the whole fight over in real-time at the end of a mission.

One of the kind tactical gameplay. But any strategy progression is actually pointless. Everything is auto leveled to player squad, so there is no possibility of getting ahead the enemy in any capacity. You progress only to catch to enemy in power, not to overpower them. Needs rework. Or atleast mod disabling autolevel mechanics.

If you like mech combat, this will scratch that itch. If I were to describe the gameplay, I would say it's a mix of Battletech, XCOM, and Heavy Gear. Actual combat is fun, and runs smooth. There's a large variety of gear to mix and match. However I do have some minor nit-picking to do. As large as the campaign map is, combat maps are limited in number. The actual pilot you put in a mech doesn't matter, the pilots themselves don't level up. Mission type variety is also a bit limited. One mechanic that isn't explained at all is how collisions work, but once you figure it out, it's fun to bulldoze enemy mechs. Overall, I'd say it's worth your time if you're a stompy robot fan.