What separates mechs from robots? Typically, we think about the presence of a pilot being the key distinction, and so tactical RPG Phantom Brigade is taking a stride to make them a more “meaningful part of the game.” Launched in February 2023 after several years of early access, Brace Yourself’s mech strategy game is filled with rewarding decision-making, but the people inside the machines have never really mattered. That’s all about to change with its next update, however, which will also overhaul the overworld gameplay experience.
“We’re finally ready to share some details about our next update,” the Phantom Brigade developer says in a new blog post. Since launch, the team has previously focused on delivering updates to improve other key areas of the game such as combat variety – helping to keep the tactical RPG fresh as you analyze and predict your opponents’ movements in an attempt to outsmart them with cunning countermeasures.
Since then, the team “took a step back to review the design of the entire game” and determined that the two most important focus points to hit next were pilots and the overworld gameplay loop. “We want pilots to be a meaningful part of the game rather than just a name and portrait that you occasionally assign to a mech,” it explains. As such, the next Phantom Brigade update will deliver a comprehensive overhaul to how pilots work.
Your pilots will now gain experience and level up through combat. They’ll earn traits as they do so, with a wide range of effects from simple buffs to entirely new abilities, based on the pilot and their class in question, “making play styles and pilot specialization more rewarding.” You’ll also have to deal with pilots sustaining injuries or becoming fatigued, and if you aren’t taking proper care of them there’s the risk they’ll develop additional negative traits.
The team has also reconsidered how it handles the world map. Rather than generating the entire map and missions at the start of the campaign, it will be switching to “a director system that will consider the history of your campaign and spawn missions that are most likely to be fresh and appropriate for the current phase of your quest.”
This should provide a more varied experience over the course of your campaign, although Brace Yourself explains that “you won’t be locked to a single option and will continue to have agency over the direction you chart in your campaign.” Overworld gameplay has also been dramatically overhauled for a “tighter, more interesting experience,” and you’ll now be able to see all mission details and potential rewards from the world map without having to enter the briefing screen.
Rounding out this next patch is a plethora of quality-of-life upgrades. This includes reworked pilot, briefing, debriefing and dialogue screens. There’s a new quest system to guide you through the campaign, and a codex that should “help you remember or learn the myriad mechanics present in the game without needing to restart your campaign to revisit one-time tutorials,” all while offering some interesting lore. Gamepad support is on the way, too.
Brace Yourself notes that the new update is “still a way off from release,” but invites players to sign up for upcoming playtests via its official Discord if you’re eager to help shape the update. “We’re looking for players of all experience levels, from those who’ve never played PB before to Brigadiers who mod their own mechs – each unique perspective is super valuable to us.”
The team also offers a word of thanks to those that have been playing and submitting reviews. “Our review score has been steadily improving since launch, and it really means the world to us to see our updates be warmly received,” it concludes. “We read every bit of feedback we get (special shoutout to players who submit in-game reports, that data is super helpful) and it continues to shape our plans and work. Thank you, Brigadiers.”
Fancy yourself a master commander? Prove it in the best turn-based strategy games on PC right now. Or dip into the best robot games if you can’t get enough of smashing large hunks of metal together.
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