Phantom Breaker

THE BUZZ: Looking for some fighting action outside of the big names like Street Fighter, Tekken, or Mortal Kombat? A little something called Phantom Breaker might be right up your alley.

Set for publishing here in North America by 7Sixty (a division of Southpeak), Phantom Breaker is a 2D fighter which was released in Japan last year by Japanese developer 5pb. So far, only a special edition version of the game has been announced for our shores, but Siliconera reports that for the $39.99 price of the SE, you’ll get the game, a limited-edition box, a mini strategy guide, a desk calendar, and two double-sided posters.

EGM’s TAKE: While here in the West most of the 2D fighting games we see are the big-name titles from companies like Capcom, SNK, or Aksys, in Japan there’s a huge market not only for lesser-know games such as Phantom Breaker, but also doujin fighters—basically, indie-produced games based around original concepts and character rosters.

One of the most recent examples of such games was Arcana Heart 3, which Aksys Games brought over here as a digital-only release via the PlayStation Network. To see Phantom Breaker as an Xbox 360 title is a little surprising, but it’s nice that the console is also getting games such as this.

While Phantom Breaker probably won’t be on the same level as, say, a BlazBlue or The King of Fighters XIII, it could still provide a lot of fun for fighting fans hoping to find something new and different.