Slipgate Ironworks and 3D Realms have teamed up to bring back old-school FPS games to a new generation with their Bombshell series of games featuring heroine Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison in her latest installment Phantom Fury is like Bombshell’s other games but with a touch of 3D in it. I want to thank Slipgate Ironworks and 3D Realms for sending over a copy to try out!
Phantom Fury (for fans of the series) takes place after the events of Iron Fury with Bombshell waking up and discovering she now has a mechanical arm that will help her fight on her cross-country journey to track down a lethal artifact that threatens humanity.
Now, onto the game itself! Phantom Fury does have standard FPS controls BUT there are some additions such as interaction with the environment. As a default, the crouch button needs to be held down so you stay down, this can be changed in the options.
Phantom Fury is fully voice-cast and again in the options you can select how often Bombshell chimes in with some sassy dialogue during combat, I found 2 minutes worked. The soundtrack is awesome and reminded me of some of the earlier PS1 FPS games but a bit more modern, I’ll admit some of these songs are too good for a game like this (NOT AN INSULT TO THE GAME!).
Speaking of PS1 FPS games, the graphics for Phantom Fury remind me of them but with a touch of modern 3D animation, while the other Bombshell FPS games are more like the old DOS shooters from the 90s.
Overall the gameplay for Phantom Fury is what you would expect from an FPS but like the old-school ones, exploration is a must as you can find some points that you can use to upgrade your weapons and robotic arm. So with rewarding exploration, an awesome soundtrack, cool enemy designs, and a large array of weapons to use, Phantom Fury is a fun FPS for those who want a taste of the past but with a hint of modern graphics. On my scale of 1-10, I give it an 8/10 as the tutorial could be a bit better, as well as some of the menu options.
Phantom Fury comes out May 30th for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
