Here we are eight months later, with the full release of ‘Phantom Fury’, brought to us by developer Slipgate Ironworks and publisher 3D Realms. When I previewed the title, it was a singular mission of action and not much else.

You can read the full preview here on the MKAU website. Phantom Fury (Steam) – Preview | MKAU Gaming, However, I have so much more to say now than when I did back then, and unfortunately, it’s not all good news.

First off, the preview was done through Steam on a PC, where this review was of Phantom Fury on the Xbox Series X. So be sure to take that into account with your purchase if you choose to, as what I experienced on the PC certainly differs to that on the Xbox Series X.

Expecting more story context than that of the demo I booted up eager to find out about Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison. As mentioned in the preview, the only story context I could find was what I researched off the internet. There is no change to that and it’s highly disappointing. You are awoken from a coma and told you need to escape the facility; everything just seems to be taken at face value.

As you progress through the levels you are given more little tidbits of information, but nothing makes actual sense or amounts to any importance. Bitterly disappointed, I just decided to let the story just wash over me like water off a duck’s back and enjoy the nostalgic setting of a 90’s first-person shooter.

Gameplay-wise Phantom Fury is a lot of fun, and what I experienced in the preview is no different to the full version. Not only taking down enemies with a variety of weapons but platforming and problem-solving is also a focus. The preview did it well as it demonstrated all these elements and being on a train contained the experience. However, once this formula made its way to larger areas, it became more confusing to navigate. 

On multiple occasions I found myself having to backtrack, scour, and poke and prod around the environment to find out where to go next. This problem was further exacerbated as almost everything can be interacted with. So not only items that have a function to your needs but inane objects like rubber gloves, vials, newspapers, cardboard boxes and the alike do. These cluttered environments had me pausing the game several times to search the internet to find where to go next as I was left completely lost.

The Xbox controls compared to the PC controls were also inferior in comparison. I believe it had a lot to do with the environmental clutter, as pinpointing a small item on a joystick was difficult and slow, even after increasing the slide values to move it faster.

It also didn’t help that some important assets wouldn’t load, or objectives would not clear, forcing Phantom Fury to get stuck and not allowing natural progression. I found myself having to reload to my last checkpoint several times to clear the glitches and play the section of the level again. Eventually, I reached a level where no amount of resetting to the last checkpoint cleared the glitch ceasing my gameplay altogether.

The graphics of Phantom Fury are great, as the detail captured through the 90’s pixilated aesthetic does not only the theme justice but delivers on the nostalgic tones of similar games of the past. The audio doesn’t disappoint either. The music flows with the action keeping the tension and hype high as you run and gun your enemies down. Sound effects are highly effective as appropriate noises keep you aware of your surroundings and excited for the next gunfire or explosion.

After the preview, I was excited to revisit Phantom Fury and enjoy what was on offer. Unfortunately, due to there being more wrong with Phantom Fury than right, my experience was not enjoyable. Even to the point as some of you know, I’m an achievement hunter, and even the achievements weren’t unlocking. Maybe the full release on PC is not plagued with so many problems, but I can not recommend getting Phantom Fury on the Xbox in its current state. If Slipgate Ironworks could solve these issues, Phantom Fury would be an average first-person shooter to enjoy a nostalgic romp with.

Written by: Ashley Barnett-Cosgrove