Phantom Fury (Xbox Series X|S) Review

3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks’ Phantom Fury presents solid action and some great 90s looks that’ll have you thinking it’s 1997.

Back to the 90s

So, before we go any further, did you play Ion Fury? Also from publisher 3D Realms, Ion Fury was released in 2019 and was a callback to the halcyon days of the mid-1990s in more ways than one. The presentation and on-screen action was extremely reminiscent of 3D Realms’ Duke Nukem 3D, and there was a very good reason for that, since it was literally built upon the bones of that iconic first-person shooter.

Ion Fury made use of the Build Engine, which was the force behind Duke’s 1996 breakout adventure. It also introduced a new super-soldier in the form of the rough and tumble Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison, who was on a sci-fi/cyberpunky mission.

While not as big of a hit as Duke 3D, the retro action of Ion Fury was quite well-received, spawning an expansion and an announced sequel. Fast-forward to the present year, and now we’ve got that followup, in the form of developer Slipgate Ironworks’ Phantom Fury.

Pickling up up years after the close of its predecessor, Phantom Fury once again features Shelly, but as you’ll see, her latest mission is a fair shake different from what’s come before.

A soft sequel

So what do I mean by “soft sequel”? Well, more or less, I’m talking about a game that doesn’t have the narrative connections that you’d expect from a direct sequel. As mentioned, Phantom Fury is set in the same universe as Ion Fury, but has an almost wholly new story and cast.

This time around, hard-nosed solider Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison’s just awoken from stasis, and has found herself in a world of hurt. Shelly has had her arm replaced after being grievously wounded, and now sports a cybernetic one that has some serious combat potential. She’s going to need that and more, as she’s tossed right into the fire, tasked with a road trip across the US, on the hunt for something called the Demon Core.

You might know that name if you’re a student of history, as it’s a reference to a plutonium sphere that has an infamous (and deadly) ‘real world’ past. It’s a little unclear whether or not the game’s version is supposed to be the same Demon Core as the real one, but it’s seemingly as powerful… if not more so.

And since the Core’s been stolen, what Shelly has to get done is pretty clear. Or not. While Phantom Fury is a straightforward shooter at heart, its narrative does have some nice twists and turns, some of which I didn’t see coming. And throughout, the game keeps its action moving at a really nice clip.

Phantom Fury starts off in the desert, but rolls from there. Shelly heads to abandoned military bases, mountainous locales, undersea lairs, and a war-torn Chicago. The level of variation is extremely welcome, as I didn’t get too tired of any one location before the game moved me on to the next. And on top of that, it all looked darn good while doing all of the above.

The same world, but a new look

Whereas Ion Fury featured the Build Engine, first seen in 1996’s Duke Nukem 3D, Phantom Fury forwards the FPS-timeline a tad. And by “a tad”, I mean roundabout a year or two. As you can probably tell from the imagery here, Phantom Fury is more reminiscent of Half-Life and and other late-90s FPS’ like SiN.

That means the flat aesthetic of Ion Fury is gone, replaced by a polygonal vision. Personally, I have some great memories of late-90s FPS’, so even though I’m more of a fan of games like Doom and Duke 3D, the updating here felt once again fresh and exciting. While it’s not exactly unheard of in retro-shooters, it’s still a little on the rare side these days too, so it was doubly neat to play through.

Powered by the new engine, most all of the various locations players will come across in Phantom Fury are well-detailed and have terrific lighting effects. There are some real standout maps too, which should be memorable after all’s said and done. That’s not to say that there aren’t some clunkers mixed in, as two or three of the game’s locations are pretty easy to get lost in, but overall this is some great stuff

Enemy designs aren’t as top tier as the levels, but they’re not bad by any means. The majority of the fodder you’ll face as Shelly is perfectly serviceable, though I did find the ‘zombie’ types of bulk-mutants pretty dull. Leveled up enemies are vastly superior however, including a mix of soldiers, jacked-up super mutants, and even some mechanical monstrosities.

Rounding things out is an excellent arsenal, headlined by Shelly’s standard Loverboy revolver and the Motherflakker shotgun. Those are just the bigger named highlights though, as Phantom Fury stocks a ton of hardware, plus a simple upgrade system.

Controlling the uncontrollable

Players can boost Shelly’s weaponry, as well as her robotic arm and a powered suit (that’s later in the game), by finding terminals dotted through out the levels. Once accessed, in-game currency can be used to add on new abilities and firing modes.

Most of ’em pack a punch, especially in the right circumstances, and a good chunk of the hardware is slick looking and fun to use. There’s even some peripheral stuff, like turrets that Shelly can put to use wasting hordes of foes with, and vehicles. While there aren’t a ton of drivable segments to go along with all the guns and ammo, what there is provides a nice break in the otherwise constant first-person shooting.

Shelly has access to ground vehicles, a submersible, and a chopper as she makes her way after the Core. While I didn’t like the sub mission at all, I’m actually more let down by the helicopter action.

That is entirely because, while it’s pretty fun, it’s also more or less on rails. There’s a definite path that Shelly takes with that action, and it’s a little bit of a bummer that you can’t do more than aim and shoot.

Overall

No, Phantom Fury isn’t perfect. It’s got its rough spots sprinkled throughout and a few ‘I wish this was different’ moments to boot. There are also a few bugs, and those include some that will crash your game out. That’s unacceptable in this day and age, especially for a ‘retail edition’ game that’s already seen launch on the PC. Although, even with all of that, I’ll add that I still managed to have a great time with this game. That’s gotta say something.

Overall, Slipgate Ironworks has created a fun sci-fi, action romp with Phantom Fury, that is packed with plenty of great action and some legit cool characters and great moments. I liked Ion Fury a lot, and is sequel once again has me back into this now-series.

Oh, and *spolier alert* SiN’s John Blade has a cameo in the game, and you even get to make use of his gun. Is that a hint as to an expansion for the ‘Fury-verse’? Stay tuned.

A copy of Phantom Fury was provided to BG for this review

Phantom Fury
Release date: May 30th, 2024 (consoles)
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S (reviewed), PS5, PC
Publisher: 3D Realms
Developer: Slipgate Ironworks
MSRP: $24.99 USD