Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate from Rocket Panda Games brings us a new take on the 2013 release, revamped with the help of Unreal Engine 5. Learn more in our Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate review!

 

Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate from Rocket Panda Games brings us a new take on the 2013 release, revamped with the help of Unreal Engine 5. Phantom Breaker is a fighting game that was originally released back in 2011 by 5pb on the Xbox 360 in Japan. This was followed by a PlayStation 3 version in 2013, titled Phantom Breaker Extra. That one also remained as a Japan-exclusive game. The latest update to the game was titled Phantom Breaker: Omnia, which launched on the PS4 and the Nintendo Switch in 2022, making it the first time the fighting game was made available worldwide. ThaRaven403 got to review Phantom Breaker: Omnia on PlayStation 4 back then, and he enjoyed the game’s Story Mode.

Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds was then released as a spin-off that took the Phantom Breaker universe and put a beat ’em up spin on things. It was followed by a PlayStation Vita version in 2014. Then, in 2015, we got a revamped version known as Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds – Overdrive on PlayStation 4, which Tracey reviewed back then. It’s now 2025, and 10 years later, we’re getting the definitive version of the game with the aptly titled Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate. Along with the base experience, the move to Unreal Engine 5 offers smoother gameplay, cross-platform support, local and online co-op, and Versus modes for up to 8 players. On top of that, we’re getting new main characters to take for a spin, including being able to play as the enemy for the first time.

Once you jump into action, you’ll be able to play in one of the different game modes: Story Mode, Arcade Mode, Co-Op Mode, and Battlegrounds Mode. Story Mode, as its name suggests, will have you taking on the story for this spin-off release, making it the main attraction. Arcade Mode will have you trying to get the highest score possible or the fastest completion time. Co-Op Mode allows you to play with up to four players at once. Battlegrounds Mode will have you battling against multiple players – again, with a limit of four players max. If playing online, then the max number of players for Co-Op Mode will go up to six, while the max number of players for Battlegrounds Mode will increase to eight. There are also five different difficulty settings for you to consider: Easy, Normal, Hard, Nightmare, and Nightmare+, with the last two locked at the start so that you can play in one of the other three and get to know the game a bit better.

 

The game is played on a 2D plane, so you’ll take control of your character with the left analog stick or the D-Pad as you move through each area. Dash by double-tapping left or right as needed. You can jump and double jump by pressing up on the left analog stick or the D-Pad and can crouch by pressing down. Light attacks are mapped to the Square button, with medium attacks set to the Triangle button. You also have slower but more powerful heavy attacks with the Circle button. Switch between the lines in each area by pressing the L1 button. Backstep by pressing the X button and double-tapping back, which will allow you to quickly avoid an attack at the last minute. Pressing the X button just as an enemy’s attack is about to connect with you will deflect said attack while staggering your enemy.

You can throw your opponent with the Circle button when you’re close to them. You can also use this throw command to try and break from an enemy’s grab. If you time things just right, you can press toward your opponent on the left analog stick or the D-Pad just as its hit is about to land. If done right, you’ll evade the incoming strike… as long as it’s a ground attack! Pressing the Triangle and Circle buttons at the same time will launch an Outrange attack. Its attack will depend on how much you’ve filled up the Burst Gauge. If you’ve managed to accumulate more than 100% of the Burst Gauge, then you’ll unleash an EX Outrange attack. The X button can also be pressed to use powerful special attacks that can turn the tide of battle. If you have 100% of the Burst Gauge, then you’ll be able to use an EX special move instead.

The most powerful ability in the game is the Phantom Break. For this one, you’ll have to have 200% of the Burst Gauge so that you can consume it all in one go. Just press the Circle and X buttons at the same time or the L2 button to use your Phantom Break! Pressing the Square and Triangle buttons at the same time or the R2 button when you have at least 100% of the Burst Gauge will put your character into Overdrive. What this does is put your character in an enhanced state, which will make it more powerful and deal more damage. While you can take on this adventure on your own, playing with others locally or online is also an option. Be sure to keep an eye on them so that you can rush to revive them if they’re defeated. Don’t forget that they can also revive you if you fall!

Once you’ve cleared the game, you can do it all over again on a higher difficulty setting. Doing this will reward you with Outrange and Aura items. Outrange items can be used in order to modify Outrange attacks. Aura items can be equipped to increase your abilities. Don’t worry if you end up collecting duplicates for Outrange and Aura items. If this happens, then said item’s level and performance will be increased. You could, for example, change Outrange attacks to an explosion, which will blow away enemies with explosive flames. Aura items are a bit more straightforward and will be split into Attack Plus, Defense Plus, EXP Plus, and Coin Plus to boost your character’s attack, defense, EXP obtained, and coins collected, respectively.

As you play each level and defeat enemies, you’ll get to collect red gems. These are the ones that will grant you EXP once you clear a level. After you’ve obtained enough EXP, your level will increase, and you’ll be rewarded with skill points. As expected, you’ll be able to use skill points at the skill tree to boost your stat parameters or to unlock new skills for your moveset. You could, for example, add additional special attack uses. Another option is giving your character a high jump to improve its jumping ability. Maybe you’d like to add an air dash in there to mix things up? Oh, and the skill tree is how you’ll unlock the Overdrive ability, as well as the Phantom Break and EX Outrage attack, so be sure to spend your skill points wisely!

Trophy-wise, the game features a full trophy list with a Platinum trophy waiting for you. The list is split into 31 Bronze trophies, 12 Silver trophies, and a pair of Gold trophies. What are you going to have to do for that shiny Platinum trophy? You’ll get a trophy right away after starting the game. From there, some of the objectives that you’ll have to complete include using all of the starting fighters, using Shin-Waka, Aka-Mikoto, L, and Shiro-Mikoto, using all playable characters, playing the game for more than 3 hours, leveling up, reaching level 50 with all characters combined, acquiring a skill for any character, clearing each of the stages in the game, or starting the game on the Nightmare difficulty setting. There’s also a DLC pack for the online side of things with a trio of Bronze trophies for you to work on. Those trophies will require you to clear a stage while playing in online multiplayer, completing an online multiplayer battle, and clearing a stage with 6 people in online multiplayer.

Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate brings us a new take on the 2013 release, revamped with the help of Unreal Engine 5. Phantom Breaker is a fighting game that was originally released back in 2011 by 5pb on the Xbox 360 in Japan. This was followed by a PlayStation 3 version in 2013, titled Phantom Breaker Extra. That one also remained as a Japan-exclusive game. The latest update to the game was titled Phantom Breaker: Omnia, which launched on the PS4 and the Nintendo Switch in 2022, making it the first time the fighting game was made available worldwide.

Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds was then released as a spin-off that took the Phantom Breaker universe and put a beat ’em up spin on things. It was followed by a PlayStation Vita version in 2014. Then, in 2015, we got a revamped version known as Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds – Overdrive on PlayStation 4. It’s now 2025, and 10 years later, we’re getting the definitive version of the game with the aptly titled Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate. Along with the base experience, the move to Unreal Engine 5 offers smoother gameplay, cross-platform support, local and online co-op, and Versus modes for up to 8 players. On top of that, we’re getting new main characters to take for a spin, including being able to play as the enemy for the first time. Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate launches today on PlayStation 5 with a $24.99 price tag.

Disclaimer
This Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy provided by Rocket Panda Games.