The Phantom | Switch Review

As soon as I saw the trailer for The Phantom, I wanted to play it. First, it is reminiscent of the classic beat-em-ups from the 80s that I loved, like Final Fight, the TMNT games, or Double Dragon. Second, and more importantly, the graphics looked like a moving comic book. Art of Play has brought us a game that I purchased from the Nintendo store as soon as I woke up on Wednesday morning (3-12-2025). I was destined for a good time; let’s jump in.

Story

A brief origin story:

The Phantom, created by Lee Falk, debuted in The Phantom newspaper comic strip on February 17, 1936. He is considered the first costumed superhero, predating even Superman and Batman. The character, also known as “The Ghost Who Walks,” is a masked crime-fighter who operates in the fictional African country of Bangalla, where the mantle of the Phantom is passed down through generations, creating the illusion of an immortal protector.

In the video game, The Phantom (the character, not the game) is an already active hero in the jungles of Bangalla. We get a very brief explanation of The Phantom as a child. Now as an adult, he’s having a pleasant afternoon with his wife, Diana, when the jungle drums play indicating there is trouble! Kit, The Phantom’s son, has been kidnapped by the dastardly Singh Brotherhood! 

The Phantom can be a couch co-op game where one plays as the Phantom and the other plays as Diana. However, I’m all alone on a very early Saturday morning. The game gives the option to play as either The Phantom or Diana, though! Could you imagine playing The Phantom and not selecting The Phantom?

Gameplay is Fun. Combat? Well…

The gameplay is the same as any other beat ‘em up you’ve played in the past. Enemies arrive in numbers of 1-6; you must punch, kick, throw, or grapple-and-bash-head-with-your-knee until the boss arrives. The Phantom does not have super powers, but he does have a couple of combat tricks up his sleeve. He can whistle for his wolf, who jumps in to attack your foes and then leap off screen. If you selected Diana, it’s an eagle instead.

You can also utilize my favorite trick, just pull out the gun and shoot them. There are limited bullets, so there’s strategy there. But I was outnumbered and losing badly a few times where I said out loud, “Fists aren’t going to cut it.” Bang Bang Bang Bang! Sadly, the bullets cause minimally more damage than your fists, but you can shoot in two directions at the same time! Those baddies don’t know what hit them! 

The combat is, sadly, the weakest part of The Phantom. This is especially evident in the scenes that involve chasing. Whether on a motorcycle or a boat, your purpose in those scenes is to shoot at the exploding weapons that the baddies are throwing off their vehicle. The hit detection is fairly weak. Once I got the hang of the timing, I enjoyed these sections much more, but they were initially frustrating.

More combat woes: I could not find a way to stop punching once a combo began. While I’m combo punching one bad guy, another one is walking up behind me and attacking. I couldn’t jump or move out of the way; too busy pummeling.

Speaking of the bad guys, much like the classic beat ‘em ups, the enemies are straight from a cloning machine. Each location that you visit has one unique bad guy type, but the rest of them you’ve defeated a hundred times! 

The boss battles were exactly what you would expect, as well. Beat up the boss until they get to a health bar threshold. Then they get to take a breather and recuperate while the cloned goons try to weaken you a bit. Each boss had their own fighting style, which I appreciated for the variety of it. The one positive for having the game be relatively short is that the combat doesn’t have time to become a slogfest. Each boss combat varies; yours does not.

Comic Book Glory

The Phantom delivers a stunning visual experience that perfectly captures the essence of its comic book origins. The game’s bold, crisp outlines and rich, vibrant colors make every frame feel like a panel straight out of a graphic novel, immersing players in a world that feels both cinematic and stylized. The dynamic lighting and shadow effects enhance the noir-inspired atmosphere, while the fluid animation ensures that every action sequence flows seamlessly. Whether it’s the deep purples of The Phantom’s iconic suit or the lush, detailed backgrounds of every country you visit, every visual element is meticulously crafted to bring the legendary hero’s world to life.

The sound is also a bright spot! While not as perfectly executed as the graphics, the sound and music still kept me engaged. The cut scenes are done in a comic-book panel style with some movement, but the comic-talk bubbles are performed by voice actors who do a terrific job! The music fit perfectly with each scene, but was also in the background enough so that my brain wasn’t noticing the music looping.

Finally, the noises of combat were satisfying. Every punch and kick lands with the satisfying snaps and thuds of video gaming. The groans from the enemies varied perfectly enough for me to know when they weren’t getting back up again without having to look at their health meter. The sound of the bad guys’ weapons varied as well. My personal favorite (until they hit me with it) was the guy whipping a chain at me. The chain noise must have been sampled from an actual chain because the sound was unmistakable.  

The Phantom Final Verdict

The Phantom delivered for me. With the exception of a couple of bugs and the weak spots of the combat, I thoroughly enjoyed the game. The campaign was quite short. I probably would have been happy with a longer game, but I was also happy that I didn’t have time to feel like I was grinding enemies just to see the final boss. I am curious if playing the game as Diana instead of The Phantom results in any differences. I’ll  happily jump back in and try.

About those bugs: I could do a jump and kick move, but sometimes our good ole Phantom would get stuck in the move and I could make him glide across the screen in the kick pose. He wouldn’t break out of it until an enemy hit me. The next bug happened twice: an enemy was on the ground and never got up despite having health remaining. Without defeating all of the enemies, the level wouldn’t progress. I had to restart the level. The levels aren’t that long, though, so it didn’t hurt too badly. 

What really hit the spot for me were those graphics. A living and breathing comic book. I read that the lead artist for the game (Anthony Spay) has also done work for the comic books. You can tell that the artist(s) have done this before. 

The Phantom is an extremely beautiful looking, although a bit short, video game that gave me the classic beat ‘em up nostalgia hit.

To hear me talk more about The Phantom, be sure to listen to the March 19th episode of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.

This review is based on a purchased Nintendo Switch copy of The Phantom. It is also available on PlayStation and PC.