Amidst a sea of modern cooperative shooters, it’s hard to find one that stands out as different or innovative, that’s an undeniable reality. And another truth, without a doubt, is that some titles in this overused genre still manage to surprise, or at least conceptually, since today we’re talking about a game that hasn’t hit the market yet. We’re referring to Phantom Line, the new coop shooter that blends science fiction and horror in a more than appealing way, implementing some novel mechanics, or at least for today’s games, and I’ll explain later what I mean. 😉
Phantom Line stands out as a unique and refreshing proposal in an oversaturated genre. The team at Antistatic Studios aims to transport us to a war-ravaged Europe, in a post-apocalyptic future where, as if the environment weren’t dangerous enough, we will have to face supernatural threats in our role as “operators” of Mortfield Industries. At this point, you might be wondering, what’s so new about this? Usually, you fight, you kill, you get killed, and you restart the match, right? Well, get ready, operator, because in this game, death is just the beginning.
The World of Phantom Line
What exactly is this game about? Well, to start, it must be said that this premise is, at the very least, fascinating. Phantom Line offers us a mix of the coop shooter we mentioned earlier, with a touch of other elements like survival, resource management, and a mandatory ability to adapt to dynamic events that will unfold in the world sooner or later. That survival aspect we mentioned becomes gradually more complicated due to the presence of anomalies, creatures, and paranormal phenomena that seep through cracks in space-time. Yes, my friend, you read that right.
And we haven’t even mentioned Phantom Line‘s biggest strength yet: The HUSK Program. Through this system, we will be able to transfer our consciousness into different artificial bodies, making death itself a secondary concern. This mechanic allows us to fight, explore the environment, distract enemies, and obviously, in many cases, sacrifice them for a greater good. Put this way, who wouldn’t be willing to die over and over for their cause?
You will be an OPERATOR, part of an elite operations unit handling specific anomalies, strange and unexplained events hidden from the public. The megacorporation you work for, Mortfield Industries, has lost contact with one of its research facilities located in the Iron Corridor, the Eastern European region torn apart by international tensions and paranormal activities. Naturally, you will be sent to investigate and secure the perimeter, as another nuclear war is about to break out.
The HUSK
Or rather, H.U.S.K. will be your greatest secret and your most powerful weapon. The Operator Simulation Program of Mortfield allows you to transfer your consciousness between artificial bodies, so you can use them in your tactics, whether for exploration, distraction, or as decoys. This way, you and your teammates will be able to dominate the battlefield, having many different options to overcome any obstacle in your way. And of course, the icing on the cake is not just the HUSK itself but the possibility of doing all this in cooperative mode with up to four players.
At your base of operations, formerly a nuclear icebreaker, you will be able to plan your strategies, review and upgrade your arsenal, and customize your HUSK. The developers have placed special emphasis on tactical freedom, giving us examples of different ways to use the HUSK program, like the ones mentioned before. If you think about it, the possibilities are almost limitless. Can you imagine sacrificing a body you are using as a distraction while your team flanks the enemy from the rear?
You Can Try Phantom Line Right Now
Although Phantom Line does not yet have an official release date, there is currently an open test where you can play a demo of the game. To do this, you only need to join the game’s official Discord server (you can find the link at the end of this article) and request access. This way, you will be able to experience the HUSK system firsthand, explore the open world, and test the cooperative mode‘s functionality.
Now, do you think you have what it takes to die over and over for the cause? Yeah, okay, if we repeat that too much, it stops being fun, right? …Remember that at the beginning of the article, I said that this mechanic is innovative, at least in today’s games? Well, if you’ve read my previous articles, you know that I’ve been a gamer for decades. That being said, when I saw this mechanic implemented here, I couldn’t help but remember a game from many years ago called Clive Barker’s Jericho, from 2007, where the player dies almost at the beginning of the game and then their consciousness starts “transferring” between the bodies of their teammates, like a form of “possession.” Interestingly, in that game, you also had to fight completely paranormal forces, demons, anomalies, and more… pretty crazy, huh? XD
Now, whether you sign up for the Phantom Line test or not, both you and I will have to wait to fully enjoy it. So while we do, how about we head to the comments and talk about what we think of this proposal? You know, Operators, we’ll be reading you! 😉
Phantom Line Official Discord Server
Images Source: AntistaticStudios YouTube Channel, Phantom Line on Steam
