NIS America has made a name for itself over the years with franchises like Disgaea. However, many people haven’t played some of the classic games from the PlayStation 2 era that came before. In fact, one of the games in NIS Classics Volume 1 has never been released on any console other than its initial release. Does Prinny Presents: NIS Classics Volume 1 hold up though? Well, let’s get into it.

Before we get into the details of this bundle, let’s talk about the games that are in it. There are two games in Prinny Presents: NIS Classics Volume 1. Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle has been re-released a few times and is available on Steam already. Soul Nomad & The World Eaters, on the other hand, has not been released outside of its initial PS2 launch.

Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle puts players in the role of Ash, a warrior who was killed in battle but spared by magic. The magic turned him into a phantom, neither living nor dead, yet only visible to a young girl named Marona who can see phantoms. Their journey together will pit them against all sorts of foes, ultimately even the dark creature that killed Marona’s parents.

Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle contains all the content from various releases of Phantom Brave, including all DLC and added content. However, this bundle doesn’t really upgrade the graphics so much as it scales them up for higher resolutions. As a result, if graphics are your thing then you’ll find these to be outdated. As with most NIS America titles though, the artwork and environments are varied and meticulously crafted.

The gameplay of Phantom Brave is NIS America’s standard tactics fare, except for the way you summon various characters. Marona is the only one able to summon characters and does so by “confining” them into objects on the battle map. This can range from things like trees and rocks to weapons lying on the ground. Summoned phantoms have a limited number of turns they can be on the field, and once their duration ends you cannot summon them in that battle again.

Truth be told, I don’t really think that Phantom Brave’s combat has aged all that well. However, I’d say there is a reason that it is considered a classic. The characters are interesting, the story is unique, and the gameplay is different than most other NIS games that have come out since it was released. Let’s talk about Soul Nomad & The World Eaters before I give too many more thoughts on this bundle though.

Soul Nomad & The World Eaters puts you in the role of a male or female protagonist of your choosing, who finds themselves possessed by Gig, the former Master of Death and God of Destruction. 200 years before the beginning of the game, Gig tried to conquer and devour the world with 3 beings known as World Eaters. Your character’s mentor Layna sealed him away in a sword, waiting for the perfect human vessel that could contain Gig’s power and destroy the World Eaters.

Now with Gig possessing your body, you must find allies and take on the World Eaters. Soul Nomad does things a little differently too, in that your characters are confined to squads known as rooms. Where you place a character in the squad matters because each character/class has a preferred range or set of skills. I prefer Soul Nomad & The World Eaters’ gameplay to Phantom Brave’s, as it has aged better and makes a little more strategic sense.

However, some of the mechanics such as decorating rooms or making multiple rooms can get a little complex and confusing. It definitely isn’t a beginner-friendly strategy game, but it does have some interesting elements. One fascinating element is that depending on your dialogue choices at the beginning of the game, you can choose an entirely evil pathway, which changes the game’s events entirely.

Soul Nomad & The World Eaters is a more choice-focused title, which is different from what most fans are used to. I can see why it is also considered a classic though, as the characters are unique and the world itself has a very different feel to it from most NIS games. However, some of the language that is used in the game is outdated and could be considered offensive, so if you are bothered by that, then you should beware.

Overall, both of the games in the Prinny Presents: NIS Classics Volume 1 bundle are a product of the time they were made. They aren’t remade, and they aren’t even remastered really. Instead, their visuals have been upscaled and they’ve been ported to the Nintendo Switch. Part of me says the price tag is a little steep for what you’re getting, but truthfully both games probably offer at least 50 hours each, so if you’re a fan of these classics or if you like retro games then this will probably satisfy you.

I think when you break it down, Prinny Presents: NIS Classics Volume 1 is more for the people that loved these two games on PlayStation 2 or never got the chance to play them back then. I don’t really know how many modern players who aren’t a fan of NIS America’s old catalog will enjoy these. However, if you like dipping your toes in the era of harder, less forgiving strategy games then I think this will scratch the itch nicely.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Prinny Presents: NIS Classics Volume 1 was provided by NIS America for this review.

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Prinny Presents: NIS Classics Vol. 1

$39.99 USD

6.5

Score

6.5/10

Pros

• Two NIS Classics for One Price
• Over 100 Hours of Gameplay
• Unique Stories and Visuals
• Smooth Controls
• Fun, Unique Characters

Cons

• Not Remastered, Just Upscaled
• Phantom Brave Hasn't Aged Well
• Soul Nomad has a Few Confusing Mechanics
• Not Beginner-Friendly