Photo Credit: Rotton Tomatoes
Fans (or Phans) have been clamoring for a Phantasm game for quite a while. Over the years, I’ve seen fan made Phantasm games (and Phantasm mods of existing games). Don Coscarelli even recently voiced his desire for a Phantasm game to materialize. There is nothing that I would love more than to see a Phantasm game, and I am sure that most — if not all — fans of the franchise feel the same way.
Phantasm would shine as a video game, and I’m sure it would be a great way to welcome new fans to the franchise that we all know and love.
That’s where I picture a Phantasm game being different; because it is different, always has been different, and in the best ways. The film is a masterpiece of originality, and it would be great to see the universe expand.
I see a Phantasm game expanding on its universe, much like the Ghostbusters video game did back in 2009.
Phantasm already has all of the ingredients to make a great open world role playing game (RPG). Nothing would have to change — we have numerous types of enemies, and spheres (the spheres are iconic), dimensional forks to other worlds, various improvised weapons (and tuning forks), and the ‘Cuda to traverse different areas and explore! There is also the amazing cast of reoccurring characters — and Morningside Cemetery.
The game could follow the plot of the five-film franchise, and maybe even take the opportunity to introduce new characters and Phantasm lore. There is so much potential for an amazing open-world RPG. If you were to play as Reggie, Mike or Jody, there could be different storylines or endings based on how you play the game. Randomized events and fighting hordes of the undead would be a pretty cool element too. With so many unique enemies, I am sure that some epic boss fights would be thrown in as well!
There could also be different skill trees for different characters; Reggie could upgrade his four-barrel shotgun, Mike could expand on his telekinetic abilities, and Jody could use his skills to transform into a sphere (he could also have abilities related to the ‘Cuda). Resource management is also a must!
Since Phantasm covers such a broad area of content, from horror to sci-fi, there is a lot of room for creativity when developing a game based on the film. The Phantasm universe is ripe for expansion.
I would want to see this game done from the third-person perspective. I did like Resident Evil 7, and I think it was a good game, but I prefer Resident Evil from a third person perspective. I think this is why I didn’t become too attached to Ethan Winters, and I didn’t care about RE8. This is because of the character development — I’ve grown to care about Chris, Leon, Jill and Claire (and Barry!). I feel the same way about Jody, Mike and Reggie. Playing a game like this in first-person takes away from that. I prefer my survival horror from the third person point of view.
Phantasm would shine as a video game, and I’m sure it would be a great way to welcome new fans to the franchise that we all know and love.
Kickstarter, anyone?