Yesterday, I reviewed the new beat ‘em up based on the classic comic book hero The Phantom. It's a lot of fun and you should check it out. But that got me thinking about the cartoon version of the Phantom that they released in the mid-1990s, set in a far-flung future where robots and evil inventors ruled the world. Phantom 2040 would go on to become an action game released on the Super NES, Genesis and Game Gear, and has a bit of a cult following these days. Now, you may be wondering, how does that old game compare? Well, to answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Nintendo Power, Super Play and more classic magazines that reviewed this game back when it first came out. So get ready to see what others cannot, because this is a very purple episode of Phantom 2040 Review Crew.


Two years before Hollywood attempted to turn The Phantom into a modern-day movie star, the Hearst Corporation had its own idea how to bring the sixty-year-old comic book hero into the future. They're plan was to, quite literally, go into the future. 46 years into the future, to be exact. The result was a short-lived cartoon set in the year 2040, where Kit Walker, Jr. would don the iconic suit and kill robots. Although it only lasted 35 episodes, it offered a surprisingly stacked cast that included Margot Kidder, Ron Perlman, Mark Hamill, Blondie's Deborah Harry and Leah Remini. And just in case the distinctive character designs look familiar, they were created by Peter Chung, who was hot off of the success of Aeon Flux. Perhaps assuming the cartoon would be more popular, Viacom New Media quickly secured the rights to make a video game. The result was a 1995 action game that clearly inspired by the Metroid franchise. The cartoon was well-received at the time, but can the same be said about the video game adaptation? Let's find out.

We're going to kick things off with Electronic Gaming Monthly, who reviewed Phantom 2040 back in their 71st issue. They gave it a score of 6.9 out of 10, but that average does not tell the full story, as there was a big disagreement between the four critics. Ed praised the “crisp, well-drawn graphics and a good audio track. There are lots of objects and cinemas strewn throughout. Even the quest itself isn't all that linear. While he looks a little funny when he walks, the whole game has a sleek look to it. My only real peeve is with the endless onslaught of mindless robots that always attack.” Fake ninja Sushi-X disagreed, giving the game a 6 and complained that “all the action games are starting to blend into each other. I guess if you're familiar with the Phantom as a character, the game would stand out a bit more. It's a good game with decent control and items, but there is really nothing special about it. Personally, I've never seen the comic or cartoon the character is from, so the game was just average to me.”

As is so often the case, EGM finds itself right in the middle of the review range. Nintendo Power went a little lower, giving the adventure game a so-so 3.3 out of 5. Game Players wasn't even that generous, going even lower with a 61%. However, the lowest score comes from none other than Video Games: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine (their boast, not mine). They gave it a 5 out of 10 and had a whole list of problems: “There are so few interesting things going on in this game that I thought I'd fall asleep. I'd rather watch reruns of 227 than play Phantom 2040 for an extended period of time. The enemies throughout most of the game are almost laughable and a great many of the bosses are just weak. Another annoying point to this game is its use of color. Usually this is not something worth commenting on, but this game should be made an example of. The developers' obvious attempt at setting a mood doesn't work for me. There are just too many purples and grays and blues in this game.”

Moving back up the scale, we find that the 70% range is pretty much the sweet spot for Phantom 2040. For example, Australia's own Hyper magazine went with a 72%, while Game Informer averaged a very similar 7.25 out of 10. That brings us to Super Play, who gave it a strong 78% and praised the game in a very unusual way. “So, chums. Grubbily presented, occasionally unfair, and derivative of everything in the world, and with regenerating monsters, and 32-character passwords, and with that wretched floor zero fault where you don't know if the platform you're on is at the bottom of the screen, and a license, BUT NONETHELESS a tremendously enjoyable, large and tough thing. Good work, kids.” Phantom 2040 was Super Play's 234th best-reviewed Super NES game of all time.

Normally, this would be where we would stop, with a 78% being the ceiling for the Phantom. However, when GamePro played both the Genesis and the Super NES versions of the game back in 1995, they knew they needed to go all the way over the top, the game a perfect 5 out of 5. “Phantom 2040 is a welcome arrival for the cart-starved Super NES faithful; this game is an excellently crafted action/adventure. Hardcore adventure gamers will find that Phantom is for real. Average players, however, may take until the year 2040 to complete the mazelike levels.”

With an overall average of 71%, most of the critics recommended Phantom 2040, though with some caveats. That said, there's quite a range between the low and high scores, with Geoff Higgins over at Video Games magazine really hating it. Still, this is considered a bit of a cult classic these days, thanks in large part to it being one of the early examples of a Metroidvania game, coming out before that term even excited. Personally, I prefer the new beat ‘em up to this 2040 game, but I say both are worth playing.