To first-time readers—nice to meet you! 

And to everyone else—hello again!

Hey everyone, I’m Sakari P, the producer of Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate (PBBGU). If you followed Phantom Breaker: Omnia (PBO), Rocket Panda Games’ first title, you might remember me from the dev diaries I shared back then. Well, I’m back at it again, over the next few weeks, I’ll be taking you behind the scenes of PBBGU’s development.

Oh, and I just realized, I never properly introduced myself! I used to work at MAGES., then went freelance, and now I’ve joined Rocket Panda Games. Not just for PBBGU, but for whatever comes next, I’m excited to keep making awesome games. Looking forward to the journey ahead!Also, a huge thank you to everyone who played the PBBGU demo on Steam and Xbox a few months back! That build was a test to see if the game still captured the feel of the original Battle Grounds, and if you’ve played the classic, you might have noticed some tweaks to the mechanics. That said, I think we’ve done a solid job of recreating the core experience. From here, we’re fine-tuning, adding new features, and making sure PBBGU is even more fun and fresh for launch!

So, what exactly makes PBBGU fun?
Well, more than ever, we’re doubling down on the chaotic energy that defines the series. PBBG has always been about tiny characters swarming the screen, creating wild, over-the-top action—but this time, we’re cranking that up even further.

Actually, forget “cranking it up”—the development process itself has been pure chaos from the start. Inside and out, it’s been non-stop mayhem. So naturally, the game has followed suit, pushing the very limits of controlled chaos.

Our approach? Pack in as much fun as possible (without overthinking it), and worry about balancing later. With that mindset, things were bound to get this wild.

From the Demo to the Full Game

Unlike Phantom Breaker: Omnia, PBBGU comes with some PvP modes—but at its core, it’s all about PvE. And when it comes to making a solid PvE experience, the most important thing is making sure taking down CPU enemies feels good. That’s been a major focus for our adjustments.

Take Mikoto, for example. Here are two clips—one from the demo and one from the full game. Here is the demo clip first:

Now here is the clip from the full game:

See the difference? We’ve buffed the piercing effect of her Schneidend attack, making it even more satisfying to land. That was my idea, by the way – because hey, why not make it more fun? But if you watch closely, you’ll notice enemies don’t just stand there anymore. They actually react, shifting their movement to close in on Mikoto while dodging her attack’s hitbox. That’s all thanks to our planners and AI engineers, who fine-tuned enemy behavior to keep things engaging.

Basically, I bring chaos, and the team scrambles to balance it out (mayhem). Turns out, most of the chaos in this game comes from balancing out the mayhem I introduce. Whether it’s the chicken or the egg, game development is a wild ride… but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Huge shoutout to the team for making it all come together!

Why Buffing Moves is the Right Call

Making characters feel strong and responsive is key, because it shifts the responsibility onto the player. If you get hit, it’s likely because of a misstep in your strategy, not because the character is weak. This encourages players to think about improving their playstyle instead of just blaming the game’s balance. When a character feels too weak, it can lead to frustration and complaints about the design itself.

So yeah, I bring a lot of chaos, but there’s a method to the madness! (At least, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.)

New Moves and Characters

We’ve tweaked and added some moves compared to the original game, always keeping the PvE experience in mind. If you’ve played the original Battle Grounds, you’ll probably notice these changes and (hopefully) enjoy seeing how they shake things up.

Take Shiro-Mikoto’s super move, for example. In PBBGU, it follows the Grandios attack style from PBO. You may have already spotted this in the demo:

Like many of the changes, this started as my chaos, but thanks to our planners, it’s now fully realized. Huge thanks to the team for bringing it to life! (And yes, I know I keep saying that, but it really does deserve repeating.)

New Playable Characters

The demo didn’t include them, but two additional playable characters have been added:

• Shin-Waka – Originally a hidden character in PBO, now making a return.
• Aka-Mikoto – Previously an enemy in Battle Grounds, finally playable in this installment!

These aren’t just simple recolors, they’ve got their own unique fighting styles and special moves that make them stand out from their original versions. We’ll be showing them off in upcoming promotional videos, so stay tuned. Both characters bring a serious power boost, letting you mow through waves of enemies in style.

Looking Ahead

I hope this dev diary gave you a peek into our chaotic (but totally exciting) development process and how we’re taking Battle Grounds to even higher levels of action-packed fun.

Next time, I’ll dive into the Battle Grounds (PvP) mode and the process of making enemy characters playable. Things are only going to get more chaotic from here, so don’t miss out!

Until next time—take care!