Phantom Dust, cult classic card game, gets creator support for sequel

Bobby Mills July 5, 2022

Never let it be said that petitions are a waste of time. Sure, in most cases a would-be fan effort to get an otherwise dormant project off the ground fizzles out, but every so often you get one which actually makes it to the big leagues; or, in this particular instance, gets the nod from someone in a high (ish) place. Enter Phantom Dust.

This criminally overlooked action-puzzler from 2004, which folds in elements of digital card collection (man, I wonder if there was any global gaming phenomenon going on at the time which also centred around card collection that may have spurred such a creative decision) made its debut on the Xbox. You’ll assemble arsenals in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and it’s all very grimy and mid-2000s. It was a critical smash, but not so much commercially, and to this day it remains a firm cult favourite.

Phantom Dust creator takes notice

So what happens when these very same fans take to Change.org, to try and persuade Microsoft to revisit the IP in a potential sequel? Well, they’ve only gone and attracted the attention of creator Yukio Futatsugi, not to mention going on 7,000 signees at the time of writing. “In 2004, legendary Japanese game designer Yukio Futatsugi teamed up with Microsoft Game Studios Japan to create a cult classic video game called Phantom Dust,” summarises the petition.

Phantom Dust screengrab — Just in case you were in any doubt as to whether dropping a satellite on someone would kill them, the UI is sure to clarify it for you.

Nick Robinson, the petition’s instigator, goes on: “this game, a one-of-a-kind action and card game hybrid, was dramatically ahead of its time and stands today as one of the most unique and singular visions in the history of the Xbox. For nearly twenty years, Yukio has spoken publically about his aspirations to revisit the world of Phantom Dust and direct a sequel – and as the owner of the Phantom Dust property, Microsoft is uniquely poised to grant Yukio that opportunity.”

One need only scroll down the list of signatures to see the countless hopeful fans of this gem of a game, as well as Yukio himself, all of whom’d love to see a sequel. Will you join them and put your own John Hancock on the petition? Let us know!

Via, Change.org.