Fans of mecha games like Armored Core might want to try out the new Steam demo for CodePhantom, a high-speed mech shooter from Japanese indie developer RRR. The game is an entirely single-player experience where you complete missions inside your PHANTOM humanoid command mech to increase your sync rate. Doing so leads you to discover the mech’s true purpose and capabilities. While the developer recommends using a controller for combat, keyboard and mouse support is also available.
CodePhantom allows you to customize your loadout and appearance before each mission. Two primary weapons and one secondary weapon can be equipped at a time. Your main arsenal consists of weapons such as rifles, gatling guns, and shotguns, while your secondary arsenal includes everything from a handgun to a close-range laser sword.
Traversal revolves around boosting, jumping, and stepping around to avoid gunfire and close the distance between you and your enemies. Your boost ability changes depending on whether you’re engaging foes on the ground or in the air. Ground combat allows you to use your boost for fast horizontal movements, while the jump and step inputs shoot you into the air and rapidly accelerate you in your chosen direction, respectively. Aerial combat gives you full three-dimensional movement when using the boost input, though the jump and step inputs are disabled.
As you attack enemies and use your Sync Charge (a skill that gives your mech a sudden burst of strength), you’ll increase your Sync Rate. As your Sync Rate rises, you’ll gain higher attack power, defense, and movement speed, faster energy recovery, and a wider lock-on range. However, taking damage reduces Sync Rate, encouraging you to make strategic decisions the stronger you get. In addition to the standard Sync Rate, certain story events trigger the Over Sync state, further increasing your mech’s performance.
Most of the game’s upgrades improve your mech’s Sync Rate. These include a higher maximum Sync Rate, improved recovery efficiency, as well as boosts to your movement speed and attack power when reaching higher synchronization percentages.
CodePhantom is set to feature more than 20 missions at launch. Mission goals include eliminating enemy mechs, fighting rival PHANTOMs, escorting allies, defusing bombs, exploring dangerous areas, and more. Note that the Steam store page discloses AI use in text translation and initial concepts for background music.
CodePhantom is set to release for Windows (Steam) in 2026. A free demo is now available.
Related: High-speed indie mecha action game Omega Phenex to be published globally by Astrolabe Games
