Phantasy Star was a JRPG series created by Sega, composed of four games. The four games were released in the United States between 1987 and 1994. All four were known unanimously for their uncommon difficulty level in random battles and dungeons, and their futuristic theme. I didn't play them when they were released (the first one came out two years before I was born), however, thanks to the efforts of the publisher, Digital Eclipse, the Phantasy Star series is available in two compilations: Phantasy Stars 1 to 3 on the GBA with 'Phantasy
Star Collection', and Phantasy Star 2 to 4 in Sega Genesis Collection for the PS2. I'll be reviewing the four games in four journal entries. I'll begin with the original Phantasy Star.
Phantasy Star was released for the Sega Master System in the United States in 1987, one full year before Dragon Warrior came to the NES. Whereas, in Japan, it was released about two years after Dragon Quest. The result is a game that feels much more advanced by leaps and bounds; having played both Dragon Warrior 1 and Phantasy Star, I have to say that PS does everything DW does, and then some.
Phantasy Star takes place in the distant future, in the Algol system. Humans have managed to colonize the three planets: lush, green Palma; the arid Motavia, and the frigid Dezoris. Overseeing these colonies is King Lashiec ("Lassic" in the English localization). Lassic is a good king, however, he is getting on in years.
Like most other people, he turns to religion. However, instead of simply reading the bible or participating in church more often, Lassic joins a cult that is said to be from the deepest and darkest parts of the galaxy. After being giving a fearful suit of armor, Lassic becomes cold and tyranical. Taxes are raised to
inhuman levels, and monsters begin to run rampant. The people begin to revolt, of course, but Lassic's Robotcops quell each uprising as they appear. The game begins with the death of one of the members of an uprising, Nero.
With his dying breath, Nero urges his younger sister, Alis Landeel ('Landale' in the English localization) to avenge his death. To do so, she must first find a strong man named 'Tyrone' ('Odin' in the English localization). Taking her brother's sword, Alis sets off in search of her revenge.
In general, PS plays out a lot like Dragon Warrior: you control Alis as she wanders Palma, fighting off monsters along the way. The battles feature the same first-person view as in DW, with the exeption that you face multiples of the same enemy as opposed to just one. These enemies also have fully-animated attacks:
Fishmen lash their tongues at you, the Jawa-esque Barbarians fire their guns, and so on. In addition, the more people you have in your party, the more monsters appear. This ensures that the battles are challenging, although it does have its caveats. For example, you can't 'aim' at which monster in the group you want to hit--it's all at random. Enemy animations also get to you after a while. I simply wanted to start skipping fights just so I wouldn't have to sit through that annoying Zombie attack again.
The dungeons are the true stars of this game, however: each one is represented as a first-person, 3-D tunnel. Combined with the first-person battle mode, this gives a convincing feel of actually wandering through darkened ruins. On top of that, these dungeons aren't afraid of kicking you in the rear. Grab the graphing paper,
because I assure you, you WILL get lost in these dungeouns. While younger
RPG-fans weaned on Final Fantasy X might cry foul, the older generation might appreciate this. Among the list of what's found in these catacombs are sprawling
tunnels with dead-ends, pitfalls that drop you into lower levels, and false treasure chests (lots of them). Now, time hasn't been very kind to the dungeons in particular--save for the color of the walls, they all
look the same. Coupled with the ability to save in dungeons, this gives you further reasons to get lost. Some expletives will be screamed in these moments, but it makes your eventual exits all the more satisfying.
On top of all this, you're given three whole planets to explore. For its time, this was mind-bending, and as is, not many games have replicated this. More than just recycled maps, each world has their own monsters to fight and
dungeons to explore. You'll find yourself exploring every nook and cranny of the worlds throughout the course of Phantasy Star. PS also manages to avoid the feeling of being led on a leash--the pacing of exploration feels quite natural, save for one moment involving a few magic crystals.
The biggest complaint I have about Phantasy Star is the ending; the final boss gets NO explanation whatsoever, and the ending comes so far out of left field, it's flying in from the right. Weak endings are a common weakness in
JRPGs; it's a shame that the mostly superlative experience that is Phantasy Star ends on a particularly sour note. It's like listening to Queen rock out to their tune of 'Hammer to Fall', only to have the last third played by
Ted from Guitar Class. Luckily, Freddy Mercury's hairy-chested performance was as awesome as ever, and Brian May rocked out as hard as he could while the band played on a floating platform in the middle of the Dead Sea, but that
just makes the weak ending stand out even harder.
In summary, Phantasy Star is a superlative JRPG; one of the first to come to the U.S., even before the likes of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Its futuristic-medeivalism is handled well enough, and the battle system is a
well-done upgrade from DQ1's one-on-one style. The dungeons are best compared as adventurous, bordering on masochistic (but, then again, that's coming from a guy who's first RPG was FFIX). The graphics have aged as well
as a game from the Sega Master System would age, which is to say, well enough to a point. Some minor quibbles mar the gameplay, not the least of which is the Deus Ex Machina ending, but if you can look past that, you'll
find a 'phantastic' experience years ahead of its time. Time and money permitting, I advise RPG fanatics to seek this title out, although I give younger gamers a warning
as to the overall challenge level of the game.
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