There are a lot of influential franchises in the world of gaming; Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Chrono Trigger, Super Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda are some of first ones that come to mind. However, one franchise seems to always be left out of the conversation when it comes to innovative franchises, unless you are talking to some hardcore gamers. The franchise I have in mind is Sega‘s Phantasy Star series.
Unless you have played the Sega Genesis, odds are the only entry in the franchise you know is Phantasy Star Online. The Phantasy Star series was used by Sega to introduce some truly innovative ideas into the world of gaming and the RPG genre, and have gone on to influence a number of franchises. If you missed out on playing Phantasy Star I – IV, you can always relive it by playing Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection! Now let’s look step-by-step at why you should.
Release Date: Japan – December 20, 1987; North America/Europe – 1988
System: Sega Master System
Synopsis: Alis is tasked with avenging the death of her brother at the hands of King Lassic and his robot-cops. During her journey, she meets a Musk Cat named Myah, a warrior known as Odin, and the Esper magician Noah. Together they travel across three planets in order to end King Lassic’s reign of terror over the planet Palma.
Why It’s Special: Along with Samus Aran and Chun Li, Alis Landeel is one of the first heroines in all of gaming. Unlike most females in games, Alis was not a damsel in distress; in fact she was on a quest to avenge her brother’s death and to liberate her home world from a dictator. Now that is some heavy stuff. Besides having a strong heroine, Phantasy Star was one of the first story-driven games released in North America. Unlike Dungeons & Dragons or Dragon Warrior, the characters in Phantasy Star had their own backstories and personalities. Phantasy Star eschews the fantasy setting that was popular at the time for a something more sciene-fiction. Yes, there were swords and magic at play, space travel and androids made this game stand out of the crowd.
Release Date: Japan – March 21, 1989; North America/Europe – 1990
System: Sega Genesis
Synopsis: Taking place 1,000 years after the events of Phantasy Star, the sequel focuses on Rolf and his task on finding out why Mother Brain is malfunctioning. Mother Brain is important to the survival of the inhabitants of Mota, which was once a desert planet, but is now a tropical paradise. Along the way, seven companions will join Rolf on his interplanetary quest, with the most notable being a Numan named Nei. Phantasy Star II has one of the best and most shocking twist endings in all of gaming, and it’s considered one of the best JRPGs to be released.
Why It’s Special: Viewed as the best entry in the series, Phantasy Star II was not just the first 16-bit RPG released in the West (releasing a month before the classic Final Fantasy), but it was also the biggest game released at the time. In fact, Phantasy Star II was so large in scope that it came packaged with a strategy guide. The game also continued the trend started by it’s predecessor and had an epic storyline with a truly memorable cast of characters. Phantasy Star II weaved mature themes and social commentary into it’s tale long before Squaresoft’s Final Fantasy series. Unlike the science fantasy setting of Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star II was purely science fiction, a rarity for RPGs back then.
Release Date: Japan – April 21, 1991; North American/Europe – 1991.
System: Sega Genesis
Synopsis: The story and morality of Phantasy Star III is as difficult to explain as it is completely enthralling. There are conflicting views as to were this game fits into the timeline, but according to the Japanese release Phantasy Star III takes place 1,000 years after Phantasy Star IV. Now, the story takes place over three generations and revolves around a civil war. During the course of the story, you will see that there is no good or bad on either side of the civil war, similar to how war is depicted in the Mobile Suit Gundam series.
Innovations: The biggest thing that Phantasy Star III introduced was a story spanned three generations. During the end of a generation the player chooses a wife, and the choice affects the stats of the character you will control in the next generation. The story branches off at points, and the ending is determined by whom you choose to marry. It may not seem like a big deal in today’s landscape, but that was highly ambitious back in the 16-bit era.
Release Date: Japan – December 17, 1993; North America/Europe – 1995.
System: Sega Genesis
Synopsis: Phantasy Star IV takes place 1,000 years after Phantasy Star II, and answers many of the questions that were left in the open from its predecessor. A young bounty hunter named Chaz and his mentor are sent to investigate an outbreak of biomonsters. During the investigation, they learn that Mota is reverting back to its desert state, and during the course of the game, Chaz and company are tasked with stopping Zio from destroying the Algol System. However, like the rest of the series, all is not what it seems to be.
Innovations: Phantasy Star IV did not really introduce anything new to the world of RPGs unless you count going back to it’s roots. Phantasy Star IV shed the light-science fantasy setting of Phantasy Star III and went back to the science fiction of Phantasy Star II. The writing and characters are a huge improvement over what was seen in Phantasy Star III, but redeeming past mistakes are nothing new in the world of gaming. Despite the relative lack of innovation, Phantasy Star IV is easily one of the best RPGs ever made.
Release Date: Multiple versions between the years 200-2002.
Systems: Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Gamecube, and Microsoft Xbox
Synopsis: The overarching story is about the Alliance of Nations banding together to plan a mass exodus from an inhabitable planet to settle the planet of Ragol. You play as Hunters and are tasked with exploring Ragol and eventually being task with defeating Dark Falz. There is a single-player competent to tell the story separately from the MMO portion, and to give it credit, it tells an entertaining story in true Phantasy Star fashion.
Innovation: Phantasy Star Online is the very first console MMORPG. Sega showed that a genre very popular with the PC crowd could function on consoles, and it would not be long until Square Enix followed suit with Final Fantasy XI. Capcom’s Monster Hunter even has a bit of Phantasy Star Online in it in terms of level design, smooth user interface, and fast paced combat. Most importantly though, Phantasy Star Online showed that consoles could do online gaming. On top of that it, was practically two games in one; the single-player was not a tacked on diversion, but could have stood on its own as Phantasy Star V. Out of the whole series, Phantasy Star Online may well be the most inventive of the bunch.
With the release of Phantasy Star Online 2 looming ever so closer, it will be interesting to see what Sega will try to introduce anything new into the world of gaming. As far as I know, Phantasy Star Online 2 looks to be the first handheld MMORPG, so it certainly has that going for it.
As said throughout this piece, Phantasy Star is a very important franchise in the world of gaming. From introducing one of gaming’s first heroines, showing that science fiction can be a viable setting, introducing mature themes and strong character development, and proving that consoles can do online gaming, Phantasy Star was a way for Sega to revolutionize several aspects of gaming that we take for granted. It would be nice to see the franchise return to its roots, but as long as Sega keeps trying new things, Phantasy Star will never feel like a wasted franchise. Which is nice, now let’s just hope Sega takes the same approach with some of their other franchises.
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