Phantasy Star (video game)
| Phantasy Star | |
|---|---|
| File:Phantasy Star box US.jpg North American box art | |
| Developer(s) | Sega RD4 |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Designer(s) | Rieko Kodama (Executive Design; as Phoenix Rie) Yuji Naka (Lead programmer, as Muuu Yuji) |
| Composer(s) | Tokuhiko Uwabo |
| Platform(s) | Sega Master System Sega Mega Drive (Japan Only) Sega Saturn (Japan Only) Game Boy Advance PlayStation 2 (Japan Only) Virtual Console |
| Release | Master System Virtual Console |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Phantasy Star (ファンタシースター, Fantashī Sutā) is the first installment in Sega's renowned series of the same name. It was released for the Sega Master System in Japan on December 20, 1987, and then in the United States in 1988. It is considered one of the pioneers amongst console role-playing games, both for its advanced graphics technology, and for being one of the first story-driven games released in the United States. It is also notable for being one of the first games featuring a female protagonist.
Story
Phantasy Star is set in Algol, a solar system consisting of three planets. There is the lush and green Palma, the arid and barren Motavia, and finally the icy and desolate Dezoris. As the story begins, Algol is ruled by King Lassic, who while originally benevolent, becomes a cruel dictator after converting to a new religion. After a string of harsh political changes, small pockets of rebellion emerge, but are mostly ineffective against Lassic's iron rule. When Nero, the leader of one such rebellion, is killed by Lassic's robotcops, his sister Alis swears revenge. As she travels and witnesses the many victims of Lassic's oppression, Alis's objective becomes less about revenge and more about liberation for the people of Algol. Joined by Myau, a talking cat, Odin, once a member of Nero's rebellion, and the Esper magician Noah (Lutz in Japanese version), Alis embarks on an adventure spanning all three planets. She encounters many personalities - from the well-meaning Governor of Motavia to the eccentric Dr. Luveno - and faces off against countless enemies, to eventually engage King Lassic and determine the fate of Algol.
Gameplay
Phantasy Star was one of the pioneers of the traditional console RPG format, featuring fully traversable overworld maps, complete with interactive towns, and sprawling dungeons. The player engages in random enemy encounters both on the overworld map and in dungeons, which saw a change from the top-down perspective to a first-person view. Unique amongst all games of the time was the faux 3-D graphics of Phantasy Star's Dungeons, a widely praised technological feat. Also notable were the animations of the enemy sprites, which featured considerably more frames than were common at the time. Battles featured the now standard turn-based format, with each players using a combination of weapons and magic to destroy enemies. The option to talk - which would be scrapped in later games in the series - was sometimes a useful alternative.
Characters
Protagonists
Alis Landale (Alisa Landeel in the Japanese version) is a 15-year-old girl who witnesses the death of her brother Nero at the hands of King Lassic's vicious robotcops. With his dying breath, Nero tells Alis about a man named Odin, who could help her in her quest. Alis takes on her brother's mission to defeat Lassic (La Shiec) and avenge him. Alis uses swords as her weapon of choice, can equip light armor and shields, and also uses offensive and curative magic.
Myau is an intelligent, talking, cat-like creature called a Musk Cat. Alis meets him in a pet store on Motavia, where the owner is trying to sell the Musk Cat for an exorbitant amount of money, but instead trades him in exchange for a valuable Laconian pot from Alis. Myau is on a mission to save his friend Odin, who has been turned to stone by the creature Medusa. He has the medicine to cure Odin, but cannot open the bottle, for he has no fingers, and so requests Alis's help to save him. Myau uses claws as weapons, can use stronger curative magic than Alis, and can disarm traps in dungeons. Musk Cats also have an interesting "reaction" to the Laerma nuts found on Dezoris, a fact that makes Myau which even more valuable.
Odin (Tyrone in the Japanese version) is the common warrior archetype of the game, able to wield many weapons that Alis cannot, but in exchange is unable to use any magic. Alis finds him in an underground maze, turned to stone after attempting to destroy Medusa. After being restored to normal, he willingly follows Alis in her bid to dethrone King Lassic. In addition to heavy armor, shields, axes and swords, Odin can use guns, which inflict a set amount of damage, attack entire groups, and never miss, regardless of the enemy's speed or defensive power. They make him consistently useful in spite of the fact that he has the weakest overall stats of any character in the game.
Noah (Lutz in the Japanese release) is the final character to join the party. A member of the powerful Espers - humans endowed with incredible magic proficiency - Noah wields a great variety of spells. In their first encounter, his arrogance causes him to refuse Alis's request to join the group. Only after a request by the Governor of Motavia does he finally decide to help. Initially the diametric opposite of Odin, a frail magic-user who is poor at hand-to-hand combat, Noah eventually becomes one of the strongest overall characters due to his powerful magical abilities.
Antagonists
King Lassic (King Reipard La Shiec in the Japanese version) is the primary villain of the game. Once a benevolent ruler of Algol, Lassic has become twisted by a sinister new faith that has begun to spread throughout Algol. Under his rule, taxes have risen and monsters roam freely on the planets. Life has become miserable for the citizens of Algol, and Lassic's robotcops ruthlessly kill anyone who opposes him.
Dark Force (Dark Phallus in the Japanese version and sometimes romanized as "Dark Falz"[1]) is an evil ancient being and recurring enemy throughout the series. It is the force behind the new religion and crushing political reforms, and through Lassic it extends its influence throughout the Algol solar system.
Development and Release Details
Release History
Phantasy Star was first released for the Sega Master System in Japan on December 20, 1987, with localized ports following in the United States in 1988 and Brazil in 1991. In Japan it was re-released for the Sega Mega Drive in a limited-edition cartridge. Later, it was released in three compilations for the Sega Saturn and Game Boy Advance. and, most recently, the PlayStation 2 under the name of The Phantasy Star Collection. Phantasy Star also appears as an unlockable game in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Pricing
In the United States, Phantasy Star sold for the then-high price of $69.99, with some retail outlets such as Toys R Us selling for as much as $80.00. This made it the most expensive video game ever sold at the time. When the Sega Master System received a price drop in the form of the Master System II hardware, the game was only $10 less than the console itself.
Remake
In 2003, Phantasy Star received an enhanced makeover, and was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan under the title of ファンタシースター generation:1 (Phantasy Star Generation 1). The remake remains largely faithful to the original game, with it still being rendered in 2-D, but with a smooth, colorful quality. Also, the characters now talk to each other, bringing out their personality and flavor to the player. The second and fourth installments in the series were to receive the same treatment, and were to be released to the North American market as a single collection. After Sega shelved work on the Phantasy Star IV remake, however, the North American release of the trilogy was canceled. It was the first game to be released under the Sega Ages line-up.
Fan Translation
Phantasy Star's English translation was subject to criticism due to the changing of certain plot details and character names. In response, several hacks were done by fans attempting to rectify those issues. The most complete one is a full translation released in December 20, 2006 by group SMS Power!. The group purports their version to be faithful to the original Japanese, including the FM-synthesized music. An IPS patch, to be applied on the Japanese ROM, is available.[2]
Technical Details
The game used four megabits (512KB) of ROM, which was four times as much as most early (128KB) Master System games. In addition, five games could be saved with a battery-backed RAM chip. The game was relatively large at the time it was released.
It is also worth noting that the Japanese release took advantage of the FM sound capabilities provided by the Yamaha YM2413 chip available in an add-on module for Sega Mark III, and in the Japanese Sega Master System. However, as the North American and PAL hardware lacked this chip, the releases outside of Japan feature only the PSG soundtrack.
Reception
Phantasy Star is widely regarded as one of the benchmark role-playing video games, and has been well-received by players since the time of its release and into the present. Electronic Gaming Monthly placed it at number 26 in their article "The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time,"[3] which puts it as the #2 RPG on the list, behind Phantasy Star Online at #21.
References
- ^ Translation Notes
- ^ Phantasy Star Fan Translation at SMSpower
- ^ "The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time". Retrieved 2008-10-25.
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