Phantasy Star (video game)
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| above = Phantasy Star
| image = {{#invoke:InfoboxImage|InfoboxImage|image={{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue|rank=best|P18 |name=image |qid= |suppressfields= |fetchwikidata=ALL |onlysourced=no |noicon=yes|Phantasy Star MS cover.png}}|size=|sizedefault=frameless|upright=1|alt=|border=|suppressplaceholder=yes}}
| caption = {{#if:Phantasy Star MS cover.png|North American and European box art depicting the main protagonist Alis (center)|North American and European box art depicting the main protagonist Alis (center)}}
| label2 = Developer(s) | data2 = Sega
| label3 = Publisher(s) | data3 = Sega
| label4 = Director(s) | data4 = Template:If first display both
| label5 = Producer(s) | data5 = Template:If first display both
| label6 = Designer(s) | data6 = Kotaro Hayashida
| label7 = Programmer(s) | data7 = Yuji Naka
| label8 = Artist(s) | data8 = Rieko Kodama
| label9 = Writer(s)
| data9 = Kotaro Hayashida
Chieko Aoki
| label10 = Composer(s) | data10 = Tokuhiko Uwabo
| label11 = Series | data11 = Phantasy Star
| label12 = Engine | data12 = Template:If first display both
| label13 = Platform(s) | data13 = Master System, Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Switch
| label14 = Release | data14 = Template:Collapsible list
| label15 = Genre(s) | data15 = Role-playing
| label16 = Mode(s) | data16 = Single-player
| label17 = Arcade system | data17 = Template:If first display both
| data30 =
| below = Template:EditOnWikidata
}}Template:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|ignoreblank=1|preview=Page using Template:Infobox video game with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"| alt | arcade system | artist | caption | border | child | collapsible | commons | composer | designer | developer | director | embedded | engine | fetchwikidata | genre | image | image_size | image_upright | italic title | modes | noicon | onlysourced | platform | platforms | producer | programmer | publisher | qid | refs | release | released | series | state | subbox | suppressfields | title | writer }}Template:Main other{{#if:Phantasy Star MS cover.png|}} Template:Nihongo foot is a role-playing video game developed and published by Sega for the Master System. One of the earliest Japanese RPGs for consoles, Phantasy Star tells the story of Alis on her journey to defeat the evil ruler of her star system, King Lassic, after her brother dies at his hands. She traverses between planets, gathering a party of fighters and collecting the items she needs to avenge her brother's death and return peace to the star system. The gameplay features traditional Japanese RPG elements including random encounters and experience points. All the characters have predefined personalities and abilities, a unique element compared to the customizable characters of other RPGs of the era.
Sega launched the development of Phantasy Star so their Master System could compete with the burgeoning popularity of console RPGs, particularly Dragon Quest (1986) on the Famicom. Designer Kotaro Hayashida and programmer Yuji Naka formed a team, staffed by a large number of women for the time, including graphic designer Rieko Kodama. The team wanted Phantasy Star to be a unique RPG experience, so they added elements like 3D dungeon crawling, a female protagonist, and ample animation. The game's setting was a fusion between medieval fantasy and science fiction, an idea inspired by Star Wars. The team had to use several techniques to fit all their content on a four megabit cartridge, a large game size for the time.
The game was released for the Master System two days after Final Fantasy arrived for the competing Famicom. It was praised for its grand sense of adventure due to its advanced visual effects and deep gameplay. The battery backup system drew praise but also contributed to the game's notably high retail price which made it difficult for some critics to recommend. The game was re-released on several platforms in the following years, including a series of Phantasy Star compilations. In 2003, a remake titled Template:Nihongo foot was released for the PlayStation 2.
Phantasy Star is considered a landmark RPG for its use of predetermined characters and a science fantasy setting. Sega launched a series of sequels, some of which were developed by staff who worked on the original. Kodama directed Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (1993) and Naka produced Phantasy Star Online (2000).
GameplayEdit
Phantasy Star is a traditional Japanese role-playing game.<ref name=":22" /> It alters between a top-down perspective when the player is exploring the overworld, and changes to a first-person view when engaged in battle or exploring dungeons.<ref name=":6" /> The dungeons are long and twisted, and require the player to map most of them on paper.<ref name=":5" /><ref name="egp" /> When exploring the overworld, the player can venture into a town to buy items and weapons.<ref name=":3" /> Outside the towns, monsters may randomly engage the player in battle.<ref name=":3" /> The player controls the main character Alis, and as the game progresses, other characters are recruited to her party: a wizard named Noah, a warrior Odin, and a talking cat-like creature named Myau.<ref name=":22" /> Each character has different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities.<ref name="egp" /> The party has a shared inventory of items and equipment.<ref name=":6" />
When encountering enemies, all party members enter into battle.<ref name=":6" /> Battles are handled using a menu system which allows the player to fight or attempt to talk and negotiate with an enemy.<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":15" /> When an enemy is defeated, party members gain experience points and are rewarded with a treasure chest that may contain money or a booby trap.<ref name=":6" /> As the characters gain experience points, they increase in level, gaining access to new magic spells and raising their offensive and defensive statistics.<ref name=":5" />
PlotEdit
Phantasy Star is set in the Algol star system which consists of three planets: the lush and green Palma, the arid and barren Motavia, and the icy and desolate Dezoris. Algol is ruled by King Lassic, who while originally benevolent, becomes a cruel, sociopathic tyrant. After a string of harsh political changes, small pockets of rebellion emerge but are mostly ineffective against Lassic's iron rule. One such rebel named Nero is killed by Lassic's forces, and his sister Alis swears revenge. Alis builds a party of adventurers including a warrior named Odin (Template:Langx), a wizard named Noah (Template:Langx), and a catlike creature named Myau. Together, they embark on an adventure spanning the three planets, meeting with townspeople, battling enemies, and finding special items that will help in the fight against Lassic. Eventually, the party engages and defeats Lassic, after which an ethereal voice tells them to return to Motavia. There, they encounter a more evil force, Dark Falz, and after destroying him, finally return peace to the Algol system.
DevelopmentEdit
BackgroundEdit
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Role-playing games (RPG) were beginning to gain popularity with console players in Japan in the late 1980s.<ref name="untold2" /><ref name=":1" /> Many Japanese game designers were inspired by Western RPGs such as Ultima and Wizardry.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Chunsoft and Enix's Dragon Quest series was proving to be very popular on the Famicom,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} (Translation, archived)</ref> inspiring other developers to design similar games.<ref name=":1" /> Falcom began development on Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished, as Square was doing the same with Final Fantasy.<ref name=":1" /> Around the release of Dragon Quest II in January 1987, Sega felt they needed an RPG for their Master System to compete in this emerging market.<ref name="untold2" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4">Template:Cite book (Translation, archived)</ref> They believed they could not rely on third-party support because Sega's hardware market share was only one-tenth that of Nintendo's.<ref name="untold2" /><ref name=":1" /> They looked internally and found designer Kotaro Hayashida and programmer Yuji Naka were interested in creating an RPG.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="untold3">Template:Cite book</ref> They had previously been recognized for their work within Sega — Hayashida for Alex Kidd in Miracle World (1986),<ref name="untold2" /><ref name=":1" /> and Naka for his 8-bit home console conversions of arcade games like Out Run and Space Harrier.<ref name=":1" /> With Sega's approval, Hayashida and Naka began forming a team to develop an RPG.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="untold3" />
The team consisted of around ten people.<ref name=":20">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Hayashida was lead designer and Naka was lead programmer.<ref name="untold2" /><ref name=":1" /> Other staff members from Miracle World joined the project including lead graphic designer Rieko Kodama, and composer Tokuhiko Uwabo.<ref name=":1" /> There were more women on the development team than was typical at the time.<ref name=":4" /> Among them were Kodama, who drew most of the artwork,<ref name=":2" /> designer Miki Morimoto, who did much of the playtesting and enemy statistics configuration,<ref name=":4" /> and Chieko Aoki, who wrote the game's original story and script.<ref name=":4" /> Aoki had already been working on an original story with most of the dialogue already completed, and this became the first draft for the RPG project.<ref name=":4" /> The game would be character designer Naoto Ohshima's first project at Sega.<ref name="untold" /> Although there was no team director,<ref name="untold">Template:Cite book</ref> Hayashida believes he had the largest role in shaping the game as lead designer and scenario writer,<ref name="untold2">Template:Cite book</ref> although Ohshima recalls Naka leading the project.<ref name="untold" /> The name "Phantasy Star" was formed after Naka took the word "Fantasy" from a song he enjoyed titled "Nagisa no Fantasy" by Noriko Sakai.<ref name=":4" /> The team shared the same room, so they could see each other's work.<ref name=":4" /> They were given the freedom to build the game how they wanted without restrictions, which Hayashida believes led to them enjoying themselves more and producing a higher quality game in the end.<ref name=":4" />
ProductionEdit
The team wanted Phantasy Star to be different from other RPGs. They took many new approaches to the design of the game and its art to provide a unique experience.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> One approach was with the setting. The team was strongly influenced by Star Wars and how it combined Western culture with Japanese touches, such as how clothing resembled judo uniforms, and lightsabers were used like samurai swords.<ref name="untold2" /><ref name=":2" /> Kodama took this approach and designed the world of Phantasy Star using a science fiction motif mixed with medieval fantasy elements.<ref name=":2" /> Rather than use an airship to navigate over mountainous landscape, something common in other games, they added in a vehicle that could mow down impassable terrain.<ref name=":4" /> The team also added detailed event scenes, and animated monsters to help set the game apart.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> Their philosophy was to use extensive animation, so the ocean and walkways on the world map are always moving.<ref name=":2" /> Because the Master System could not draw large sprites, some parts of large characters were drawn to the background and only the animated portions were drawn as sprites.<ref name="untold2" />
Another unique addition to Phantasy Star was the 3D dungeons.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /> They became a central concept in the game's early planning stages,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> in part because the Famicom was incapable of handling them.<ref name=":4" /> The team drew inspiration from Western dungeon crawling RPGs like Wizardry and wanted to add animated navigation to help the player know their location and orientation more easily.<ref name="untold2" /> Naka had experimented with creating dungeons inspired by these RPGs. Typically these scenes were rendered in small boxes, so Naka was motivated to engineer a full-screen dungeon that could be used for an action game or an RPG.<ref name=":1" /> Originally the artists were drawing full 2D backgrounds using a 3D perspective, but the number of frames necessary to achieve the animated effect used too much space on the cartridge.<ref name=":2" /> Naka solved this by programming true wireframe 3D dungeons.<ref name=":2" /> The artists then used a program by Naka to superimpose their art on top of the wireframes.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> They also saved three-quarters of the memory they would normally need by making each quadrant of the screen identical.<ref name="untold2" /> The new dungeons scrolled faster than expected and needed to be slowed down.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />
The female heroine, Alis, was a sharp contrast compared with the typical male protagonists of other RPGs.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /> Kodama had designed female characters before but never one in a strong and prominent role. This was an uncommon portrayal when games at the time usually had a damsel in distress.<ref name=":13">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Kodama went through about a dozen designs until she achieved a strong but feminine character, one with whom female gamers could empathize.<ref name="untold3" /><ref name=":13" /> Noah was also designed by Kodama, as a mysterious and intelligent character.<ref name="untold3" /> In the original draft, Noah was an androgynous character and would become male or female depending on how the player progressed. Eventually, it was decided the character would be male.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> Ohshima designed Odin because Kodama did not enjoy drawing muscular men.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="untold" /> Kodama envisioned the visual contrast between Noah and Odin as comparable to that between Raistlin Majere and Caramon Majere in the Dragonlance book series.<ref name="untold3" /> Ohshima was also responsible for a third of the monster designs, at most.<ref name="untold" /> The lead monster designer enjoyed classic fantasy monsters such as golems and Medusa, so these types of characters appeared in the final game.<ref name=":2" /> Myau was designed by Takako Kawaguchi.<ref name=":2" />
At four megabits (500K), the game's data was large for the time.<ref name=":4" /> Phantasy Star was only the second game for the Master System to use a chip this large. It was one of four games where it would be used.Template:Efn In spite of the chip's capacity, the team made many compromises to save space.<ref name=":4" /> The original story featured four planets, but this was reduced to three.<ref name=":4" /> The artists had to make compromises with the backgrounds and battle animations.<ref name=":2" /> Background scenes were mirrored vertically to save space. This created inconsistencies with shadowing.<ref name=":2" /> There were plans for a password system to save progress, but this was cut due to memory limitations; batteries were used instead.<ref name=":4" /> The team wanted to have a password feature as a failsafe in case saving the data corrupted it as was often the case in playtests. Instead, Naka programmed a backup of the save data that could be used to restore a corrupted save file.<ref name=":1" />
Composer Uwabo noted that the game was developed during the Japanese economic bubble, which fueled his enthusiasm which he believes is reflected in the music.<ref name="music">Template:Cite book (Translation Template:Webarchive)</ref> The game was compatible with the Master System FM synthesis expansion unit which housed a Yamaha YM2413 chip that added nine more mono channels to the console's programmable sound generator (PSG), the SN76489. The expansion gave the soundtrack a wider range and heavier bass. The unit was not released outside Japan.<ref name=":13" />
ReleaseEdit
Phantasy Star was first released in Japan for the Master System on December 20, 1987, two days after Final Fantasy was released for the Famicom.<ref name=":1" /> The game was released in the West in November 1988, introducing players outside Japan to the emerging JRPG scene, having been localized before Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy.<ref name=":1" /> It was the most expensive game for the Master System in every market, its price being driven by the large 4 megabit chip, the save battery, and a concurrent chip shortage across the industry.<ref name=":1" /> In Japan, the game was difficult to find in stores.<ref name=":4" /> Sega often got requests from fans for a Mega Drive port,<ref name=":4" /> so they eventually shipped a limited release for the Mega Drive as part of a contest in 1994 under the title Phantasy Star Fukkokuban exclusively released in Japan.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=":19">Template:Cite magazine</ref> This version was identical to the Master System version but lacked FM sound enhancements.<ref name=":19" /> Tec Toy translated the Master System version to Portuguese and released it in Brazil in 1991.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since the original Western release retained the text formatting of the Japanese version, it used fewer characters than a proper English translation required. In 2008, fans modified the text engine to fit longer lines of dialogue, and released a newly translated version with the Japanese FM soundtrack as well.<ref name=":1" />
A series of Phantasy Star compilations were released for the Sega Saturn, Game Boy Advance, and PlayStation 2.<ref name=":1" /> The Saturn version was released in 1998. It includes both hiragana and katakana alphabets, an improvement from the original which had only katakana due to limited memory.<ref name=":21" /> The 2008 PlayStation 2 version is based on the Saturn version and has additional features.<ref name=":21" /> The Game Boy Advance compilation was a straight emulation and was the only compilation released outside Japan.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":16" /> Phantasy Star also appeared in emulated form on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3,<ref name=":1" /> and on the Wii via the Virtual Console in 2009.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, a port developed by M2 was released through the Sega Ages label for the Nintendo Switch.<ref name=":21">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":20" /> This version includes enhancements such as options to make the game easier and faster, guides for items, spells, and monsters, the Japanese Mark-III FM soundtrack, hiragana support, and a dungeon auto-mapping feature.<ref name=":21" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Naka's tricky programming efficiencies to save memory in the original proved difficult for the programmers handling the port.<ref name=":20" /><ref name=":21" />
Template:Anchor Phantasy Star was remade for the PlayStation 2 as Phantasy Star Generation: 1 and released on August 28, 2003, in Japan.<ref name=":1" /> It was the inaugural release in the Sega Ages 2500 series, Sega's budget label for re-releasing old games for the PlayStation 2.<ref name=":1" /> The remake features new graphics, real-time 3D dungeons, new music, and more cutscenes with extended dialogue.<ref name=":1" /> The battles now depict all the characters.<ref name=":1" /> Conspiracy Entertainment planned an American release as part of a Phantasy Star Trilogy pack, including remakes of Phantasy Star II and IV but it never happened.<ref name=":1" /> After the remake of II was released in Japan, the remake of IV was canceled, thus the trilogy set was also canceled.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="siliconerapsn">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The two remakes were released on the PlayStation Network in Japan as PS2 Classics in 2014.<ref name="siliconerapsn" /> A complete fan translation of Phantasy Star Generation: 1 was released by fan site Phantasy Star Cave.<ref name=":1" />
ReceptionEdit
Phantasy Star was well received. Computer Gaming World called it "the big shot in the arm for Sega [...] who was, at that time, being buried under a ton of NES titles and aggressive marketing".<ref name=":11">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Electronic Game Player felt the game was leading the industry into a new era of console RPGs.<ref name="egp">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Sega Pro called it the best RPG on the Master System,<ref name=":7">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and Zzap! called it a must-have for RPG fans.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Boys' Life wrote that along with The Legend of Zelda series, "Phantasy Star may represent the future of home video games" by combining "the graphic quality of arcade games with the complexity of computer games".<ref name=":12">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Computer and Video Games felt it was a massive and sprawling game, and were left impressed visually and aurally.<ref name="CVG"/>
The game was commended for its strategy, puzzles, and challenge.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="egp" /> VideoGames & Computer Entertainment and S: The Sega Magazine praised the game for being easy to play and not relying on quick action reflexes.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=":6" /> Critics liked the variety of monsters and the combat system.<ref name=":10">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=":11" /> Computer Gaming World wrote that "not since Dungeon Master had such a good and explicit graphic combat system been seen".<ref name=":11" /> Computer Entertainer felt the game's large scope and deep gameplay was more typically seen in computer games than on consoles.<ref name=":10" /> This large scope made critics thankful for the cart's battery back-up, an unusual hardware feature at the time.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":10" /><ref name=":7" /> The save battery and complex gameplay led some critics to compare Phantasy Star to The Legend of Zelda (1986).<ref name="egp" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":12" />
Critics praised the game for its presentation, building a grand sense of adventure and atmosphere.<ref name="egp" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> VideoGames & Computer Entertainment commended the mix of science fiction and fantasy elements, and felt it had a grander scale than other RPGs.<ref name=":5" /> Electronic Game Player wrote that the atmosphere was "simply breathtaking by current video game standards".<ref name="egp" /> The graphics were enjoyed by many reviewers, especially for their vivid colors and animation;<ref name="egp" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":8" /> the monster animations, in particular, received considerable positive attention.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":3">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Many reviewers enjoyed the dungeons, thinking the lighting and perspective effects made for a realistic presentation.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":10" /> Electronic Game Player called Phantasy Star a "visual tour-de-force" and "so technologically superior in graphics, that the Nintendo titles pale by comparison".<ref name="egp" /> Zzap! called it a technical achievement considering the Master System's hardware limitations.<ref name=":8" /> It was awarded Best Graphics for 1988 by Electronic Gaming MonthlyTemplate:'s Player's Choice Awards.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
The game was difficult to recommend for some because of its high price.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":10" /> Computer Entertainer found the purchase difficult to justify as it was the highest price they had ever seen for a game on any cartridge-based system or disk-based computer.<ref name=":10" /> Computer and Video Games felt they could only recommend it for hardcore RPG fans for this reason.<ref name=":3" /> VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, however, called it "such a remarkable video game that it may justify its existence as the most expensive cartridge on the shelf."<ref name=":5" />
Retrospective reviewsEdit
Phantasy Star was reviewed again for its re-releases. Most critics continued to hold the graphics in high regard.<ref name=":15">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":16">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":17">Template:Cite magazine</ref> GameSpot and G-Force wrote that the graphics pushed the Master System to its limits, and helped set the game apart in its time.<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":17" /> RPGFan and Nintendo Life called the 3D dungeons "revolutionary".<ref name=":18">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":15" /> Nintendo Life felt that the graphics did show their age, but noted that it "looks much better than an 8-bit RPG has any right to and it easily surpasses any NES effort of the era".<ref name=":15" /> 1UP.com and IGN agreed, writing that it outclassed both the original Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":23">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Some critics commented that the game felt too standard compared to modern RPGs.<ref name=":14">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":22">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some also felt it was more difficult and dull than modern offerings due to heavier grinding.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":18" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Game Boy Advance version was commended for being a good emulation but criticized for poor sound and missed opportunities for enhancements.<ref name=":18" /><ref name=":17" /> Nintendo World Report praised the Switch release for adding FM sound and enhancements to make for a more streamlined experience.<ref name=":14" />
LegacyEdit
Phantasy Star is considered a landmark RPG; it has been called "revolutionary",<ref name=":15" /> "pioneering",<ref name=":23" /> and "ahead of its time".<ref name=":24">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It is credited with helping to define the genre and introduce the West to console RPGs.<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":1" /> IGN wrote: "Phantasy Star was the game that defined an entire generation's early experiences with the RPG genre as a whole, a role-playing adventure without equal at the time of its initial debut [...] a time when competition was virtually non-existent in the category".<ref name=":22" /> It has been called one of the best games on the Master System.<ref name=":15" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name="cvg_phantasy">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Nintendo Life called it a killer app which "not only tested the hardware but also the boundaries and expectations of the genre".<ref name=":15" /> Retro Gamer called it "a key release for the genre's popularity in the West and a key reason to own a Master System".<ref name=":1" />
In 1996, Next Generation listed the entire series as number 72 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", opined that "the best game in the series is still the first ... There was a lot more variety in the settings, a deeper storyline, and just plain more of everything."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The following year it was ranked the 62nd best console video game of all time by Electronic Gaming Monthly, the only appearance of a Master System game on the list.<ref name=EGM100>Template:Cite magazine Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.</ref> In 2001, Game Informer included it on its own list of greatest video games at #94. The staff praised it for its innovation and graphical superiority (specifically to Dragon Warrior).<ref name=:24/> In 2006, 1UP and Electronic Gaming Monthly placed it at #26 on "The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time" list, which puts it as the second highest-ranking RPG on the list, behind only Phantasy Star Online at #21.<ref name=:23/> In 2023, Time Extension included the game on their "Best JRPGs of All Time" list, noting that it "had some of the best visuals and grandest sense of adventure" among its contemporaries.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The game introduced many elements that later became staples of the RPG genre.<ref name=":13" /><ref name="anewfrontier">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Its fusion of science fiction with medieval fantasy contrasted with the traditional fantasy seen in other RPGs of its era.<ref name=":22" /><ref name="anewfrontier" /><ref name="cvg_phantasy" /> Nintendo Power explained that Phantasy Star "was the first RPG to break out of the Dragon Quest / Dungeons & Dragons mold of generic Arthurian fantasy by introducing sci-fi elements".<ref name="anewfrontier" /> The inclusion of pre-defined characters with unique personalities and abilities in the game is also considered revolutionary when compared to the customizable characters in other RPGs.<ref name=":22" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The graphics are considered ahead of their time, particularly the 3D dungeons and monster animations.<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":24" /><ref name="cvg_phantasy" /><ref name=":25">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=EGM100/> It was also one of the earliest video games to feature a female protagonist,<ref name="cvg_phantasy" /><ref name=":25" /><ref name=":22" /> which Nintendo Life called "perhaps [its] most revolutionary aspect".<ref name=":15" />
Phantasy Star launched the careers of its staff.<ref name=":13" /> Some worked on a series of sequels starting on the Mega Drive,<ref name="cvg_phantasy" /> known as some of the best RPGs of their era.<ref name=":15" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Both programmer Yuji Naka and artist Rieko Kodama worked on the sequel Phantasy Star II (1989),<ref name="cvg_phantasy" /> and Kodama directed Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (1993),<ref name="untold3" /> considered by some industry journalists to be one of the greatest games ever made.<ref name="Slant2018">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Polygon">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="IGN2007">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She later served as producer on Skies of Arcadia (2000), a critically acclaimed RPG for the Dreamcast.<ref name="untold3" /> Meanwhile, Naka served as producer on Phantasy Star Online (2000), the first online RPG for home consoles.<ref name=":32">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Character designer Naoto Ohshima went on to create the character Sonic the Hedgehog and collaborated with Naka on several games including the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Nights into Dreams (1996), and Burning Rangers (1998); Sonic Team would later take over the series.<ref name="untold" />
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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