Phantasy Star (video game)

Phantasy Star is a traditional Japanese role-playing game. 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. The dungeons are long and twisted, and require the player to map most of them on paper. When exploring the overworld, the player can venture into a town to buy items and weapons. Outside the towns, monsters may randomly engage the player in battle. The player controls the main character Alis. 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. Each character has different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. The party has a shared inventory of items and equipment. When encountering enemies, all party members enter into battle. Battles are handled using a menu system which allows the player to fight or attempt to talk and negotiate with an enemy. 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. As the characters gain experience points, they increase in level, gaining access to new magic spells and raising their offensive and defensive statistics. ==Plot==

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 (), a wizard named Noah (), 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. ==Development==

Background , lead programmer Role-playing games (RPG) were beginning to gain popularity with console players in Japan in the late 1980s. Chunsoft and Enix's Dragon Quest series was proving to be very popular on the Famicom, inspiring other developers to design similar games. They believed they could not rely on third-party support because Sega's hardware market share was only one-tenth that of Nintendo's. They had previously been recognized for their work within Sega — Hayashida for Alex Kidd in Miracle World (1986), Hayashida was lead designer and Naka was lead programmer. Hayashida believes he had the largest role in shaping the game as lead designer and scenario writer, although Ohshima recalls Naka leading the project. 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. Kodama went through about a dozen designs until she achieved a strong but feminine character, one with whom female gamers could empathize. 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 Texas Instruments SN76489. The expansion gave the soundtrack a wider range and heavier bass. The unit was not released outside Japan. ==Release==

(Japanese Mark III model pictured). 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. This version was identical to the Master System version but lacked FM sound enhancements. In 2018, a port developed by M2 was released through the Sega Ages label for the Nintendo Switch. Naka's tricky programming efficiencies to save memory in the original proved difficult for the programmers handling the port. The two remakes were released on the PlayStation Network in Japan as PS2 Classics in 2014. A complete fan translation of Phantasy Star Generation: 1 was released by fan site Phantasy Star Cave. ==Reception==

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". Electronic Game Player felt the game was leading the industry into a new era of console RPGs. Sega Pro called it the best RPG on the Master System, and Zzap! called it a must-have for RPG fans. ''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". Computer and Video Games'' felt it was a massive and sprawling game, and were left impressed visually and aurally. Many reviewers enjoyed the dungeons, thinking the lighting and perspective effects made for a realistic presentation. The game was difficult to recommend for some because of its high price. GameSpot and G-Force wrote that the graphics pushed the Master System to its limits, and helped set the game apart in its time. Some critics commented that the game felt too standard compared to modern RPGs. Some also felt it was more difficult and dull than modern offerings due to heavier grinding. The Game Boy Advance version was commended for being a good emulation but criticized for poor sound and missed opportunities for enhancements. Nintendo World Report praised the Switch release for adding FM sound and enhancements to make for a more streamlined experience. ==Legacy==

Phantasy Star is considered a landmark RPG; it has been called "revolutionary", It is credited with helping to define the genre and introduce the West to console RPGs. Nintendo Life called it a killer app which "not only tested the hardware but also the boundaries and expectations of the genre". 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. 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). The game introduced many elements that later became staples of the RPG genre. Its fusion of science fiction with medieval fantasy contrasted with the traditional fantasy seen in other RPGs of its era. The graphics are considered ahead of their time, particularly the 3D dungeons and monster animations. Both programmer Yuji Naka and artist Rieko Kodama worked on the sequel Phantasy Star II (1989), She later served as producer on Skies of Arcadia (2000), a critically acclaimed RPG for the Dreamcast. 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.'' ==Notes==