Phantasy Star 4’s bold plot twist is yet another example of its oft-unrecognized innovations, one that remains effective 25 years later.īeyond its impressive story and visuals, Phantasy Star 4’s gameplay was inventive for its day. The same can’t be said of Final Fantasy VII, whose early 3D graphics haven’t aged quite as gracefully, diminishing the scene’s emotional impact for modern audiences. But unlike Final Fantasy VII, Phantasy Star’s death scene retains every bit of its original poignancy due to the timeless artwork of the manga cutscenes. Something so dramatic was practically unheard-of back in 1993, nearly four years before Final Fantasy VII became infamous for doing the exact same thing. Only a few hours into the story, it does the unthinkable – it permanently kills a major party member.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Phantasy Star 4’s narrative is how daring it was for its era. In a way, Phantasy Star 4 could be considered the forefather of elaborate RPG cutscenes – a trope that was later popularized by Final Fantasy VII, among other titles. The dialogue itself is well-written in its own right, but when paired with the detailed panel artwork of the cutscenes, the writing becomes that much more impactful. This added an additional layer of depth to the story and characterization that simply wasn’t possible with the small overworld character sprites in many other RPGs at the time. This world was further brought to life with another one of Phantasy Star 4’s innovations: manga-style cutscenes. With these different species and cultures, the Algol system was extraordinarily realized to feel like a living, breathing galaxy – an impressive feat for any game today, and even more so for a game on the modest Sega Genesis. A variety of different races inhabit these worlds, including the spiritual Dezorians, the fearsome Motavian tribes, and the cat/human/android hybrid Numans (it’s complicated). Planets range wildly, from the arid farmlands of Motavia to the frigid wastes of Dezolis.
#PHANTASY STAR 4 SHADOW BLADE SERIES#
It can even be viewed as an early forerunner for the Mass Effect series in terms of its intergalactic scale and detailed universe.Įach planet in the Algol system is fully realized with its own topographies, cultures, and histories. In an era where most RPGs were content to hash out their own takes on the same medieval formula, Phantasy Star 4 told a story spanning an entire cosmos and created a futuristic world unlike any game before it. Not only had there not been many prior sci-fi RPGs, but there weren’t many games in general that could match Phantasy Star’s incredible scope and ambition. For its time, however, Phantasy Star was a revelation. After all, sci-fi RPGs aren’t particularly rare in the current generation. Today, this setup might not sound so novel. The game puts players in control of Chaz and his mentor Alys, two hunters tasked with investigating and putting a stop to this phenomenon. At his behest, these computers create vicious monsters and natural disasters that wreak havoc on the Algol system. Advanced mega computers, initially meant to maintain each planet’s balanced ecosystem, have been corrupted by a mysterious tyrant called Zio. It takes place in the Algol planetary system, telling the story of worlds that have become cripplingly intertwined with technology. Phantasy Star 4 made the most of its series’ distinctive style. Long before Final Fantasy VII famously ventured into science fiction, the Phantasy Star games had featured sci-fi settings from the beginning. Then Phantasy Star 4 came along and defied this trend altogether. The most popular RPGs were fairly uniform in their styles – they would feature medieval high fantasy settings, monsters inspired by European folklore, and more magic than one could shake a wand at. No game in the series represents this influence better than its fourth main entry, 1993’s Phantasy Star 4: The End of the Millennium on the Sega Genesis.Įven in the late 80s and early 90s, many RPGs had been stuck in a stylistic rut. However, despite this relative obscurity, the franchise introduced a multitude of ideas and mechanics whose repercussions would be felt for decades to come. It’s easy to assume the reasons for this: Phantasy Star didn’t jumpstart the genre the way its contemporaries did, and it has rarely received the same amount of attention. When discussing these roleplaying monoliths, Sega’s Phantasy Star franchise isn’t always included among their ranks.
#PHANTASY STAR 4 SHADOW BLADE FULL#
This era was full of classics like Final Fantasy VIand Chrono Trigger, whose inventive refinements would dramatically influence the genre’s future. Japanese RPGs came into their own in the mid-90s.
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