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videogames.com Presents
SMS RPGs
RPGs on the Sega Master System begin and end with Phantasy Star. (You could easily do worse.)
Phantasy Star
Released: 1988 in USA.
Developer/Publisher: Sega.
Phantasy Star is unique in the history of RPGs in two distinct ways. First, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, the two core series of the console RPG genre, have never appeared on a Sega system. Sega fans have had to turn elsewhere for their RPG fix, and the Phantasy Star series has more than fit the bill! Second, and perhaps more importantly, Phantasy Star was the first console RPG ever released in the US. For many gamers on this side of the Pacific, Phantasy Star was their first RPG experience, so it's scarcely surprising that most are hooked for life.
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Phantasy Star strayed from the "normal" RPG conventions in ways that were revolutionary for the time. While Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy both offered generic "heroes," Phantasy Star had well-developed characters with names and personalities. The main character, Alis, seeks to avenge her brother Nero's death at the hands of the evil King Lassic. Yes, her brother - Alis is a strong female heroine whose independence is unmatched by even most of today's RPG females. She is joined on her journey by Myau, a cute, hyperintelligent cat-type thing (RPGs are now glutted with his cousins.); Odin, a resolute warrior who wishes to bring freedom to all; and Noah, an Esper sorcerer who will aid you with his magic. Each of these characters had its own personality, unique appearance, and individual motivations for the quest, so you felt like you were travelling alongside them and not merely pulling the strings of a party of puppets.
Phantasy Star's scope was also satisfactorily epic. Instead of just a single world, your party had an entire star system - the Algol system - to explore. In true Star Wars fashion, each planet had but a single climate: Palma, the Earth-like temperate world; Motavia, the sparsely populated desert planet; and Dezoris, the harsh ice planet. The final opponent, Dark Force, is disturbing above and beyond the call of duty. No mere vessel, this fellow is evil itself.
It is a testament to the strength of the story and characters that they aren't eclipsed by the game's sound and graphics. The music is excellent for Sega's 8-bit system, and some songs will stay in your head for ten years or more. The graphics destroy the simple tiles found in Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy. Phantasy Star features detailed town and field maps, character portraits of shop keepers and citizens, and astounding dungeons. The dungeons are most impressive: Each unfolds from a first-person scrolling 3D perspective. Sure, the walls are of uniform height and completely orthogonal, and your character can only move in ten-foot leaps. But the overall graphical experience was stunning at the time of the game's release (almost four years before Wolfenstein 3D) and holds up even today.
Phantasy Star's contributions to the console RPG genre, especially in the United States, are manifold. With its retro-future world, in-depth character development, stunning graphics, and excellent gameplay, it's no wonder that this title (and the series) is revered by many as the greatest, most enjoyable RPG around.
Now show me Game Boy RPGs
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