A fitting end to the series. The only problem is, I wish there was more!
Phantasy Star 4 plays at approximately the same time as Phantasy Star 3 and pits you as a 16 year old named Chaz and his mentor Alys Brangwin. As hunters, they set out to do their jobs until they are thrown into a deeper plot where they must save the Algol Star System.
Along the way you'll meet many different characters and you can have up to five at a time in the party. Characters have all different sort of weapons from guns to slicers and swords. In addition, everyone has techniques. They are limited abilities that allow the character to perform a special maneuver like heal or do damage but they also sometimes have TP or basically magic points, giving your characters even more versatility. It's nice to see so many options fro your characters but it can make the game a lot easier than the ones before it.
What makes the techniques unique, is there are 14 different possible combinations of techniques that allow a special attack. For example, a crosscut from Chaz and Efess from Rune will combine to make Grandcross causing massive damage to all enemies on the screen. The animations look great for each special attack and as do the enemies and your characters. Returning back to the Phantasy Star 2 battle system was definitely a wise move as the let down in 3 was mainly the battles.
All the sprites are bright and it is easy to see who is who and what is what. The overview map allows you to see the white lands of Dezo while seeing the nice blue oceans of Mota.
Sounds in the game are fairly standard. When you go up to attack the enemy, it makes the slicing or the shooting sound and there's no grainy music like the game before. The music is absolutely stellar and some of it is remixed from the first game as you will revisit some of the original destinations that Alis did before making the nostalgia more than kick in with adequate weight.
The pinnacle of the game I believe is still the story. How Sega was able to combine four games into one intertwined and cohesive story is staggering. From past references to the same planets and even possibly the same characters (Rune anyone) allow me to clearly state that this has an awesome story and one of my most fond memories of a game.
Though there aren't a lot of secrets per se, and many not a whole lot of collectibles making you want to replay the game, it is definitely worth one sitting and I guarantee you, even if you have not played the Phantasy Star games from before, this is entirely worth you while.