"Even the worst is still not bad"

When I got this game, I was around 11 years old. I had previously enjoyed Phantasy Star 2, and at the time couldn't afford a SNES, so I was stuck in the sea of mediocre Genesis RPG selection. Despite that, to this day I consider this game to be rather fun, despite its many flaws. Some of the flaws are inherently specific to the game, and many are simply related to the series. So without further delay, here is my run down

Graphics (3/10) : Honestly even for its time, the graphics were pretty weak. Character portraits were overall not bad, but it always annoyed me I couldn't see my characters in battles, just scribbles on monsters as they were attacked. Initially, cities are a very unique look overall given the series has always been set in futuristic settings, drawing more so on a fantasy feel. Even the characters, barring the androids, are pretty fantasy looking. However, as each cities details gets repeated in the next one, the look gets pretty old pretty fast. The uniqueness was a good quality, but just poorly implemented. I did however like the look of the monsters in the game. Looked better than in PS2, given noticeably more detail.

Sound (1/10) : My most distinct memory of the game was at the conclusion of the battle the very stringy sounding conclusion as you are awarded experience. It was grating then, and remains grating now. The repeated area music gets old quickly too. Initially its a nice change compared to other PS titles, but quickly ends up in the realm of maddening repetition. Highly suggested to play with the sound off or listen to anything else.

Gameplay (8/10) : The controls are very simple. Menus are easily navigated and simplistic, but of course they don't need to be complex either. It serves its purpose in and out of battle. Battles also were generally shorter than in PS2, which for me was an improvement : both games suffer from a rediculous amount of random encounters. You don't really have stand in one spot to try to level up, you simply fight that often.

Character Content (4/10) : Not typically a category mentioned, but this is in reference to character development not in relation to storyline Customization is pretty well non existant, and characters and itemization basically fall under 2 categories : worthwhile, and not worthwhile. More specifically, the magic system in this game is dreadful, and it was a problem to a degree for PS 1-4, although 4 improved upon the system. However in this game, it is the absolute worst. There are honestly 3 useful spells in this game : Gires, Res, Rever. Anything else is a waste of time. As soon as you get a magic using character, their magic settings should immediately be maxed to 1 of those 3 spells basically (I stuck with Gires mostly for simplicity sake, and you seldom die anyway, so Rever isn't a high priority). All offensive spells are an absolute waste of TP, as EVERY character will do higher damage simply by attacking, regardless of what character it is.

Itemization in this game is weak. While there is a fair bit of equipment, again we come to worthwhile and not worthwhile. 2 daggers for example is NEVER worthwhile (and true in all PS games really). Every character has very 1 dimensional itemization through 100% of the game. Armor really only has 1 relevant stat : defense - no side bonuses to be found. I don't even remember if any weapons/armor cast spells or anything, but even if they did, I didn't bother to try after a while of having nothing, and it wouldn't affect gameplay regardless. There are no secret weapons/armor either. Everything you get, you will get, no hunting around for it, unless you count taking longer routes to get out of the way chests "secret" items, but again the best weapons/armor are handed to you at the end, so pretty well anything you miss doesn't matter much. Again this is a fairly persistant problem in all PS games. 4 improved upon it slightly however, but itemization doesn't compare to games like Final Fantasy 3 which came out around a similar time. Even FF2 had better itemization, and that was about as linear as could be. Lastly, that wonderful buckle slot. Why bother making an equipment slot which doesn't do anything relevant? At best you can customize based on what item you think sounds the coolest, but it still takes item slots and adds no stats, and doesn't change how characters play even 1%. They could've just put those items in the main menu as "key items" or something for the same effect. Definately a weak point in the series accentuated in this game

Party set ups. By the end of the game, they are absolutely identical, just characters have different names sometimes. No characters have unique abilities in battle either, the biggest distinguishing factor is if they can use magic or not (and again, only 3 relevant spells in the game).

Storyline/Immersion (7/10) : I'll say right off, despite being able to choose your bride which will affect your storyline progression, the game is VERY linear. I got every unique ending and completed all storylines, and by the 3rd time it was pretty painful. Replay value is low beyond getting all endings, which are mostly the same too, as the same paths are tread each time. However, the storyline is interesting in my opinion. The reasoning for the fantasyish setting makes sense - despite coming from a highly technologically advanced planet, the world is more so set as though it was in the past, and honestly until you play through it entirely, the clash of technology in this world is surprising initially. There is no mention of the fact the world is just domes connected in 1 giant self sustaining space ship early on, so there is a sense of discovery as you progress through the story. You do actually consider your choices of who is married, is it for the sake of duty, or who you consider the character truly has feelings for. In that regard, its easy to be taken in by the story. Of course once you've been through it once, its just about getting different endings. Dialogue is not bad in this game, at least considering the time period. The characters are 1 dimensional mostly because it is the world they were developed in, sheltered from the truth of their reality. Dark Force remains the ultimate evil of course, but not really a boring entity. Its existance is there always in the eternal struggle between good and evil, or rather it is evil in a substantial form. Honestly, I feel the storyline is pretty strong in the game, because in this setting, it is how characters would react. No real drama or plot twists - its a simple world of good and evil, both real and perceived.

Replay Value (4/10): Quite simply, both storylines are pretty interesting. Different endings add some replay value too. You won't be hunting secrets a second time through sadly, and this is probably the biggest problem in the game. It has too many problems that exist within the series which are repeated and truly makes this a game that makes it hard to pick up again.

Overall (5/10): Despite the many flaws, the game has its own charm really. The storyline is the biggest draw, along with the initial feeling of exploration that initially seems vast, but ends up being quite a microcosm (and besides, if your character walked any faster you could likely finish the game in half the time). It stands alone pretty nicely in the series and doesn't have to stick to the series to be justified as "good" - all of the Final Fantasy games for example don't happen on the same worlds, have all the same characters, yet they remain fine as stand alones and fine for playing the series. Similarly, the Phantasy Star series holds its own among the "classics", including this game. If you enjoyed PS 1, 2, and 4 and haven't played this due to bad reviews, I suggest snagging it up by whatever means necessary and playing through it once if only to enjoy the story.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 06/25/04