"So what if it was made by a different team? It will last for generations."

Now its always been nagged about that this game is bad or it does not belong in the series. I am going to put an end to those myths right now.

The Sega RPG of 1991 is overly underrated. Yeah, I'll admit it may not be as good as the other three games but it is still relevant to the Phantasy Star series time-line. And most of all, its refreshing and original apart from the other games.

Story:

See this is where Phantasy Star III really shines, its story and multiple endings hence making replay value sufficient. So a passage of what the game is about:

The world is split in two as two races battle to the death: Layans and Orakions. The two general of the armies, Laya and Orakio, had their own fierce struggle out on the battlefield and soon enough the war ended but without a trace to where Laya and Orakio disappeared to. They're bodies were never found but it has been 1000 years since that great war.

Hatred between the Layans and Orakions never ceased but the two races made their own parts in their world and so peace was restored in a sense.

So the game begins with you controlling Rhys, an Orakion prince of a province called Landen. Today is your wedding. You have decided to marry a mysterious but very beautiful woman who has washed up on your countries shore. Here name is Maia. As the wedding is getting started and you begin to make your vows, a dragon from an unknown land swoops in from nowhere in takes Maia and curses you claiming that you foolish Orakions are to never have Maia. It disappears in an instance and Rhys becomes infuriated and goes berserk threatening to take the whole army and attack the Layans head on. Your father, the king, scolds you and sends you to the dungeon to cool off. Rhys now trapped in a dungeon as at wits end now.

But luck turns for him and a woman (who is actually the princess) from the neighboring kingdom, Satera, comes to your aid and frees you. She tells you to go find Maia so off Rhys went.

Now where to start your search lies up to you.

While the script can be a little crummy as the translation came out a bit funny, the concept of the story is really good. If you know what Dark Force is from the other three games, or at least the fourth title, hes in it. The story unfolds through three generations.

At a certain point of Rhys quest, he has to choose between marrying Maia or Lena (the woman who freed you from your cell) and he will become king of either one of two provinces. The choice is all yours and there are MAJOR differences in your choice. I won't say what happens then but you will continue the quest with a new main character and that second lead character will also get a choice of two more brides. You can end the game with one of the four possible lead characters which will lead to one of four different endings. Multiple plots are nice after all.

As to relevance of the series, technically this game is somewhat of a sequel to Phantasy Star one of the Sega Master System. Its not a direct sequel but it is for sure a story that continues from where Phantasy Star ended, just a long time after. And if you pay close attention, you will come across history of both Phantasy Star one and two.

So there you have it, decent story but enriched with originality. I certainly hope my views and expressions may have changed the minds of certain fans. Enjoy the story too.

Game play:

In all honesty, the game play is good IMO but its really for you to decide truly. I mean its good. Its a fairly hard game but extraordinarily easy to get lost which is what brings down the value of game play a bit. I did not suffer from this too much but I know a lot of people will so thats why I mention it. Use of a guide is strongly recommended.

The battle system is sorta like the Phantasy Star one battle system. Its in first person view with the enemies right in your face. The tech system is a little new too. To summarize it, there are a total of 16 techs which can only be used predetermine-ably by certain characters. The TP (Technique Point) cost is always the same but you can alter the effectiveness of them by changing the levels at a Tech distribution house in town. Doing so means weakening the usefulness of other techs but is worth it as some of the techs are kinda useless. You can count on having your precious monomates for healing and such. Character development is also traditional in killing monsters for EXP to level but you won't learn any new tricks though. A total of five team mates per party which will join you according to the story.

You'll get some pretty solid game play if you play the game right. The design of the game is kinda crummy but do not let that get to you. When I say design, I mean as in architecture and geography are pretty weird in certain cases.

You can get replay in this RPG. It sounds a little far-fetched but its actually really short. On average, it should take between 6-8 HRs to clear the game. Going back for the other three endings will make a sum total of about 24-32 HRs.

Graphics:

Well lets just get this out first, the graphics are NOT bad. One might think so only because of comparison of the other games. And don't forget that this is a Sega Genesis game. Again I am gonna say that this game is refreshingly original apart from the other titles but still holds true to Phantasy Star history. These graphics have the medieval theme to it so I'm sure certain people will really get kicks out of this one.

I feel that graphics are pretty decent. I guess the one thing that really brings it down would have to be variety. Textures and monster sprites are re-used but re-colored and the monsters are not particularly well animated either.

But I guess we will have to retreat to one excuse (though really not that good) as to why this title is not eye candy; rushed development. Or maybe it was just the team that made it. Maybe its their fault. Who knows for sure? Just get over it and appreciate whats in it.

Music and Sound:

I have to admit that the only good tunes were the title screen music, field theme, Dark Force battle, after Dark Force is defeated and maybe another or two I forgot about. And the sound is not that good. I really do hate to type such negative feedback of one of my favorite games but it has to be done as this is reality after all. Take it from me though, the title screen theme is beautiful and the field theme is awesome. I drum to it all the time. Its also an original piece because it has five dynamics to it which is simple based on how many party members are in the team.

Controls:

Grade A simple. I have nothing to say other than its a 3-button with a d-pad and a start button controller so I expect no complains.

Overall:

I wrote this review with as much honesty as I could father in my mind. I really love this game and I only hope that any hard-core Phantasy Star fans will agree with me. For those looking to try this one out, new or old fan, please give the game a fair chance. I wanted to rate it a 9 but I figured in the end 8 is more appropriate and anything higher would just look like a self-contradictory.

I own the cartridge but I would recommend first to emulate the game if you're not sure. Any hard core Phantasy Star fan would easily go out of their way collecting the actual game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/01/05