Summary
A classic RPG somewhat marred by tedious gameplay
The Good
Phantasy Star is practically the only classic RPG series for Genesis. Sega didn't spoil us with RPGs like Nintendo or later Sony. However, the Phantasy Star series definitely belongs to the most successful RPG series ever. For the Genesis console, there are three Phantasy Star games, of which the third is a kind of exception, because it is very loosely connected to the rest plot-wise, and, mainly, atmosphere- and setting-wise. "Phantasy Star II" is the follow-up to the first "Phantasy Star" for Sega Master System. I haven't played the first game (although I will certainly play the Playstation 2 remake), and "Phantasy Star II" was the one that introduced me to the series.
The most important asset of the series, and one that is clearly visible in "Phantasy Star II", is its setting. Today, sci-fi RPGs don't surprise anyone; the Japanese RPG market is heavily populated by games set in distant future or in galaxies far, far away. However, back at the time it was released, the first "Phantasy Star" and its sequel basically introduced the sci-fi setting to the genre. What's more, it wasn't just any sci-fi, but sci-fi mixed with medieval fantasy, much like Star Wars. You had space travel and droids together with ancient prophecies and sword-wielding heroes. In late eighties, it was a very important step forwards in the development of Japanese RPGs. Many modern games owe their existence to this classic series.
But an interesting setting was not the only innovative aspect of the series. In story department, "Phantasy Star II" pretty much defined the plot devices we now consider "cliché". Much like the outstanding
Final Fantasy II (not the US release of "Final Fantasy IV", but the real, Japanese-only "Final Fantasy II" for NES), Phantasy Star brought emotions into the genre. Today we can laugh at the abundance of "touchy" moments used in Japanese RPGs. But at that time, such moments were considered genuinely thrilling plot twists. Even from today's point of view, the plot of "Phantasy Star II" still holds its ground. The tragic scenes are still tragic and haven't lost their appeal, even though they were imitated countless times later. The story has a good pace, there is always an objective at hand, and piece by piece you are revealing the large conspiracy, realizing your role in it. The ending of "Phantasy Star II" was also quite unexpected and powerful, and it certainly stood out among the usual "we've saved the world, let's celebrate" endings out there.
Add to that a colorful character cast that was also quite exceptional at the time. Of course, the characters don't talk much, and in most cases their personalities are undeveloped and rather rudimentary. But there was something about those characters that made you care for them. The best of the bunch is Nei, the sweet artificial girl. Her cheerful personality and her devotion made her one of the most memorable characters of early Japanese RPG era.
The game also had a distinct style of its own. The important dialogues and events were presented as cut scenes in animé style. While overworld, town, and dungeon graphics were pretty bland, the cut scenes were lively and detailed, and certainly brought a lot of charm and personality into the game.
As for the gameplay... well, if you wanted an oldschool, hardcore Japanese RPG, here it is. A game where you have to fight countless random battles in order to gain enough experience to be able to survive in a dungeon, and enough money to buy the absolutely necessary higher sets of weapons and armor, as well as healing items. Is it good or bad? Depend what you appreciate more in such games: challenge or natural pace of gameplay. If it is the former, and if you hate the low difficulty level of most modern Japanese RPGs, then this is yet another reason for you to like "Phantasy Star II".
The Bad
There is one big problem with "Phantasy Star II", and that is the difficulty level. It is not the kind of "intelligent" difficulty level the way we encounter in some modern-day RPGs (like for example
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, or other Megaten games, for that matter). It is more or less the same "impossibility" that made early Japanese RPG gameplay a leveling-up tedium, like in
Dragon Warrior. Intelligence, clever planning, good strategy didn't matter. All that mattered was leveling up and buying better weapons and armor. If you didn't do that and wandered too far away, or encountered powerful enemies in a dungeon, you
had to die. Period. There was no way of outsmarting stronger foes by exploiting their weaknesses or using some special skills. If you were at a low level or didn't buy that fancy sword in the town, your party was annihilated within several seconds, in the very first battle against a new enemy. Really, I'm not against good challenge and I welcome it, especially in Japanese RPGs, which happens to be my favorite genre. But there
is such a thing as "outdated gameplay", and unfortunately, the gameplay of "Phantasy Star II" falls under that category. I know some people like spending hours walking around aimlessly and fighting similar battles against the same enemies. In fact, I have nothing against some leveling up before tackling a powerful boss. But the leveling up in "Phantasy Star II" is
very tedious. You gain only experience points and money; there are no abilities or skills or anything else. The amount of experience points and money you get from battles is
low. You can literally fight for hours only to discover you have gained measly 100 meseta and are still unable to buy that good-looking claw weapon. No matter how you look at it, this is a tedious process, and more than once I wished I weren't a part of it.
As for the battles themselves, there were some things I didn't like. First of all, there are no real backgrounds in battles, everything happens in an abstract environment with a few lines. The battle interface is pretty clumsy. Instead of a quick Attack command that was present virtually in every RPG, you had first to decide whether you'll be willing to give a command in the first place, or make an auto-battle. Now, auto-battle was a great feature, but don't be fooled by it. If you think you could just press Auto and sit back, you are wrong. Even lower level enemies could still decimate you if you weren't careful. As in many early RPGs, your party members had the annoying habit to miss. So if by any chance you have missed two or three attacks in a row, a party of flies and frogs could easily finish you in a few seconds. To add insult to injury, healing spells were costly, you didn't get resurrecting spells until later stages, and healing items were shamelessly expensive.
The Bottom Line
"Phantasy Star II" is a classic RPG and a definite must-play if you are into console role-playing games in general. In my humble opinion, this one is superior to
Phantasy Star IV. It has an excellent story (more like the original version of PSIV, only more interesting), cool design, and the unforgettable semi-sci-fi setting. A great hindrance to enjoying this game, however, is its very high difficulty level. Or should I say - the level of tediousness. This is a thoroughly "old-school" Japanese RPG that will drive you insane with its necessity to level up before tackling a dungeon. But not all hope is lost. I heard that the difficulty level was reduced in the
remake. Not to mention all new cut scenes and updated graphics. I'm certainly going to buy and play through the remake!
