Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom

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Description

Long time ago, a great war between Orakio and Laya devastated the planet. A thousand years later, a young Orakian prince named Rhys decides to marry the beautiful Maya, his heart's chosen one. But during the marriage ceremony, a strange creature appears and kidnaps the bride. Were those the legendary Layans who kidnapped the princess? Whatever the answer might be, Rhys has to find it out on his own - he must rescue his beloved one.

The gameplay system of Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom is similar to that of its predecessor in the series: the player navigates a party of characters on a top-down overworld, visiting towns, exploring 2D dungeons, and fighting randomly appearing enemies in turn-based combat. The most noticeable change in this installment is applied to the setting. Unlike all other Phantasy Star games, it is initially set in a medieval fantasy environment devoid of the series' characteristic sci-fi elements. Gameplay-wise, this influences the usage of techniques, which are restricted to characters with a sci-fi civilization background who later join the party.

An unusual feature of the game is its generation system. The game's story spans three generations of characters, beginning with Rhys and ending with his grandchildren. Specific instances of the plot prompt the player to choose between two young women for Rhys to marry. Depending on this choice, the player will control different main characters during the second generation. Later, a similar choice is offered to both possible children of Rhys, splitting the subsequent story into four branches.

Screenshots

Promo Images

Alternate Titles

• "梦幻之星3" -- Chinese Title (Simplified)
• "ファンタシースターⅢ 時の継承者" -- Japanese spelling
• "PSIII" -- Common Abbreviation
• "Phantasy Star III: Toki no Keishōsha" -- Japanese title
• "Phantasy Star 3" -- Informal title
• "환타지 스타 3" -- Korean spelling

Part of the Following Groups

• Gameplay feature: Multiple endings
• Phantasy Star games

User Reviews

Unanimity sucks, Phantasy Star III doesn't.	Genesis	chirinea (45618)
An Unusual Phantasy	Genesis	MasterMegid (902)
Possibly better than the first two, despite being a "gaiden"	Genesis	Andrew Fisher (688)

Critic Reviews

Consoles Plus	Genesis	Oct, 1991	94 out of 100	94
Play Time	Genesis	Jan, 1992	90 out of 100	90
ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)	Genesis	Sep, 1991	9.8 out of 12	82
Ação Games	Genesis	Oct, 1998	8 out of 10	80
Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM)	Genesis	May, 1991	32 out of 40	80
Dragon	Genesis	Dec, 1991		80
Video Games	Genesis	Sep, 1991	75 out of 100	75
Sega-16.com	Genesis	Mar 06, 2006	7 out of 10	70
Nintendo Life	Wii	Apr 19, 2008		60
Computer Gaming World (CGW)	Genesis	Nov, 1991	Unscored	Unscored

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Trivia

Brazilian version

The Brazilian version of Phantasy Star III is known for its bad translation, with some weird portions of text. But even weirder is the bug that happens if you use the ESCAPIPE trick at the start of the game (see Hidden message trivia section on how to perform this). The king will tell you something totally nonsense, and so will the guards (usually they would say nothing). It seems that what they speak are portions of text that would appear further in the game.

Hidden message

There is a hidden message in Phantasy Star III Start a new game. Un-equip Rhys, and sell his gear to the TOOL shop. Then purchase a ESCAPIPE. Enter the castle, as you normally would. When Rhys is taken to the dungeon. Use the ESCAPIPE. And talk to the King.

Japanese title translation

The Japanese title translates to Successors of Time in English.

Information also contributed by chirinea

Related Web Sites

• Complete Guide to Phantasy Star III (Great site with loads of information and resources on the game.)
• Phantasy Star Wiki (A comprehensive database that covers the characters, locations, items and games in the Phantasy Star series.)