Phantasy Star

[Tomato Convenience Store]

Wonderful post. So well-said in every point.

Not a spoiler, as it didn't actually happen, but Rika was supposed to originally be Nei, reincarnated. After this was heavily-rejected though, she was made into a new Numan, which ended up being Rika.

I'm super-glad you enjoyed the games, it really is one of Sega's 5 greatest series ever.

Thanks man, yeah it was fun to round back on these because I didn't play too many RPGs until I was onto the Dreamcast. I rounded back on a few other RPGs years ago, but not these (I had a few false starts with PSII). Playing these four games was definitely something I wanted to remedy, or else I couldn't call myself a Sega fan.

I'm actually really enticed to play through all the 16-bit RPG essentials now, haha. While they're long games, they're not 80+ hours like a bunch of RPGs. Generally in the 20-30 hour range, so that's somewhat doable to put into the rotation.

Interesting on the Rika/Nei fact. Rika's background was something I kind of wish was explored a bit more in PSIV, but I'll leave it at that as to not get into spoilers myself. I also read there was talks of a Sega CD version of the game, so that could've been pretty awesome.

 

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Yeah, TVtropes has a ton of good nuggets of info:

Phantasy Star (Video Game) - TV Tropes

Sega's answer to the RPG craze of the late 1980s, the Phantasy Star series was a classic contemporary to Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy with a Science Fantasy spin on the genre. Having been in the hands of several of Sega's development studios - …

tvtropes.org

If you are partial to the Sega CD, try out the Lunars; Lunar: Eternal Blue is still the best 16-bit RPG ever, IMO and is my favourite RPG ever as well (it's the only game where my favourite, I also feel is the best lol). Just a nearly-perfect game from beginning to end and never got as much love as The Silver Star (which is still a good game, mind you), which was remade to death and Working Designs milked the fans for all they could, in NA.

Also try:

- Vay (SCD)
- Pier Solar (Genesis)

I too didn't get into RPGs until 2008 (when I got PDS), because my first introduction to non-Pokingman RPGs was with FFVII and by God was it a HORRIFIC experience. It soured me on the genre, but once PDS showed that it is a wonderful genre (though nothing is like PDS... at all), then I played SoA and Grandia II and that was it; back to the 16-bits with the Lunars and Vay, then ones on the Saturn and DC and everything in between! As mentioned, I first played through Phantasy Star in 2014, so for me as well, it took years to pick them up.

 

[Tomato Convenience Store]

Yup, both Lunars are absolutely on my list and I've been loving Sega CD so far (I play through the Mega SD). I do mostly hear that Eternal Blue is the better game, but perhaps you mean at the time it wasn't considered as highly as Silver Star? But I suppose I could have come to that conclusion by watching a couple of youtubers, haha.

I heard mixed things about Vay but I'll definitely consider it as I get through more of the RPG libraries, thanks for the rec. I'd just want to get to games like FF IV/VI (which I played, loved, but never beat), Earthbound, Super Mario RPG, and the like beforehand.

I think I was similar to you in that I also cemented my interest in RPGs from SoA and Grandia II. I did play Dragon Quest 1, bits of 2 and 3, and Mother 1 beforehand but I started to round back on the 16-bit ones after SoA/Grandia II from what I remember.

 

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Indeed, we are both similar in that regard

It's not so much that EB isn't considered as highly, it's more the fact that Working Designs pumped out a ton of remakes and different versions in the West, while Game Arts remade it like 3 times or something, whereas EB just got the 1 remake (more of a, "before HD, HD remake," where both came out on the Saturn and in the West, on the PSX). So due to more exposure, people know of SS a lot more and as a result, it is more-beloved.

But again, definitely not the better game. At all lol. While the overall games aren't alike, the progression from SS to EB, I find similar to the progression from PSII to PSIV; many things are the same, but A TON was improved for the sequel.

Also, as we've seen in Yakuza 2, No Time to Die and in other media, people like love stories and they'll like a story more if there is a love interest/angle to it.

Now, while Y2 and NTtD had a love story shoehorned in that didn't fit with things, the love angle absolutely DOES work with the Lunar series' plot (through all games, actually), however SS's story is driven by love and is the more, "classic," love story (speaking purely from writing and plot conventions/devices used. And no, this isn't a spoiler, trust me ), whereas EB also has a love story, but it is a bit more-unconventional and it only concludes in the epilogue, which CAN take an extra 3-5 hours to complete and is after the main story is done, so many gamers just didn't bother with it (SS doesn't have an epilogue). Personally and it may just be my tastes (so subjective), I find the payoff in EB *SIGNIFICANTLY-BETTER* than in SS, when it comes to tying up the loose ends with the love angle.

The world is just built up so well though, the callbacks/forwards (less of the forwards lol) are beyond-excellent and if you add Walking/Magic school (on the GG and Saturn, respectively) to that, which is a prequel (Saturn version is essentially a {MASSIVE} expansion on the GG game), then the world and its origins are built up even more and it makes it even more-awesome.

Just an overall great series.

As for Vay, the combat is not bad, but there is a fair-amount of grinding that needs to be done to progress anywhere in the game (not as much as PSII, mind you) so that's the only real detractor. The plot is an excellent Sci-Fi plot and the characters are written excellently. Graphics and visuals are also pretty good for its time.

Sorry for the essay!