Phantasy Star Generation 1 - Reception and Legacy

Reception and Legacy

Phantasy Star is widely regarded as one of the benchmark role-playing video games, and has been well received by players since the time of its release and into the present. In 2006, Electronic Gaming Monthly placed it at #26 in their "The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time" list, which puts it as the second highest-ranking RPG on the list, behind only Phantasy Star Online at #21. The original game's success led to the development of Phantasy Star II and eventually spawned an entire franchise.

In 1988, Computer Gaming World previewed the game, describing it as Sega's first 4 megabit cartridge and featuring "both space travel and multi-level three-dimensional" dungeons. Later in 1990, Roe R. Adams (who worked on the Wizardry series) wrote in Computer Gaming World that the game was "the big shot in the arm for Sega," stating that it is "accepted wisdom that the tremendous response to this game propped up Sega long enough for it to introduce the Genesis 16-bit machine last Christmas." He described the game as "really different" and that it "was a science-fiction game with a neat twisting plot, good sound, and a large array of weapons, armor, spells, and other assorted goodies." He also praised the game's "team concept" where "throughout the game, characters would join a player's team in order to help him/her win, each bringing unusual skills or magical talents." He also praised the "fantastic combat system," stating that, "Not since Dungeon Master had such a good and explicit graphic combat system been seen."

The first issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, published May 1989, listed Phantasy Star as the #2 game in its "Top Ten Games" list (behind only Blaster Master for the NES), describing it as a "new breed of adventure game that could set the standard for future RPG titles." Sega Pro magazine gave the original Phantasy Star a 90% score, while RPGamer has given it a perfect score of 10 out of 10 in 2007. Nintendo Power's staff has praised the game, saying that Phantasy Star "was the first RPG to break out of the Dragon Quest / Dungeons & Dragons mold of generic Arthurian fantasy by introducing sci-fi elements. Among its many other accomplishments were the inclusion of characters with actual personalities, the introduction of event scenes, and the presentation of pseudo-3-D dungeons that were a technical marvel at the time." It was also one of the first games to feature animated monster encounters, and allowed inter-planetary travel between three planets.

An important innovation in Phantasy Star that would later become common in console role-playing games was the use of pre-defined player characters with their own backstories, in contrast to computer role-playing games such as the Wizardry and Gold Box games where the player's avatars (such as knights, clerics, or thieves) were simply blank slates. Boys' Life in 1988 predicted that Phantasy Star as well as The Legend of Zelda games may represent the future of home video games, combining the qualities of both arcade and computer games. Critics and fans alike have also noted that Alis is one of the first female heroines in video games, alongside Samus Aran of Metroid and Chun Li of Street Fighter, who didn't journey for love or treasure but for personal vengeance. She is widely seen now as a great example of a well crafted lead female character.