Oh yeah, it's 1988 and that new RPG thing Phantasy Star is out! At least, that's how I imagine the '88 gamer kids talked back then. The game was a break through in RPGs for the consoles. The game was freakin' huge for the times, the music utilized a special sound chip that was, of course, Japan only. It had "fake" 3D graphics, and it had a female lead character. So, let's boot this thing up and see how it compares to the spoiled gamers of 2011
I do have to say, the graphics are very well done and the 3D effect would have blown my mind. It does make you feel like you are actually traversing through a dungeon. It was hard to get immersed without imagination back then. That's because the scenery is a bit dull and the dungeons are usually just brick wall mazes. Still though, the monsters and cut scenes are really well done.
Maybe it's the localization, or because the graphics took up so much of the games space, but the story was kinda meh. The towns folk littered in the game give you strange riddle-like clues and sometimes just useless information. Direction is another thing the game kind of lacked, too. It's debatable if it's a good thing or not. I'm not too much of a fan of being dropped off in an area with very little information, especially when you are so damn weak!
Monster encounters early on require you to just wait for the right monster to kill and fleeing from the rest. I'm not sure if they made it that way to keep you playing, but there is a tad bit of a grind just to progress. It's definitely not stream lined, and it's a little bit open. You can stumble into places you shouldn't be and get your ass kicked pretty bad.
Gameplay-wise it's everything you'd expect from an old RPG with turn based fights. It gets a bit dull and I had a hard time gearing up. It kind of sucks having to buy a piece of gear for a bunch of meseta and have it not be as good, or not for the right character. So yeah, the menus are a bit poor in design, which of course gets worked on as the series progresses. What's important is the game's historical impact! If you go back and play it without a walk through, prepare to sink some hours into it. I personally had to use a walk through at times, and you'll see why if you try the game out!
7/10
1988 Josh probably would have given it a 9 or 10.
