Phantasy Star (Master System) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- A playthrough of Sega's 1988 role-playing game for the Sega Master System, Phantasy Star.
Phantasy Star was Sega's answer to the likes of Enix's Dragon Quest series on the NES, releasing around the same time that Square launched the first Final Fantasy in Japan.
It was one of the first of what we now refer to as console JRPGs, it was the first game of its type for Sega's console, and it was extremely successful given how small the Master System's market share was in Japan and the US.
The game places you in the role of Alis, a girl who lives on the planet of Palma in the Algol star system under the tyrannical rule of King Lassic. When she sees her brother Nero, a member of a rebel faction, killed in the street, she swears vengeance. Over the course of her travels across Algol, Alis meets and joins forces with the other heroes, including Myau (a cat that looks like Pikachu), Noah (a powerful wizard, also known as Lutz in Phantasy Star II), and Odin (a brawny warrior).
Instead of the traditional medieval European backdrop that Dragon Quest ( • Dragon Warrior (NES) P... ) is set against, Phantasy Star goes with a fantasy sci-fi setting. Swords and shields still play a role, but they are joined by the likes of laser guns and lightsabers, and enemies run the gamut from orcs to android security bots. You travel between planets on a starship, and you regularly have dealings with the indigenous (non-human) people on these exotic worlds.
Though the unconventional setting garnered the lion's share of attention, the game was notable in several aspects. As the lead hero, Alis is a strong-willed and capable fighter who happens to be a woman. She doesn't need to be rescued, she's not prone to hysterical outbursts, and men don't lewdly proposition her or stare at her boobs. She also thinks nothing of wading through hordes of monsters in a bright pink dress. It's refreshing to see a game that doesn't use femininity as a character foil - her gender is a complete non-issue, and the game does an excellent job of normalizing it without pandering.
The story is more "adult" than pretty much any other JRPG of the late 80s, save for its sequel on the Genesis ( • Phantasy Star II (Gene... ). It implicitly juggles political and racial issues without being preachy or corny, and it builds the lore of its cultures enough that you can invest yourself in it despite the relative simplicity of its plot. For 1987, it was surprisingly heady stuff.
In addition to its progressive storytelling, Phantasy Star was also a technical achievement in its day. The presentation was light-years ahead of the likes of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, and it leaned heavily on the advanced abilities of the Master System. The battle scenes feature vividly illustrated and animated enemy sprites placed atop detailed backdrops that change based on your location, and the dungeons are viewed from the first person. Unlike games like Ultima and Wizardry, Phantasy Star features smoothly scrolling 3D corridors that somehow manage to look better than they did in Sword of Vermilion, and that was on the Genesis. Pretty amazing for an 8-bit machine!
It would be easy to forget how old the game is thanks to how advanced it was, but it is important to keep expectations grounded in reality if you want to enjoy it. It is a product of the eighties, after all. There is a lot of grinding involved, and the maze-like dungeon designs combined with perspective and the lack of an automap feature make for a bit of a slog at times. You'll need a pad of graph paper on hand to get through some areas.
The music of the US version is also a bit hard to bear. Though the Japanese system had an optional FM synth upgrade available, the rest of the world was limited to the bleeps and bloops of the Master System's rudimentary PSG abilities. I know some people get warm fuzzies for it, but I absolutely loathe the console's "sound aesthetic." The soundtrack is excellent, but it's largely ruined by the shrill, harsh tones of the PSG. There are hacks of the game out there if you want to play it in English with FM sound, and I'd recommend them unless you want a purist's experience.
As playable as the game still is today in its original form, I'd recommend the version available on the Nintendo Switch for its quality-of-life improvements, like emulated FM sound, automapping, and the ability to speed up gameplay. It's a classy upgrade that doesn't compromise the integrity of the experience, and it's pretty cheap, to boot.
It isn't perfect, but for a 34 year old game, Phantasy Star holds up admirably well, and it set the stage for one of Sega's most fondly remembered console game franchises of the 80s and 90s.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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Probably one of the most, if not the most, graphically impressive RPGs on an 8-Bit console.
Especially for the time! Graphically superior to any nes rpg
It's still impressive to look at 30+ years later.
I think it is for an '80s home game.
@@JoseRivera-li8tr Age of hardware makes quite a difference too. The NES's Japanese counterpart, the Famicom did start life in 1983.
beyond gfx the playability is exceptional. im sitting next to my 7 year old right now who is playing this game through for the second time, in 2022.
Phantasy Star was an excellent introduction to one of the most classic JRPG franchises, and it was so far ahead of its time. In 1987, this was a stunner.
@@CyberKnightProbably There's also *_"Gimmick"_* for the Famicom vs its Scandinavian PAL release, *_"Mr. Gimmick"_* . Sunsoft-5B + an extra channel on the Famicom itself, against the 5B without the extra sound channel... unless I'm mistaken here. Not entirely sure about the PAL release.
@@CyberKnightProbably I'll agree that it's an interesting distinction, but though addons made the NES sound better, I think the NES's base hardware still sounded fine on its own.
Maybe a better comparison would be to the VRC7? It used an FM chip that was basically a cost reduced version of the YM2413 FM chip used in the Master System.
Yeah, it was for its time. Kinda overshadowed by Final Fantasy 1, though.
It took me FOREVER to finish this game.
@@infinitecanadian That's when the English version came out. The Japanese version was 87.
People don’t realize just how much more powerful the SMS was than the NES. These first person dungeons were WAY ahead of their time
People don't realize the NES hardware is also older than the SMS/Mark III hardware. The NES late in it's lifespan still pulled off some incredible looking games.
@@Bloodreign1 Well the Disk system helped
The CPU was actually faster then the SNES.
Actually, flat 3D stuff like these 1st person dungeons are computationally fairly simple - the NES could have done them easily - and I think some games did. It was a stylistic choice.
@@Bloodreign1I had the master system in 1986 and ran this game. The American NES can't be much older.
I LOVE THIS GAME!!!
I earned the cartridge in my 16th birthday.
Now, this game is obligatory presence in my roms folder.
I remember I dreamed that Alis wanted me to hold her hand as she lead me to an unforgettable adventure. An adventure to a fantastic world.
Alis is very graceful!
Rieko Kodama.
The producer of the Phantasy Star series has passed away.
R.I.P.😭😭😭
Sorry. 😢
Rest in peace mrs.Kodama
I didn't get into Phantasy Star until End of the Millennium, but when my family did get it, I had to play what came before and it wasn't until a decade ago that I got to play the original through a PS3 port. It was worth the wait.
NGL: First time I heard and played this game through was in 2018. I was so surprised at how well this game has aged and is super impressive for a old school rpg made 30 years ago.
Played through this on Wii VC and recompleted it again when the Switch port came out with some quality of life improvements.
This was my introduction to RPGs in 1988 and I’ve loved this game now for well over 3/4 of my life. I love hearing that people are playing through it for the first time some 34 years after its release and are enjoying it.
it remembers my childhood, my brother loved that game, so do i ! We didn't understand a single word in english at that time, i wonder how we managed to finish that game... i remember he drew dungeons on sheet of paper ^^
I remember my cousin playing it in the late 80's good times
The fact that the sprites animate when they attack is mind blowing. This wasn’t common practice until SNES at the earliest
It still is wild that Phantasy Star did it from the beginning yet it wasn't until Dragon Quest VI in late 1995 when that series finally had animated battle sprites.
Snes didn't do this on final fantasy either...
Wizardry had animation on enemies in 1981, though infrequent and very basic. 1985s bards tale had animatons on most enemies.
i watched the whole thing. still the best jrpg series to this day.
Oh damn, really? Thank you! That's the nicest compliment I could hope for, especially on such a long video. I agree with you, Phantasy Star is one of the greats. Including the third one :)
@@NintendoComplete yes! PS lll was great even though it didn't get much love, but PS lV is hands down the best jrpg i ever played. and ive been gaming since the Atari 7800 lol
I remember playing through this on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. It was a great time. I really prefer the Sega Ages port purely because of the added quality of life stuff. The map and enemy information helps, but I really like the added FM soundtrack. Really nice.
This is one of the games that got me into RPGs, alongside _Ys: Vanished Omens_ for the Master System, at the age of six. These days the only people I meet who know anything about _Phantasy Star_ are _Online 2_ players who couldn't care less about the title that started it all.
Or even the original Online game as only a small community is keeping servers alive...
Ys was also cool, I really liked Chronicles and Feglhana.
dont worry there are plenty of us who remember the OG game. go on reddit and you'll see ;)
Phantasy Star got me through the first summer after I moved out on my own, so I'll always have a special place for it (and the entire series, honestly).
Myau is my favorite i want him as a pet
the addition of a dungeon map to the switch ver is an absolute godsend
i only wish we have gotten that ps2 remake as well.......
There ARE English translated versions but sadly stuff was censored (at the start of the first game, Nero looks like he was just roughed up a bit vs mortally injured since in the remake the blood was re-colored to be sweat). cdromance.com/?s=phantasy+star&platform=ps2-iso
@@Rokabur So he caught plotitis instead. ;)
The fanmade retranslated patch by SMS Power is great!
Wish Sega could bring the Switch version and the PS2 remake on Steam and other consoles
Forever and always a masterpiece. The first RPG and hooked ever since. The first 4MB console game too of if I am not mistaken.
RIP Rieko Kodama
The game is 768 KB.
Some called it "6 Meg" at the time using the bizaaro non unit of "megabit".
This was, however, quite large for a cartridge game of the time.
One of my favorite games
I played this game while at a friend’s house in the early ‘90s, totally unaware of what it was. The opening music and somewhat eery story sequence stayed with me for years… I had never played a JRPG game before, either… Finally, I rediscovered it while unlocking it on a PlayStation 3 game. I was so excited, haha! However, now that I’ve become aware of the FM sound chip iteration, it’s hard for me to go back to the standard sound any longer.
This game is so far ahead of its time, I'm just sitting here watching the ending sequence in awe. Wow. I had an SMS and never knew this game was this advanced. Sega really messed up the advertising for this in the UK!
This is absolutely amazing!! It took me over a year to beat this game when I was a kid. I started replaying it on my phone via emulators and accidentally over saved my main quest and lost all progress. Couple of years later I started playing again and got pretty far. I was on Dezoris trying to find Hasby but couldn't find him. My dad broke his phone so I had to give him my phone which contained this game and somehow he deleted it. So this walkthrough has been Godsend!
The chat spell is an instant win when you encounter dragons. It's basically the reason the spell is there.
It took me a decade to know that they were sentient
Wait, really? I knew it worked on the Motavians and Dezorians, but not the dragons. I'm gonna go back on the Switch and try it out.
I tried it on every creature in the game lol..
I played this through Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection in the Xbox 360. I had beaten the original Phantasy Star before, although it is very tedious and tricky. Lasshic and Dark Force are a nightmare. But for 1987, it looks very good in graphics.
Hey, one of my favorite JRPG franchises.
Thank you so much,I couldn't finish this game first time around. A terrific guide, thanks again
Still blown away by the fact that this is an 8-BIT game.
One of my favorite 5 game franchises of all time(Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Earthbound and Fire Emblem), this has my favorite character and sprite of all time(Alis).
This was my very first RPG I played. Certainly, Phantasy Star is one of my favorite games on the Master System.
10 hours seems so fast for this game. I must have spent dozens on hours on it as a kid. I did get my characters to the highest levels, explored the surface of all the worlds, got all the items, all the best armour and weapons but didn't know what to do next, and there was no internet to look up the answer. So I gave up and came back to it many years later after finally finding out on the internet (I had to get to top of Baya Malay tower and then use the nuts to fly to the castle).
One of the most important SMS games for sure, falls squarely in the Top 3 for me. It's possibly the best-looking 8-bit console RPG, too. My favourite game in the series is PS 4, but this one is special for an early console RPG; really enjoyed it in the era when I'd mostly play PC RPGs, back in the 90s. The only game I think I like as much/more on that system is Wonder Boy III.
I know this video has been out for a while now but I just wanted to say that this was and still is one of my favorite RPG’s of all time. It is unfortunate that this game wasn’t released with the others when Apple decided to put them in their App Store.
It's my favorite game of all time. I wish Sega had included it on the Genesis bundle for pc. As if a master system port couldn't have been done.
I remember getting this game for christmas as a kid and being blow away by both the game itself and its price of like 60 or 70 bucks at the time. I played this game like it was my job.
It MSRPed for $69.99 in 1988, which would be around $180 in today's money.
I think it was around 80 when we got it..
What an awesome game.
Wonderful play through and thank you 😊 👏👏👏
I remember playing this game as a kid and I couldn't beat it for the life of me! Great memories though, this game was phenomenal back in the day. I remember my parents bought it for me for $100
You made another SMS video yes!
My bad, I hadn't realized how long it had been since I last did one. Hopefully this helps make up a bit for that oversight :) I'll have to adjust my calendar a bit and bump up a few Master System videos.
The soundtrack here is exactly what i remember it to be when i first played the game (late 90's in Brazil).
The one that started it all.
Yes, and the first in the original tetralogy
@@megspitzer9406 Yes.
@@SolCresta3405 친구집게임기에있던 횐타쥐스타.
삼성갬보이세가 메가드라이브겜기 삼성전자알라딘보이2 겜보이ㅐㅔ가지
@@SolCresta3405 And before the Phantasy Star Online series, too
@@megspitzer9406 Yes. And I believe Alis is also a major character in Segagaga.
I used to make maps of every dungeon following the principle of always following the right wall. Always turn right.
Graph paper is the best way. Use different color highlighters to mark doors, stairs, traps etc
Amazing. Looks like the dragon quest series but graphics and sound are insane for those days.
The Master System is technically more powerful than the SNE$ lol.
@@Rokabur more powerful than the SNES? Impossible, explain
@@MrHomelessHobos yeah it’s a blatant lie
By some metrics, the CPU of the SMS has bigger numbers. I think thats how this talking point got started. It is of course always misleading to compare across CPU architectures this way.
I think they mean the NES lol
Thx for posting this! I was never able to finish this game - got stuck somewhere around the end
Who knows where this series would have gone if they kept COLA and HAMBURGER as the main healing items.
Algol would look like a Jerry Springer episode. Everyone would be fat with bad skin and greasy hair.
DiCOLAS, TriCOLAS, DiHAMBURGERS...
HAHAHA, in origial japanese Phantasy star you heal when using PELORIEMATE(japanese pie) and RUOGIONIN(japanese energy drink)xD
@@gastervooodoooo I mean, I'd still want a TriHAMBURGER.
@@gastervooodoooo When I lived in Tokyo, McDonald's introduced the MegaMac, which was a Big Mac but with four patties lol. In PS land, I guess that would be a tetrahamburger?
Best 8 bit RPG. Masterpiece.
It’s great but I dunno if it’s the best, the original Mother game is stellar as well, dare I say even better
Absolutely.
Upon replaying both games…I’m sorry but Mother is just such an incredible experience that Phantasy Star just can’t compare to
@@honkmii459 Both games are my favorite 8 bit RPGs
@@solarflare9078 holy shit, you’re everywhere! Then again, if you’re everywhere I go then I guess that means I’m everywhere too lmao. I guess we have similar tastes
Thanks for playing for us. That was awsome
Never played this since I never owned a Master System, but it's on the Switch, eh? I might give it a shot. Looks like it'd be my jam. :)
The Switch version has automapping and some other options, so it should be more accessible!
perhaps the greatest adventure game of all time.
I will watch any Phantasy Star video
I played the Nintendo Switch version. Love it. 😊
This looks incredible for a Master System game.
Hugely impressive for 8 bits, even today. Would love to see some modern remakes for this, #2 and #4.
incredible music!
Best console RPG ever
Nope. Not even on the SMS. That honor goes to Golvellius and Wonder Boy 3.
@@retro9263I did play through the whole Golvellius and it was a great game but I liked Phantasy Star better. Both of these games I beat on SMS that I got for christmas in the 80's :D
I'd have to watch this multiple times to capture every detail of this 10+ hour playthrough! Good work, though!
Though personally, I'll settle for the Ages version on Switch - And maybe if I can mod my PS2 Slim to play the English patched ver., the Sega Ages 2500 release w/Phantasy Star II.
By the by, have you ever played the PS2 Ages 2500 release?
Both should get ported to PC by Sega...
This should be the next Sega Movie alongside Sonic
i'll never forget my NES owning friends coming over to my house in 1988 hoping to make fun of this game only to end up fighting over who got to use one of the remaining save game slots. Love seeing this game featured on a Nintendo youtube channel 😈
I like the PS MMOs but playing and watching the older games makes me wish Sega would make traditional rpgs to go alongside them. Yeah PSIV concluded the plot of the classic games but you can always make the excuse that Dark Force/Falz showed up in some other galaxy.
I find interesting that my all time favorite video game characters are two warrior ladies - one being a young fearsome warrior on a quest to avenge the demise of her revolutionary brother and the other one being a high-tech, monster hunter type of space mercenary - a blue robot lad, a sentient hedgehog speedster and two italian plumbers. Lol
Was using your video to guide me out of a dungeon then you spliced in a cut of you entering the correct doorway and completely fkd me over lol😂
The best RPG.
I played this on ps3 as part of sonic's ultimate genesis collection.
Genesis?
@@greensun1334 That's the name on the package, this game is unlockable on it.
@@Bloodreign1 ok!
Me too
Go to sleep
Impressive and has a charm to it that later versions didn't keep. Each Phantasy Star game plays wildly different so just cause one is awesome the next might be a disaster to play.
The first here is the best IMO and worth having a Sega Master system.just for this game. Also only RPG I've ever played through all the way.
The gameplay and soundtrack here is noticeably faster than it is if you actually play it on a Master System.
Not faster here. Maybe this is an NTSC vs pal thing?
@jsrodman Yes, it is. I eventually figured it out. I had the PAL version. I made my own version of the soundtrack (it's on my channel), slowed down to match the PAL version.
The best rpg
This reminds me of a way WAY better version of double dungeons on TG16. Looks way fun. Thanks for sharing.
The maze sections would have totally kicked my ass in this game.
The prevailing design of 80's RPGs was that dungeons HAD to be maze-like, and it was expected of players to draw out and keep track of their own maps while adventuring through them. Often strategy guides/hint books would provide a map for buyers, but these days the auto-mapping features of RPGs has rendered them redundant. As someone who grew up in the 80's/90's, part of me still holds some nostalgia for the "map it yourself, rookie!" approach, but I think the convenience of auto-maps far outweighs the experience. XD
The dungeons aren't completely maze-like. They have some thought into the level design. A couple of straight corridors with places to turn into and explore. Nothing too bad until you reach Baya Malay
I share your dislike for the SMS sound, but there are some some games that can make you momentarily forgive it, like Sonic or AK in Shinobi World.
Sound aside, another thing I dislike in the SMS is the gamepad. The dpad was atrocious, the buttons had a long keypress and it didn't had a Start button, making you craw all the way to the console to pause a game...
In fact Sega only did a great job with the Japanese Saturn, since the 6 buttons Genesis one was a step in the right direction but still couldn't touch Nintendo's gamepads.
God yeah, that controller. I remember having to sit so close to the TV because of the pause button being on the system. It was so annoying when a game used that button for menus or whatever. And that d-pad was kinda squishy, which wasn't great, but it worked well enough for me.
I have this one from Tec Toy in portuguese😍😍😍
still remember upgrading my sword and doing less damage to those fish guys!
I actually bought the Sega Ages version on the Nintendo Switch. You can play the original or the ages version which cuts down the money and experience grind.
Yeah phantasy star always tops in my opinion
Just realized something, how come you didn't play the Switch version? The game comes with emulated FM sound AND you get an auto-map for all dungeon areas.
I wanted to play the OG American release is all.
Why did you grind for thick fur instead of getting Odin earlier?
Legendary game, condensed in just 512 kbytes.
Months spent writing mazes and notes on my paperbook, back in the early 90's.
10:21:53 Story by: APRIL FOOL hehe
I just followed the right wall :)
This is probably the best 8-Bit RPG in my opinion, and this game is even better with the FM sound chip added onto it.
This game is sadly still locked on my PS3 copy of Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection as I have no second pad for 2 players to beat the first boss of Sonic 2 to unlock this game. Could've bought a cart only copy years ago, but I thought $40+ for a cart only copy was insane, I walked out that shop with a handful of games, including a $20 boxed copy of the original Wonderboy SMS. Cloud Master and Rastan also had boxed copies there, but they too were pricey, and I had already spent nearly $200 in total in one day at 3 different Game Over shops in Texas over a span of 70 miles (I went out of my way with my ex-girlfriend of the time due to the shop in Austin having a boxed Shinobi III, and I damned well wasn't missing out on it, and she was willing to drive that far for one. We stayed at a motel between San Antonio and Austin that week).
I’m so sorry for your loss
Is Phantasy Star 4 a direct sequel to this? I remember the Land Rover and some things mentioned there that are in this game. Also the dungeon music was in that game as well.
Phantasy Star 4 is like 2 millennia after the first (the timeline goes I > II > IV > III)
@@ikagura Yep, and the international timeline is I > II > IV = III
@@solarflare9078 Honestly it doesn't matter too much if the events of Generations of Doom happens during or after End of Millennium but I won't thank Sega of America for changing many elements in the canon...
On a side note the order of the PSO episode are the same (with Card Revolution being the last game while Blue Burst Episode IV happened between Episode II and III).
Story might be a bit simple, but for the time and system it should have been pretty engaging.
Excellent work, as always. I would like to edit a digest of the series. Would it be ok with you to use and recut your videos of Phantasy Star 1/2/3/4, crediting you at the end?
I'm so confused that in the Phantasy Star series, they call the currency "Meseta" which it means "Plateau" in spanish.
Its gotta be said...the opening of a chest after every fight is a major PIA...
Эта игра старше меня.
Missing to complete the guaron morgue.
Why does Odin look like Ivan Drago?
Not sure why they have multiple HP counters for certain enemies (i.e. Horseman).
Because there are more than one.
Like in Shin Megami Tensei they show one sprite for all enemies
Myau is pronounced Meow?
Yup
@@NintendoComplete That name always bummed me out. What's next? Naming it *_Nyan_* ?
That's how you know ran out of ideas for character names.
5:51:07 Yes!
_good slowrun_
wow someone had the patience to play this OG style? Sega ages made it playable imo, and it was a pain to level up to learn heal without dying at level 4, though only 3 battles. 11:25 2 exp/3 meseta, my god that's horrible, no wonder I rage quit as a kid when I died in my first battle.
Fast forward with quicker walking, weapon/item/skill charts and bigger exp/meseta rewards really helped make it a lot better through sega ages; it's one of my favorite games. Sadly Sega Ages does not advertise these changes nor the manual. manuals.sega.com/sega-ages/phantasy-star/?pid=0
Feel free to pin this comment in case anyone wants to know what sega ages did. The game when modernized, is so much better than anything dragon quest games could do (dq11 is a 2d joke as 3d lets you jump/explore with bad transitions between, that take you backwards to certain points, and 3d censors damage vs guards you can stealth attack anyone else but not them). I enjoyed the party and that cat, Myau was fun. Even learning how the secrets and dungeon key work is fun exploration that tutorials don't really help one explore (also why I liked romancing saga 3, especially Mikhail war).
I can't play this game without the FM synth music. The stock Master System's sound can just be awful at times.
to think that this game has treasure chests IN the maze and the ps2 remake has not...
2 Commentary
Noah is a woman. Governor calls Noah a her in 2:44:27. All the graphical displays of Noah look feminine too.
10 freaking hours
i just want to see how to start im level 12
im just rounding the map killing mobs and buying expensive shits idk what to do
I thought the original said Alis use coke.
세가
10:21:04
333
I don't understand this game
What don’t you understand?
Basically, summed up as simply as I possibly can:
Your brother was killed, you set off in a journey to avenge him, you seek friends to help, find Lashiec’s Air Castle, and kill him.