Learning to Love Phantasy Star

Being a certified Sega lover, curiosity has led me to playing their first ever RPG and its official remake. Do they hold up? Let's talk about it.
Special thanks, once again, to Nio and Sol for the thumbnail. Follow them and commission them, they deserve it!
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And if you're interested, the fan translation for the PS2 remake is right here:
www.pscave.com/psg1/download/
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CREDITS
- Music -
(in order of appearance)
Opening - The Legend of Heroes (Special Arrange)
• Perfect Collection Dra...
For Eternal Story - Phantasy Star Online
• Phantasy Star Online O...
Mall Meltdown - TMNT Shredder's Revenge
• Tee Lopes - Mall Meltd...
Palma - Phantasy Star (FM)
• Phantasy Star OST - Pa...
Palma - Phantasy Star Generation 1
• Phantasy Star Generati...
Volcanic Magma Breaks - Musical Monkey Madness
• Volcanic Magma Breaks
gilvasunner.bandcamp.com/albu...
Violent Breathing - Synths of Rage
• 30th Floor Records - S...
30thfloor.bandcamp.com/album/...
Maximum Strobe Action - Space Channel 5 Part 2 Moji Moji Can't Stop Remix
• Tomonori Sawada - Maxi...
Nora - Streets of Rage 4
• Keiji Yamagishi - Nora...
olivierderiviere.bandcamp.com...
Battle - Phantasy Star (FM)
• Phantasy Star OST - Ba... \
Battle - Phantasy Star Generation 1
• Phantasy Star Generati...
Fight! - Phantasy Star Sound Collection
• Phantasy Star Collecti...
Access the Grid - Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
• Access the Grid HD Dis...
Dungeon Medley - Phantasy Star Sound Collection
• Phantasy Star Collecti...
- Footage -
Dragon Warrior Footage
• Dragon Warrior (NES) P...
Final Fantasy Footage
• Final Fantasy NES 100%...
Pokémon Yellow Footage
• Pokémon Yellow playthr...
Space Background
• 4K Nebula Sphere Hyper...
KZbin tools to tell people to like, subscribe, and hit the bell
• KZbin like subscribe...
All other footage was captured by yours truly! So much of the video was caught all on my own, almost the whole thing! How should we celebrate? Hmmm.... Liking the video? Subscribing? Hitting the bell button?? I dunno, just an idea.

[@tobiaswalker7562]

I have to tell someone, I've played Phantasy Star 4 100+ times, and today I actually discovered something new. There's a slicer in Zio's fort to the lower right of the staircase that leads to the Laser Claw and Juza.

[@jamescruz5637]

Phantasy Star 1 was WAY better than Dragon Quest 1 and Final Fantasy 1. This was my first JRPG back in 1988.

[@friendlyninja5048]

Way less cryptic than either of them as well

[@Basedard]

@@friendlyninja5048 I had to call sega channel to find the hidden door before the final boss....your just walking and have to randomly just turn on a hallway boom there is a doorway....I don't think I got stuck once in Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy so less cryptic...not in my opinion. Also this game was like $75 bucks when it first game out like 20 more expensive than other games. It is much better than both FF and DQ that part is true.

[@RolfWrenWalsh]

The original is the greatest JRPG ever made. Played it on my Master System back in 2006 after playing the MegaDrive games back in 2003. The challenge, storyline, and looking at it from a 1988 lense. Oh my fucking God.... Absolutely amazing.... Alis is my favorite video game heroine of all-time, and even though I don't want children, I have always said that if I had a daughter, I would name her Alis/Alisa (or Artesia for my fellow Gundam fans).

[@retromegabitsegadude]

I played Phantasy Star when it was new and it really is a masterpiece. Just because we have quality of life features in today's games does not mean they were needed or asked for in the 80's. At the time everything Phantasy Star did it did better by a country mile compared to everything else. It was a juggernaut which is still relevant decades later. This doesn't mean I would expect a younger generation to like the game but I am so happy that I had Phantasy Star in my childhood.

[@Zazzaro703]

Exactly. Mapping everything out on paper and writing down clues was just something you did because it was part of the game. I do like the auto map now that I’m older like Legend of Grimrock and the sega ages version of PS1 because I have less time and it’s basically doing what I would do just faster rather than taking a step, marking it down, taking a step marking it down etc.

[@eggroll20xd6]

This took me back. The Phantasy Star series really was my very first JRPG I ever played thanks to the Sega Channel. I actually played Phantasy Star IV first and loved it, but was confused by the story. It wasn't until years later that I played them all. A seriously underappreciated series.

[@DragonKingX78]

Yes, I agree, Phantasy Star series is very underrated.

[@gotaplanstan]

Phantasy Star 4 (along with Shining Force 2) is (are) one of my favorite childhood core memories

[@Orionwayz]

Same, still play shining force 2 on my phonr.

[@TheBeird]

Retro game appeal is the same as watching old movies. A piece of work brings something of the world it was made in with it. There’s a vibe that can’t be replicated, not even with remakes. That’s what I get out of it as much as the story, gameplay etc.

[@markusbao6670]

Phantasy star on the master system starting my love for jrpg

[@HybridAngelZero]

While I had a SNES and a Genesis in my household as a little bean, it was the SNES that got me into RPGs, so I didn't discover most Sega RPGs until I was a bit older. I actually first encountered Phantasy Star on the GBA Collection. Despite having a decent bit of experience with the genre at that point, I promptly walked out of the first town... and got obliterated by my first random battle xD Still, something about the game that's hard to define made me wanna come back and try again. Even though I never beat it on GBA, you can bet I got the Switch release day one when it launched, and the new UI and QoL features are amazing. I really wish we could have gotten an official release of the PS2 remake as well. I know it's a very hotly debated title, but I honestly love the way it looks. There were tragically few fully 2D games on consoles in the 00s, and if it got released on a modern platform, I'd probably buy it day one, too xD

[@kisayne]

Great Review. I play this as child and it was so mind blowing but tough. The Ages is a really great version to play through. Those dungeons back in the day were relentless with no maps, no internet guides. Hand drawing them was a nightmare, with pit falls and going round in circles.

[@MagillanicaLouM]

I've started phantasy star 2 myself recently on steam. Loved looking into the history of the classic quartet of games, excited to finally play. When i get a switch im definitely hitting up those sega ages title, og PS included.

[@opa-age]

RIP Phoenix Rie

[@DragonKingX78]

I love Phantasy Star IV.

[@KinaQuinquina]

Wht Alisa is called Alis in the non-Japanese version is because of the limit of four characters per name. A-Ri-SA is three in Japanese while A-L-I-S is four. Hence the name changes.

[@Magdavian]

the original came with a map in the game box, and an instruction book describing action, equipment, spells, and monsters

[@tanookiplayer]

Another great video Zaffre. I was actually surprised when you were looking at this game being an extremely old turn based RPG but it was interesting to look at the experience. I know in the AGES version they have two different OSTs; the Japanese one & the western one. Looking forward to see the rest of the quadrilogy. ^_^

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah it was a really neat addition to let you switch the fm chip on and off, but i kept it on, i think it just sounds better. playing through phantasy star 2 and while idk if i'll get through it immediately, i do intent to play all 4 games

[@neroheart34]

A great review for the first of a series I want to look into, and I enjoy it, I do hope you look into the other 3, and the universe games [ PSU, portable 1 and 2, as well, give a look at PSO and PSO2] at some point.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

playing through phantasy star 2 currently, doing both the original and remake. it's been pretty interesting so far

[@Dr4wfox]

It was a nice surprise to me. I am a weird fan of Phanstasy Star, mostly because PSIV was on my first game magazine when I was a kid, and I loved the astetic of the character, the idea of cities and weapons shop blew my mind, i never had seem a RPG before. So I played 2 years later when I had the change, finished the 4th on emulator, and loved it. So i thought, well, I want to know the history of this world (or worlds). I would finish every PS even if it was bad, and started the first one thinking I would hate, but I fell in love with everything. I still need finish the 3rd, but now I have every game on its original plataform to play, and will do so.

[@apukami3643]

A new Zaffre video? Gladly.

[@Mechassault_Man]

The disrespect you showed to Sonic Chronicles...you disappoint me lol Admittedly I probably won't try this game out, but it was interesting and happy to see you try a turn based RPG. I get you've played plenty of others before but it's still nice. Looking forward to the next video.

[@Mari_Izu]

6:12 In Alisa's (And Tyron's) case, it's because they only had 4 characters to work with character names on-screen, so they cut the a in the end (Or change completely Tyron to Odin). I have no idea why Lutz became Noah tho, but SEGA also made him a woman so who knows.

[@creaturetransylvania8943]

Hmm so a solid choice if one wants to try a old style JRPG.

[@CarolinaHeart]

I generally found NPCs gave good hints where to go. I played the smspower fan Retranslation though I dunno how they butchered it originally

[@TheRavenArchon]

I've recently been playing this on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis collection, and I'm almost through to the end. I think my only issue with it is the often aimless wondering due to the vagueness of directions provided by the game and the utter mazelike design of all the dungeons. I don't think this would be so bad if I had played this game when it came out and could have really gotten into it with the graph paper and keeping my own notes (the manual apparently tells you to write down everything NPCs say), but now, with all the other constraints on my time and other games I want to play, I decided to play the game with a spoiler free walk-through. Taking that into consideration, I have to say I really enjoyed this game. The graphics alone put to shame anything else from the 8-bit generation and the style and scope of the game are amazing. The moment to moment gameplay is also very snappy, even the random encounters - I actually have a couple favorite grinding spots where I just ran in circles for a couple hours fighting enemies for cash and EXP. Enemy designs and their large detailed sprites really are a highlight as you get deeper into the game. Despite some of it's archaic design, which other JRPGs of the time also share, it really is a AAA game that I think still holds up, although for more impatient people like myself I would advise a spoiler free guide of some kind to mitigate some of the aimless wondering and just help keep you on track.

[@nakazo9929]

Have you already played Xenoblade Chronicles 3? If so, are you going to review it soon? I've just finished it and I'd love to know what is your take on it

[@hemangchauhan2864]

23:32 Falling in love with characters through battle system happened to me in Dragon Warrior IV NES (Dragon Quest IV) There wasn't much story to go off from, but I understood each members personality based on how they acted in battle. Very unique thing only possible in games.

[@MySPIDERBAT]

Could I ask what guide you used for your playthrough of the original?

[@ZaffreRevolution]

tbh i didn't really follow a guide the whole way through per se, just looked stuff up every now and then. but here's a pretty good one: gamefaqs.gamespot.com/sms/588116-phantasy-star/faqs/53307

[@falksi3182]

Great vid. Phantasy Star blew everything else away on console at the time when it came to RPGs. Mapping the dungeons out was SO satisfying. You may find them frustrating, but once you grow into a more advanced player you'll love them. Adding the map to the AGES version is so lame to me.

[@99Gara99]

The original artwork is way more elegant, finessed (if this is a word). It feels like a beautiful shojo manga artstyle. The remake looks like some cool fanart made by a yet talented but random highschooler boy. It just looks way amatourish somehow. Like the panels in the original one were intended by the artist to become actual timeless master pieces and the remake as some rushed ok art for a check

[@proudherouser4069]

thank you for this video. I'm giving PS1 another try. edit: (reporting back 3 days later) I beat the game without looking up stuff online!

[@tobiaswalker7562]

I want to play the Remake for PS2, unfortunately my PS2 is long dead. I have a PS5, is there a way to bring Phantasy Star Generation 1 over?

[@stefanswiss3760]

thanks for the video, I love the og serie since I was a child but didn't play PS1 until the early 2000's with emulation and strangely enough, I thought I'd do to complete the serie but thought it would be a chore but I was astonished when quite on the countrary I found myself pulled into the game and enjoying quite a lot this open map, I think being lost I went in a few maze out of order and it felt great, I became fan of the experience and enjoyed the remake but still found the original to be more charming. for PSII no question, I'll go for the original as I don't think the remake is a good experience at all. Now I happen to play the 2nd ep and make it easier by applying the duplication trick that make the game easy enough so that you can afford the equipments in the shops but doesn't brake the game (just makes you skip the grinding, and still the game stays challenging nonetheless) Anyway thanks for the quality of your video and I'll enjoy seeing your futurs analysis of the serie :)

[@ruanmurta]

where did you find it with english translations?

[@broomob]

one of my favorite games is Etrian Odyssey. The entire game is first person 3D dungeons 😂🤣

[@DSan-kl2yc]

Only person I've ever heard bash the music.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah and i take it back, the music really grew on me over time lol

[@Sherkel]

About the music, I found the FM version to be awful but have been listening to the originals nearly every day since discovering the series. I like the idea of it being one of the first open world games. I hadn't thought to look at it that way!

[@ZaffreRevolution]

personally i preferred the fm tracks, but that's one of the better parts of this ages version - you can pick whichever one! love this game and it being an open world to explore, and that alone is one of the bigger reasons i'd love to see a higher budget remake for it

[@Sherkel]

@@ZaffreRevolution Oh, fair enough! You talked about how much you disliked the FM versions and I haven't picked up the Sega Ages version, so I wasn't sure. This video was really great, by the way. I commented in the middle but it's made me realize a lot about why I love the games I love, such as the importance of GAMEPLAY roles of characters. Are you planning to cover the second game?

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@Sherkel honestly the ost as a whole wasn't my jam no matter what version, but fm was my preference. am in the process of editing the second game's review, and i just finished playing through the entire original quadrilogy the other day, so at the moment i plan on looking at all four classic games!

[@Road_to_Dawn]

What’s the song playing at 22:55? I know it, but I can’t place it and it’s driving me crazy lol EDIT: Nevermind, thanks so much for putting it in the description! It’s The Grid from KH3D :D

[@pspirit1459]

8$ !!!

[@roguerifter9724]

I love Phantasy Star I. I think its better then Dragon Quest/Warrior I and II, and on par with Dragon Quest/Warrior III, IV and Final Fantasy I which are my three favorite NES turn-based JRPGs

[@ShadowArtist]

Proper name Pronunciations: Alis ( Ah-leese) Myau ( Mee' yah' oo ) Odin original name is Tylon (Tye - lahn) Noah original name is Lutzu ( loo-TZoo ) Motavia: Moh-TAh- Vee' Ah Dezoris: Dey Zoh Ri's I strongly disagree with you on the "3-D" First person dungeons, IMO they are awesome and great with how smoothly they scroll without any choppy frame rates and back in 1987 it was very impressive as most other RPGs that were on PC that had first person dungeons where extremely choppy and didn't scroll smoothly using "Tele" magic spell on Manticores, Tarantula, and Motavians and Dezorians will give a player certain hints about where to go in the game IMO the game's visuals have aged like a fine wine and still look pretty damn good, compare it to Dragon Warrior 1 and 2 visuals, which look flat and dull, PS 1 had **animated enemies** , several vehicle types, and three planets, all these elements few other RPG's had any of those elements IMO the game is a masterpiece, and many elements in the game was pretty groundbreaking for 1987/1988

[@daddygrasshopper]

Also isn't Lassic pronounced like La-Shiekh?

[@wewillwin24]

The music absolutely bumps and the story is epic. Get a clue

[@ajustice90]

I think I’ll give the Switch port a try if it goes on sale

[@heilong79]

I played a hacked version which fixed the translation and added back in the fm OST just a few years back and have to say it is one of my favirote RPGs now. Super hard and I had to draw some dungions but I managed to finish it. The PS2 version sucks compared to the origional IMO. Also all the music is amazing, shocked you are not mad about it.

[@PelvicGaming]

Yooo only 9 hours??? Maybe I will take the plunge. But then I see first person dungeons and im like....no.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

the dungeons are pretty rough, but all the more reason to turn that map on! best addition in the switch port

[@korrinmichealson5344]

I had no idea the original got a remake on the PS2...

[@openinginawe5518]

Will this be the one that soars over the stars. Of will be forgotten to ages past. Also phantasy star looks fun I wanna try it especially that liking and subscribing option

[@Chelaxim]

19:26 How to say "I haven't played Chrono Cross" without actually saying it .

[@theoaremevano3227]

See guys? Zaffre isn't a modern day curmudgeon who just hates old games. :D Games just gotta hit the right notes and not be too irritating to deal with so players still get to the end, and it comes out feeling good. :D King Lasik: "I will destroy all those who refuse my corrective surgery!" XD Join the Contact Lens Rebellion and defeat King Lasik. It's funny hearing music be a main drawback here considering how the OST has been one of the series' major strong points ever since PSO with the PSO2 soundtrack being my all-time favorite. Not to say they're ALL great, but with a playlist length of almost 500 tracks, the list of excellent ones is almost as long as some games' entire soundtracks. XD (And that's not even counting the New Genesis OST, now up to over 100 tracks. XD ) Some of those real old themes actually play in New Genesis if you're standing in certain spots. (If you stand on top of the Trinitas labyrinth for example, it'll play the Motavia desert theme.) I'm interested to see what you think of the following titles when you get to them. I was actually surprised to hear you describe the 'three' planets of the Algol star system considering... there's actually more than that. The star system and its relevant worlds are all based on a real star system with the same system and planet names. (There's also a theory that the regions in New Genesis are based on the environments of the Algol system worlds. Whether this is just them being cute or has some major relevance to the story is anyone's guess...) There's certainly a lot to be said for putting aside exactly what you want in a 'great' game. I think at the very least, it shouldn't be so hard to do this if only for the sake of understanding what other people see in a game. I know that for personal enjoyment, time tends to be the biggest limiting factor as there's already enough games out there to overload one's schedule with things you know you'll love, but I feel like if you're going to step outside that circle, it's often best to go as far as possible. Playing something totally alien that you'll have to really learn to love, instead of going to something that feels similar to what you like, but inevitably, 'not the same'.

[@kuraidjinn]

Shamaganatensei❤😄

[@Roge9]

my only issue with the remake is the same issue I have with 2's. The new visual style removes the comic grit it had for a very generic anime game. Tone-wise, it's not too bad for the first game but the 2nd game being much darker made it... Unappealing to me personally. That being said the gameplay is better imo.

[@GustavoHawke]

My problem with the first Phantasy Star is the lack of automap.

[@poptheweasel100]

Switch version fixes that thankfully

[@paulkersey1989]

Nothing made me feel like more of a baller in the early 90’s than using the copy machine in the school faculty room to give a teacher copies of my hand drawn dungeon maps.

[@Ronsilk-pu5hr]

There is nothing wrong with the ps2 version. Everyone needs to get there heads out of there butts

[@daddygrasshopper]

I dunno man, to me it sounds alot like you actually really enjoy JRPGs with turn-based combat lol. Maybe just hadn't found the right games at first...

[@ZaffreRevolution]

that's exactly what it was lol

[@Monhamd1000]

In my opinion, Phantasy Star has more personality than Fire Emblem in every way.

[@shinosmodspot4267]

ok ya the old school good ones doen with real heart not the horrible new aged PSO2 sht ver lol i read it at first and allmost thought is this guy sayin tryin to love like the new pso ha ;P

[@sowhodecidedthat3924]

If you let Dr Mad eat the cat, how does it affect the cut scenes in the remake where there is more story? kzbin.info/www/bejne/qorQhWuNqpppeqM

[@Ronsilk-pu5hr]

Phantasy Star ps2 is good in my opinion. People just like to complain about nothing

[@cdizzytv3753]

Everybody always says "older rpg's r WAY TOO cryptic & i never know where 2 go" & its so annoying... back in the day, rpg's where meant 4 u 2 explore & TALK 2 EVERYBODY 2 learn about the world & its troubles 2 find out where 2 go... They dont flat out say "Go Here" but they do give u info that the player should want to investigate buy 'Investigating, Exploring, & Absorb urself in2 the world' by talking 2 the ppl throughout the game... its Really not as hard as ppl claim, jus stop & think... Gamers r 2 use 2 waypoints holding hands that they refuse 2 explore & investigate 4 themselves anymore... PS, Ps2, & Ps4 are Fan-Fukkin-Tastic games... Nothing like old school rpgs

[@RenoKyrie]

Phantasy Star series as a whole is massively underapreciated I wish you also do review on the 3D Games, mostly PSO1, and PS Zero I love the PSU games and all but a lot of people who review the game are way too filled with Nostalgia and not talking about its flaws Same goes to Phantasy Star 2 and 3 really but worse While PSO2, its complicated The community and management of the game has been in constant trainwreck since PSO2 EP4, and the series was at its worse when PSO2 EP5 happened because of the crappiest person still working on SEGA Directing the game Daiki Hamazaki who ALSO Directed New Genesis I love PSO2 and PSO2 NGS, but i wish the community would just... actually act instead of just yelling on the wrong things and spreading missinformations like apparently Microsoft Ruined PSO2, when SEGA had allways been the one to ruin the game in the first place

[@SolBadguyZAC]

First 17 seconds of the video and already off to a bad start. No, YOU think of those games first. YOU don't think of Sega when you think of classic retro RPGs.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

gonna just skip over me saying "not a lot of you" indicating that some do in fact think of sega but thanks for the engagement my dude!

[@SolBadguyZAC]

@@ZaffreRevolution Yeah, that was the problem. Like wtf dude. Pretty weird mixed bag you have for games you consider memorable. Considering enough people know about Shenmue to fund the damned thing's kickstarter overnight, people haven't had a complete bout of memory loss regarding Sega. And yeah, I do like providing feedback. If you like making it, I like commenting on it.

[@chrisdanks6447]

Currently playing it in switch via Sega ages. A lot of fun.

[@chrisdanks6447]

A great game,thou those pit traps were very disheartening at the time.