Phantasy Star IV for Sega Genesis - A Review | hungrygoriya

[@childofcascadia]

OH MY GOD. Fav oldschool JRPG of all time. That music. Even all these years later. Best game.

[@hungrygoriya]

It was so good. I'd like to replay it again someday.

[@tiradinusrex3793]

R.I.P to the lovely Rieko Kodama for her amazing artistic creations and contributions to this game franchise.

[@hungrygoriya]

I saw PS2 through to the end because by the time I realized I wasn't really enjoying it much, I was too far in to feel good about stopping. I loved Phantasy Star 4 so much more!

[@thebigunodos3559]

​@@hungrygoriyaI just started on PS2 and I agree. I keep playing just to get through it.

[@TheKiman2]

Yeah huge loss. I was hoping for a proper Skies of Arcadia (Eternal Arcadia) remake/sequel as well...😢

[@jeggitv]

I love the little detail that every time Alys hustles Hahn for meseta, the amount she takes from him gets added to your money. They didn't have to do it that way. It could have just been a story thing, but nope. You get the funds! This game is great. I also love all of the secret combination techs. Super fun mechanic!

[@Shuukuriimudaisuki-sama]

@@jeggitv That gag has been living rent-free in my head for almost 30 years now. It was such a a hilarious touch that not only put some money in your pocket, but added something to the characters' personalities, too. Honestly, it was perfectly-executed.

[@LurkerNinethousand]

My wedding fund... I think that was my favorite and I don't want to give away why.

[@HereticHydra]

What I like is how Alys is the main source for comedy during the first half of PS4, and she's not even a comic relief character. She just has a domineering personality that dominates over everyone except for Rune, who's the only man she's nice to. Making you wonder what their past was.

[@Yuuretsu]

I never noticed that before. That's kind of amazing.

[@KopperNeoman]

I imagine the whole time she's thinking "don't tell him how much we need a healer, don't tell him how useful he is to the group"

[@roberthadley8745]

This was one of the best games I have ever played back in the day. Great music, minimal grinding, and it wrapped up the original story perfectly.

[@hungrygoriya]

I agree! It was a perfect bookend to the story that started in the first game on the Master System.

[@L2Nuku]

Great review HG! Glad you took your time, I loved the streams a while back. "I won't spoil what they dew" haha nice one ^^ In my humble opinion, this is the greatest and well-aged JRPG on cartridge. In loving memory of Phoenix Rie 🙏 PS III is a bit slow but still great on its own, with some nice music of the same composer (the fanbase is very divided on liking this one or not) I see you liked Grandia on the PSX, if you have access to a Sega Saturn I'd highly recommend trying that version, since it was made for that and the conversion to PSX made it lose a lot of its beauty and performance.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's rare that I'm intentionally punny, but glad you liked that one! I do hope to play Phantasy Star III one of these days and see what it's all about. I know better than go to in with really high expectations, so hopefully I'll come away from it with some positive feelings rather than feeling let down. I did love Grandia on the PS1. I'm curious to see what the Saturn version's like. Hopefully it'd have a translation available since I don't remember it getting brought over to North America. Maybe I'm wrong though!

[@CasperEgas]

​@@hungrygoriyaThere is a fan translation.

[@Androsynth75]

Everyone always talks about great Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III are from this era, but this game is their equal. It needs way more press than it gets. Banger of a soundtrack too.

[@hungrygoriya]

I hope this will drum up some excitement for the Phantasy Star series as a whole, especially because more people have access to it now on NSO. Fingers crossed!

[@NarmyHiiragi]

More than their equal imo.

[@Khardankov]

Chrono Trigger and FF6 are peerless. From what I've seen of PS4 it's good but can't hold a candle to those masterpieces. Not even going to address the reply claiming it's better - I'm not sure how anyone who actually played these games (especially at the time) can claim that.

[@arslanxelan9606]

Second only to Chrono Trigger in this era. Maybe Final Fantasy III is a little better in its battle system but in everything else Phantasy Star 4 is superior. Also the final boss is one of the most memorable in an RPG.

[@lobstrosity7163]

​@@Khardankov"from what I've seen of PS4" You haven't played it so you really can't compare it to FF6 and CT.

[@Girichoko]

I replay Phantasy Star IV every year. Few games can reach the same level of writing, music composition and overall satisfaction as this game provides.

[@hungrygoriya]

My yearly replay is Faxanadu, but I've been wanting to play Phantasy Star IV again. It's been a while since my first playthrough.

[@etstral]

Despite all the fantastic 16 bit RPGs of the era, Phantasy Star 4 will always hold a special place in my heart. None of my friends had Sega systems so I was the only one in my friend group that had played it. No one believed there was an RPG on the Genesis that could hold its own against Final Fantasy. Glad you enjoyed it! My 90's child self feels just a little smidgen of vindication today.

[@hungrygoriya]

Glad you're feeling vindicated through my experience, though I'm sure you'll find many people here who agree with your feelings on this game. It's well-loved!

[@robertsaladino]

Same here....they all had Nintendo lol...I loved all the Phantasy Stars

[@arslanxelan9606]

Also the sole Sega kid in my area, Phantasy Star 1 2 & 3, Traysia, Rings of Power, there were more good RPG's in SEGAS library than people give credit. And with the SEGA CD we had Lunar 1 and Lunar 2.

[@etstral]

Oh man, Rings of Power. I forgot about that! I never got very far in it but I always liked the vibes.

[@RPGFort]

Your thoughts on the world building really hit the nail on the head. One of my favourite universes in any series ever.

[@hungrygoriya]

It does the world building in so many wonderful ways. I love those little details and wish more games did that sort of thing.

[@gameoverhell]

Having only played RPGs on the SNES as a kid and never owning a Genesis this was the game that made me notice there were good ones on that system too. For over a decade I didn't even know Phantasy Star had sequels. IV is definitely a highlight not only for the Genesis but that 16-bit generation itself.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm always on the lookout for good games, and I was happy to find the Phantasy Star series. There are some other really neat and fun RPGs on the Genesis that I've enjoyed, but none of them come close to this game for me. You're right though: this one goes beyond the confines of the console and shines brightly in the era as a whole. I'm happy I got to experience it.

[@gpl992]

​@@hungrygoriyaYou play Shining Force 2?Its on the same level as Phantasy Star 4 IMO.

[@888legends]

I love your reviews so much. So straightforward lots of gameplay and osts just ❤ Easily one of my fav channels to watch

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww thank you! This makes me happy to read.

[@jaycenteno8385]

that intro gave me shivers! I love this game and your reviews always get me so excited to revisit them :)

[@hungrygoriya]

Right on! My husband and I had a great time filming all of those little short clips. Funny enough, they fit perfectly with the music when I had it all laid in and I didn't have to do too much fiddling. It's like it was meant to be!

[@jaycenteno8385]

@@hungrygoriya You guys did fantastic work, I can really feel the love there! :D

[@thehumbleone1983]

One of my favourite MD/GEN game 👍 great video

[@hungrygoriya]

Thank you!

[@anime-mun]

I loved Phantasy Star IV I played through it on rental about a year after it came out. Its a beautiful story and while it ties up the story of the original series brilliantly, it stands on its own as good stand alone title. Honestly though its a good thing you did hit IV before III because the way that one works is beyond confusing for most. What with its multiple choice storyline. Also it can effectively make sense being played after IV because of its questionable placement in the timeline and distance from the Algol Star System. Not to mention its considered the black sheep of the franchise for being a little too experimental and obtuse with its storyline. Frankly though when it comes to Phantasy Star IV it is what most influenced the Phantasy Star Online games as well as Phantasy Star Universe with how it approached the organizations of Hunters, Guardians and eventually PSO2's ARKS. It is my opinion that everyone should play this game at least once if they try to go through the original series at all. I do fully intend on having my son play through this title soon.

[@hungrygoriya]

I think I'll check out Phantasy Star 3 sometime, but I'm glad I tackled the series in the order I did as well. Wishing your son a wonderful playthrough of this game!

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Played it in my college years when I was deep into JRPGs. Shocked at how well systems were thought out, planning and grinding actually felt fun, and had good writing. This game (+ Reiko Kodama-san) needs more recognition than they are getting.

[@Oolong_Bagged]

I've had to think a lot about my top favorite games from ANY era and after much deliberation, I came to the conclusion that Phantasy Star IV takes the number one spot. It's just so good, so memorable and so fun to play fights delicately in every stage of the game. It can be as hard or as easy as you want with the amount of grinding you do and it's never THAT much time spent even if you want to over level hard. Every time I play the game I learn something new and figure out some new combination I didn't get to use in previous runs. The dungeons are simple so they never get too frustrating with the sometimes too frequent encounters. It's just so good from start to finish with the story and gameplay. "Noob traps" don't feel too punishing (looking at you sand worms) and bosses generally feel fair even if you're under leveled besides a couple exceptions. I could go on and on but, the long and short of it is, this IS my favorite game of all time and I am grateful I get to share it with gamers who haven't even heard of it, or the phantasy star series itself.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm really happy you enjoy this game so much. Phantasy Star IV is undoubtedly one of the best RPGs I've ever played without question, for all the reasons you mentioned here. Hopefully more people will stumble upon the series, and this game in particular. It's a great adventure that I think most people would really enjoy embarking on.

[@ericnorway77]

It would be great if Sega made more 2D single player Phantasy Star games.

[@hungrygoriya]

I think a lot of people would really appreciate that.

[@thewingedavenger1007]

It would be cool if Sega at least translated and released Surging Aura, which is a sort of spiritual Phantasy Star game that was only released on the Japanese Mega Drive.

[@dukkemonterier3429]

None of the people that worked on the classic games are around so I prefer things to stay like this. Phantasy Star Online II, for example, is atrocious. I don't want more of those tarnishing the franchise.

[@azurecorviknight4189]

Heres what if i made a new Single Player Phantasy Star title, known as this PHANTASY STAR: The Solar Guardians "Long ago, there were 4 planets, Veilari, Aridelm, Cryonat & Ruinka. Each had one god to Pray to, a Solar System god known as Astroliane. She gave the worlds life & hope, that is until darkness slowly corrupted her heart, slowly losing its order & forcing in death & despair... and with her last Breath, her soul became Stilled & Awaited a Rebirth... which came to be a Woman named Coraine, a daughter born in Veilari... here begins the story of a new life & reasoning, a new adventure among the stars..."

[@ChefBoyareB]

I loved the macros because it allowed you to set the pace with hard boss battles. It reduced the amount of grinding that was common with turn-based RPGs. Putting a member with slower speed as the first attack and your healing set for the end of the round forced the boss to attack first, do their massive damage, your attacks go through and then your healer brings you back to full HP. Raja was a must-have member in your party.

[@hungrygoriya]

There's so much strategy with the macros, the character order, the moves themselves... I'm surprised things like this aren't more of a staple in these kinds of games these days!

[@GlerpidyGlarson]

Oh my God you're covering my favorite game. This is my first RPG when I was a kid. I've had a very rough month and this really cheers me up. Thank you so much for being so awesome.

[@hungrygoriya]

Here's hoping things turn around for you soon. Glad this video was a good pick-me-up!

[@GlerpidyGlarson]

@@hungrygoriya Yes things have been getting better slowly. Thank you. It's like you chucked a dimate at my forehead. XD

[@ChrisMeadows92]

Great review, HG! Johnny Millennium would be proud!

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks for watching!

[@johnreeves5152]

I slept on PS4 for a long time. I had the third game growing up and that’s not exactly the best introduction to the series. I finally played it this year and was completely blown away!

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad I'm not the only one late to the Phantasy Star IV party. Glad you liked it a lot as well!

[@Shuukuriimudaisuki-sama]

This was the game that got me to love JRPGs, and was the first one I ever beat. I had played some older titles like Final Fantasy I and Dragon Quest I before, but for some reason, just couldn't get into them, or beat them at the time. I had never heard of the Phantasy Star series before (being in the days when the Internet was still in its infancy and me not having access) and randomly stumbled on it for rental at a local grocery store. I was pretty much immediately hooked, as I had never seen a game with such visual flair before. It also didn't hurt that I was becoming an anime nerd around that time, so the manga-style cutscenes were a big draw for me. The game may have its mysteries, like what all the techniques and skills do, but I had fun figuring them out, and overall I thought the game was very newbie-friendly. After cutting my teeth on PSIV, I eventually went back to play the older titles, and boy was I in for a lot of surprises in terms of the difficulty and overall design of the previous entries! Some of my favorites from the game's soundtrack are the PSI dungeon music arrangements found in some familiar historical locations (😁), The Black Blood, Laughter, Her Last Breath, and Ooze. It's a great OST, even given the quirkiness of the Genesis' soundboard compared to the SNES'. I have a lot of fond memories of this game, and while it has its flaws, it is still one of my favorite titles, and does such a great job taking all the positives of the series and wrapping them up in a single package. Definitely worth a playthrough!

[@hungrygoriya]

It's great to know how well-appreciated this game was when it was new. It sounds like it came to you at a perfect time in your life! Awesome!

[@tats_sacs]

To this day, i am still waiting for Phantasy Star V.

[@hungrygoriya]

It'd be nice to see another game in this style/universe. If there's never another one though, I feel like Phantasy Star IV did a great job wrapping up the storyline from the Genesis saga.

[@joeyjojojunior1794]

7:17 Extra kilometer?! I didn't know this phrase existed North of the border.

[@hungrygoriya]

We still say "going the extra mile", but I thought I'd throw some Canadian metric spin on it.

[@Hasekbowstome]

Youve gone through most of my childhood favorites, but this was one of the absolute best that I was surprised you hadnt covered yet. Im glad you enjoyed it so much! In a world where so many indie games are touted as a tribute to CT and FF6 (which are also fantastic), I wish someone would go more in the direction of PS4.

[@frankrizzo2025]

Finally! I first found your channel looking for reviews of this game. Great review.

[@hungrygoriya]

How nice that we've come full circle here. Right on!

[@mariusamber3237]

1 and 4 are my favourites in the series by far. 4 has the best music/most interesting battle system and characters in my opinion, and avoids most of the pitfalls of 2 and 3. 1 is really important historically, especially compared to most console RPGs at the time, and still plays pretty well. Good stuff. Sega isn't really known for RPGs (but rather for arcade games), but this is a good showing.

[@hungrygoriya]

I thought it was an excellent game and I'm very happy it was as good as it was. I love the first game as well. I feel like the first and fourth games go together very nicely. Perfect bookends on the series!

[@EatingCtrlV]

Yah I absolutely love this game, this was the first one of the Phantasy Stars I played and I because of how good it is, I've been able to forgive all the other ones of their issues and love the whole series :P One of my favorite games for sure. 19:05 poggers collection :O

[@hungrygoriya]

I think that's a great way of looking at the fourth game. It makes the other games feel like they were leading up to this bit of awesomeness, so it's easier to enjoy them for what they are. I'm really happy with my SNES RPG collection! It's what really got me seriously into collecting in the first place about 10 years ago!

[@Dracalis]

Always love to see one of your reviews pop into my subscriptions feed. Your chill presentation and thorough delving into these classic titles is an enjoyable mix - especially for games like this, which I haven't played (yet)! 🕹😸

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoy the videos. I wish I could get them out faster, but I'd rather focus on quality over quantity. I hope you do get to enjoy this game for yourself someday. It's a personal favourite of mine.

[@dewidiot79]

Oh my gosh I spent all vacation playing this on my switch and it absolutely rules. It was thanks to your video on the first that gave me a hankering for it. Only had Nintendo growing up so a lot he sega RPGs are new to me!

[@hungrygoriya]

Hooray! I'm so glad you enjoyed the fourth game as well!

[@teacherhorrorstories]

I was hoping to see you talking about this game for a long time! great work, as usual

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks for patiently waiting for so long! And thank you very much. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@himuradrew]

Glad to see you finally covering this classic. Being a huge fan of Phantasy Star 2 and JRPGs I imported a Japanese copy when I went on a family trip to Hong Kong. Beat it again when I got an English copy when it was released for the Genesis. This and Final Fantasy VI were the pinnacle of 16-but RPGs back then. Great times. So nostalgic.

[@hungrygoriya]

I think this one's amazing and I'm glad I got to play it as well. It's cool that you imported a copy on a vacation! I've never done something like that before.

[@Destaric40]

I played this game for the first time ever a few months ago and was blown away at the gameplay and music. Just loved it and it holds up well even by today's standards. The spells and abilities was confusing at first but I used a guide online to show me what each ability does and it fixed that issue.

[@chrisdanks6447]

My favourite Rpg ever. Phantasy Star 2 was amazing too but 4 just made it all much much better. Especially after the lacklustre PS3,which still was interesting,but alas didn't hit the mark lik 1,2 and 4. Great story,wonderful memorable characters,beautiful fleshed out worlds,genuine connections between the characters,vehicles,spell combos oh wow loved finding a new one by accident.And the music,will haunt me till I die. Everything about it made it a unique game,I don't think ever recaptured since. Great video,thank you!

[@LurkerNinethousand]

I'm so happy you played and enjoyed this game HG. I think this was my first time I watched a whole game on your Twitch channel so it brings back streaming memories for me. I was dancing to the music thinking HG is going to get to the music. So many good memories in this series and I do wish they make another but I'm glad they didn't because I'm afraid no matter how good they make it the game will fall short because my nostalgia for Phantasy Star 1 and 4. Also having played all 4 in the series several times I would say 1 is excellent 4 is even better 2 and 3 are both good but have flaws in them. I think playing 4 is more enjoyable if you played and liked 1 and 2 and there are ways to get through both quicker now but you don't have to play 1 and 2 to enjoy 4. If you want to get through 1 fast play it on Switch with ages mode you get 2-3 times the money and experience per fight and the encounter rate was lowered. I hope everyone gets to enjoy this masterpiece of a game. I have this and Chronotrigger as my 2 favorite 16bit RPGs that I've played. (Sorry Ys, Earthbound, and Secret/Trials of Mana)

[@hungrygoriya]

I loved the streams for this game. People were generally pretty good about letting me experience the story as it unfolded, and I'm really grateful for that. I think playing 1 made me appreciate 4 that much more. I feel like they only really talked about some of the events in PS2 very briefly, and given how much I didn't enjoy my time with it, I still wish I'd skipped it and gone straight to PS4 instead. Chrono Trigger's another fantastic game, but I think I like this one more. I didn't really love the battles in Chrono Trigger. I found them really fiddly.

[@Varizen87]

I am happy you had a good time with this one. It's one of the best games on Genesis. My sister and I played this one through 100% several times after school. My dad also played it through. My sister loved to power level Rika solo to 70 around when you got to Monsen, and then Rune would level to match. Personally I liked having a balanced strategy. I liked hunting for the combination skills. It had so many cool ideas. Also, the naming of abilities can be weird. The lady who was one of the leads recently died but she had a philosophy that magic names should be obtuse and obscure in fantasy. Magic words and what not. She also worked on Shin Megami Tensei hence similar issues.

[@stefanswiss3760]

It must have been so great to share a game and a passion like that with your sibling. I did that with my brother (although I was much more hooked than they were) and was lucky enough to have a friend and his brother who also really liked the serie, we've talked about the games many years after

[@Varizen87]

@@stefanswiss3760 it was. She was fantastic as an older sister. She doesn’t have much time for gaming right now due to kids and life circumstances but we had a strong bond over games. Our parents always appreciated gaming and didn’t act like it was bad for us like some stereotypical 80s and 90s parents. My sister sadly was the only girl I knew who liked video games though. All the girls my age dismissed them. Until I got to grad school but that’s a different story. But to me she was the best older sister for a boy who enjoyed games and wanted someone to play games with.

[@hungrygoriya]

These are some special memories you have with your family. Thank you for sharing them! I suppose the naming conventions here are no different than what Ultima or any of those CRPGs did with their magic systems. They didn't even use our alphabet!

[@darksuns7384]

Phantasy Star 2 was meant to have 3D dungeons like the first in the series. It's development was rushed and the 3D dungeons were scrapped. That's also why there are no backgrounds for the battle scenes, just that isometric grid. Same thing happened to Phantasy Star 3, rushed development. Sega actually let them cook when it came to Phantasy Star 4 and it turned out awesome.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's really sad that those games didn't get to reach their full potential due to rushed production. It always makes me wonder what could've been.

[@video-luver769]

The first JRPG I ever beat. It still holds a lot of good memories for me. The music alone is so nostalgic to me.

[@hungrygoriya]

What a way to jump into the genre! Very nice!

[@littlemixer7522]

Mixer: Ah, it's amazing how good this game is! I think it's my favorite Genesis game! All three of the other Phantasy Star games had their issues, but I felt this one put everything together into a fun, non tedious and excellent story to wrap things up. No one ever talked about this game growing up, and the few friends I did play RPGs with had never heard of nor tried this. It was all about the SNES ones as always. I really hope this game gets played and discovered more, as it's truly a hidden gem and I'm thrilled you liked it so much! Really wish I had been around to see the streams of it. Amiko: Thank you for this review!! This and the Shining Force games were my favorite on the Genesis as a child, and my sister and I loved every second of playing this! I do understand these games were not popular in North American and Europe compared to Japan, but it was very exciting to talk to Mixer about it the very first time I met him, and it remains a happy memory for me!! My favorite character was Rika, because like me, she was sheltered from a lot of the world and had to learn as she went, and my life too has sometimes been like that! It was like I was somehow seeing myself and also seeing Nei's race from Phantasy Star 2 get the redemption!! I look forward to seeing more videos, thank you again!

[@lhfirex]

I enjoy this one the most out of the series, probably because it's the first one I played. But it also doesn't pull the mean tricks that come up later in 1 and 2 that make me like those less near the end. I can understand the frustration with not knowing what each skill does. Some of them have really straightforward names, so it's like "oh, I know what Rayblade does" but then the more oddly named ones also usually don't do anything obvious when you use them, so it's hard to figure out what they do. I still tend to use each character's skills when I get them as a refresher, particularly Raja since he's got a TP healing skill I can't remember the name of. A huge thing that makes this game stand out among its SNES peers: No "family friendly" self-censorship like in so many SNES RPGs of the era. The script is pretty much the same between Japanese and English, despite changing some character names.

[@sevencastleforest]

Awesome review! Thanks for always putting such focus and detail discussing the game mechanics 👍🏻

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww thank you! I do my best to give enough context for people to understand my talking points. Glad it's cohesive!

[@Marzimus]

That intro music takes me back. Put maybe a dozen hours into PH4 when discovering emulation some ~18 years ago. 🤔 Maybe an RPG is what I need in life at the moment...

[@hungrygoriya]

I can always stand to take a dose of RPG. If you decide to pick this one up again, enjoy!

[@ralang999]

Excellent review, great to see part 4 get the love it deserves!

[@hungrygoriya]

It deserves so much love! I'm surprised more people don't talk about this one.

[@LazyChillZone]

Oh beautiful! This video is back. I was watching it when it first dropped and it all of the sudden went to private. I think the sound is better this time around? Anyway, can't wait!

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, apparently it had some errors following export that I didn't notice until it was uploaded. My apologies! I hope the wait was worth it.

[@LazyChillZone]

@@hungrygoriya definitely was! your videos are always a day one watch for me.

[@Myren5820]

I love this video so much. Phantasy Star(OG Series) will always be so near and dear to my heart. It is the first video game I remember watching my dad play when I was a kid. Thank you for this!!!

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww thanks for sharing that memory about watching your dad play this one! That's really sweet!

[@toxicmanbaby1069]

Excellent review! I played this game long ago, and I remember enjoying it, but I barely remembered anything about the game itself. Whenever someone mentioned it, the cutscene comic panels were always the first thing that I thought about, it really stuck in my mind. I should play this again!

[@japanimationman4442]

Hey, you played it! Cool! Definitely my favorite 16 bt RPG, and maybe just my favorite RPG period. And it came out before almost all the SNES RPGs that people praise most strongly (Chrono Trigger, FF6, Earthbound, etc). The difficulty is perfect. It's a bit rough your first time through, but thorough exploration is mostly enough to deal with it. On replays you know more about how to fight, but you also don't get lost as much in dungeons, so you fight less enemies get places at lower levels. It still keeps just enough challenge until you get really familiar with the game and go on low level runs to see if you can beat it at level 40 or something. Pro tip for boss fights: Starting the battle with Saner and Barrier will make your life much easier. Deban (or Warla or Blessing) helps good bit, too. If combat is going a little too fast for you, you can adjust the speed in the menu: press start and there are text and combat speed options to adjust. I prefer combat speed at 2, but then I'm really familiar with the game. A lot of this game's design stems from it originally being designed for the Sega CD. But midway through development it got changed. (Probably because Sega CD sales weren't doing so hot.) Those static images were originally intended to be fully animated cutscenes. And so much text and dialog was probably because they planned on the CD format storing way more data. They were originally planning first person dungeons like the first game, but they suddenly had to cut back on a lot of features. But I think these losses actually made for a better game. They had to cut, and so they cut the bloat, leaving a very lean fast-paced experience that is still way ahead of its time. There's a lot of people who wish for a Phantasy Star 5, but I'm happy with what we got. Instead of running the franchise into the ground, we got a clean beautiful ending that doesn't leave me wondering what happens next. I think in this case a graceful farewell is better than always yearning to recapture the bygone glory of the past, like the way Final Fantasy keeps trying to chase that high point of FF7, usually to underwhelming effect.

[@sneakyskunk1]

I won't pretend we don't have many great RPGs in modern gaming, but 16 bit RPGs will always have a certain charm that more recent efforts lack(imho). Phantasy Star was a great example of that and it is nice to see HG covering what is (arguably?) the best entry in the series. It is a shame we never got any real sequels. The MMO version of the series is fine, but it would have been great to see how Rudy(not Chaz, never Chaz) and Fal's lives turned out after Phantasy Star 4. That and I wonder if you know who could have returned. Thanks for another nostalgia trip HG!

[@discobunny4eva759]

Guess what? I actually just finished a play through of this game the other day! I largely agree with you, its one of my favorite RPGs of the 90s. I like the Star Wars/Dune by anime aesthetic and the smooth, fairly deep combat that rewards repeated play-throughs. I'm surprised the macro system isn't something other games have tried to copy. Not a lot of grinding, though I did re-enter the Air Castle a couple times and just the right amount of extra content that you don't need to complete to beat the game. Also, I found the game quite humorous, which is where I think I appreciated the writing the most. Love your videos!

[@Stefanswiss]

I am flabergastered that those ideas like macro combos and manga style vignettes (as if you were reading a comic book) were not more used in other games. Vignettes as used in PSIV is such an efficient and impactful way to tell a story and make ellipse

[@hungrygoriya]

Oh no kidding! That's awesome! Congratulations on another successful run through this game. I think the grinding's pretty minimal, if you need to do it at all. I liked having all the best equipment I'd find in a new town before setting out, so I did spend a little time busting up the local wildlife to get some meseta. The macros and the game's sense of humour really make it stand out eh? I think it's really well done in so many aspects. I hope everyone gets to play this! And thank you for watching! I really appreciate it.

[@hungrygoriya]

I agree with you about the storytelling. More games should do this!

[@MrMegaManFan]

Phantasy Star IV is peak pixel art style. New games that look to recreate a 16 bit aesthetic look to this game for inspiration.

[@RockyP77]

Another great video! I always love to see your videos pop up in my feed!

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww thank you!

[@youremakingprogress144]

Wow, you've sold me on this game. I hope I get a chance to play it someday.

[@hungrygoriya]

I think it's available on the Switch if you're wanting to try it that way.

[@Unquestionable]

Was thrilled to see you covering this one. This was the first game that really made me want a Genesis as a kid (I had gone with the SNES) but eventually I did play through the entire series. This is easily the most accessible Phantasy Star title along with having the most complex narrative so it's easy recommendation to someone who enjoys 16 bit RPGs. I feel the story gets kind of rushed in the last third or so, with the ending be a touch underwhelming, but given how excellent everything else is doesn't really hold it back much for me. While I would put 1 and 2 as personal favorites (for way different reasons) this is by far one of the best offerings Sega had in the 90s for sure.

[@projectmayhem6898]

I just beat Phantasy Star 3 for the first time this year and, thanks to you, I can look forward to the next one!

[@hungrygoriya]

Right on! Thanks again for the tip. I'm curious to see how Phantasy Star 3 works out someday. I hope you had fun with it!

[@fern1146]

Love your channel, always glad when a new video drops

[@hungrygoriya]

I appreciate that!

[@infernofoxgaming10]

Great review, as always! Love these since you provide such an objective approach to retro games. I just played this for the first time a year or two ago, with many of my thoughts mirroring what you stated.

[@hungrygoriya]

Glad we were on the same page with this one. It's a great game!

[@PragmatikReviews]

The visuals look simply stunning and I like how much artwork there is of the characters all interacting together. I will say it's bizarre to think there was a time where we had moves with no in game explanation. Final Fantasy Tactics made the most use of that with utilizing the select button giving explanation. The exploration looks solid and thank God for that inventory system. Great work here!

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah! I played through Tactics earlier this year and was so grateful for the select button function. And thanks so much about the review. Glad you liked the video!

[@PalmMuteManiac]

Omgggg. I didnt know you reviewed this. My absolute favorite rpg. I beat this every year since i was 16. Favorite sound track aside from faxanadu.

[@kinorai]

Thank you for this very in-depth review of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE RPG OF ALL TIME!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@hungrygoriya]

It was my pleasure. This game's amazing!

[@kinorai]

@@hungrygoriya only complaint is that you should have spent AT LEAST 7 hours praising the soundtrack! 😉😝 I absolutely LOOOOOVE the cyberpunk soundtrack!

[@goranisacson2502]

Phantasy Star is a funny franchise to me as I have played 2 and 3 on emulation, the games people say are the lessers in the series, but have only experienced 4 via Let's Play... and man I wish I had played this one instead of those two. The pace, the environments that finally felt like they put some effort into creating cool and varied dungeons and towns, and the characters who finally felt like they were properly developed after the characters were more functions than anything else... It's a journey that has both opened my eyes up to the incredible increase in quality the series had and the wild ride that was it's behind the scenes operations... but also an understanding of why it's never become a big name series, deapite it's quality. That uneven quality curve, man... Still. Any video out here talking up IV's qualities does a good deed in my book, even if I had more patience for Chaz than I think you did... maybe because by the time I actually Let's Played this game I had gotten SO used to jrpg leads who start off kinda whiny and ineffective and gradually grow, that Chaz just felt like par for the course. Besides, he has Alys, Rune and the green grandpa (whose name unfortunately escapes me) to hassle him throughout the game, so I have my fun with him anyway :)

[@hungrygoriya]

I love the first game very much, but I can't say much about my experience with the second other than that it was frustration incarnate. I loved this fourth game and I think if the progress through the series had been a bit more even as you said, it'd be as widely loved as many others out there. I really wanted to be more patient with Chaz, but I think the thing that got under my skin about him the most was how he kept lecturing me about stealing from the get-go. I love robbing people's cupboards and dressers in these games. The first thing out of his mouth was something about not going into people's stuff when they're not home. Boooooo!

[@JaredVonJared]

As usual, this was a fantastic review! I hope that you and your husband find this kind of work to be fun and bonding! I have a little history with this game. It's the only Phatasy Star that I have not personally played. When I was in high school, one of my best friends use to rave about how good it was. I can remember that when I visited he always wanted to show me the new combination move he had figured out. To my child eyes the game seemed magical but I didn't have a Sega to play it on. I told my friend that someday I would play through all 4 games and he and I could nerd out about how cool they were. He passed away suddenly a couple of years after we graduated. I never got to keep my promise to him. Over the years I have played the other games, but I haven't started this one yet. It was his favorite too, so I feel like I want to have lots of extra time and be in a good head space to enjoy it. But then, it's been almost 20 years since he passed and I still haven't started it yet... Watching your review makes me think that I should just make the time to play it. But once it's over then it will be over... Ugh, pesky feelings!! I need to just play my best friend's favorite game and get past it!

[@hungrygoriya]

I think our skills and shared passion for video games and old tech are well-matched in this medium. I really enjoy working with him and feel really lucky to have a good partner in crime! And thank you for sharing that story. I can imagine how hard it is to face that kind of outstanding promise after such a long time. Hopefully playing the game eventually will be cathartic for you. Remembering your friend and getting to experience a game he genuinely loved may very well bring you back to a sweet time in your life. If you decide to go ahead with your playthrough someday soon, I wish you lots of strength and support in that. Grief is a messy thing and everyone's is different, but if you're feeling ready, I'd say go for it and see how it goes. You can always put it down if it feels too hard or emotional, but I have a feeling you'll at least be happy you tried. Good luck!

[@JaredVonJared]

@@hungrygoriya Thank you so much for your very lovely and encouraging words!

[@David_Alvarez77]

Good review! This was one of my favorite games on the Sega Genesis. I loved Phantasy Star 2 back then and I really enjoyed the more fleshed out revisit to the planets Mota and Dezo in PS4. I think I agree with just about everything you brought up, and I especially agree about how the game made battles snappy. I also always wondered why more games in that era or even afterward did not make use of the story panels. They were so effective for narration and fun to see. The characters were cool and well realized (for the most part) and I recall that my youngest sister always thought that "Zio" was the most evil sounding name she could think of. Lastly, I was really glad to see that the musk cats on Dezolis were still doing okay. I thought it was really sad that the cats in PS2 were abandoned by their owners when they fled the planet.

[@l0stndamned]

Nice review. I very much enjoyed the game and setting. at some stage I'm going to have to get organised with making a ttrpg based on this 'verse. Apparently they were originally intending it to be a mega-CD game with cartoon cutscenes, and the comic-style ones we got were derived from the half-finished storyboard for that.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'd love to see what else people come up with in this universe. It's such a cool setting! I wonder what this game would've been like on the Mega-CD. I will start hoping that a prototype drops someday.

[@Furotron]

I think Phantasy Star II is the best game in the serie. The 4th episode was a deception for me. It swapped a narration driven by a consistent and mature plot (better than most modern SF movies) for a narration "à la Final Fantasy", driven by stereotypical characters, incessant cliffhangers and fan service. Of course the game is longer, more beautiful, richer, more refined, but I had just finished Final Fantasy VI when I played it, and while I wouldn't say it's a better game, I found this last settlement in the serie to be not different enough to enjoy it (while all others episodes, including black sheep PSIII, did things fundamentally different). To be honest, I even enjoy the dreadful dungeons of PSII :)

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad you enjoyed Phantasy Star II. I really wanted to enjoy that game but I got frustrated with the long and confusing dungeons, the lack of character development and the lack of exciting boss fights. I really appreciated that Phantasy Star IV did a lot of work solidifying its cast and the storyline, as well as tying up lots of loose ends from the earlier games along the way.

[@Furotron]

@@hungrygoriya While I agree about the dungeons and the lack of character development (though I don't see them as defaults), I don't agree concerning boss fights. There are 4 boss fights in PSII, all of them being exciting and make the plot change totally. There are more boss fights in PSIV, but the game is more than twice longer, and I'm not sure there are more than twice the boss. Also, some of them have noticeably less impact (the multiiple Dark Forces)

[@FateReaper5]

Another great video. I’m playing the first one now. Looking forward to getting to this game.

[@hungrygoriya]

I need to play Shining Force one of these days, but I did love Shining in the Darkness. What a great game it was!

[@M-E_123]

One thing I think deserves special mention is how well the game builds up Zio - he feels like the main boss when you finally take him down because of how much he's been built up as an imposing and truly evil individual. This was particularly well done because one of the characters literally does see him as the final boss, and quits the journey after taking him out & getting his revenge. I don't think any other RPG I've plated builds up a mid-game boss / antagonist to be as hated as this guy was when I first played it. The fact that the game opens up to introduce space travel almost straight after was a great moment to show the player things are just getting started. Comfortably sits alongside Shining Force 2 and Soliel as my top 3 RPG / adventure games from the Mega Drive system & that era as a whole. And there aren't even that many RPG's that came after this game that I think were better - it truly I'd a classic that holds up very well.

[@hungrygoriya]

I loved the bait and switch with Zio. The approach being "Think you're fighting a bad human? Nope, it's really the horrible big bad that's returned again, and good luck fixing this because he got really strong again." I wasn't sure what direction the series was going to take, but I thought that was pretty cool.

[@chungwong1010]

@@hungrygoriya In addition, After you beat Zio, you find out Dark Force is back. And after you beat first dark force, you find out there are muilipe Dark Force. Mind if i say most of the story boss are nearly impossible to beat first try unless you grind like hell? Zios, DF1, DF2, DF3, Lassic's lacky and Lassic all completely trash me first try. Lassic's lacky was a surprise and their combination attack wipe my pt to pieces.

[@TheKiman2]

I really like your channel and your videos. I only watched the beginning of this one since I've not yet played PSIV yet and don't want to spoil it. My first PS game was PSIII, often considered the black sheep of the series but while I was playing it in real time back then as a teen, I loved it, so it does have a special place in my heart. Working on Phantasy Star on Switch, then I'll do PSII on the mini system and finally get to PSIV. Hope you'll give PSIII a try🙂

[@hungrygoriya]

I'll play PSIII one of these days, for sure! Good luck with getting through the earlier games. I loved the first one and I've heard the Switch version's a really good one to play because of all the quality of life things it offers. If I ever replay it, I want to try that version.

[@AggelosKult]

I've finished PS 1 and loved it. I very recently finished PS 2 and although super grindy and full of infuriating labyrinthian dungeons, I still enjoyed it. Ultimate goal is to play and experience PS 4, but, because I'm pretty sure I'll love it and not want to go back to PS 3, I want to finish PS 3 first, which is apparently the worst of the bunch

[@hungrygoriya]

I've heard PS3 is either the best or the worst depending on who I've spoken to. I think I'll go back to PS3 eventually, just to complete the series. I skipped it initially because I disliked PS2 so much. I was determined to play the series in order, but I needed my faith restored so skipped to 4 instead of potentially struggling to get through 3. I hope you do get the chance to play 4 someday!

[@thewingedavenger1007]

Wow, KZbin suddenly works today despite having been banned over here in the biggest country in the world! Great review as always! Luckily, the four Phantasy Star games are all available on the Nintendo Switch, thanks to Sega Ages and the Sega Mega Drive Classics collection. This game is the best of the four, but there's fun to be had with all of them!

[@hungrygoriya]

Glad to hear from you! Thanks so much for your kind words and for stopping in here. It's wonderful that more people will be able to experience these games now that they're available on modern systems. Hooray!

[@deadpoinsettia]

Stumbled upon your channel today. Good content. Subscribed.

[@hungrygoriya]

Glad you found me, and thanks for subscribing!

[@mumm-ratheeverliving3138]

So glad you got to this one! It was a really hard title to get back in the day. On top of that, I recall that it sold for $95usd, which was very high for the time. I think that the pacing of this game is its strongest point. It just seems so spot on, with no real need to spend hours needlessly grinding against enemies. Also, the vehicles and space travel set this game so far apart from the other titles at the time. Combat in the Land Rover???? That blew my mind the first time I saw that. always enjoy revisiting this one every other year or so. It never seems to get old.

[@cosmobiologist]

One of my favorite games of my childhood. Hardcore agreed on Chaz kind of being a ditz and not really compelling outside of being the main character. As a kid, I remember that incredible feeling after beating Zio and thinking the game would then be over, only to realize that dude was barely a boss. I will say that the hardest characters in the game for me when I was younger were the three witches (died so many times trying to fight them until I learned how to best approach it).

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad I'm not alone in my anti-Chaz rhetoric. I wish he was more likeable! I thought Zio was going to be the big bad of the game too, but then suddenly I was fighting him a couple of hours in... I love all the twists and turns this game's story takes.

[@catamayo85]

Was waiting for this one! My fav sega game, I remember renting it from blockbuster my first time playing

[@hungrygoriya]

Better late than never, right? It's such a great game. I'm glad I finally got the chance to see what all the fuss was about.

[@bob3282]

Good review! This was the first PS game I played; had a hard time getting any schoolwork done when this came out for Genesis 😅. I thought each PS had its own charm, but definitely liked this one the most.

[@hungrygoriya]

This one was my favourite by a landslide. I do really love the first game though!

[@DrMooCowz]

Also my favorite in the series with a pretty recently play for me! I played 2, 3, and 4 officially. I liked 2 quite a bit, but I think I can admit that it's nostalgia for me, as it was the 2nd RPG I ever played after the original Dragon Warrior. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this awesome game!

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad you have some experience with the series because it's great! I hope you get a chance to try out the first game someday. I think it's my favourite after the 4th game, but maybe 3 will sweep me off my feet someday. Who knows.

[@Spare_Ombres]

Thanks for the review, always nice to listen to you :) yeah Phantasy Star is a serie that I hold really dear to my memories!

[@hungrygoriya]

It's such a great series. I still want to play the third game someday.

[@nyhman78]

Excellent review, I grew up with the phantasy star series, it holds very dear to me, for part 1 I definitely recommend the switch version cause u can level up faster cause the grind is hardcore in the original version, I love the callbacks and ending in part 4 it was perfect

[@hungrygoriya]

I heard that the Sega Ages version is the way to play the first game these days. I'd love to try it sometime!

[@Desertskunk]

I'll always remember being blown away by this game when I was younger. My cousin has a sega genesis, and always complained that there were so few RPG's worth his time like the SNES had. When he got this game, it was MY turn to be jealous despite having an SNES and a library of RPG's.This game was amazing! Correction, it still is!

[@hungrygoriya]

It must have been so cool having someone with the "opposite console" during that time when things were new. I had a Genesis and one friend that had an SNES, but all she had was Super Bomberman and Mario Paint, which I bothered her to play every time I went to her house back then. I wish I'd been exposed to RPGs way earlier in life like what you're describing here. Thanks for sharing!

[@StewNWT]

another great review Daria - I've never been able to get into this game. I hold out hope for your ALundra review

[@gfhrtshergheghegewgewgew1730]

interesting how this and the 7th saga use a similar over-the-shoulder with high animation and big sprites visual battle arrangement, like as if you the player are standing behind the heroes watching the battle unfold, and aside from elnard 2/mystic ark and maybe phantasy star 2, i struggle to think of any other games that really use this kind of visual format

[@hungrygoriya]

I think Earthbound and Mother 3 have a brief "behind the character" moment when they take their individual turns, but you're right! I forgot that The 7th Saga does that too. That's also a fantastic game!

[@solarflare9078]

Mother 2/EarthBound didn’t do that, but Mother 3 did

[@Khardankov]

One of your best videos yet! Saw another KZbinr I watch give you a namecheck/shoutout the other day - I love seeing people I like get recognition for their good work :) Interesting to hear you bounced off PS2! I did too, repeatedly - mainly due to the lack of bg art in the battles; its surprising how much you miss something like that when it's gone. Eventually I got used to it; it's one of those games that's hard to appreciate outside of its time and context - it came out in 1988 ffs, less than a year after Final Fantasy! It's arcane as hell though; I'd be interested to see you do a video on that but I understand if you'd rather watch paint dry. PS4 is one of those games that should be perfect for me - "16-bit Sci-fi JRPG" is the intersection of most of my favourite things in gaming. Yet somehow I've never made it past maybe 4 or 5 hours in. I'm sure I'll get through it sooner than later. You point out one of the biggest issues for me with the series - no description of anything in-game. I understand ROM space was at a premium, but Sega had its priorities in the wrong place. At least PS4 has top-class music - PS2 fell short here, and good music is so important in a game you spend 30+ hours with! Onya Hungry :)

[@hungrygoriya]

Hey thanks very much for the kind words! I loved this game and I really poured a lot into this script. Glad it all shone through. Do you mind letting me know which channel mentioned me? That's really nice to know! With Phantasy Star II, I found the game empty in many ways. The dungeons are long and fruitless with very few bosses, and there's very little character development. It's fine, but I wouldn't call it a good game. The fact that it was rushed in development doesn't really matter to me. It doesn't excuse how it came out in the end. I hope you do get to finish Phantasy Star IV sometime. The beginning's a bit slow, but I think they do a really good job establishing the world and the characters before truly getting going. If the naming convention bothers you, those romhacks you mentioned or even the player's guide might be a good plan, just to make the playthrough as good as it can be. It's worth it. If you do get into it again someday, I hope you enjoy it.

[@Khardankov]

@@hungrygoriya I can't actually remember off the top of my head - Majuular and the criminally underrated Greg Sewart come to mind (check out the latter's Generation 16 series if you haven't somehow stumbled upon it yet, KZbin's algorithm seems hellbent on burying it so deeply it can be hard to find even directly searching for it.) Maybe just because they're both also Canadian, or as we call you guys down here in Australia, "Ice Kiwis". But I think it might have been Jeremy Parish of NES Works/Retronauts fame. He's pretty well-networked and it would be his speed to shout out fellow gaming Tubers. I will dig through my watch history, figure it out and get back to you.

[@damikki]

And another fantastic video for a fantastic game from my favourite content creator :)

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww thank you for the kind words!

[@MotherKojiro]

That intro gave me chills; excellent job on that! This is one of the few times that I agree with the masses: this really was the best of the bunch. After playing 3 (an absolute *warehouse* of tanks of fresh air after the disaster that was 2), I couldn't imagine any other Phantasy Star could top it, but 4 absolutely delivered. Some of the absolutely over-the-top boss encounters you run into - and with such frequency! - made it the perfect swan song for the series; no sense in making a Phantasy Star 5 when it'd have no choice but to pale in comparison to this. I hated Chaz, too; if I hadn't played Grandia and met Justin, Chaz would be a shoe-in for my least favorite RPG protagonist of all time.

[@mymusic3354]

I played this one first, it's a great one! I'm playing the other 3, they are all good too, they each have their own things about them IMO, but 4 is really polished and good. There are a lot of references, throwbacks to the other games in 4 which going back and playing the other 3, a person finds out. It's a nice touch how they have references to prior games and cameos from characters from previous games.

[@hungrygoriya]

I didn't love the second game and have yet to play the third still, but I did really enjoy the first and fourth. They're fantastic!

[@manowear81005]

I played the game shortly after it came out. It had more of a space fantasy feel and I had a much clearer idea of what was going on than Phantasy Star III. The random enemy encounters seemed excessive in the dungeons. If your vehicle was destroyed, then your party is defeated. Vehicles seemed to just take item slots after you found a travel point. After learning HINAS and RYUKA, vehicles were redundant. I don't know if this was a solid competitor for FF III/ VI or Chrono Trigger but the art style is unique. The music is enjoyable. Definitely one of the best releases for the Sega Genesis.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's a top Genesis game for me, no question. I didn't love FF3/6 as much as other people (the ending didn't really offer much of a challenge), but Chrono Trigger's great. I think this game's at least as good as Chrono Trigger. I like the fighting in PSIV a lot more than Chrono Trigger.

[@ElexSynn]

Great work as always! 🎉🎉🎉

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww thank you for watching!

[@pretzelthedude]

YAY! So happy to see you enjoy this game. I adored PS1&4, tho still have a soft spot for 2&3 even tho they're lacking in comparison. I remember playing PS2 all excited after PS1 and being like "did they downgrade the graphics and gameplay on a whole?" XD. Still beat every game 1-4 in order and enjoyed my time with them. FYI- 3 is the step-child of the series as it apparently had a completely different team working on it, but I still think it has some merit for a play. Mostly the 'generation' system where you'd have to play the game start to finish 4 times to get all the endings as they were tied to who's kid you ended up being by the end. Had an interesting feature I'd never seen before then tho- The overworld music added instruments to the theme every time you added a new person to your party. Small but cool detail I loved as game music is one of my obsessions. Thanks for the vid and happy to see you enjoying PS4!!! P.S. While not a numbered mainline PS game, the original PSO on Dreamcast/Gamecube was amazing fun to me, even just playing solo. Yes it's an action RPG of course being as it was supposed to be played online, but it's bit of story, fairly memorable music, and heart pounding boss battles floor me to this day 🙂.

[@bluemcneil5883]

what a lovely review, thank you!

[@hungrygoriya]

I don't have the original on NES. Just Snake's Revenge.

[@galloe8933]

I'm glad you got to enjoy this game, everyone who plays it has nothing but good to say, and I get what you said about never living up to such lofty expectations can really harm the first time playing a game. Swear though, Phantasy Star IV is an anomaly for the system, the flow of that game is wonderful, and the graphics and sound are very Genesis/Master System. Giving out spoilers is hard not to do when you're trying to explain how good it is, and you want to talk about the cool parts, and then you realize the whole game is the cool part. Start to finish. I can now talk about spoilers without giving out spoilers, like remember when that one thing happened, and you were like "No way" but then you're like "Hell yeah!" and then you're like "This game could have, should have been longer!" Then the entirety of the game sets in during the last scene, and you're like "No, this is okay, it was as long as it needed to be." After that you think about the game, and want to talk to everyone about it, but you can't. That's just how I was, results may differ, but the end of P4 hit harder than Red looking out at the remains of Midgaurd. Anyway, that's just me getting to talk about this game, however, your video gave me all the "Remember that one part?" vibes, but with video, and you didn't really spoil anything... The game is now around 30 years old, give or take a month or three. Look, I'm a Dragon Quest/Warrior fan through, and through, but I will admit that P4 is right up there with Chrono Trigger in its pacing and story telling. I'm so happy you got to play it.

[@Fauntleroy.]

I'm so glad you loved it. This game is a masterwork. It was miles ahead of the competition at the time. Final Fantasy VI was the only thing in the same league. II and III show their age but can benefit from improvement patches. I'm the author of the PSII Modernization and PSIII General Improvement patches, but there are many others as well. I'd suggest giving II and III a chance again but with a patch designed to smooth out the rough edges of the experience.

[@sarysa]

Chaz is that awkward transitional JRPG character archetype where the writers needed to create a vessel for the player but didn't want to make a silent protagonist. Compare to, say, Bella Swan. Thankfully most modern JRPGs either have a silent protagonist or a rigidly defined protagonist, with little in between.

[@hungrygoriya]

Interesting food for thought!

[@lofwyr5063]

A vessel?

[@sarysa]

@@lofwyr5063 A hollow character for the player to project themselves onto.

[@jmarx3943]

My favorite genesis game, and one of the best RPGs of the era. This also, unfortunately, was the first game in the series that i ever played. 2 and 3 just didn't measure up for me. 1st game was still good. Loved Raja, Rune, and Rika. Raja is one of the best healers I've ever seen in an RPG. Glad you enjoyed the game, HG. Thanks for the review.

[@TSD4027]

One of my top 5 RPGs of all time. The cut scenes were amazing for the time.

[@hungrygoriya]

I think the cut scenes are still really nice! This is definitely a top RPG for me as well.

[@samfrito]

Goriya, the great work you do always sums up a titles fun and the developers strengths. PS4 is no different. It is a shame Sega did not choose to make Phantasy Star a continuing series of single player turn-based RPGs. There was a need for more of them during the Saturn and Dreamcast. It is also a shame the North American releases all came with westernized art for the covers and did not embrace the original Japanese art. The game is a masterpiece, regardless. Thanks for featuring Phantasy Star 4. May we see Sega one day reestablish this awesome series.

[@belmont_gr]

I have played the first three games but never the fourth one. This is something I have to remedy! The games were expensive back in the 8 bit or 16 bit era but I played them in the GBA collection. I ended up buying the carts for all four games and it is finally time to see the fourth game to the end

[@hungrygoriya]

Ooooo well, I wish you the best of luck on your adventure! I'd love to be able to experience this for the first time again.

[@ggbetz]

Happy to know it knows its encounter rate, and tries its best to respect your time for it. Recently inherited this from an unexpected source so its moved up in its place on the rpg list!

[@anthonywheeler2082]

I love this game. The first Phantasy Star game I played and still my favorite. Never played Generations of Doom. I loved how the hunter guild missions are little stories that flesh out the world and characters. It's not just go here and kill the monster (that's only part of it). It's integral to experiencing the complete story, so it never felt like a waste of time. It's shocking that most games still don't do that today.

[@HereticHydra]

The Witcher 3 did, but the problem is that Witcher 3's side stories over shadow the main plot lol. At least with PS4, it has a strong main plot and an interesting side story plot that could've been it's own game. I wish Daughter had more screen time like PS1's Lasheic. . Daughter should've been a penultimate boss before Profound Darkness, like Mother Brain in PS2.

[@hungrygoriya]

I did so many of the guild quests and appreciated them for the reasons you mentioned. I alluded to them existing in the video by showing some footage from early on prior to many of the mission titles opening up since I didn't want to spoil anything.

[@davidzamora8342]

Wow. I remember playing this game for years. What a beast of a game.

[@hungrygoriya]

It was really good!

[@davidzamora8342]

@@hungrygoriya another game that takes me back but isn’t as old as then was the PlayStation square Enix game star ocean 2. Both these games were my childhood along with the final fantasy’s 2/3 here in the states.

[@Stefanswiss]

great I've been hoping for your review ever since you did the first episode So "WAT was what?" I believe wat was wat ^^

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad you enjoyed my pun, haha

[@HybridAngelZero]

I haven't played a whole lot of Genesis RPGs, as the SNES and PSone are really what started my interest in the genre, but this is one I'm looking forward to the most! I remember playing about an hour or so of it in the PS2 Genesis collection several years ago and I remember being particularly smitten with the manga panel-esque cutscenes. I always secretly hope we'll get a new single-player Phantasy Star one day, but, well, at least Sega still keeps the old ones in circulation xD