Why Phantasy Star 2 Is One Of The Greatest Works Of Science Fiction Part 2: A Retrospective Review

Part 2 of My Retrospective/Review for Phantasy Star II/2 on the Sega Genesis based on my Tor.com article. As this goes over the ending, there will be spoilers. This is one of my favorite JRPGs of the 16 bit era and a huge influence on me as a writer. I wanted to share what I love so much about this game. Big thanks to Chris Lough for editing the original article on which the transcript is based!
www.tor.com/201...

[@skinnermclane4467]

So it's January 2019 and I just beat this game for the first time. After I beat it, I said to a friend "This might have the best sci-fi story of any game, even today, after all these years." I was so blown away by how mature and advanced it was. At pretty much every state of the game, you're being shown a situation that says something about humanity or rather how it could end up, and that was the point of the best classical science fiction - not to be an escape, but to be a mirror. Great video-essay. I liked hearing about your childhood experience with the game.

[@soldier1stclass987]

This game is hard, i play it non stop since 5 days ago

[@rolflandale2565]

It was, the story line was like a history long ago, far far away on another galaxy, Phantasy Star could've beatin Star Wars trilogy by RL of characters. 2:39 you can RL research those origin planets. The same with hints & paradox of other movies/TV show, sci-fi merged in this game into anomolly of Sci-real in human history... From the life dome first stage on a orange-red desert (Mars), to a space port engineer ironic paradox familiar name ' *Alon* ' that portal craft you to a snow mini continent on another world (Titan👀) and all the way to (sentient) exponentially advancing almighty (AI) gods and other Dark (Falls) Matter of space bosses.

[@ChefChucko]

I never hear this game get the love it deserves. It is always Final Fanyasy this, Chrono Trigger that...and while fantastic games, this game feels missing from that pedestal of greatness. It was wonderful to hear someone else echo my love for the game. Thank you for the trip down memory lane.

[@TieryasXu]

Thank you! And yeah, FF and CT are wonderful, but the PS series always has a special place in my heart!

[@DSan-kl2yc]

Nowadays it gets a lot of love but it is divisive. And I understand why.

[@Fauntleroy.]

No game has ever made a world feel alien, unwelcoming, and just... utterly foreign and disorienting the way this strange and beautiful game did with Dezo. No idea where to go, you don't speak the language, and then, once you do understand the Dezorians, their perspective is bizarre and difficult to relate to. So, so well done.

[@rolflandale2565]

Yep, that's the life of interstellar agents, on one heck of a vacation of alien's thugs get away planetary space.

[@anthonyboschetti6710]

Truly an epic game, emotional and heartbreaking down to the very end. My little sister used to pretend she was Nei, she was 8; I was 10 or 11, when I first got the game so we were both destroyed by her death. Didn't beat it until after 4 came out , Dezo was too hard. But was shocked by the ending as well . The internal questioning of your actions repercussions was very deep for a young child I consider this game a youth-changer, a secret peek into the hearts of adults, that will leave you a little less innocent and somewhat unsettled.

[@brandonwilliams6119]

Anthony Boschetti This is the most Heartwarming thing I’ve read on KZbin *Sheds Tear* Your comment deserves a big ❤️

[@Trepidity]

2 years later and it's still great. Thanks for the memories.

[@josteinhenrique2779]

The end REALLY frustrated me! I was left clueless! Only after some time, when I started to play Phantasy Star 4, I got kinda an answer: since the Aeroprism was retrieved to Motavia, and was in a place called "Temple of the Soldier", it's correct to assure that at least ONE member of the party survived and brought the Aeroprism back. How many survived? Who were the ones who survived? Nobody knows. This information is also present on the Phantasy Star 2 japanese manual: Rolf's party defeated the last earthlings, but is unknown what happened with them after that. Also, Phantasy Star 3, canonically, happens between the 1st and 2nd one.

[@illegal_space_alien]

There has been speculation that the "energy" blast at the very end was in fact one of the ships from Phantasy Star 3 speeding by. If you look at it frame for frame, it could be the seven pods of the ship viewed in profile. Pause the video at 9:08 to see for yourself.

[@Clandestinemonkey]

Great take on a great game. I got the game when I was 7 and it took me years to grind enough to finish it. I picked it up and put it down several times just grinding through Noah to become powerful enough to defeat Dark Force. When it finally happened I felt like a chapter of my life was over.

[@gjtrue]

Damn. That ending. I regret not beating this years ago...

[@incineradma]

I think that the difficulty of the game adds to the story. It forced you to take it in one day at a time. Life and its challenges would come and go day by day and the game’s challenges would as well. It was something you took with you mentally through your own personal struggles in life and made it that much more impactful.

[@Runie549]

Great video. I'm replaying this game now actually and am happy to see it get more love. It bears mentioning however that not only is PSII difficult, but also guide-dang-it prone. There's several times when it's not clear what you need to do to progress the game, and in a few cases I dunno how anyone would figure it out without either a guide or extreme patience and a lot of free time and determination. Yet even so, it's a strangely compelling game, and even in its dystopian state in PSII, the Algol system is a wondrous place to explore.

[@TieryasXu]

Fortunately, the game came bundled with that big manual/guide! =)

[@Runie549]

TieryasXu I was late to that party and have thus never seen a copy of that guide with my own eyes @_@ From what I understand, the Japanese version did not come with a hintbook, though it's possible I'm mistaken about that. And modern versions don't come with it either (heck, the actual Genesis cart I bought in the late 90's even didn't!), so I just try to warn people. It's a fantastic game, but know what you're getring into! Seriously, I can't emphasize enough that I love this game in spite of these problems. Other games might have gotten me to drop them with similar issues, but I've playes through PSII countless times now. It is a game that is truly more than the sum of its parts.

[@TieryasXu]

Good points! Thanks so much again! And yes, it's good to let people know what they're getting into! =)

[@Runie549]

TieryasXu Haha, thank you! Honestly though this video is awesome and you clearly put a lot of thought into both parts of this PSII review so... *subscribes*

[@TieryasXu]

Thank you!!! =)

[@TSDT]

Wow, what a freaking twist ending. Nothing like befriending your childhood heroes.

[@vain_x]

Don't mind me, waiting on that Phantasy Star 4 retrospective :)

[@SonofSethoitae]

This game reminds me a lot of Dune every time I play it. The anxieties about machines and our reliance on them is very reminiscent of Herbert's Butlerian Jihad. The Dezolians remind me a lot of the Fremen as well, with their technophobia and inscrutably strict alien religion that is tied directly to their planet's biosphere. Though ironically this game lacks the themes of religious manipulation that the first game had, which would make it even more like Dune. On another note, "Mecha Samurai Empire" is one of the coolest book titles I've ever heard.

[@IntrovertedE]

Best game of my childhood. I still listen to it's music today and get emotional.

[@godfunk]

Looking forward to your IV retrospective. I've been a fan of the series for over 30 years and just finished IV yesterday! I love games and how profound they can be, and your video really gets to the heart of what their true potential entails

[@luisreyes1963]

One of the most grinding-intensive RPGs in gaming history. Still a classic, though.

[@inkmage4084]

Very awesome. I was absolutely obsessed with Phantasy Star, as a kid. It was my third RPG growing up, Dragon Quest, and Final Fantasy being my first two, on NES. I did a project in 4th grade, based on PS2 for extra credit, and used to draw the characters all the time. The game was a massive, inspiration for a comic I did later in high school, called "Sentient Armament", which is now being redone, as well as designs for a game. Definitely keeping PS inspiration, but first game will play like Castlevania Symphony of the Night, and pushing for it to look like Guilty Gear.

[@briannash1603]

Great video! Like you, Nei was also my first perma-death character. Super heart-breaking! I was around 8 when my brother picked this up, which I promptly stole. It was stupidly brutal, even with the guide. I guess for once, the Japanese belief that Americans are incompetent at RPGs paid off, lol. I loved this game (and 3 and 4). I'm honestly not sure I could ever go back and play it without using save states / cheats. It's so time consuming It's a shame 4 was the end of the series. Great that the story wraps up, though I'd love a remake of the entire series (yes, including 3).

[@xreev0x]

I think you need to go back and play Phantasy Star 3. It is a sequel taking place 2000 years in the future, and explains what happens to the survivors of Parma. While it doesn’t answer what happened to the Phantasy Star protagonists, it is by no means a “side story.”

[@neosildrake]

Ahhh, my first ever RPG, good memories. Time for a replay... maybe... after and while I replay tons of other games I was reminded of in the last few days. I do enjoy the maturity of it, albeit I was "WTF! That's bullsh!t!", when I wasn't able to clone Nei after Neifirst, when I did it multiple times before.

[@gcsnelgar]

The Japanese version didn’t come with a hint book. Therefore the game expected you to explore every nook and cranny of the world, and not progress perfectly from one dungeon to the next. If you use the hint book or a faq then you will progress to harder enemies faster than the game intended, and your party will be too weak to fight them. What I’m trying to say is, if you don’t explore all the dead ends because you know there’s nothing there, then instead you will have to walk around in a circle grinding until you fight an equivalent number of battles. It’s a feature not a bug.

[@umachan9286]

Taking Shir to Dezo is a pain as she suddenly disappears leaving you one member short and the only way to get her back is to go all the way back to Paseo. Sure, she's useful for stealing things like Moon Dew and Star Dust but more often than not, it's just Trimate. After a couple times I replaced her with Anna.

[@chron151]

Play through the Phantasy Star 1 & 2 Generations on PS2. The fan sub is awesome and well-worth the time spent.

[@joetang9672]

Definitely my favourite RPG of all time, I’ve completed this game on multiple platforms because I never got bored of the storyline or the attack sequences. I still have original copies of all the SEGA versions of PS1-3 hidden away somewhere.

[@SegaScream]

Enjoyed coming across this set of videos. Looking forward to one on Phantasy Star IV if you end up getting around to it.

[@Drew_McTygue]

I can't wait for your PS4 retrospect. Your thoughts on PS2 captured the reasons I enjoyed this game so much.

[@IkariMetalSlugger]

Nice. Didn't think this would get a part 2, but good to see it happen.

[@TieryasXu]

Thank you! Sorry it took a while! Thanks for watching =)

[@rodrigovazquez420]

Oh boy, here comes phantasy star 4!!

[@MichaelPeterson1982]

This was the first RPG I ever owned and beat. I even had that instruction manual and drew lines so I could easily replay the dungeons. Wish I had kept it but at least I can easily go back and play a digital version. I'm really hoping Sega Ages does a release with a re-balance like they did with Phantasy Star 1.

[@x3nowildfir393]

I love this game, it was my first RPG game I ever played!! I still play it to this day. Funny thing is when I first beat it I had Anne and Kain in my party as that was what the guild book said to use after Nei died.

[@incineradma]

You’re the only one who truly understands me :’)

[@hardnewstakenharder]

This was an excellent retrospective and you are a fantastic essayist. Thank you for sharing.

[@markus1a1]

I love retro games and this one is special for me - it was my first RPG I ever played. In 1989 it was the best game I every played. However to compare this to current RPG's - it does not have a chance. I tried to play the remake and it just got boring. The constant leveling up just make for a lot of tedious time. I would rather play the new games any day. However this does bring back good memories.

[@maxramirez1517]

Very nice vídeo ! I m 28 year old and i come back to play this game in my ps4 and its imposible dont feel sadness and drop some tears . thx for the words man

[@GScottChaosnaut]

Fantastic essay. Thanks so much for your efforts

[@TieryasXu]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@georgeclinton4524]

I loved what a bunch of jerks the Dezolians were if you were wearing the wrong hat lmfao

[@perfectblue8443]

You make a strong case for phantasy star 2

[@enriquepinero707]

Above any game that was ever created; this game right here needs a remake very badly, one that does not change the story at all. I say this, because the grinding and leveling up is really a chore. The emotions you described were exactly what I felt as a child. No other game left me with such a feeling, even to this day. Imagine what a remake on par with their attempts to remake Final Fantasy 7, would be like (again without a single compromise or change to the story).

[@FantasyJared]

Howdy! I greatly enjoyed this retrospective and really makes me think I should give PS2 another chance. I played it first for the better part of a long day, but the grinding tired me out very quickly. It really does kill the game for me, which is unfortunate because I was really enjoying the story. I plan on going back to it someday, but the daunting amount of leveling required always scares me away.

[@NIGH11]

Great video ! u got one more sub for sure ! Coincidentally i was just searching for classic PS stuff today !

[@anthonyboschetti6710]

Great Video by the way... 😅 it was a honest and heartfelt narrative... really brought me back as we both shared very similar experience. Phantasy Star for master system was the first 'retro' game I bought in the 16 bit era ( I never knew it existed) starting it was weird for me as I realized Palma was already destroyed in the present

[@robohasse997]

Yeah... that Tiem/Darum thing is right up there with Clarke, Asimov and Herbert. pass the pipe!

[@reyjusuf]

The music is amazing

[@Spacefrisian]

The Earth thingy does make it weird in combination with 1 of the Phantasy Star 3 endings "spoilers" Where the large spaceship the heroes are on is being hailed by Earth from the city of London.

[@Fairlazy]

It is entirely possible they went into a wormhole that would take them to an alternate time/dimension earth.

[@hansthefirsttk7475]

Fantasy star sagas are really underrated they need more recognition in the videogame's world

[@masonwilcox7055]

I love Phantasy Star II. I think Phantasy Star IV is a better game all-round, but Phantasy Star II has a better story, and has the best sound track of all the games in the series.

[@jasonmalice]

Nei is the word of power.

[@Zomboii99]

This deserve more views!

[@martinhowells6848]

What was your opinion of the remakes, sega ages phantasy star 1 & 2

[@olegyd]

Hey did you heard about beautiful remake of this game on Playstaion2? Is really good one. You will love it First and second game of the series was rebuild with new, graphic! Is call phantasy star generation 1, and 2.

[@TrueNeutralEvGenius]

>26.06.2018 TrueNeutral EvGenius Brilliant continuation. Bravo. The things I would partially disagree on are about anarcho-primitivists of Dezo and the final battle with Mother Brain. The utopia was a lie and illusion, like it is in the real world, while in fact it was and is and will be a dystopia. Chaos? There is nothing bad or wrong in chaos. Chaos is a true "order" of the Universe. Entropy remains. TieryasXu Thank you and good points! =)

[@Oshikuru55]

In the Phantasy Star 2 Remake for the ps2, you can actually revive nei in new game+

[@DezorianGuy]

Let's try and revive her by using a moondew on her stolen by shir.

[@Resvrgam]

They butchered the names in this series. I understand why certain names were changed on the Master System version (limited to 4 characters) but “Noah” and “Lutz” are both 4 characters in size. As a westerner, I had no idea why Lutz looked like Noah when I played this game back in 1989. I also found the double use of “Nei” dumb and needlessly confusing. Nei meaning “restful” (or “insincere flattery”) and didn’t really have any significance to the story. It can be a girl’s name in Japan and fit the half-biomonster well (as she took an eternal sleep in the story). The “Nei” weapons the heroes are searching for are the legendary weapons Alisa & co. used to defeat King LaShiec & Dark Force from the first game. I guess “Lgnd Sword” was too cryptic with the character limitations. “Kodai” means ancient in Japanese. They tried to fix their naming bungles in the fourth game (Rune is Lutz) but it only added an unnecessary level of complexity that the game would have been better off without, IMO.

[@opa-age]

RIP phoenix rie 😢

[@DonutSwordsman]

subbed, you should reupload combining for long length

[@TieryasXu]

Thanks, that's a great idea.

[@kalebphillips9281]

Still one of the greatest RPGs ever made.

[@Trepidity]

Awesome privilege. Great videos.

[@Bloodyshinta1]

Claiming something is one of the greatest works in its genre is a pretty lofty claim. In order to actually make that argument you would have to compare and contrast it with other works in the same genre. I'm not saying PS2 isn't, but I am saying that you haven't proven your claim or really even attempted to.

[@cyberfennek]

Final fantasy 7 copied Neis death Nei was first ;)

[@JoshuaJacobs83]

I hope it's better than PS1. I got so bored and am glad I'm emulating so I can play at super speed

[@caleb9875]

Is anyone gonna question why he has way more hp then need to beat the game... in MOTA?

[@attackofthecopyrightbots]

i like to think the main characters die makes sense to me

[@baabaablacksheep6693]

Why don't do the remake? Maybe like a comparison with the original.

[@Jugdjay]

In the remake you can bring Nei back after her death scene. It's optional, but it's possible. I have no idea why they added that... It completely kills the weight Nei's death has in the original game because you'd be like "Oh, whatever... I can bring her back later anyway."

[@leadbones]

As a game, it sucks. 1 was ahead of its time, and 4 is a phantastic game, on par with its SNES peers. 3 is terrible, and 2 is the all time champion of overrated 16 bit Sega games. Final Fantasy 4 wiped the floor with this game, and continues to do so.

[@StaticTV80]

ok Karen

[@solarflare9078]

I think 3 is actually good but 2 was indeed AWFUL.

[@rolflandale2565]

Lolz as 2D 80s generation revolution to rpg! Iconic story line, was like some RL history long ago, far far away on another galaxy, Phantasy Star could've beatin Star Wars trilogy by RL of characters. 2:39 you can RL research those origin planets. The same way with hints & paradox of other movies/TV show, sci-fi merged in this game into anomolly of Sci-real in human history... From the life dome first stage on a orange-red desert ( *Mars* ), to a space port engineer ironic paradox familiar name ' *Alon* ' that portal craft you to a snow mini continent on another world (Titan👀) and all the way to (sentient) exponentially advancing almighty (6:56 AI) gods and other 6:51 Dark (Falls😱) Matter of space bosses. Leading to the espionage-elite race that ( maybe in RL) of underground planet rulling the solar system/galaxy8:16 (over your rage of where TF those RL space tax funds really went 8:34).

[@TheDeathOfLucifer]

I have cancer and can no longer walk

[@Kitchissime]

It's like... about the communist dream; or arab dream (which is the same thing: everything is taken care of for you and nothing makes you feel envious of another).

[@robertramsey8871]

Interesting topic, terrible hyperfeminine narration

[@vmarshall2799]

I don't like how much of your tongue and mouth-sounds I can hear

[@TieryasXu]

Sorry about that! I think I made a mistake in the audio to boost the mouth sounds. I'll try to do better next time!

[@xAkito]

Yeah wanted to say the same

[@Arcane_Digital]

Great video bro, well done!

[@TieryasXu]

Thank you!

[@KCUFyoufordoxingme]

Imma say it. Phantasy star 2 had generally terrible dungeon design that punished exploration. You could triple your time exploring every nook and cranny and only come out with the most basic herb in the game and the starting pair of boots. The industry did not understand how to do it yet. They were over large and branching for it's sake without any pay out.

[@Kitchissime]

It's like... about the communist dream; or arab dream (which is the same thing: everything is taken care of for you and nothing makes you feel envious of another).