Phantasy Star IV: The Return of Alis (unreleased)

[Zap!]

Blasphemy? No, just practicality. I love games like Wizardry, Bard's Tale, and Phantasy Star, but that manual mapping requirements adds a tedious barrier to sitting down to play. Sometimes I just don't feel like that. You can still have a good game of the style with automap. But ideally, maybe there could be an options switch: Automap on or off. That way the people who see manual mapping as part of the challenge wouldn't be tempted to use the automap, and those who don't want that extra layer of work could enjoy things too.

 

And yes, the 3D dungeons were impressive in the late 80s/early 90s for the SMS, but they look more than a bit plain and boring now. The repetitive dungeon looks combined with having to manually map everything really sapped my will to continue when I finally got to play the game via the GBA compilation cart (but on a big screen via the Game Boy Player). The rest of the game still looks vibrant, but those damn walls... ugh. That part hasn't aged gracefully.

I need to know two questions before I can comment on that. Did you actually play the game in 1988, and how old are you? My comment completely depends on your answers.

[Zap!]

I don't know. I'm getting the feeling that y'all are thinking I'm saying Phantasy Star 1 sucks. I'm not. Even when I played it for the first time in the mid 00s...

Well that answers my first question, now just my second one remains!

[Algus]

Oh man, mapping. Am I the only old school D&Der here that loved doing maps because it was like playing classic D&D?

 

I love the Etrian Odyssey games because I have to do my own mapping but its still stored on the game.

[Gabriel]

and how old are you?

 

44

[Zap!]

44

Damn, I was hoping you would say 25, because my answer would be "That explains why you want an automap. Guys like me who are 42 had to play games that were much harder. This lazy generation!

 

But in all seriousness, I wish you had played PS in 1988. At that time there was just nothing else to compare it to. I got Miracle Warriors a month earlier (November 1988) and I had thought that was amazing. But once I put in Phantasy Star, I was so blown away that now MW looked over-rated. By playing it in the early 2000's it just wasn't the same because you had seen games with far better graphics. I never did in 1988. Took me until August 1989 too see something better-looking, when I got a Sega Genesis.

 

For the record though, I see everyone here used graph paper for mapping for the dungeons. Am I the only one who didn't make any maps whatsoever?

[NE146]

I used graph paper to make maps for Phantasy Star 1 and Zelda 1.. I honestly don't recall doing it ever again after that for any other game.

[Gabriel]

I have the GBA version btw and played it (and encountered the bug a few times).. is it any good on GBA Player? I'm wondering if the graphics became a little less than what they were on the SMS simply due to the scaled down graphics on the GBA. Guess I could try it myself.. just a hassle to get all the parts out.

 

Yeah. It's fine. Whever I would save I would listen carefully to the music, because I heard the save bug occurs when you save as the music starts to loop.

 

I can't really compare it in that much detail to the original. For one because I've never played the original game on the original hardware. I have played it on the PS3 via the Genesis Collection. I've also played it via my Mega Everdrive on a Genesis. I do think those options are a bit higher resolution. I don't think the GBA version is reprogrammed. I think I remember seeing that it's emulated, so it's probably running through some kind of resolution scaler.

[NE146]

Yeah there were 2 major bugs in the GBA version that I remember.. one where you would lose your game and have to restart the GBA and reload from your last save point.. it made it very frustrating.

 

I did play Phantasy Star 1 again very recently (at least in the past 3 years) via emulation and what made it 100% more enjoyable was 1. save states (although the game is pretty good about saving), but more importantly 2. SPEED UP Just being able to zip through each battles in a few seconds gave the game new life at least for me and allowed me to enjoy it in full again. I also did this with SMS version of Ys.. I forget where I played it though.. it was either on the PSP or 3DS as I doubt it was on the computer or Xbox 1.

[Shilar]

The beauty of the PS franchise was they were the first in a lot of things.

 

PS1: First full-scale console RPG independent of slated rpg systems (ie D&D). First to have multiple endings (ok, 2, and you had to have Alis die in the boss battle, but keep one member alive...). First console 3-D dungeon crawling

PS2: First 16-bit RPG, first really tragic event mid-story

PS3: First massive-scale RPG with more than a couple of endings.

PS4: First to use a combining system for spellcasting/skillcasting.

PSO: First ONLINE console RPG.

 

As far as PS4 being on a CD, it'd have been cool, but I still love the PS4 they did produce... and yes, Alis is in PS4 (as is Noah)

Edited December 24, 2014 by Shilar

[NE146]

 

PS1: First full-scale console RPG independent of slated rpg systems (ie D&D). First to have multiple endings (ok, 2, and you had to have Alis die in the boss battle, but keep one member alive...). First console 3-D dungeon crawling

 

 

Can you expound on that? Can't say I ever heard/knew about it.

[Shilar]

 

Can you expound on that? Can't say I ever heard/knew about it.

Allright. Basically in the fight with Dark falz, if you can keep Alis alive, you skip a scene and go directly to the normal ending. If (or when depending on your point of view) Alis dies in the battle, yet you still defeat Dark Falz (I had loaded up on a LOT of healing items), there is something similar to an easter egg, where the gods speak out and res Alis after the battle's over. I only discovered it on accident, but the key to this easter egg ending is to have Alis die in the final battle, yet still defeat Dark Falz.

[BillyHW]

Allright. Basically in the fight with Dark falz, if you can keep Alis alive, you skip a scene and go directly to the normal ending. If (or when depending on your point of view) Alis dies in the battle, yet you still defeat Dark Falz (I had loaded up on a LOT of healing items), there is something similar to an easter egg, where the gods speak out and res Alis after the battle's over. I only discovered it on accident, but the key to this easter egg ending is to have Alis die in the final battle, yet still defeat Dark Falz.

 

Wow, I had no idea.

[Zap!]

Yeah if you weren't completely blown away by the smooth scrolling 3D dungeons in SMS Phantasy Star, that just means you played it years after 1988 I couldn't believe the graphics on that.. there was really absolutely nothing anywhere else in the console world at the time that could even compare. Loved the lost feeling in it too and having to map it out on graph paper.

 

 

vs

 

 

 

 

 

I remember on Christmas morning, 1988 opening and playing it, and my dad saying "Why was it $70?" My response (while in a dungeon) was simply "Look at it."

[derFunkenstein]

I think Sword of Vermilion did a great job handling maps and if Phantasy Star had done something similar I might could still get into it. If you haven't played SoV, you had to find maps or make your own. If you wanted to stumble through the world blindly and make your own map, you could do that, for the most part.

 

I may be (and apparently am) on my own here, but I really liked Phantasy Star IV back in 1995 when I first played it. I haven't played it in a while but I imagine I still would like it.

Edited January 7, 2019 by derFunkenstein