The Complete Story of Phantasy Star: The Greatest 8-Bit RPG | Kim Justice 

I really hope you enjoy this one, it's taken a fair bit of time to put together :) do please share your memories of the almighty Phantasy Star here. Thanks for watching!

My grandma bought us our Sega Master System when it came out and Phantasy Star was her first love of games and RPGs. She called the Sega Help Hotline so many times about the game that someone mailed her out a printed out walkthrough with maps and in the packet was a typed letter thanking her for being such a fan. That made her so happy.

I always joked to my friends that Alis was gay because she partied up with a himbo and a bishonen guy yet they never threw in a romance scene, and if you go back to Alis' hometown she doesn't regain health in her own home but regains it by sleeping over with the female NPC friend next door.

Fantastic overview of one of the most memorable 8-bit console games. I was lucky enough to have a Master System when I was a teen, and I was completely blown away by how advanced and complex Phantasy Star was. No other home console game could touch it. It doesn't quite hold up to modern standards, but it still oozes quality.

I couldn't afford the game back in the day if it was just too expensive but I called the 800 number of Sega and they sent me a strategy guide so I could experience the game vicariously. I wish I still had it and the other guides they sent me they were printed out as text on regular paper and stuffed into an envelope for free. Sega's customer service blew Nintendo away

Phantasy Star 3 was my first proper JRPG and I bloody loved it:)

Phantasy Star 4 was such a great surprise for me. I first played it on one of the Sega collections for PS3. I'd never even heard of the series when I was younger. I was just going through the Sega collection, trying every game out, and I got hooked on Phantasy Star 4, had to play it though to the end before getting into any of the other games.

Another top-tier documentary, Kim. I didn't knew that the Shortcake sidequest in Phantasy Star IV was based on PS1. I need to get that Switch version soon.

Algol is actually 90+/- lightyears from earth, designated Beta-Persei, of the Perseus constellation. Called the Demon Star (dark force) or Gorgona (Medusa). That's why they threw that particular piece of mythology into the story. This game was truly ahead of it's time. 😊

I personally prefer Phantasy Star 1 over DQ1 or FF1.

I'd go one further, I'd say this is the greatest 8-bit game of all time. It made me not only begin to appreciate a genre I was until that point uninterested in, but ultimately love. RIP Rieko, you were the best.

I had the pleasure of starting with part 1 which had mind blowing graphics. Part 2 was just even more mind blowing

This was an absolute joy to watch. Btw I'm one of the unlucky ones who came in at the PSIII stage. The game's whacked-out premise and the generations feature kept my interest almost long enough to battle through the tortuous gameplay. It only made the other games in the series feel better by comparison :)

Saw this video had landed and dropped my plans for next hour to watch it. Adore this game and this series. Thank you so much for talking about it.

HELL YES!! Phantasy star is my favourite RPG series and the first game is amazing. I've never been put off by the grind heavy nature of the series (well apart from Phantasy Star Gaiden!!) and I'll come clean and admit that I came to the series VERY late - but I was so hooked by Phantasy Star Online that I brought a Master System just to play the original game. Anyway, this was the usual entertaining and informative watch I've come to expect from Kim and I can't begin to explain how much I'm looking forward to the rest of this series.

I remember getting to the end of this game and soft locking myself with an ill timed saved in the final dungeon. I can’t believe they let you do stuff like that in these OG games.

This is a fantastic deep dive! I'm a HUGE fan of PS and still learned some new facts from this vid. Superb work Kim and thank you ❤

This was my absolute favorite game growing up. It was just an fantastic experience that easily rivaled the Legend of Zelda.

I love the original Phantsy Star so much. Within five minutes of turning it on, you can hear some of the best video game music ever produced… the title theme, the opening story, the Camineet theme, the overworld theme, the dungeon theme, and especially the battle theme… the last time I played this game was on the GBA nearly twenty years ago, and I still find myself whistling the music every so often.

I am that one guy who started with Phantasy Star 3 (kinda, I played the first game briefly, but not long enough to really come to terms with it). And for me at least, it was the best way to go. As a ten year old kid still wrapping my head around this whole RPG concept, I didn't have much to compare it to, and wound up loving the game. Then I played the rest and loved them even more. Even for modern gamers, 3 might be a good starting point. When you start at the bottom, you have nowhere to go but up.

This is comprehensive stuff, and really makes me want to give PS a go!

this was my first RPG that i owned on my first ever console, the SEGA Master System. when everybody and their grandma had an NES, i went for the underdog, because i saw commercials for the console and thought that it was superior (in it's own way, it was.) and on my 5th Birthday i got my SMS and Phantasy Star was one of the 15 total games i would end up owning before having to switch to the 16-bit era. and while i never beat the game as a kid, it was still a memorable experience for me, one that i never forgot. (still havent beaten it yet, been saving that day for RU-vid Videos.)

First time i saw that 3d dungeon scrolling i could not believe in my eyes that this was a Sega Master System game.

Excellent Video. The Phantasy Star series definitely could hold it's own against Dragon Warrior I, II, III & IV for the NES. Good Stuff.

Your vids have so much great research and are rich with detail. I am so stoked to finally watch this one.

I don't know how this channel only now got recommended to me but this was great video to pop into for me as a fan of the series and someone who loves the history of games development. Even if I weren't a fan this was done well enough to get me interested. I'll be looking forward to more videos like this.

This was my first ever RPG, played it with my friend Steph back when I was 6. It was like no other game I'd played up until that point.

Absolutely gonna watch this when I have the time. This series deserves more recognition and the first Phantasy Star is still one of the best 8bit RPGs around

"Monomate" and "Dimate" started with the second game. In this one the healing items were "Pelorimate" (a play on a Japanese energy snack called "Calorie Mate"), and Ruoginin (no idea what this means).

Thank you so much for all of this! For all the work it takes. I've gotten hours of enjoyment from your videos. My favorite.

I started with Phantasy Star 3 and I have no regrets. I was introduced to one of my favorite series ever by it's weakest entry, a solid 7/10 game, and every other game I played in the series was an improvement in most ways. The overworld music in PS3 evolving depending on your party is still one of the high points of any RPG for me though.

Excellent video. Thank you Kim. Looking forwards to the next instalment!

Thanks a lot for such an excellent video, I love the game and the community that is still active even now in 2023. I would say that there is still some passion for the serie of the older time as 2 or 3 times a year we get incredibly extensive and great videos about the old serie. Thanks again and I am sure I'll love your next videos

Great video! Looking forward to seeing the rest of the PS series. Thank you for all the work you do.

I played through the original a couple of years ago on Genesis/Everdrive/CRT. Definitely a unique RPG experience: making handmade maps wasn't something that you had to do with most NES RPGs. It forces you to use your brain in a different way. The auto-map feature, since you can't turn it off, takes away the pleasure of map-making.

I finally played all 4 OG Phantasy Star games two years back and loved nearly every second of the experience (lets be honest, 3 wore out it's welcome a bit toward its end) and the thing that stuck with me the most was how beyond its time the 1st PS game was. I'd dabbled with 2-4 as a genesis owner growing up but had only seen bits of PS1 youtube videos and whatnot. It was way more impressive than any of my old NES rpgs. The graphics, game size, 3D levels, music and even the ability to talk some enemies out of combat was so cool and creative. It really helped the experience of experiencing the quadrilogy back to back to start so strong, and getting to see which enemies returned in 4 really added a layer of epic I just don't get out of Final Fantasy or Dargon Warrior.

This... this has been my childhood game for years. When my brother and I had (and still have) our Sega Master system, this was almost the very first game we ever played. The visuals, the music, the 3D dungeons... This is what made me fell in love with RPGs. And seeing this first coverage of the mainline series, brings warmth to my heart.

Monomate and Dimate didn't existed in Phantasy Star 1, the heal items were Peloriemate (an energy bar based in a Japanese cereal bar brand called "caloriemate") and Ruoginin, which was an energy drink (don't remember if it's based on something). Also, Dark Force was a mistranslation. No one knows what SEGA meant with ファルス (and they romanized that as "phallus" a couple of times in the past), but nowadays even SEGA of Japan uses Falz, and West restarted using Falz since the Online series. Force would be フォース instead.

You must really love those games, you made several videos about them already. Not that I'm complaining of course, have a like.

Thank you Kim, this finally pushed me over the edge to buy the Sega Ages version on Switch and give it a go. Almost 15 years ago I tried the version that game with "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection" for the PS3 but I got distracted with some other game a few hours in and gave up on it. This time I'm playing the modernized version, which obviously loses some of the excitement of barely making it out of the woods and back to one of the cities, but I think it will help me to actually see through the game this time. That's also why I had to stop the video 15 minutes in - don't want to spoil the "epic story" for myself. :) Anyway, I'll make sure to catch up with your video once I'm through this gem and I'm very much looking forward to the other videos of this series as well. Thanks again!

Another outstanding dpcumentary Kim. There is none that can touch the wuality you put out in gaming documentaries, in any medium, not just RU-vid. Absolute Legend

Great video! I hope Sega will revisit the Phantasy Star series again someday...

First time watcher. Very well done! This is one of my favorite games and I really appreciated your attention to detail and deep dive into the game history and development. I learned a lot and like the game even more knowing the fine details.

Incredible video! I would love to see more like this on the rest of the Phantasy Star series

So happy someone is talking about this game and this franchise. Phantasy Star 4 is still, to this day, almost 30 years later, my favorite game. And the series as a whole is just so good... Yes, I even have a soft spot for 3. If nothing else, its music is amazing. And the way those giants flex to attack is hilarious.

Bought this on Christmas 88 in France. I took an expensive chance on it and… well it was nothing short of a Cultural shock to my system. Compared to what came before everything was huge and new. Anime graphics. 3D dungeons. And just playing a jrpg for the first time ! Man so much charm, so much excitement. It took me ages to beat mostly because my English was not so good but that meant that I grinded and leveled up like crazy 😜. Congrats on a great video. Glad this game gets some celebration as it has been unfairly forgotten for the most part.

Phantasy Star II blew my mind at release and is one of my favorite games of all time. I'm looking forward to that episode!

Had to skip a bit of this because I've actually been playing this recently and didn't want everything spoiled, but a nice look! This game still has a lot of charm to it, with the art evoking a lot of contemporary sci-fi manga and anime, down to the young girl protagonist and her first companion being a talking cat. It's a wonderful aesthetic, definitely showing off the SMS at its best. It is the kind of game where if you stop playing for a while you can forget where you were supposed to go next, and the encounter rate does feel truly random, in that you'll sometimes get clusters where you take literally a step before the next monster shows up. But despite this the grind isn't terrible. Definitely a classic, and I'm glad it's as well preserved and remembered as it deserves. That you can play this with the OG graphics and sound without downloading a ROM puts it a step ahead of SquareEnix's old titles.

Great video Kim! The textured dungeons were featured in Shining in the Darkness on the Mega Drive / Genesis just not at full screen!

Brilliant game! First played it courtesy of Sega Ages Switch version. Absolutely fantastic and me and my 7 year old son still sing the Dungeon music when we're in trouble with his Mother 😂

We had friends with the Master System, my family has a NES. We exchanged our systems so I could play Phantasy Star and my friends could play Zelda.

Fantastic video. Can't wait for parts 2,3 and 4 ❤👍

I absolutely loved Phantasy Star growing up, and was so excessively excited when I got an online Phantasy Star game for my Dreamcast ... right up until I played it.

$70 in 1987, would be like charging $200 for a game today. Now that's a pricey meat-a-ball!

Having the SMS and playing this when it came out with my brother was one of the highlights of my childhood!

This was my favorite rpg growing up. I loved that it had 1st person dungeons, even after getting lost in one for over an hour thinking of never find my way out. Never forgave the sequels for going to top down 2d dungeons.

You can use the 'Talk' option on the N. Farmers and E. Farmers on Motavia to cut down on the large amount of combat that tends to build up on the long walk to Noah's dungeon.

Excellent vid! Can't wait for the next!

Absolutely loved the patron list at the end, well done!

Thank you for this. Very nostalgic game for me. Never forgotten.

I first became aware of Phantasy Star from the gaming magazines of the 90s when IV came out and for the first time I was jealous of Genesis owners. I graduated high school in 2002 and having no real goals or drive (having spent my life up to that point being kind of dragged along by others) I took a long hard look at the games I had always wanted to try but didn't have access to. Ended up going hard on Phantasy Star, the first game all the way through the recent (at the time) Phantasy Star Online. The one that blew my mind the most was the original, looking into it's history and the talent involved in it's creation I was converted into a true believer. It's been over twenty years since my first experience with the game but to this day it's one of my absolute favorites of all time.

Really great video Kim, you've inspired me to go and check out the Sega Ages remake and maybe even the Game Gear one.

Thank you SO MUCH for giving such a loving story dive into one of my most favorite and neglected IPs!

Great video, Kim. My only experience of the Phantasy Star series is playing the 3rd game as a kid. It’ll be interesting to see that video when it’s made.

Love This! PS on the Master System was my first ever exposure to the RPG genre. Lost a whole Summer grinding levels and wandering around endlessly. Thankfully a friend had got hold of an english translation of a Japanese magazine hints article (or so he claimed) which helped me massively back then. Only other game from the series I have played is the Generation-1 PS2 version. Not touched the 16-bit versions but there is still time.

Kim, this is a superb video! This was one of my favourite games as a kid. I've still got my original boxed game cartridge somewhere in the loft! 🙂 Despite hours of play I never finished it as a kid. When i revisited the game a few years back using a walkthrough, I realised it was the bit in one of the dungeons on Dezoris that had me stumped, how was i supposed to figure out back then that there are some walls you can walk straight through! 😂

great video for a very important game, thanks for all your hard work

I had the SMS as a young teen - my first games were a SHMUP and a choice between this and DW1 on the NES. I ended up getting both, but PS was first for me, and still one of my faves. Well done!

Phantasy Star 2 was my first RPG and it completely changed my taste in games and, later, any other form of art. I doubdt that any other classic RPG would have such an impact. Trully great series of games (even the third one)

Awesome analysis. My first RPG ever when I was 11. Still one of the best RPG in memories.

Fantastic work, Kim: as-always

Amazing work!

Very much fond of this one! Thanks!

Really good Kim, was very interesting. Keep it up.

Looking forward to watch it in full!

It's likely the first time I see one of your videos, instantly subscribed! I hope you'll cover the other three episodes of this overlooked series just as thoroughly. Sega should consider reviving this IP. The JRPG, not its Online/Universe spinoff. Lovely video!

Nei was my generation's Aeris and I legit cried like a child (mainly because I was still a child lol). This was my first ever JRPG (second being the vastly inferior Miracle Warriors) and the FIRST time I had ever seen a sci-fantasy setting. The artstyle enthralled me and it was one of the first ever fully immersive experiences I ever had. This game is what prepped slightly older me to fall in love with Anime.

I remember beating this game when I was 14. No idea how I managed to do it with those crazy dungeons and no guides.

That was just amazing. Can't wait to watch the next one.

Good choice for a docu series (well I do hope you will get around to do the rest of them too). I started with PS2 in '89 and loved it. 1 and 4 are also up there, but 3 was a letdown tbh. Still played it through several times for the generation gimmick. PSO couldn't keep my attention, wasn't my cup of tea. Looking forward to more "complete stories" offerings!

Great video, I love phantasy star I only came to it late on the psp sega collection as a friend recommended it singing the praises of phantasy star 4, I’m happy the released the first one on switch to. I did look at buying it for my master system but it’s crazy expensive now!

Pumped for this series! I'm one of those poor benighted souls whose first exposure to the series was the third installment, but thankfully I was only 6 so I wasn't fully cognizant of it's lackluster construction.

I remember my cousin owned Phantasy Star for his Master System back then as kids me and cousin spent many hours on the weekend Phantasy Star for Master System a great game. 👍 Great video

You, sir, are a legend. Thanks for the video, great work !

Yaaay been waiting all day on this one! Will update with my full comments later!

I always thought it was first food like first aid, not fast food.

I finished this when i was 12 years old, without mapping out a single dungeon. Looking back, I'm not sure how i had the patience.

That subtle "Alice Of Nowhere" reference... @8:35

Phantasy star was my first rpg and I still hold out hope a remake is made

Automapping is sacrilege! I still have my graph paper maps I made when the game came out. Easily my favorite series, thanks for the video!

Well, now I'll have to play this game again XD Thanks for the video, I'vealways been a big fan of the series and your pation for it really shines through ❤

❤ one of my favorite games and a reminder of one of the best Christmas breaks of my life...This game was amazing and like nothing else at the time.

we love you kim freaking justice

This Game made me learn english even before we eventually did have english classes in school. I wanted to play it that bad as a child.

I still have my original Sega Master System in the box, my original Phantasy Star Cartridge in its box. Oh and did you know Phantasy Star was the first cartridge game that had a built in battery? Yep sure was.

4 is my favorite jrpg on the Sega and the first one I played.

I hope the next part of this covers both the Phantasy Star Adventure for Game Gear and the text adventures on Sega CD? You did mention one other game but I assume you meant adventure. Great video, loved this series for years :) Even love the credits at the end being built into the final credits of Phantasy Star 1. Treat yourself to some annoyingly hard to get shortcake wont you.

Phantasy Star is one of my favorite games. It's ab absolute masterpiece and shaped my teens and early adulthood. I still regularly play it.

Great video Kim!

making the dungeon maps was part of the fun.