Games with Phantasy Star-esque settings?

[Warlock]

I'm kinda looking for games with settings similar to the Phantasy Star series, with blended sci-fi and fantasy elements- does anyone have any suggestions? The Phantasy Star 80s anime look is encouraged, but not required. ;)

Basically, I'm looking for games with both fantasy and sci-fi elements that are visible for most or all of the game- pure fantasy games with a handful of sci-fi elements (EG FF4), sci-fi and fantasy elements that are separated into discrete sections of the game (EG Chrono Trigger or Live a Live), or a twist "It's actually sci-fi!" ending in an otherwise straight-up Fantasy setting (EG Might and Magic) do not count, though I am willing to bend the rules for long-running series on the last one. Steampunk does not count, nor does mixing swords and spells into otherwise modern-day or near-future settings (EG the Shin Megami Tensei series, FF7,8, and 10).

Examples that come to mind offhand include:
- Phantasy Star: The prime example, particularly the third couple games in the series.
- Wizardry: the Dark Savant trilogy (6, 7, and 8): A bit of bending the third guideline above; W6 is mostly fantasy until a spaceship crops up at the end, but the latter games are explicitly a mixture.
- Star Ocean series: These pass, I think, though I haven't played enough of any game in the series to say- it may be that they're mostly fantasy outside of some relatively small portions.
- Xenosaga, though it's awfully light on Fantasy elements.

Examples that debatably count, but aren't quite what I'm looking for:
- Parts of the Wild ARMs series (I'd generally classify these as Steampunk anyway)
- Parts of the Breath of Fire series (though these seem to segregate tech into small sections)
- SaGa Frontier (mostly isolated into discrete sections)

There've gotta be a whole bunch of games I'm missing here- any thoughts?

- HC

[Kalisiin Kumaki]

Hummm...Phantasy Star-esque, eh?

Not sure I know much like that outside of say, Chrono Trigger.

But...the third couple games in the series of Phantasy Star?
To my knowledge, there were four games in that series.

My own personal fave was PS2...although, given your tastes as I know them, I suspect PS4 may have been yours.
PS3 was a little disappointing because of the limited save capacity...you could not save for every possible outcome.

The original PS was better than any 8-bit game had any right being!

[Warlock]

Feb 22, 2014 10:01:43 GMT -5 Kalisiin Kumaki said:

Not sure I know much like that outside of say, Chrono Trigger.

I'm not counting CT because, while it has both fantasy and sci-fi stuff, it's mostly divided into discrete sections. There's a couple time periods that are mostly fantasy, and a couple time periods that are mostly sci-fi, and there's not lot of overlap between them.

Warlock said:

third couple

Uhh... I'm pretty sure I meant to say 'first couple', as in referring to the SMS/Genesis games as opposed to the later Phantasy Star Onilne/Universe series and its' offshoots. Those were straight-up sci-fi, and AFAIK didn't have a whole lot to do with the original games outside of some general art style cues.

I'm a fan of the original PS games, too; 4 was indeed my favorite. I liked 2 quite a bit as well, but it was awfully grindy... And those goddamn pipes drive me bonkers. I thought Phantasy Star 3 had some cool ideas in it, too, even if it's kind of the black sheep of the series... I loved the 'generational' idea and the branching plot, even if the combat wasn't great. Would love to see it remade with the Phantasy Star 4 engine.

The 'manga panels' used in cutscenes in PS4 were a really great way to add more personality to the game's tiny sprites; I've often wondered why it was the only game of the era that did that.

- HC

[Kalisiin Kumaki]

I agree with pretty much everything you said about the PS Series, except, I would say that it was really hard for me to pick a favorite from between the Original, 2 and 4...because all three of those had elements which made them very very good. So did PS3, but the thing that keeps PS3 from being eligible for "best in series" is the limited save capacity.

4 was a very good game too, and you might well imagine Reka was my favorite character. Or was it Rika? Anyway, you know who it is, right? Anyway, I liked her.

The strong thing about PS3 was the Generational thing, I really did like that...OTOH, everything you built up with previous generation was gone. I, too, would like to see PS3 remade with the engine for #4.

Yeah, PS2 is very grindy...especially if you learned the game real well as I did, and could get to Dezo by level 20, and solve the four shrines of Dezo before Level 25...no WAY could you take out MotherBrain at that level, and so you had to go to Ikuto and grind away for a long time..to get at LEAST Level 35 to get MEGID before going after MotherBrain. Ikuto was the best place to level, because you could just drop thru a pit all the way to the bottom, and then walk around with no maze, just open floor, and fight tough monsters.

PS1 was just damn well better than any 8-bit game had any right being! This was the last game which I ever had to actually use pencil and paper to map things out as I went!

The series, as a whole, is one of my all-time favorites, right up there with DW/DQ.

[Kalisiin Kumaki]

Had another thought...DW7 ... could be said to have had some "Phantasy Star-esque" settings.

[Warlock]

Feb 25, 2014 7:50:53 GMT -5 Kalisiin Kumaki said:

Had another thought...DW7 ... could be said to have had some "Phantasy Star-esque" settings.

How do you figure? My memory is that game was 95% straight-up fantasy, with maybe a couple of tiny steampunky bits.

- HC


ETA: Note that I'm talking about setting alone, not battle system or character development system. I can see how you might be able to make an argument that DW7's battle system is kinda similar in some respects (over-the-shoulder viewpoint, separation between 'skills' and 'magic', availability of weapons that hit one or all enemies, etc), but that's not really what I'm looking for.

[Kalisiin Kumaki]

OK, sorry. Yes, that IS what I was referring to with regards DW7.