After a short delay, earlier this week we found the Sega AGES version of Phantasy Star would finally be making its way to the Switch in Japan at the end of October. Now, in the same Game Watch interview that revealed Sega Naomi games could be revitalised, it's been confirmed Phantasy Star will arrive locally in North America and Europe on 15th November. It turns out the wait won't be as long as expected.
As previously noted, the game joins existing Sega AGES releases including Sonic the Hedgehog and Thunder Force IV on Nintendo's new system. The series allows you to bask in nostalgia while at the same time enjoy a number of modern enhancements. These new features include additional text options, an FM Sound Unit music player and quality of life improvements to streamline the gameplay. Dungeons now also feature auto-mapping - for easier navigation, and monsters are added to a codex as you encounter them. There's an item list as well, allowing you to view all of the abilities and equipment.
Is Phantasy Star a Sega AGES title you've been looking forward to playing? Take a look at the trailer above and tell us below.
[source game.watch.impress.co.jp]
Comments 31
Bah! I was hoping for a worldwide release yesterday.
Oh well. Waiting two weeks won't kill me.
Nice, I have it for the VC on my Wii U, but haven't played it much. Might repurchase it. It'll be nice to have alongside the Genesis Collection, which has Phantasy Stars 2 through 4.
@alpha5099
I was just thinking about that. You can have the complete collection on Switch since they were all included on the ps3/x360 version of the Genesis collections.
now if they released the updated version Phantasy Star Generations 1 and 2 that were ps2 era Sega Ages titles i'd be thrilled
Each one of these single player games are some of the best JRPGs ever made.
Phantasy Star II is my personal favorite, so I'm crossing my fingers that that one gets a similar sort of treatment one day (the dungeons in that game were far more frustrating to me than Phantasy Star I- especially without a guide). IV is the universally praised one (for good reason) and III is the universally despised one. I liked III A LOT though and think that the story revelations toward the end make the whole game worth playing through.
Anyhow....
Hopefully this helps revive the franchise in the west. I've yearned for this loudly over the years. Nothing would give me greater joy than a re-release of PSO1. If they somehow were able to create an Episode V for PSO1 and updated the visuals without compromising the aesthetic style of the original, I think it would absolutely be a killer app on the Switch. The game is too important to be neglected imho.
The wait IS longer than expected. They released the previous games simultaneously worldwide. It makes no sense. With this, the "one or two games per month" gets screwed up. No games in October.
On November 15 I will be waiting for SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, which gets released the day after. That we have been waiting for so long too. They announced it almost a year ago.
I'm with @Moroboshi876 should've been a simultaneous release. You can watch simuldubs and simulcasts on crunchyroll and Hulu so why is this taking 2 more weeks to release?!
Yes im going to get it,
Awesome game!
Does this have a better difficulty curve than 2? The first hour of the second game already kicked my a** sideways and I prefer games with higher difficulty. Just coupling confusion dungeon layout with random enemy encounters made it more tedious hard than “got to get it right” hard.
@GameOtaku I understand it's not always possible, but being digital distribution and especially given that the last two were released simultaneously, it should have too.
Oh, nice! I really want to play this game with a built in map...
Whoa! This look like an remake of the original Phantasy Star game.
@KIREEK I know Kireek is an NPC HUcast in several quests in PSO1, but I also knew of a player who used that name (all caps) back then on GC. Are you he? My main was called Iyanden (HUcaseal).
@Super_Gravy it is the first game with some quality of life features like dungeon maps (not sure the visuals are improved tough)
@NotTelevision It's an old-school JRPG - the first one I ever played. I don't remember it being that difficult (apart from the final boss), but it does, to a certain extent, expect you to grind. Wonderful game, though - perhaps the best 8-bit JRPG not made by Enix.
One of my fave MS games (and I don't even think I can manage a top 10!). Chuffed to bits it has the FM sound. The sound was atrocious.
OH AND EVERYONE BUY THIS SO WE GET NAOMI GAMES ON SWITCH!!!
Thanks.
Yes, we're getting an NA release. Finally, I can try out the first game. Loved PSO2 and enjoying PSO2. Be nice to play the original game where it all started.
Sorry, got tired of waiting and bought from Japan eShop. It has full English, and (for those interested) the Japanese is, like most games of the time, mostly kana and therefore a massive PITA.
The original is just slightly before my time, and it shows its age, but the auto-mapping and higher-fi audio are nice inclusions and I’m looking forward to playing some more.
But Sega, for the love of Knuckles, please do something about the janky AGES menu system. Sensitivity is wrong on analogue sticks so you’re always changing options when trying to scroll vertically, and “no background” should mean no background, not “please give me a dark gradient in the background that makes the Switch’s black-level look even worse than it is”.
Also what’s with the delay in releasing in other regions? Didn’t Sega just say they’re going to focus on simultaneous releases across markets?
I guess I’m moaning a lot =/ ... just a longtime Sega fan, enthused about these releases but wish there was a little more attention to detail.
@w00dm4n I've been wanting to play Phantasy Start IV but now I can't decide if I should play it via the Sega Genesis Classics releasing this December or wait until it gets the individual SEGA Ages treatment (which is looking fairly well done).
suddenly I want a burger and cola
I'll grab this once it releases; between this and the PSP Genesis Collection I'll have all four games.
Excellent. Backlog you go for now once I have the chance. Hopefully if there's a review, I can see if the QoL is good enough to warrant a purchase from me. Then I can proceed into PSII, III, and IV for the Genesis Classics when they come. I will get this series played one of these days!
@kemosabii both?
It looks like the Sega Ages versions will have more content.
Auto Mapping alone will make it better.
@w00dm4n I get the feeling SEGA Ages Phantasy Star IV may be a long wait considering there's only 15 SEGA Ages games planned atm (10 of which the titles have been announced, and Phantasy Star II, III, IV are not in that list of 10) and the fact they're releasing at a rate of 1 or 2 per month. Would they release all four PS games chronologically? Will they skip PS III? Will they start releasing at a faster rate? Does it all kinda depend on how well SEGA Ages PS I sells? So many unknowns.
@MeloMan I was debating if I play any of the series, just playing PS IV. But now seeing that PS I has this nice SEGA Ages treatment, maybe I'll start with that and take it from there. As for where I get the sequential PS games, could be worth holding out for them to drop on SEGA Ages rather than jumping to SGC.
@Ashunera84 Not me, friend. I didn't go by KIREEK in-game. Good to meet you though!
This one isn't on the Classics collection, right?!
It’s November 15 and we still haven’t got it. I was hoping it’d come with the eShop refresh. Hope it still comes out today. *Fingers crossed.
Still waiting...
Any news about this?
It doesn't seem to be on the Japanese store either
@Ralizah I got it but mine won't hold saves.....I'm going to try it one more time then that's the end of that...
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