In 1987,
Phantasy Star arrived on the Sega Master System and proved that Sega could compete in a genre dominated by Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. This week, we explore how a small internal team led by Kotaro Hayashida, Yuji Naka, and artist Rieko Kodama set out to build an RPG that broke from medieval tradition. We trace how the game blended science fiction and fantasy, introduced one of the earliest female protagonists in Alis, and pushed the Master System far beyond expectations with full screen 3D dungeons, animated battles, and a massive 4 megabit cartridge. Our conversation follows the series evolution through Phantasy Star II, III, and IV, its reinvention with Phantasy Star Online, and the expanded universe that grew from it. Join us as we chart the stars and revisit Phantasy Star on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.
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A Trip Down Memory Card Lane