Play Phantasy Star (USA, Europe) (v1.3) Online

You play as Alis, hunting down your brother’s killer in a world where laser guns and magic spells somehow make sense together. The first-person dungeons are mazes you’ll need to map yourself, full of weird monsters and that old-school grind.

Developer: Sega

Genre: Role-Playing Game

Released: 1988

File size: 512 bytes

Game Overview

Phantasy Star was way ahead of its time for an 8-bit RPG. You start off as this spacefaring heroine named Alis, out for revenge after her brother gets murdered—pretty heavy stuff for a Master System game. The first thing that hits you is the weirdly cool mix of sci-fi and fantasy: laser guns next to magic spells, robot party members fighting alongside swordsmen.

Those first-person dungeons? Brutal. You’ll be scribbling maps on notebook paper like it’s 1988 again. But there’s something satisfying about stumbling through the maze-like corridors, bumping into enemies that look like pixelated nightmare fuel. The story actually holds up too, with proper cutscenes and dialogue that makes you care about the world. Just don’t expect hand-holding—this one makes you work for every victory.

Funny how this little cartridge set the blueprint for so many JRPGs that came after it.