SEGA had already made Phantasy Star II available for Android and iOS when SEGA Forever began. Now the app has been updated, and the three classic Mega Drive RPGs are available in one app with the addition of Phantasy Star III and Phantasy Star IV. As with the other games, you can download them and play for free with ads, with the option to remove the ads by paying for the games.
The Phantasy Star series began on Master System and stood out at the time for its graphics, 3D dungeons, and reputation as a much more advanced game than major competitors such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. The game later received three sequels on Mega Drive.
Phantasy Star II takes place one thousand years after the first game. Although it does not explore the Mega Drive's full potential because it was released early in the console's life, it is also considered highly influential for its time, including the loss of an important party member during the story long before that became popular in Final Fantasy VII, for example.
Phantasy Star III was developed by a different team and leans more heavily into a medieval setting, moving somewhat away from the series' usual pattern. Despite being different, the player eventually discovers how it fits with the other games, and the game features an interesting generation system in which the protagonist can choose whom to marry. The same happens with their future child, leading to four possible grandchildren and four different endings.
Finally, many consider Phantasy Star IV the best game in the series. It greatly explores the Mega Drive's potential, is well balanced, has an engaging story and characters, and brings together everything the series had offered up to that point while referencing earlier events, making it a true gift for fans.
Remember that all games in the series work independently. You can play any of them in any order and understand everything, missing at most a reference to an earlier game that will not harm your understanding of the story.
Whatever your favorite Phantasy Star game on Mega Drive, they are all now available for Android and iOS! It is a shame that the first game, for Master System, was not included in the package. Maybe later?
