Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
Encyclopedia
is a traditional console roleplaying game that was released for the Sega Mega Drive
(Sega Genesis) in Japan in April 1990 and in the United States
in the summer of 1991. It was also released in three different compilations known as The Phantasy Star Collection
for the Sega Saturn
and Game Boy Advance
, and The Sega Genesis Collection
for the PlayStation 2
and PSP
, and later re-released on the Virtual Console
. It was featured in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
for the Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
.
Phantasy Star III is a sequel to the previous game in the series, Phantasy Star II
, although the connections to other games in the Phantasy Star
series are not immediately evident. Gameplay is similar to the games before it in the series, with combat still being turn-based and battles randomly occurring
. Players must explore both overworld
maps and dungeons in order to progress through the game.
worlds, character recruitment, and random enemy encounters using a turn-based battle system. Unlike previous games, the series staple of "techniques" play a diminished role in combat, which is ironic considering the role they play in differentiating the game's two major factions - with techniques being exclusive to Layans and viewed as "evil magic" by the Orakians.
The feature that mostly separates Phantasy Star III, however, is that the story spans three generations of characters. At critical points throughout the game, the main character is given the option of marrying one of two women he has encountered during his travels. This choice determines the new main character of the next generation -- the child (or children) of the previous lead. The choice also affects the gameplay, as the main character may be Orakian or a mix of Layan and Orakian, which differ in their ability to use techniques and their level of proficiency with them. Two paths in the second generation in turn lead to four paths in the third and final generation, and depending on which of the four main characters is played, the ending will vary.
setting, in contrast to the science-fiction settings of previous games. A thousand years prior to the start of the game, two factions — one led by the swordsman Orakio, the other by the sorceress Laya — were engaged in a bitter conflict. An attempt at peace was made when the two leaders met for an armistice, but soon afterwards they both mysteriously vanished. This placed the two factions in a precarious situation, as each blamed the other for their leader's disappearance. All communication between the Orakians and Layans was suspended, travel between their respective worlds was prohibited, and the two groups teetered on the brink of war.
Players take control of Rhys, Crown Prince of the Orakian kingdom of Landen, on the day of his wedding to Maia, a mysterious amnesiac who washed up on Landen's shore two months earlier. During the ceremony, a dragon — identified as a Layan — suddenly appears and snatches Maia, in what seems to be an overt escalation of the Layan-Orakian conflict. During Rhys's search for Maia, he recruits various characters to his cause. Ultimately, it is revealed that Maia herself is Layan — Princess of the kingdom of Cille — and that her kidnapping was actually a rescue attempt by her people, who believed she had been stolen from them by the "hostile" Orakians.
It becomes evident that the Layan-Orakian conflict has been one of relativism, with neither side good nor evil, sustained by a mutual prejudice. It is a conflict that prevails until the characters of Phantasy Star III - spanning three generations - come to shocking revelations about their worlds, about Laya and Orakio, and ultimately, expose the true root of evil.
, as both games are claimed to occur 1,000 years after the events of Phantasy Star II, though this is never firmly established. In fact, in the Japanese version of the game, the events take place 1,000 years after the events in Phantasy Star IV. This has important consequences in the continuity. First of all, it means that the Devastation War between Laya and Orakio in the U.S. version took place only a little while after leaving Palma. In the Japanese version, it means that Dark Force is still present, despite the sealing away of the Profound Darkness in Phantasy Star IV.
A crashed worldship similar to the Alisa III is seen on the surface of Motavia in Phantasy Star IV. However, it is not the Alisa III itself, but another one of the evacuation fleet that escaped the destruction of Palma in the second game. The Wren android that appears in this game is unrelated to the Wren seen in Phantasy Star IV except by being a similar model. In the Japanese versions, Phantasy Star III's Wren is named Searren, while Phantasy Star IV's Wren is named Forren.
Lyle is a mysterious man who joins Rhys to repair the weather-control system on Aridia, but seems to have his own separate agenda. Lyle fights with twin staffs, but can also use techniques, an ability that suggests Layan ancestry.
Mieu is a combat android designated for close-quarters fighting, overwhelming her opponents with her lightning-fast reflexes and deadly claws. She waited by a lake for 1,000 years in anticipation of "a descendant of Orakio" to command her. Despite being neither Layan nor Orakian, she is capable of using techniques. The full extent of her functions is a mystery. She remains a playable character through all three generations.
Wren (Searren in the Japanese version) is an android who specializes in managing and analyzing technical systems. In combat, he uses various large firearms. He joins Rhys in order to help him fix the weather system and thus thaw out the entrance to the world of Aquatica and stays on through all subsequent generations.
Lena is the young princess of Satera, an Orakian kingdom west of Landen. She first appears to help Rhys escape from the dungeon, where he was thrown by his father to prevent him from starting a war with the Layans. She becomes a permanent member of Rhys' team towards the end of his quest. As a pure-blooded Orakian, she fights with knives and needles and cannot use techniques.
Maia (Marlena in the Japanese version) is the mysterious woman who washes up on the shores of Landen without her memory and gets taken in by the royal family, where she falls in love with Rhys and eventually becomes engaged to him. Her kidnapping sets the game's story into motion.
Thea (Lann in the Japanese version) is Lyle's daughter and the princess of Shusoran. As the cyborgs attacked the city, they kidnapped and imprisoned her in the dungeon of Lensol. Once Ayn rescues her, she becomes a valuable ally, using twin slicers
and various techniques.
Sari (Lynn in the Japanese version) is Lena's daughter and the ruler of Landen and Satera. Just like her mother, she is a pure Orakian, meaning she fights with knives and needlers and cannot use techniques. Although her first encounter with Ayn is as an enemy, she eventually joins him on his quest. Unlike Lena, she is incredibly powerful and arguably the strongest character in the game.
Siren is an ancient android who once fought alongside Orakio. After a thousand years, he has continued to nurse a deep hatred for all Layans. He commands a massive army of cyborgs, his goal being the complete extermination of Laya's clan.
Nial (Lane in the Japanese version) is the main character if Rhys marries Lena, is the prince of the kingdoms of Landen and Satera. When unknown monsters invaded the kingdom of Satera, slaying Lena's father, King Rhys sends Nial, along with Wren and Mieu, to investigate. It turns out to be an assault by a Layan general named Lune, who has launched a full-scale assault on all Orakians. Like his father, he can use swords, knives, and needlers, but cannot use techniques.
Ryan is the leader of the defensive line against Lune, despite being a Layan. He originally believes Nial to be an ally of Lune, but after the Layan general shows up to taunt them, he realizes that both Nial and him possess the same goal and joins Nial's party.
Laya (Laia in the Japanese version), is the younger sister of the legendary figure of the same name and the queen of the Kingdom of Mystoke. After Nial awakens her from a thousand year cryogenic sleep, she joins him in the hopes of finding out what became of her sister, who she remembers leaving with a warrior carrying a black sword. She is an expert technique-user and wields the same bow her older sister once used. If the player follows the path of Ayn or Aron, Laya joins the party in the third generation.
Lune was a general of Laya's forces. After his banishment by Orakio, Lune cryogenically froze himself for one thousand years. Upon awakening, he immediately began assembling an army of monsters in order to attain his revenge against the Orakians. His attack on Satera marked the beginning of a campaign to destroy all Orakian kingdoms.
Alair (Luise in the Japanese version) is Lune's sister who awoke with him from cryogenic sleep. During Lune's assault on the Orakian kingdoms, the kingdom of Divisia captured and imprisoned her. After being rescued by Nial, she immediately left to persuade Lune to stop his rampage.
Crys (Noin in the Japanese version), is the main character if Ayn marries Sari. He lives in Landen until it is discovered that the world has suddenly shifted off course and directly towards a nearby sun. His quest is to determine a way to restore the planet to its normal path and save his people from certain destruction. Crys is physically the strongest third-generation scions due to being three quarters Orakian, but as a result, he only knows a few techniques and no healing powers.
Aron (Ruin in the Japanese version) is the main character if Nial marries Alair. He lives on the satellite Dahlia with his parents, his uncle Lune, and his cousin Kara. At the beginning of his quest, his people come into contact with a ship called the Neo Palm, but witness its destruction at the hands of unknown forces. He leaves the satellite with Kara to investigate the mysterious attack. Aron, half Orakian and half Layan, is good with a sword and knows several techniques. He is the only protagonist in the game with a unique walking sprite
. The other descendants of Rhys simply have a palette swap
of either Rhys' sprites or Lyle's sprites.
Adan (Fuin in the Japanese version) is the son of Laya and Nial and is the Prince of Landen, Satera, and Mystoke. When earthquakes ravage their kingdom, he and his twin sister, Gwyn, set out to discover the origin of the tremors. Adan, being of equal Layan and Orakian ancestry, is skilled in both swordplay and techniques.
Gwyn (Laia in the Japanese version) joins her brother on the quest to find the source of the earthquakes. Unique amongst all Phantasy Star III characters, she can peer into the future through her dreams. Gwyn also inherits her mother's healing techniques and her skill with a bow.
Kara (Luna in the Japanese version) is the daughter of Lune. Her appearance and abilities vary depending upon the story path chosen by the player. In the arcs of Sean and Crys, she is an embittered warrior, and due to her father's apparent unwillingness to fight, joins them in the quest to find the true origin of the conflict. Despite being a full-blooded Layan, Kara is not skilled in the use of techniques. Instead she relies on her father's legendary slicer to aid her in combat. In the arcs of Aron and Adan, she is mild-mannered and delicate. Unlike her counterpart, she is a skilled technique user, but is also effective with a slicer.
Rulakir is Orakio's twin brother. His own family was killed long ago during the wars, and his hatred has kept him alive all this time. Consumed by darkness, you must kill him to free him, and yourself, as he bars your path to the final confrontation.
Dark Force is the evil from legends. Trapped under the waters of Landen by Orakio's sword, you free him wholly when you recover the sword, and must destroy him to release Alisa III from his terror.
.
The game was reviewed in 1991 in Dragon
#176 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars. Nintendo Power
named it the series' "lackluster third installment" and noted that Kodama did not work on it.
The Japanese Mega Drive version of Phantasy Star III contains parallax scrolling
in all battle backgrounds. This was removed in the Genesis and PAL
versions of the game.
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
(Sega Genesis) in Japan in April 1990 and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the summer of 1991. It was also released in three different compilations known as The Phantasy Star Collection
Phantasy Star Collection
Phantasy Star Collection's North American release was met with generally favorable reviews, earning an aggregate score of 76 out of 100 on MetaCritic. Critics noted that although the game was outdated, it still held up with its innovations to the genre. They praised the games' uniqueness upon their...
for the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
and Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, and The Sega Genesis Collection
Sega Genesis Collection
The Sega Mega Drive Collection is a video game compilation for the PlayStation 2 and PSP, compiled and emulated by Digital Eclipse and released in the U.S. in 2006 and Europe and Australia in 2007...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, and later re-released on the Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
. It was featured in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, known as the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in PAL regions, is a compilation of video games developed by Backbone Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles...
for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
Phantasy Star III is a sequel to the previous game in the series, Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star II is a console role-playing video game developed by Sega AM7 and released for the Sega Mega Drive in Japan in 1989. It was also released for the Mega Drive in Europe and the Genesis in America in 1990...
, although the connections to other games in the Phantasy Star
Phantasy Star
is the first installment in Sega's renowned series of the same name. It was released for the Sega Master System in Japan on December 20, 1987, and then in North America and Europe in 1988. It is considered one of the pioneers amongst console role-playing games, both for its advanced graphics...
series are not immediately evident. Gameplay is similar to the games before it in the series, with combat still being turn-based and battles randomly occurring
Random encounter
A random encounter is a feature commonly used in various role-playing games whereby encounters with non-player character enemies or other dangers occur sporadically and at random...
. Players must explore both overworld
Overworld
An overworld is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres....
maps and dungeons in order to progress through the game.
Gameplay
Phantasy Star III mostly follows the traditional roleplaying game formula seen throughout the series, with exploration of several 2-D2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
worlds, character recruitment, and random enemy encounters using a turn-based battle system. Unlike previous games, the series staple of "techniques" play a diminished role in combat, which is ironic considering the role they play in differentiating the game's two major factions - with techniques being exclusive to Layans and viewed as "evil magic" by the Orakians.
The feature that mostly separates Phantasy Star III, however, is that the story spans three generations of characters. At critical points throughout the game, the main character is given the option of marrying one of two women he has encountered during his travels. This choice determines the new main character of the next generation -- the child (or children) of the previous lead. The choice also affects the gameplay, as the main character may be Orakian or a mix of Layan and Orakian, which differ in their ability to use techniques and their level of proficiency with them. Two paths in the second generation in turn lead to four paths in the third and final generation, and depending on which of the four main characters is played, the ending will vary.
Plot
Phantasy Star III appears at first to take place in a medieval fantasyFantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
setting, in contrast to the science-fiction settings of previous games. A thousand years prior to the start of the game, two factions — one led by the swordsman Orakio, the other by the sorceress Laya — were engaged in a bitter conflict. An attempt at peace was made when the two leaders met for an armistice, but soon afterwards they both mysteriously vanished. This placed the two factions in a precarious situation, as each blamed the other for their leader's disappearance. All communication between the Orakians and Layans was suspended, travel between their respective worlds was prohibited, and the two groups teetered on the brink of war.
Players take control of Rhys, Crown Prince of the Orakian kingdom of Landen, on the day of his wedding to Maia, a mysterious amnesiac who washed up on Landen's shore two months earlier. During the ceremony, a dragon — identified as a Layan — suddenly appears and snatches Maia, in what seems to be an overt escalation of the Layan-Orakian conflict. During Rhys's search for Maia, he recruits various characters to his cause. Ultimately, it is revealed that Maia herself is Layan — Princess of the kingdom of Cille — and that her kidnapping was actually a rescue attempt by her people, who believed she had been stolen from them by the "hostile" Orakians.
It becomes evident that the Layan-Orakian conflict has been one of relativism, with neither side good nor evil, sustained by a mutual prejudice. It is a conflict that prevails until the characters of Phantasy Star III - spanning three generations - come to shocking revelations about their worlds, about Laya and Orakio, and ultimately, expose the true root of evil.
Series Continuity
According to the English translation, the game takes place concurrently with Phantasy Star IVPhantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
is a console roleplaying game released in 1993 for the Mega Drive in Japan and in 1995 for the Sega Genesis in North America. It is the fourth and final game in the original Phantasy Star series, concluding the story of the Algol Star System...
, as both games are claimed to occur 1,000 years after the events of Phantasy Star II, though this is never firmly established. In fact, in the Japanese version of the game, the events take place 1,000 years after the events in Phantasy Star IV. This has important consequences in the continuity. First of all, it means that the Devastation War between Laya and Orakio in the U.S. version took place only a little while after leaving Palma. In the Japanese version, it means that Dark Force is still present, despite the sealing away of the Profound Darkness in Phantasy Star IV.
A crashed worldship similar to the Alisa III is seen on the surface of Motavia in Phantasy Star IV. However, it is not the Alisa III itself, but another one of the evacuation fleet that escaped the destruction of Palma in the second game. The Wren android that appears in this game is unrelated to the Wren seen in Phantasy Star IV except by being a similar model. In the Japanese versions, Phantasy Star III's Wren is named Searren, while Phantasy Star IV's Wren is named Forren.
First Generation
Rhys (Kein in the Japanese version) - the game's first playable character - is the prince of the Orakian kingdom of Landen. His quest begins as he seeks to rescue Maia, his bride-to-be, after she is kidnapped by a Layan dragon. Rhys fights with swords, knives, or needlers. Due to his full-blooded Orakian heritage, he cannot use techniques.Lyle is a mysterious man who joins Rhys to repair the weather-control system on Aridia, but seems to have his own separate agenda. Lyle fights with twin staffs, but can also use techniques, an ability that suggests Layan ancestry.
Mieu is a combat android designated for close-quarters fighting, overwhelming her opponents with her lightning-fast reflexes and deadly claws. She waited by a lake for 1,000 years in anticipation of "a descendant of Orakio" to command her. Despite being neither Layan nor Orakian, she is capable of using techniques. The full extent of her functions is a mystery. She remains a playable character through all three generations.
Wren (Searren in the Japanese version) is an android who specializes in managing and analyzing technical systems. In combat, he uses various large firearms. He joins Rhys in order to help him fix the weather system and thus thaw out the entrance to the world of Aquatica and stays on through all subsequent generations.
Lena is the young princess of Satera, an Orakian kingdom west of Landen. She first appears to help Rhys escape from the dungeon, where he was thrown by his father to prevent him from starting a war with the Layans. She becomes a permanent member of Rhys' team towards the end of his quest. As a pure-blooded Orakian, she fights with knives and needles and cannot use techniques.
Maia (Marlena in the Japanese version) is the mysterious woman who washes up on the shores of Landen without her memory and gets taken in by the royal family, where she falls in love with Rhys and eventually becomes engaged to him. Her kidnapping sets the game's story into motion.
Second Generation
Ayn, the main character if Rhys marries Maia, is the heir to the throne of Cille. But as his father sends him with Mieu and Wren to find Satellite, a haven of eternal peace, cyborgs begin to assault their kingdom, and the royal family and the inhabitants flee. Ayn is thus asked to find the lunar utopia, Azura, to save his family. Ayn inherits swordfighting ability from his father, Rhys, and the use of techniques from his mother, Maia.Thea (Lann in the Japanese version) is Lyle's daughter and the princess of Shusoran. As the cyborgs attacked the city, they kidnapped and imprisoned her in the dungeon of Lensol. Once Ayn rescues her, she becomes a valuable ally, using twin slicers
Chakram
The chakram , sometimes called a war quoit, is a throwing weapon from India. Its shape is of a flat metal hoop with a sharp outer edge from in diameter...
and various techniques.
Sari (Lynn in the Japanese version) is Lena's daughter and the ruler of Landen and Satera. Just like her mother, she is a pure Orakian, meaning she fights with knives and needlers and cannot use techniques. Although her first encounter with Ayn is as an enemy, she eventually joins him on his quest. Unlike Lena, she is incredibly powerful and arguably the strongest character in the game.
Siren is an ancient android who once fought alongside Orakio. After a thousand years, he has continued to nurse a deep hatred for all Layans. He commands a massive army of cyborgs, his goal being the complete extermination of Laya's clan.
Nial (Lane in the Japanese version) is the main character if Rhys marries Lena, is the prince of the kingdoms of Landen and Satera. When unknown monsters invaded the kingdom of Satera, slaying Lena's father, King Rhys sends Nial, along with Wren and Mieu, to investigate. It turns out to be an assault by a Layan general named Lune, who has launched a full-scale assault on all Orakians. Like his father, he can use swords, knives, and needlers, but cannot use techniques.
Ryan is the leader of the defensive line against Lune, despite being a Layan. He originally believes Nial to be an ally of Lune, but after the Layan general shows up to taunt them, he realizes that both Nial and him possess the same goal and joins Nial's party.
Laya (Laia in the Japanese version), is the younger sister of the legendary figure of the same name and the queen of the Kingdom of Mystoke. After Nial awakens her from a thousand year cryogenic sleep, she joins him in the hopes of finding out what became of her sister, who she remembers leaving with a warrior carrying a black sword. She is an expert technique-user and wields the same bow her older sister once used. If the player follows the path of Ayn or Aron, Laya joins the party in the third generation.
Lune was a general of Laya's forces. After his banishment by Orakio, Lune cryogenically froze himself for one thousand years. Upon awakening, he immediately began assembling an army of monsters in order to attain his revenge against the Orakians. His attack on Satera marked the beginning of a campaign to destroy all Orakian kingdoms.
Alair (Luise in the Japanese version) is Lune's sister who awoke with him from cryogenic sleep. During Lune's assault on the Orakian kingdoms, the kingdom of Divisia captured and imprisoned her. After being rescued by Nial, she immediately left to persuade Lune to stop his rampage.
Third Generation
Sean is the main character if Ayn marries Thea, is the Prince of Azura who lives on the moon with his parents Ayn and Thea until the satellite is attacked by Siren and collapses. Sean escapes and embarks on a quest to stop Siren and save his people. Being three-fourths Layan, he lacks the physical powers of the other scions, but trades it for high technique proficiency.Crys (Noin in the Japanese version), is the main character if Ayn marries Sari. He lives in Landen until it is discovered that the world has suddenly shifted off course and directly towards a nearby sun. His quest is to determine a way to restore the planet to its normal path and save his people from certain destruction. Crys is physically the strongest third-generation scions due to being three quarters Orakian, but as a result, he only knows a few techniques and no healing powers.
Aron (Ruin in the Japanese version) is the main character if Nial marries Alair. He lives on the satellite Dahlia with his parents, his uncle Lune, and his cousin Kara. At the beginning of his quest, his people come into contact with a ship called the Neo Palm, but witness its destruction at the hands of unknown forces. He leaves the satellite with Kara to investigate the mysterious attack. Aron, half Orakian and half Layan, is good with a sword and knows several techniques. He is the only protagonist in the game with a unique walking sprite
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
. The other descendants of Rhys simply have a palette swap
Palette swap
A palette swap is a practice used in video games, whereby a graphic that is already used for one element is given a different palette, so it can be reused as other elements. The different palette gives the new graphic a unique set of colors, which make it recognizably distinct from the original...
of either Rhys' sprites or Lyle's sprites.
Adan (Fuin in the Japanese version) is the son of Laya and Nial and is the Prince of Landen, Satera, and Mystoke. When earthquakes ravage their kingdom, he and his twin sister, Gwyn, set out to discover the origin of the tremors. Adan, being of equal Layan and Orakian ancestry, is skilled in both swordplay and techniques.
Gwyn (Laia in the Japanese version) joins her brother on the quest to find the source of the earthquakes. Unique amongst all Phantasy Star III characters, she can peer into the future through her dreams. Gwyn also inherits her mother's healing techniques and her skill with a bow.
Kara (Luna in the Japanese version) is the daughter of Lune. Her appearance and abilities vary depending upon the story path chosen by the player. In the arcs of Sean and Crys, she is an embittered warrior, and due to her father's apparent unwillingness to fight, joins them in the quest to find the true origin of the conflict. Despite being a full-blooded Layan, Kara is not skilled in the use of techniques. Instead she relies on her father's legendary slicer to aid her in combat. In the arcs of Aron and Adan, she is mild-mannered and delicate. Unlike her counterpart, she is a skilled technique user, but is also effective with a slicer.
Secondary Characters
Miun is an ancient Mieu-type cyborg who once fought alongside Orakio, along with Siren. Heavily damaged from an unknown conflict, she now randomly wanders around the desert of Aridia, kept functional only by her desire to see Orakio one more time. Her memories are damaged, but she clearly recalls Orakio's sword. When one of the third-generation heroes approaches her with the sword in their possession, she believes them to be Orakio himself. Having seen him again, she shuts down, passing on her legendary claw to Mieu.Rulakir is Orakio's twin brother. His own family was killed long ago during the wars, and his hatred has kept him alive all this time. Consumed by darkness, you must kill him to free him, and yourself, as he bars your path to the final confrontation.
Dark Force is the evil from legends. Trapped under the waters of Landen by Orakio's sword, you free him wholly when you recover the sword, and must destroy him to release Alisa III from his terror.
Reception
Praise was given to Phantasy Star III for its unique "generational" gameplay and characters. Others thought it was just too "different" in style from its peers. Critics cite the only subtle differences between the endings, lower quality battle animations, and the fact that it did not resolve the perceived cliffhanger ending of Phantasy Star II. Still, it maintains above average ratings, with an overall score of 70% on the aggregate site Game RankingsGame Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
.
The game was reviewed in 1991 in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#176 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars. Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
named it the series' "lackluster third installment" and noted that Kodama did not work on it.
Development Notes
A well-known trick can be found at the start of the game. Before meeting Maia and setting the wedding sequence in motion, if the player acquires and uses an escapipe while Rhys is locked in the dungeon, all will be as it was before the kidnapping. However, the story will not advance and the player cannot leave the town. The King will say "You used your escapipe! Normally a smart move, but now I'm afraid the game can't be continued. Please press the reset button and try again." Since the player starts out with no meseta, Rhys' boots have to be sold in order to buy the escapipe.The Japanese Mega Drive version of Phantasy Star III contains parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling is a special scrolling technique in computer graphics, popularized in the 1982 arcade game Moon Patrol. In this pseudo-3D technique, background images move by the camera slower than foreground images, creating an illusion of depth in a 2D video game and adding to the immersion...
in all battle backgrounds. This was removed in the Genesis and PAL
PAL region
The PAL region is a television publication territory which covers most of Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Western Europe...
versions of the game.