After finishing my fourth play-through of Phantasy Star 4, I thought that maybe I should finally write about it. The thought was immediately brushed away, because the last thing the world needs is yet another heaping dollop of praise for a game everyone loves. Besides, I already talked about the second entry in the series just last month. Unfortunately, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say this, but intrusive thoughts are motherfuckers. Digging through my skull-flesh along with all the other mind-worms is this persistent need to say something, preferably with an air of self-importance. I can't very well go to the grave until I have exhausted my every last thought on the world's entire library of video games, so let's get to it.
The word you're going to see a lot of in this review is efficiency. This Sega RPG gives you exactly what you need to have an enjoyable adventure. Important character introductions and story-beats are delivered via lovingly crafted panels. This is perhaps the fastest and most ideal method of storytelling I've seen out of the genre. Anyone hoping for countless seemingly interchangeable scenes of party-members standing around yapping are out of luck. Here, you're given memorable images featuring expressive people. It's like a laser beam delivering all pertinent information and feelings straight to the cranium. You're also gifted a constant and efficient means of getting up to speed with the handy "talk" command. Everyone in the party converses amongst themselves, relating the current event and what needs to be done to move the plot forward.
After the initial character introductions and a text-scroll, you're given control of the party. Unlike previous entries, the walking speed isn't set to "I need a romhack to fix this, pronto!". Bounty hunter Alys and her sidekick Chaz move like they actually have a job to do. Speaking of, that's exactly why you're in Piata. There's no leaving this city of academia until the first dungeon is completed, so let's get to it. Dungeons in this game are designed for maximum efficiency. Okay, maximum sounds a bit much. It's not like you're bumping into the boss the second you walk through the door. What I mean is that there's the path to the goal, a couple of side-paths to explore for loot, and that's it. This isn't Phantasy Star 2 where the very first dungeon has ten floors that you can't tell apart. This also isn't Phantasy Star 3 where every dungeon is one floor of nonsense. I'm visiting a hostile place that wants to kill me with monsters instead of boredom for once. This and many other similarly nice feelings will last the entirety of the 13-hour run-time.
Just over a dozen hours doesn't sound like a long time for an RPG, and it isn't. However, I would never call this game short. Short is a word that sometimes carries negative connotations, like the developer had to make several cuts in order to meet a deadline. The case I'm making here is that PS4 is what happens when an RPG provides player's a decent walking speed, battles that move quickly, and cutscenes with short yet visually pleasing images instead of overlong segments where the controller is taken away. I'll also add that there's just enough fluff to meet the world-building quota. Visiting ruins from before "The Great Collapse" provides players with new equipment and a bit of information about what befell the Algol system between the events of PS2 & PS4.
Now let's dig into that battle-system. In keeping with series tradition, everybody you recruit has a wealth of techniques. It just makes sense that a self-sufficient duo like Alys & Chaz has a tech for every occasion. Rika delivers both heals and buffs, but her one constant is cutting through scores of monsters with her claws. Androids like Wren & Demi have their own set of skills, specializing in both self-repair and assisting the party. Bear in mind that androids can't be healed by regular techs and are weak to electricity, both of which come into play quite frequently. Rune & Raja? Pure spellcasters. Throw their sticks away and have them dual-wield shields like your favorite Elden Ring build. These aren't party members whose strategies you develop over the course of an entire playthrough, but rather the natural response to what you've learned in previous battles.
I suppose I should bemoan the lack of a mind-boggling array of classes and build possibilities. Seriously though, that's one thing I've never once thought about during any playthrough. Battles are designed to be quick, intense, and to provide immediate feedback when one's tactics aren't sound. A lot of what makes this system is work is its pacing. Every attack is animated yet not overdone. Textboxes instantly deliver the pertinent information. Combat is streamlined, but not in a fight-button or heal-button manner. The extraneous aspects were just stripped out, leaving nothing but the impact. Every turn the party makes carries significant weight. Again, the fact that almost everyone has offensive and defensive tools at their disposal ensures that battles move at a consistent pace. If the healer is down or needs an assist, then Chaz should step in with a Res or two.
Basically, what Phantasy Star 4 accomplished with its battle system is a lost art. Turn-based encounters that are fully animated yet don't have me reaching me for a skip button an hour in? That's an incredible achievement. Carrying over the third-person perspective from the second game was also a genius move. It creates a distinct look and keeps the visuals exciting. Ultimately, this is one of the major factors as to why I've completed multiple playthroughs while so many other 16-bit RPGs sit in the dust for decades at a time.
Going back to the dungeons, I'll admit that the thought crossed my mind that they could've been larger. The endgame in particular might've benefitted from an epic fortress that spans several floors with sub-bosses and refights galore. Then a second later, I realize just how silly that sounds and gain further appreciation for Sega's restraint. For one thing, it's impossible to save while in a dungeon. This creates tension, since losing to a random encounter or boss undoes any progress made while exploring. At the same time, dungeons don't balloon to absurd lengths or force a lot of repeat trips. A playthrough isn't especially difficult, unless you're attempting a low-level run. Everyone else can expect a smooth adventure. The one consistently troublesome spot I keep managing to run into are the three wizards at the Air Castle. I don't know what I did wrong, but they'd decide the first round is the perfect time for all three of them to act at once, shredding my supposedly over-leveled party with one AOE after another.
On a tangential note, I have to discuss Raja. He rules. Here's a Dezolian that just wants to hang out with the first group that drops a spaceship on his temple. All of his jokes are terribly amusing or just terrible. It's a damn shame he's taken out of the party after a single dungeon, but I guess that's just how it goes. There is a point in the endgame where you can decide to recruit him or one of a number of other 5th party members, but it's not enough. Actually, now that I think about it. This otherwise perfect RPG could've used a couple more endgame dungeons. There's not a lot left for five high-level heroes to do besides stomp The Profound Darkness. Maybe I should try one of those romhacks that bump up the difficulty, and then immediately drop it after getting smoked by one too many random encounters. Sorry, but I have to quibble about something.
Anyway, that's Phantasy Star 4. It's a game I can recommend to everyone, but everyone has already played it so... I don't know. Did I mention that this RPG has aged better than most of its contemporaries? I sort-of already did, actually. Hmm... Damn.
Oh well! On to the next game.
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