Phantasy Star: Fringes of Algo

Something that occured to me before, but not often, and just re-occured to me recently is what real life places do you get reminded of from the locations of the classic PS games, or where do you think they were inspired from?

In PSI, Palma is just based on a typical futuristic setting with no specific culture. The same could be said about Motavia in PSII. Motavia in PSI is just a big desert with no specific culture.

Dezoris in all games seems quite similar to places such as Nepal, Bhutan, or Tibet. A snowy mountainous region with religious significance.

Motavia in PSIV used to really remind me of ancient Rome. More recently, it's reminded me of Babylon and Persia.

Rykros could literally just be anywhere. I don't think a crystaly mystical planet has any inspiration from any culture.

What are everyone elses takes on this?

Scootaloo wrote:Something that occured to me before, but not often, and just re-occured to me recently is what real life places do you get reminded of from the locations of the classic PS games, or where do you think they were inspired from?

In PSI, Palma is just based on a typical futuristic setting with no specific culture. The same could be said about Motavia in PSII. Motavia in PSI is just a big desert with no specific culture.

Dezoris in all games seems quite similar to places such as Nepal, Bhutan, or Tibet. A snowy mountainous region with religious significance.

Motavia in PSIV used to really remind me of ancient Rome. More recently, it's reminded me of Babylon and Persia.

Rykros could literally just be anywhere. I don't think a crystaly mystical planet has any inspiration from any culture.

What are everyone elses takes on this?

Very intsresting reflexion about it ! I don't know what to add more but I'll try to think about it !

Palma is a futuristic Rome, or Macedon Empire of Alexander the Great. An area abundant with water, rich in culture and technology, yet also an Empire that spread out to other territories (planets) bringing their culture and people's with them.

Given above, Motavia (AW342) is the Levant, ruled by a Governor, just like Herod was Governor via Rome, to oversee this Desert area. Espers, like Lutz and Tarzimal , are akin to Jews: few in number, from a desert area, very mystical/religious. I'm not implying any race thing, but Motavians and their nomadic lifestyle, separate culture and implied 2nd class citizen treatment, is similar to the former nomadic Arabic peoples, the Bedouin.
Post 1284, well, even Rome fell.

AW1284 Mota keeps with this above theme, yet this time comparable to the lush green, plentiful American colonies of the British Empire, instead of Rome, yet is still subjugated, but largely terraformed thanks to the technologies of Palma (and Earth.) Some Motavians, now sharing similarities with Native Americans, are (arguably forcibly) "civilized" and speak the same language as Palmans, even some residing in Mota towns.
2284 Mota is back to the Levant, or Middle East, but more recent era, minus the religious strife. A post-imperial arid, colony planet, struggling to thrive as a result of the former imperialism imposed upon it.


Dezo 342 is a mix between the eastern religious people of Nepal and Tibet, sharing the same cold climate, relative mountainous remoteness, mystical/religious folk of Dezorians being akin to any eastern religion, but especially Zorostrians, who also worship fire. Yet Dezo is still under imperial rule, much like Alexander's kingdom stretching that far east to Hindustan (India/Nepal/Tibet.)
1284 Dezo is largely the same. Espers are still akin to Jewish folk, having been persecuted by Mother Brain, are exiled (by choice) to Dezo, much like Aszkenazi Jews went North to Europe to avoid persecution.
2284 Dezo is a largely the same, just post imperialism.

The Espers always felt Greek to me, especially their clothes and architecture.

I didn't occur to me that a lot of location names are pretty Italian/Latin - Piata, Palma, Aiedo, Nalya, Motavia, Uzo, etc.

I also think the 'meseta' is based on the former Spanish currency of the 'peseta'.

It seems that PSIV drops the western European vibe for something more oriential in terms of architecture. The walls that places surrounding places like Piata seem very to the walls of Babylon.

Okay, I have a ton of theories now.

*Zio - A reference to Zion (old name for Jerusalem) perhaps? The holy connection is there.

*Jut - A reference to the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, a rather snowy country, referenced in a snowy game location.

*Cille - A reference to Saint Columcille? Not sure what 'Cille' on its own could mean.

*LaShute - 'La' is French for 'the', but I can't see what 'shute' means. The chute?

As for more places resembling the real world...

Kadary - As I said, Zio might be a reference to Zion, but even more, the walls of Kadary. A holy city with walls might referencing Jerusalem and the wailing wall very well.

Aiedo - Babylon was a walled city with rivers flowing through it (Tigris and Euphrates). Aideo is also a walled city with rivers flowing through it.

Scootaloo wrote:Okay, I have a ton of theories now.

*Zio - A reference to Zion (old name for Jerusalem) perhaps? The holy connection is there.

*Jut - A reference to the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, a rather snowy country, referenced in a snowy game location.

*Cille - A reference to Saint Columcille? Not sure what 'Cille' on its own could mean.

*LaShute - 'La' is French for 'the', but I can't see what 'shute' means. The chute?

As for more places resembling the real world...

Kadary - As I said, Zio might be a reference to Zion, but even more, the walls of Kadary. A holy city with walls might referencing Jerusalem and the wailing wall very well.

Aiedo - Babylon was a walled city with rivers flowing through it (Tigris and Euphrates). Aideo is also a walled city with rivers flowing through it.

Nice explanations here ! Thank you dear Scootaloo ! Especially about Lashute, La is effectively the french word for the ! Shute for me is tied to chute, the french word for FALL !

Scootaloo wrote:Motavia in PSIV used to really remind me of ancient Rome. More recently, it's reminded me of Babylon and Persia.

Why would PSIV Mota to remind you of ancient near east locations? I'm really into history of that region, big time, very much so, and I don't understand or see the parallels, but I love an explanation, maybe I'm missing something

Scootaloo wrote:Okay, I have a ton of theories now.

*Zio - A reference to Zion (old name for Jerusalem) perhaps? The holy connection is there.

Zio is an Italian name. Like many other Italian/Latin/Spanish/French terms in the games. Basically, many of the terms to come from Latin, which then came the romance languages, such as the terms and names above and in the games that are borrowed.

What's interesting, is the oddball out, is that there are many many many terms that are German. Especially techniques, among other things.

Zio_Falz wrote:

Scootaloo wrote:Okay, I have a ton of theories now.

*Zio - A reference to Zion (old name for Jerusalem) perhaps? The holy connection is there.

Zio is an Italian name. Like many other Italian/Latin/Spanish/French terms in the games. Basically, many of the terms to come from Latin, which then came the romance languages, such as the terms and names above and in the games that are borrowed.

What's interesting, is the oddball out, is that there are many many many terms that are German. Especially techniques, among other things.

Thank you for all those details !