Phantasy Star IV Preview #1

Like many video games in the early 1990s, entries in the Phantasy Star series were previewed in magazines before their release in Japan. The article below was scanned and typed to promote awareness of Phantasy Star IV's history and development.

Yes, Star players, Phantasy Star IV is on its way! Once again, the menacing Dark Force has shattered the silence throughout the once peaceful land!

Phantasy Star IV includes, among others, Nei from Phantasy Star II and Wren from Phantasy Star III.

The quest is set in a futuristic setting in the year 2284, similar to Star II. You will adventure across new planets and meet up with more enemies than ever before!

Solve the mystery and stop Dark Force before he gains control over the world!

Comments and Scans

Several screenshots and pieces of artwork were printed with this article.

1. Cinema shot of Dark Force, with kanji lettering (loosely translated as "The Dark God Returns"). Shown to the right.
   Caption: "The evil Dark Force has once again returned!"
2. Japanese Phantasy Star IV logo
3. A view of three (Motavia, Dezoris, and perhaps Rykros) planets and the Algol star.
4. Kneeling Chaz, overlaid on a view of Motavia and the Palman asteroid belt.
5. Large cinema shot of Rune, Chaz, Rika, and Wren, from an early Phantasy Star IV introduction sequence.
   Caption: "The cast and crew of Phantasy Star IV. These characters should look familiar to those who have played the Phantasy Star series. The worst of the enemies are back, also, led by the ultimate in evil - Dark Force!"
6. Phantasy Star remembrance, from an early Phantasy Star IV introduction sequence, featuring Alis, Odin, Myau, and Noah.
   Caption: "Phantasy Star set the video gaming world on fire with it's huge quest on the Sega Master System."
7. Phantasy Star II remembrance, from an early Phantasy Star IV introduction sequence, featuring Nei, Rolf, and company.
   Caption: "Phantasy Star II was the first 6-Meg cart released for the Genesis! The superb graphics and futuristic setting were unmatched."
8. Phantasy Star III remembrance, from an early Phantasy Star IV introduction sequence, featuring Mieu, Wren, and Crys.
   Caption: "When Phantasy Star III came out as 8-Meg, it meant a game with seven worlds to explore and plenty of action."

A scan of the complete article is also available. Be warned, this image is large and may take a while to load.

• The full preview article

This article fairly speaks for itself. There's not much to say about this, except it had a couple of characters changed later. It refers to Rika as "Nei" and Phantasy Star IV's Wren as the Phantasy Star III character. Nearly every screenshot shown in this article was removed from the final version of the game.