Phantasy Star IV Preview #2

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

As with the first preview article, there is not much information in this one. It shows the first few actual game screens to be published, along with two scenes from the 1992 Tokyo Toy Show prototype featured in the first preview. The author apparently wasn't familiar with Phantasy Star III's ending, as well.

Article Text

The epic struggle of good versus evil continues in Phantasy Star IV. First there was Alis in a quest to free her land of the many terrors that roamed free. Then it was Rolf, a government agent who was to find out what was wrong with his planet's computer, Mother Brain. He and his party were pursued as criminals by robotic hunters, as well as vicious Bio-Monsters. The third installment in this epic series was so large that it spanned three generations! In that quest, the family lines of heroes joined forces with the cyborg Wren, and many others to stop the most hideous source of all evil: Dark Force. The Dark Force was seemingly destroyed, but was it? Our new set of heroes will travel through several immense worlds each with several continents. The battle scenes in this version are like the second, as is most of the quest. This game is bigger than all the ones before it. The extra memory will also allow this version to have more animation, better music and a much longer quest.

Five screenshots accompany the article.

• The party talks to a Piata guard.
  Caption: "Enter the city and talk to the people. Here you will gain a lot of information."
• The party near Piata's fountain.
  Caption: "It is always good to remember certain landmarks, especially in a large world."

• The party stands at the door to Motavia Academy.
  Caption: "Talk to the king who lives behind the walls for one of your quests."
• Cinema shot of Rune, Chaz, Rika, and Wren.
  Caption: "This is just a glimpse of the brave new warriors within Phantasy Star 4."
• Cinema shot of Dark Force.
  Caption: "Is the vile Dark Force back to wreak havoc upon the new world?"

Scan

Click the thumbnail below to see a scan of the full article.