is a compilation of the Phantasy Star video games. When released for the Sega Saturn in Japan in 1998, it featured the first four games in the series, whereas the Game Boy Advance version, released four years later in North America and five in Europe, features the first three. The North American and European versions were produced by Digital Eclipse. The Saturn version was later ported to the PlayStation 2 (as Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 32: Phantasy Star Complete Collection) in Japan with more games added.
The compilation features ports of the original Phantasy Star games. They are virtually identical to their original versions, as opposed to enhanced remakes. Gameplay has not been altered in each of the collections, but additional options in the Saturn and PlayStation 2 versions can alter the pace and difficulty of the games significantly.
Gameplay
Each game features overworld maps and separate dungeon areas, both with random encounters. Players control parties of characters, battling enemies and earning experience points to grow stronger. Certain characters can use different magic spells and techniques during and outside of battle. Phantasy Star's dungeons differ from the rest because they are in first-person, while the rest of the games use a top-down style.
Plot
Although each game in the collections feature different characters and stories, they take place in the Algol planetary system, specifically on the planets Palma, Motavia, and Dezolis. In the four games, there exists a Dark Force, a common antagonist that threatens the solar system. The games also make small references to each other, such as the idolation of Alis in Phantasy Star IV.
Development
Its first incarnation was released in 1998 on the Sega Saturn, as part of Sega's Sega Ages series of classics that included Space Harrier, Out Run, After Burner, and Fantasy Zone. Although the first three games listed emerged in the West as a single compilation, Phantasy Star Collection was developed after publisher support for the Saturn had virtually disappeared, and remains a Japan only title. It includes what are considered the main entries in the series, with select enhancements such as the option of playing the games in katakana or hiragana in the first entry of the series (they originally were katakana only), an optional walking speed increase in Phantasy Star II and Phantasy Star III, and four save slots for Phantasy Star III (enabling players to have a slot for each of the four possible third generation protagonists). Due to the native resolution of the Mark III, the original Phantasy Star is played in a frame. The game also has bonus content in the form of exclusive arranged music, art galleries, and video clips of the Japanese commercials for the original games.
The Game Boy Advance version, produced by Digital Eclipse, emerged in 2002. Unlike the Sega Saturn release, Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium is not included. The video games themselves were also altered in order to function adequately on the Game Boy Advance's resolution. The GBA version has a reduced number of save slots available for Phantasy Star and Phantasy Star II, and does not include any extras.