Posted May 26, 2019
rjbuffchix: Thank you for this. Did you end up choosing on which dungeon crawler was next to play (see earlier in the topic)? I have Mary Skelter but unfortunately have been unable to begin playing so I can't offer feedback.
Still haven't yet. I am currently planning to get both Serment (from GOG) and Wizardry (from HB) on the day the latter releases. (Speaking of dungeon crawlers, there's apparently a major update to Bard's Tale Trilogy in development.)
That is an interesting question, to be honest. It has some interesting ideas, including the multiple generation idea, but it also has some pretty big flaws. The most obvious ones I can think of are:
* Walking speed is slow.
* There's a lot of mandatory backtracking, with no teleport spell (escapipes only let you warp out of dungeons, and there are no telepipes) and no faster transport until late game. (This is especially annoying when combined with the previous point.)
* Individual battles are not hard enough to be a challenge (except maybe the bosses, particularly the final ones).
* The game doesn't do a good job wearing you down over the course of a dungeon, particularly if you use items that cast healing spells for free when used (and it's not obvious which ones they are).
* The spells for curing poison and reviving the dead are not reliable. (Note that poison works differently in this game; it prevents the character from being healed rather than doing damage over time; it's also annoyingly commn in this game.)
* Many of the spells aren't useful; in particular, offensive magic is only useful during one part in the first generation, as otherwise the characters who can use such magic don't need it to do good damage.
I have been able to enjoy it (and, in fact, I've beaten it while I haven't beaten PS2), but it's not for everyone, and even though there are multiple routes through the game, I haven't been able to complete the game more than once back-to-back (I get bored and switch to another game when I try).
If you want to try the Phantasy Star series, 4 is the most accessible game to start with.
By the way, one Phantasy Star 3 quirk: If, at the start, you sell your boots, buy an escapipe, watch the marriage cutscene and are sent to the dungeon, then use your Escapipe, the game will softlock. You can still go around town and talk to people, including the king (who actually tells you that you're stuck and need to reset), but you can't leave town and therefore the game can't progress. (Using an Escapipe at the beginning of a new generation can have the same types of results, including both softlocks and a major skip.)
Post edited May 26, 2019 by dtgreene