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Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (ファンタシースター 千年紀の終りに, Fantashī Sutā Sennenki no Owari ni?) (also called Phantasy Star IV) is a traditional console role-playing game released in 1993 for the Mega Drive/Genesis. It was ported as part of the Japan-exclusive Phantasy Star Collection for the Sega Saturn. Also, it was released in The Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation 2 and PSP. Part four of Sega's Phantasy Star series of games, Phantasy Star: The End of the Millennium combines anime-style artwork, interacting characters, in-depth storyline, interplanetary travel, and a major quest for the forces of good over evil.

Naming

In Japan, the game was released as Phantasy Star - At the End of the Millennium.[2] In the American and European releases, the box names the game simply Phantasy Star IV, yet the title screen gives Phantasy Star: The End of the Millennium as the full title. At the time, this was seen by the gaming press as an attempt to make it perceived as closer to the widely-praised Phantasy Star II, rather than the less well-received Phantasy Star III — although there are references to both titles during the story of the game. The combination of the titles is Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium, used in the compilation Sega Genesis Collection.

[edit] Story

    The long, long struggle of ancient times finally ended...
    The victor sacrificed the vanquished to the heavens.
    Four bells tolled. Four torches were lit.
    And the world continued for thousands of years...

Phantasy Star: The End of the Millennium, which takes place in the year AW 2284 (1,000 years after the events of Phantasy Star II), is the final part of the series canon. It is the story of Chaz Ashley, a young bounty hunter, who along with his friends and allies, is unwittingly catapulted into the role of savior of the Algo solar system. The computer network which has worked to sustain Algo has gone into disarray, leading to a series of catastrophes throughout the system. An investigation of the problem leads Chaz and his allies into a confrontation with the dark wizard Zio, whose aim seems to be nothing less than total annihilation. Defeating Zio proves to only be the beginning, and amidst great tragedy and struggle, Chaz and the others must eventually fight against an evil from time uncounted to restore peace to Algo once and for all.
A screenshot from Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium.
A screenshot from Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium.

[edit] Gameplay

Phantasy Star IV is an archetypal console RPG in the spirit of the series, featuring the staples of exploration, NPC interaction, and turn-based combat. Building on its predecessors, it added a number of innovative features, such as pre-programmable combat manoeuvers called "Macros", combination attacks between two or more characters and manga-style panel illustrations for major cutscenes. Phantasy Star IV is also the first game in the series to have in-depth character interaction and development. Despite its few detractors, who mostly cite the considerable decrease in difficulty relative to the other games, it is the predominant favorite amongst fans of the series.[citation needed]