Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom

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'Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom'

Developer(s)	Sega
Publisher(s)	Sega
Release date(s)	1991 (NA) April 21, 1990 (JP)
Genre(s)	RPG
Mode(s)	Single-player
Platform(s)	Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Saturn and Game Boy Advance in The Phantasy Star Collection, PlayStation 2 and PSP in The Sega Genesis Collection
Media	Cartridge

Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom is a traditional console role-playing game that was released for the Sega Mega Drive (Sega Genesis in the United States) in 1990. It was also released in three different compilations known as The Phantasy Star Collection for the Sega Saturn and Game Boy Advance, and The Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation 2 and PSP. It is a sequel to the previous game in the series, Phantasy Star II, although the connections to other games in the Phantasy Star series are not immediately obvious at the outset.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Plot
2 Characters
3 Criticism
4 Trivia/Notes
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Plot

The world of Phantasy Star III appears at first to be a traditional medieval-type setting, with kings, knights, castles, and two warring nations. A thousand years prior to the start of the game, the two factions, led by Orakio on one side and Laya on the other, waged bitter and bloody war against each other, until the two leaders met for a parlay and mysteriously vanished. Since that time, the Orakians and Layans have shared an uneasy cohabitation.

As the game begins, you play the part of Rhys, Crown Prince of the Orakian kingdom of Landen, on the day of his wedding to Maia, a mysterious amnesiac girl who washed up on Landen's shore a year ago. During the ceremony, a winged demon — identified as a Layan — suddenly appears and snatches Maia, vowing "Filthy Orakians! Maia shall never be yours!" Rhys is determined to rush off and retrieve his bride, but his father the King feels he's being overly rash, and orders him to "cool off" in the castle dungeon. The game begins when Lena, a girl from Landen who has a crush on Rhys from afar, and actually his betrothed from the neighboring kingdom of Satera, helps the Prince to escape from the dungeon and set off on his quest.

It soon becomes apparent that all is not as it first seems in this world, both as it relates to Layans, and to the world itself. Despite the setting, several anachronisms are in evidence, such as android characters, and clearly artificial "caves." The fact there is only a limited amount of terrain to explore in each of the three worlds (later revealed to be seven) is also a clue. Also, when you finally do encounter Layans, they do not at first appear to be demonic or even hostile — they are simply "Technique"-using humans (this being the standard Phantasy Star terminology for what in other console RPGs would be called "magic"). One of them, Prince Lyle of Shusoran, even joins your party as an ally. Ultimately, it is revealed that Maia, the girl you set out to save, is herself Layan — indeed, she is a Princess of a Layan kingdom — and that her "kidnapping" at the game's beginning was viewed by the Layans as a rescue attempt to free their Princess from "hostile" Orakians (who are likely perceived as such because they make up for their lack of magical skill by generally being physically stronger then Layans).

At this point, the player is given a crucial option: Rhys can choose to marry either Maia, despite her Layan heritage, or the Orakian girl Lena. There is no "right" or "wrong" decision here, but it will drastically affect how the game develops, as well as the character of the next part of the game. If the player weds Maia, the resulting offspring (Ayn) will be half-Layan, and be able to use Techniques; if Lena is chosen, the plot will take another track entirely with a different, pure-blooded Orakian son (Nial) as the central character. Eventually, either Ayn or Nial will have their own marriage decisions to make as well, leading to one of four possible third-generation characters for the game's final stages.

Depending on which path the player takes through the game, it is eventually revealed that the world of Phantasy Star III is in fact a "worldship" containing seven inhabitable "domes," each with a different climate to simulate different ecologies on an actual planet. This particular ship, dubbed the Alisa III, was one of several that fled the planet Palma/Palm/Parma just prior to its destruction in Phantasy Star II; the Orakians and Layans are the descendants of the survivors of that cataclysm. The player also learns at this time that Dark Force, the evil entity that was the final boss of the other Phantasy Star games, also exists on the Alisa III.

[edit] Characters

[edit] First Generation (Rhys)

Rhys is the hotheaded and reckless prince of the Orakian kingdom of Landen, and your very first character. His quest begins as his mysterious bride, Maia, is kidnapped by a Layan dragon. He is so consumed with rage at the kidnapping that he begs his father to start a war with the Layans, who have not been seen in Landen for centuries. His father banishes him to the dungeon until he can get over his fury, which leads to Lena breaking him out, and the beginning of his quest to recover Maia. Rhys fights with swords, knives, or needlers. Due to his full-blooded Orakian heritage, he cannot use techniques. His Japanese name is Kane.

Lyle is the debonair young prince of the Layan kingdom of Shusoran. He is a hero to his people, and well-known for being completely unpredictable. Rhys meets Lyle early in the game, but they only join their forces much later to restore the weather-control system. Lyle, being of Layan ancestry, can use techniques, but his true mastery lies in his use of twin staves. Much later in the game, he reveals his true identity to Ayn: he is a knight capable of transforming into a dragon, and was the one who took Maia away from Rhys.

Lena is the young princess of Satera, a Orakian kingdom across the ocean from Landen. She first appears to help Rhys escape from the dungeon to rescue Maia, but also helps later in the walkthrough to restore the sandway to Cille, thanks to her Moon Stone. As a pure-blooded Orakian, she fights with knives, and cannot use techniques. Although text referring to this is not present in the English version, she is Rhys' original fiancee, arranged by their parents before Rhys ever met Maia. Although her true motivations in the game are not known, they are often explored in fanfiction.

Maia is the princess of the Layan kingdom of Cille. Due to an accident, she washes up on the shores of Landen without her memory, and gets taken in by the royal family, where she falls in love with Rhys and eventually becomes engaged to him. She is Lyle's cousin, which is why Lyle kidnapped her, believing the Orakians to be a danger to her. Maia's Japanese name is Marlena.

[edit] Ayn Generation (Rhys marries Maia)

16-year-old Ayn is meant to be the successor to the throne of Cille, being the son of Rhys and Maia. But as his father sends him with Mieu and Wren to find Satellite, a haven of eternal peace, cyborgs begin to assault their kingdom, and the royal family and the inhabitants flee. Ayn is thus asked to continue on his journey and find the lunar utopia, Azura, to save his family. Ayn inherited from his father his swordfighting ability, and the use of healing and time techniques from his mother.

Thea is Lyle's daughter and the princess of Shusoran. As the cyborgs attacked the city, they kidnapped and imprisoned her in the dungeon of Lensol. Once Ayn rescues her, she becomes a valuable ally, using twin slicers and several healing and melee techniques. Since she is one of two candidates for Ayn to wed at the end of the quest — the other being Sari — she is often depicted as being Sari's rival in fanon. There is also some debate regarding her fate in Nial's quest, as she gets kidnapped by Siren whether Ayn is born or not. (See "Ryan" below.) Her Japanese name is Lann.

Sari is Lena's daughter, and the ruler of Landen and Satera. Just like her mother, she is a pure Orakian, meaning she fights with knives, cannot use techniques, and is not exactly friendly with Ayn's Layan party at first. Once defeated, she agrees to follow the little group to Azura. Unlike her mother, she is incredibly powerful, arguably the strongest character in all of Phantasy Star III. The identity of her father is a mystery. Her Japanese name is Lynn.

Siren is an ancient, bitter cyborg who once fought alongside Orakio, one thousand years before the events of the game. Laya banished him to the moon of Azura, causing him to absolutely despise all Layans. Commanding a massive army of cyborgs, his goal is the complete extermination of Laya's clan. Although Ayn manages to defeat him, he still manages to take over the controls of the Alisa III and fire its lasers at one of its sister ships, the Neo-Palm. The Neo-Palm fires back, jolting the Alisa III offcourse. Siren also manages to blow up Azura, killing Ayn, Thea, and the survivors of Cille and Shusoran. Siren later travels to Sage Isle, where he tells the third-generation protagonist that all along, he was nursing his hatred of the Layans when he should have tried to stop the real threat to the Alisa III. He then falls over and deactivates, leaving behind his legendary Shot weapon.

[edit] Nial Generation (Rhys marries Lena)

Although the events of both Ayn's and Nial's quests occur in every timeline, they are responded to differently, depending on the intervention of the protagonist. Siren's attacks on the Layan kingdoms still occur in Nial's timeline, although Siren's attacks go uninterrupted in Nial's timeline, resulting in the complete genocide of all Layans in Aquatica dome, including Lyle and Maia. (In fact, Nial never even visits Aquatica dome in his quest; If either of his possible sons visits the dome, they will find Shusoran deserted, and the passage to Cille blocked off entirely.) Nial's quest takes place two years after the events of Ayn's quest.

18-year old Nial is the full-blooded Orakian son of Rhys and Lena, and is the prince of the kingdoms of Landen and Satera. When unknown monsters invaded the kingdom of Satera, slaying Lena's father, King Rhys sends Nial, along with Wren and Mieu, to investigate. It turns out to be an assault by a Layan general named Lune, who is slaughtering every Orakian in his path. Like his father, he can use swords, knives, and needlers, but cannot use techniques. Nial is depicted as somewhat reserved and selfless, much like his mother. His Japanese name is Lane.

Ryan is the leader of the defensive line against Lune, despite being a Layan. He originally believes Nial to be an ally of Lune, but after the Layan general shows up to taunt them, he realizes that both Nial and him possess the same goal, and joins Nial's party. Ryan is somewhat of an interesting character in the context of Phantasy Star III, because despite very little elaboration on his backstory, he seems to be more than he appears to be. Many fans point out the inconsistency of a full-blooded Layan despising a Layan general, suggesting that he was wronged by him at some point in the past. Due to the fact that he carries the exact same artifact that Thea carries in Ayn's quest, it is believed by some fans that he was a Dragon Knight, the one who rescues Princess Thea from Siren in the Lensol dungeon, only for her to be kidnapped by Lune, who was desperate for a wife and heir. These theories are affectionately called "The Thea Theories."

Though they share the same name, Laya is the great Laya's younger sister, and the queen of the Kingdom of Mystoke. Nial finds her in a secret compartment dome under Aridia, awakened from one thousand years' worth of cryogenic sleep. She remembers that the last time she ever saw her older sister, she was leaving with a mysterious knight wielding a black sword, and joins Nial in order to find out whatever became of Orakio and her sister. She is an expert technique-user, and wields a legendary bow her older sister once used. Laya is one of the potential wives for Nial; If he doesn't marry her, she goes back into cryogenic sleep, awakening in the third generation to aid Aron in his quest. If either of Ayn's descendants uncovers her, the same events of Nial's meeting are replayed word-for-word, and Laya joins in the same manner. Laya is sometimes called "Layalyn" by fans, to distinguish her from her older sister.

Lune was Laya's right-hand man. Near the end of the Devastation War, Orakio banished Lune and his sister, Alair, to the red moon Dahlia. Lune cryogenically froze himself and Alair for one thousand years, until Dahlia got close enough in orbit to the Alisa III in order for Lune to return to the ship. After Lyle and Lena used their Moon Stones to alter the orbit of Azura and Dahlia in order to open the passage to the Kingdom of Cille, Lune woke up, and immediately began assembling an army of monsters in order to attain his revenge. He started attacking every Orakian kingdom in sight, starting with Satera. The Kingdom of Divisia retaliated by kidnapping his sister, Alair, which only made him even more furious. Nial eventually rescued his sister in a gesture of goodwill, but Lune still continued his assault. Finally, Nial, Ryan, and Laya infiltrated Dahlia and defeated him in battle. Upon recognizing Layalyn, he immediately stood down and agreed to recall his armies, saying he had no wish to fight them. He then allied with Nial, and gave his blessings for Nial to marry his sister.

Alair is Lune's sister, who woke up with him when Dahlia drifted into orbit. During Lune's assault on the Orakian kingdoms, the kingdom of Divisia managed to capture her and held her in their dungeon as a bargaining chip. Nial managed to break into the dungeon and rescue her, and she immediately left to try and persuade Lune to stop his rampage. She confessed to her brother a wish to marry Nial, and after Lune's surrender, he gave them his approval. Her Japanese name is Luise.

[edit] Sean Generation (Ayn marries Thea)

Sean is the Prince of Azura, living on the moon with his parents Ayn and Thea, until the satellite is attacked by Siren and collapses. To avenge his parents' deaths, Sean will embark on what is arguably the longest quest in the entire game. Being three-fourths Layan, he is not a very powerful swordsman, but knows extremely potent techniques. According to the book released by Character Designer Toyo Ozaki, Sean is a very callous and broody individual who doesn't talk very much.

Lune's daughter, Kara, is strong-willed and obstinate, and believes her father to be weak. (In Ayn's timeline, Lune entered into a state of extreme depression and apparently ceased his attacks on the Orakian kingdoms on his own.) She borrows her father's legendary slicer in order to join Sean (or Crys) in his quest for vengeance. Despite being a full-blooded Layan, Kara has extremely weak techniques. Her Japanese name is Luna.

[edit] Crys Generation (Ayn marries Sari)

Crys is the son of Ayn and Sari, and the Prince of Landen, Satera, and Azura. Crys lives in Landen until it is known that the spaceship they live in is headed off course, directly into a nearby sun. Crys' task is to find the pilots to put Alisa III back onto its original course. Crys is very strong, due to being three-fourths Orakian, but as a result, he only knows a few Time techniques. His Japanese name is Noin.

[edit] Aron Generation (Nial marries Alair)

Aron is the Prince of Landen, Satera, and Dahlia. He lives in Dahlia with his parents Alair and Nial, and his uncle Lune and his cousin Kara. At the beginning of his quest, the Alisa III comes into contact with the Neo Palm, but an unseen hand takes over the controls of the ship and starts firing at it, destroying it in the process. He leaves the satellite with Kara to investigate the mysterious attack Alisa III suffered. Aron is a well-balanced character, half Orakian, half Layan. He thus is very good with a sword, and knows handy techniques. According to Toyo Ozaki, Aron is very brash and self-confident. His Japanese name is Ruin. During his quest, he is declared to be eighteen years old.

Kara, like her counterpart in Ayn's timeline, is the daughter of Lune, but that is where the similarities end. In Nial's timeline, she is a delicate princess who casts healing techniques, completely different from the embittered warrior-maiden seen in Ayn's timeline. However, she can still be somewhat deadly with her slicer. Based on certain aspects of her appearance, several fans believe she may be the child of Lune and Thea. This version of Kara also joins up with Adan, but in that timeline she doesn't join until midway through the quest.

[edit] Adan/Gwyn Generation (Nial marries Laya)

Sixteen-year-old Adan is the son of Laya and Nial, and is the Prince of Landen, Satera, and Mystoke. When earthquakes happen on their kingdom, Adan and his twin sister decide to go and trace the origin of the tremors. He discovers that the entire ship is being directed by an unknown force towards a black hole, and sets out to stop it. Like his counterpart Aron, Adan is equally good with both his sword and his techniques. His Japanese name is Fuin.

Gwyn is Adan's twin sister, the Princess of Landen, Satera, and Mystoke, and follows him from the very beginning of his task. Among her many skills, she can catch glimpses of the future in her dreams. Gwyn had inherited from her mother's healing techniques, and her ability to fight with a bow. Due to her scarce appearance in the game and her minute role of being a replacement character for Laya, she is considered to be the least-developed character in the entire game.

[edit] All Generations

The combat cyborgs Mieu and Wren both join the party during Rhys's quest, and remain in service to all of his descendants. In this manner, they are the only characters that stay in the party for all three generations.

Mieu is a combat cyborg designated for close-quarters fighting, overwhelming her opponents with her lightning-fast reflexes and deadly claws. She waited by a lake for 1,000 years in anticipation of "a descendant of Orakio" to command her. As soon as Rhys finds her, she immediately joins him. Despite being neither Layan nor Orakian, she is capable of using techniques (which is something neither the androids of Phantasy Star IV or Phantasy Star Online were capable of doing.) Despite being labeled a "Mieu-type combat cyborg," there is evidence that she is capable of doing many more domestic tasks. In a doujinshi released by the character designer of Phantasy Star III, Toyo Ozaki, the character Sean claims that Mieu was a surrogate mother to him, and even breast-fed him because his mother, Thea, was sick (none of the other descendants of Rhys knew she had this function.) For some reason, she is also the only character in the game that can use the Grantz technique. The full extent of Mieu's functions is a mystery.

Wren is a cyborg specializing in combat, and managing and analyzing technical systems. He is basically a walking tank, providing the party with firepower support. He is well-known amongst the cyborgs of the city of Hazatak, but he doesn't live there, instead waiting in a Aridian cave in anticipation of Rhys. He joins Rhys in order to help him fix the weather system (and thus thaw out the frozen world of Aquatica), and stays on through all subsequent generations. He also has the ability to, with the aid of peripheral equipment, transform into either an airplane, speeder boat, or submarine large enough for the entire party to ride in. His Japanese name is Shiren, which helps distinguish him from the similar Fouren android from PSIV.

Miun is an ancient, insane Mieu-type cyborg who once fought alongside Orakio, along with Siren. Heavily damaged from an unknown conflict, she now randomly wanders around the desert of Aridia, kept functional only by her desire to see Orakio one more time. Her memories are apparently damaged, but she remembers Orakio's black sword. When one of the third-generation heroes approaches her with Orakio's sword in their possession, her last words are "The black sword! Orakio, you've returned! I'm so glad to meet you again, before I...."

[edit] Criticism

Phantasy Star III is sometimes considered by fans in the Phantasy Star community to be the weakest of the four cardinal games in the series. Despite some praise given to its unique "generational" gameplay, some feel the game is just too "different" in style from its peers. Often-cited reasons for the game's lack of critical acclaim include:

There is virtually no character development in any of the generations (the storyline is particularly bare-bones, presumably because the game was a semi-rush-job, and couldn't be properly finished).
The different paths the player can take do not really change all that much in terms of the plot, only appearing to affect when certain key events happen (the final generation has very little difference between them in terms of storyline, the only difference being the strengths and weaknesses of all the characters).
The battle system is very weak and graphically bland, with minimal animation given to the enemies. (Attack animations usually involve the character sprite flipping quickly from left to right, or performing some extremely small animation — opening and closing its mouth, flicking a finger, etc.)
The spell system is minimalist, user-defined, and virtually useless for anything besides healing. The only character who could use effective attack magic was Lyle in the first generation. In the next two generations, either the spells weren't available, or their casters weren't powerful enough to make them more effective than their regular attacks.
Inconsistency with spell names. For instance, the heal-all spell was called "Gires" in the English version; however, "Gires" is the more powerful form of "Res" in the second and fourth games. The multiple-person healing spell in those games was known as "Sar."
The art style is more "realistic" and less anime-inspired than the other Phantasy Star games, with many locations and environments looking incredibly similar.
The soundtrack is very inconsistent. Some of the least popular tracks include the battle themes, which merely loop during a few seconds, and they also cycle depending on how easy or difficult the battle appears.
Some believe it takes far too long for the game's connection to the rest of the series to become clear, and even then it is viewed as a tenuous connection at best.
There was also disappointment from those who had played Phantasy Star II through to its conclusion that this sequel in no way resolved the perceived "cliffhanger" ending of that game.
A prevalent myth that leads many to view Phantasy Star III as a step backwards is that there are no items that cast spells in battle, which would make it the only Phantasy Star game to lack this standard of most console RPGs. This is in fact not true; there are numerous items that simulate techniques, including most equipment of the "Force" category. Some of the items that replicate healing techniques, such as the Force Shield and Force Emel, can even be used an unlimited number of times outside of battle.

There is, however, a vocal fanbase who enthusiastically love the game, and who say that the original gameplay and change in style was a welcome addition to the series.

[edit] Trivia/Notes

Supposedly, this game takes place concurrently with Phantasy Star IV, as both games are claimed to occur 1,000 years after the events of Phantasy Star II, though this is never firmly established. In fact, in the Japanese version of the game, the events take place 1,000 years after the events in Phantasy Star IV. This has important consequences in the continuity. First of all, it means that the Devastation War between Laya and Orakio in the US version took place only a little while after leaving Palma. In the Japanese version, it means that Dark Force is still present, despite the sealing away of the Profound Darkness in Phantasy Star IV.
Phantasy Star III was re-released, along with the first two games in the series, on the Game Boy Advance in 2002, as part of the Phantasy Star Collection multicart. In its native Japan, it was also bundled with those games and Phantasy Star IV in a similarly-named compilation disc for the Sega Saturn in 1998. It has now also been re-release along with II and IV among other Genesis titles in the Sega Genesis Collection for the Playstation 2 and PSP.
A crashed worldship similar to the Alisa III is seen on the surface of Motavia in Phantasy Star IV; however, it is not the Alisa III itself, but another one of the evacuation fleet that escaped the destruction of Palma in the second game.
The Wren android that appears in this game is unrelated to the Wren seen in Phantasy Star IV except by being a similar model. In the Japanese versions, PSIII 's Wren is named Shiren/Siren, while PSIV 's Wren is named Forren/Fuoren. This is seen in a few places in PSIV; one enemy robot is named Siren386, and Daughter, while being deactivated by Wren, seems to revert to his Japanese name, saying "Fo...rn..."
A possible plot hole in the series stems from this game, as some have wondered how Dark Force can exist on the Alisa III and in the Algo star system itself (as seen in Phantasy Star IV). It has even been questioned if the other Palman worldships, such as the Neo Palm seen in one of this game's ending sequences, also have Dark Force aboard somehow. (This is clarified only in Sean's ending, in which the Neo Palm HAS just defeated Dark Force.) There is no official, canonical explanation for this discrepancy; a popular fanon suggestion is that Dark Force is a force of nature more than a single entity, and thus can take multiple forms and be in an indefinite number of places simultaneously. This is indicated in Phantasy Star IV, as Dark Force is present in two separate places simultaneously: on an artifical nuclear satellite and inside a tower on Dezoris (it has, however, also been suggested that Dark Force is not a single thing, but a series of similar fiends.)
A well-known bug/"fourth wall" gag exists at the outset of the game. Before meeting Maia and setting the wedding sequence in motion, sell Rhys's boots in Landen for an Escapipe. After Rhys is locked in the dungeon, but before Lena arrives, use the Escapipe to return to the Palace. All will be as it was before, complete with Maia being unharmed, but the story will not advance and you cannot leave the town. Speak to the King and he will say "You used your escapipe! Normally a smart move, but now I'm afraid the game can't be continued. Please press the reset button and try again."
The only characters who actively take a part in all three generations are the two robots: Mieu and Wren. Many fans believe this is a reference to Star Wars. It had been rumored ever since talk of the prequels began that the only characters to appear in all six movies would be the two droids.
The Alisa III is named after the heroine of the first Phantasy Star, Alisa Landale. The starting city of Landen might be another such homage.