Her Last Breath: How Phantasy Star IV is a story about living after loss
It should go without saying that this article will have spoilers, but here's a warning right at the top should you need it.
The Phantasy Star series, to me, were games I would start, but never really play. I took popular opinion of the Phantasy Star series being "SEGA's not-as-good Final Fantasy," as gospel and as such never gave it the time of day. That is, until a couple years ago when NerdJosh, known mostly for his prowess in a wide range of fighting games, shared a pivotal scene from Phantasy Star IV; the death of Alys. Without any context, I felt moved. And from that moment marked Phantasy Star IV as a game I needed to get around to if just to understand the context of that scene.
From the beginning of the game, Alys is in your party and protects you, the player, from having to deal with a lot of the nuances of Phantasy Star's combat. She's strong, starting several levels higher than the rest of your party, has a wide variety of abilities, can combo easily with most of the cast, and her basic attack hits all enemies allowing her to handle crowd control so you, the player, don't have to think about it. At the outset Alys is known throughout the world as a top class mercenary and is highly respected. She has few peers, but remains humble. When the individual paying for your first mission as a full-fledged hunter (a rank in a guild of mercenaries known as the Hunters Guild) dismisses you, Chaz, as Alys' assistant, Alys is quick to correct the man and assures them that Chaz is her equal.
After those words, Rune lost a friend, Rika lost a caretaker, and Chaz lost a mother.
It's the kind of situation that you feel like would be easier to prepare for. You know they're going to die, you might even have a rough idea as to when they will die, but that doesn't make that phone call, that text, that says, "they're gone," any less surreal. A part of your world dies with them and the sense of security their presence offered is gone.
The party quickly move to enact revenge and defeat Zio, but their victory is short-lived when their local issue becomes one of intergalactic importance and with each step Chaz struggles to understand what it is that he is fighting for. As he discovers the legacy of his home, the Algo system, and the role he has been chosen to play, Chaz struggles to cooperate within the 1000 year cycle that took Alys from him. Rune ensures him of his assignment as the one to banish evil from the galaxy and asks him to retrieve Elsydeon, the legendary sword that holds the spirits of all those who have fought to protect the Algo system. Sent by himself into the cave that shelters the blade, Chaz finds a lone statue of a woman holding the sword and is granted visions of all those who have fought to protect Algo. In the last glimpse of his vision, Chaz sees Alys and finally understands her mission, and his purpose.
Chaz stands tall and proclaims that he will break the cycle and, "create a future unbound from the evils of the past." Now Chaz has adopted the role of Protector. Taking all of the people of the Algo system under his wing, Chaz intends to protect them from an evil that has plagued their galaxy since its inception. And with the help of his allies, he triumphs.
For Chaz, her death meant the loss of his mentor and the only family he knew. He spends the rest of the game wrestling with what to do without her guidance. Once he realizes why she fought, Chaz accepts the mantle and continues her fight. With the fate of the Algo system on his shoulders, Chaz takes the legendary sword Elsydeon and carves his destiny into the galaxy. Just as Alys had asked.
Rune lost a friend and his choice for who would fill the shoes of Alis Landale and the warriors of the past who had protected the galaxy, but believed in Alys' judgement and entrusted the fate of the galaxy in the hands of her ward whom he'd promised to watch over in her absence. Once the oldest evil is vanquished, Rune sees Chaz has grown as a person and can take care of himself, and deems his promise to Alys fulfilled.
And you, as the player, have to learn how to live without her as the most obvious ramp in difficulty is losing Alys. That's not caused by enemies getting stronger, but simply having to handle battles without her is a new challenge you haven't had to deal with and, just like Chaz and the rest of the characters, it is an absence you feel and have to adjust and grow from.
Phantasy Star IV is one of the lucky titles that makes its way into several of the usual SEGA classics collections. While it is available on PS4 and the original hardware, I would actually recommend playing it portable as being able to take it on the go can help make grinding more bearable if you find you can't figure out how to progress without grinding. Thanks to the "Talk" feature in the main menu it is easy to pick up after a long time away from the game as the main characters will explain what just happened and give you a clue as to where you should go next. The side quests available at the Hunter's Guild are short and sweet making them great ways to get a quest in between classes or on a work break.
I would really recommend playing this game with save states as well. Not because it is harder without them, but it is just more convenient. Phantasy Star IV doesn't have pre-boss save rooms like Final Fantasy V or some other contemporary JRPGs so, being able to quick save before a boss so you don't have to hike back to them after a death is really nice. While the walk isn't terribly far for most of the game's dungeons, it can be particularly handy for not having to retread the winding paths of a certain organic tower or a castle in the sky should you die against their bosses.
Consoles I am aware of the game being on:
While I'm mostly sure these all run fine, I will warn that on my iPhone 8 the iOS port suffers some slowdown that is audibly noticeable. I wouldn't say it ruins the experience, but for some it might. The iOS port is ad supported so, you can try it for free before paying to remove ads and see how it runs for you.
The Phantasy Star series, to me, were games I would start, but never really play. I took popular opinion of the Phantasy Star series being "SEGA's not-as-good Final Fantasy," as gospel and as such never gave it the time of day. That is, until a couple years ago when NerdJosh, known mostly for his prowess in a wide range of fighting games, shared a pivotal scene from Phantasy Star IV; the death of Alys. Without any context, I felt moved. And from that moment marked Phantasy Star IV as a game I needed to get around to if just to understand the context of that scene.
Alys the Hunter
From the beginning of the game, Alys is in your party and protects you, the player, from having to deal with a lot of the nuances of Phantasy Star's combat. She's strong, starting several levels higher than the rest of your party, has a wide variety of abilities, can combo easily with most of the cast, and her basic attack hits all enemies allowing her to handle crowd control so you, the player, don't have to think about it. At the outset Alys is known throughout the world as a top class mercenary and is highly respected. She has few peers, but remains humble. When the individual paying for your first mission as a full-fledged hunter (a rank in a guild of mercenaries known as the Hunters Guild) dismisses you, Chaz, as Alys' assistant, Alys is quick to correct the man and assures them that Chaz is her equal.Alys the Protector
While appearing to be very fiscally motivated at the outset, Alys' character is expanded upon over the course of the first arc of the game. As what seemed like a simple enough mission evolves into something much more insidious, Alys takes a new ward, Rika, under her wing. Once the party reach Alys' hometown and have a chance to talk to the locals you find out that Alys cares a great deal about others and is a protector by nature. However, it is during the party's first encounter with the powerful mage Zio that Alys shows her willingness to sacrifice herself for others when she leaps in front of Chaz to protect him from a powerful attack. The party retreat, but are unable to heal Alys' mysterious new illness.Find Rune, save Alys
The next several hours are a blurry, panicked, sprint to fulfill Alys' fevered request to find Rune, the only man that might be able to cure the unknown disease destroying her body. Chaz and company race to Rune and bring him back to Alys. What happens next in that room in the small town of Krup shape the rest of the events that will take place.
"From now on you'll have to carve out your own destiny by yourself."
After those words, Rune lost a friend, Rika lost a caretaker, and Chaz lost a mother.
Death
While death in video games isn't an uncommon thing, it is often bombastic with characters going out in a blaze of guns, swords, and magic. What sets Alys' death apart is how grounded in reality her death was. She had an incurable illness and after a great deal of fantastical adventures, no amount of magic or strength of will could change that. Many of us have had a loved one deal with an incurable illness. It's hard. Their death is often slow and prefaced with a great deal of false hope and prayers for a chance to alter fate's course.It's the kind of situation that you feel like would be easier to prepare for. You know they're going to die, you might even have a rough idea as to when they will die, but that doesn't make that phone call, that text, that says, "they're gone," any less surreal. A part of your world dies with them and the sense of security their presence offered is gone.
Without her
The loss of Alys isn't just narrative. Without her in your party, suddenly your team has no synergy. Gone are the easy fights where Alys would do massive damage to groups of enemies leaving the rest of your party to merely clean up the scraps. Suddenly you have to begin focusing on your strategy more to avoid being overwhelmed. Your party will gradually develop new synergy over time, but it's only once she's gone and you're asked to take on the strongest enemy you've ever encountered that you truly realize how important of a fighter she was to your party.Lost
The party quickly move to enact revenge and defeat Zio, but their victory is short-lived when their local issue becomes one of intergalactic importance and with each step Chaz struggles to understand what it is that he is fighting for. As he discovers the legacy of his home, the Algo system, and the role he has been chosen to play, Chaz struggles to cooperate within the 1000 year cycle that took Alys from him. Rune ensures him of his assignment as the one to banish evil from the galaxy and asks him to retrieve Elsydeon, the legendary sword that holds the spirits of all those who have fought to protect the Algo system. Sent by himself into the cave that shelters the blade, Chaz finds a lone statue of a woman holding the sword and is granted visions of all those who have fought to protect Algo. In the last glimpse of his vision, Chaz sees Alys and finally understands her mission, and his purpose.Faith in a Friend
With the loss of Alys, Rune's intention of choosing Alys as the Protector of Algo was dashed. Now, at the 11th hour, Rune needed to choose a new champion who embodied all that Alys was while fulfilling Alys' final request of him, to take care of Chaz. Putting all faith in his friend's judgement, Rune chose Chaz to fulfill the role Alys couldn't.Chaz the Protector
Chaz stands tall and proclaims that he will break the cycle and, "create a future unbound from the evils of the past." Now Chaz has adopted the role of Protector. Taking all of the people of the Algo system under his wing, Chaz intends to protect them from an evil that has plagued their galaxy since its inception. And with the help of his allies, he triumphs.The death of Alys is the story of Phantasy Star IV
Alys' death shook the cycle of the Algo system. Being the embodiment of the Protector of Algo and even sharing a name with the original hero of the Algo system, she was the ideal leader in the fight against the ancient evil. So with her death, the cycle began to lose its shape and deform. Her death brought uncertainty. Did her death mean the impending doom of Algo, or the end of the 1000 year cycle?For Chaz, her death meant the loss of his mentor and the only family he knew. He spends the rest of the game wrestling with what to do without her guidance. Once he realizes why she fought, Chaz accepts the mantle and continues her fight. With the fate of the Algo system on his shoulders, Chaz takes the legendary sword Elsydeon and carves his destiny into the galaxy. Just as Alys had asked.
Rune lost a friend and his choice for who would fill the shoes of Alis Landale and the warriors of the past who had protected the galaxy, but believed in Alys' judgement and entrusted the fate of the galaxy in the hands of her ward whom he'd promised to watch over in her absence. Once the oldest evil is vanquished, Rune sees Chaz has grown as a person and can take care of himself, and deems his promise to Alys fulfilled.
And you, as the player, have to learn how to live without her as the most obvious ramp in difficulty is losing Alys. That's not caused by enemies getting stronger, but simply having to handle battles without her is a new challenge you haven't had to deal with and, just like Chaz and the rest of the characters, it is an absence you feel and have to adjust and grow from.
Play this game
This last section is just going to be dedicated to different ways to play Phantasy Star IV and my personal recommendations.Phantasy Star IV is one of the lucky titles that makes its way into several of the usual SEGA classics collections. While it is available on PS4 and the original hardware, I would actually recommend playing it portable as being able to take it on the go can help make grinding more bearable if you find you can't figure out how to progress without grinding. Thanks to the "Talk" feature in the main menu it is easy to pick up after a long time away from the game as the main characters will explain what just happened and give you a clue as to where you should go next. The side quests available at the Hunter's Guild are short and sweet making them great ways to get a quest in between classes or on a work break.
I would really recommend playing this game with save states as well. Not because it is harder without them, but it is just more convenient. Phantasy Star IV doesn't have pre-boss save rooms like Final Fantasy V or some other contemporary JRPGs so, being able to quick save before a boss so you don't have to hike back to them after a death is really nice. While the walk isn't terribly far for most of the game's dungeons, it can be particularly handy for not having to retread the winding paths of a certain organic tower or a castle in the sky should you die against their bosses.
Consoles I am aware of the game being on:
- SEGA Genesis
- SEGA Genesis Mini
- PS2 - SEGA Genesis Collection
- PS3 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
- PS4 - SEGA Genesis Classics
- PSP - SEGA Genesis Collection
- Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
- iOS - Phantasy Star Classics
- PC, Mac, and Linux - SEGA Mega Drive & Genesis Classics
While I'm mostly sure these all run fine, I will warn that on my iPhone 8 the iOS port suffers some slowdown that is audibly noticeable. I wouldn't say it ruins the experience, but for some it might. The iOS port is ad supported so, you can try it for free before paying to remove ads and see how it runs for you.
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