Phantasy Star Zero
Encyclopedia
, also known in Australia and Europe as Phantasy Star: ZERO and sometimes in North America as Phantasy Star Ø, is a Nintendo DS
game in the Phantasy Star
series, developed and published by Sega
. The game was released in Japan on December 25, 2008 and in North America on November 10, 2009, and has been released in Europe on February 12, 2010. Though the official US release date was the 10th, the game was not available in stores until November 11, 2009. The official website incorrectly lists the release date as November 12, 2009 because SEGA could not guarantee the game would be available nationwide on the 11th. The game expands on the gameplay mechanics of Phantasy Star Online
, partly by borrowing some elements from fellow online Phantasy Star title Phantasy Star Universe
, such as a fully realized story mode for offline play.
. Players will receive the preset phrase in their own languages as well as the speakers'.
was made to expand the appeal of the series to younger gamers. The word Zero was affixed to the title to represent "a new start for the series" and separate itself from the main series games in favor of the Nintendo GameCube
games. Artist Toshiyuki Kubooka
, made famous by his work on the Lunar series and Giant Robo
anime, designed the game's characters with an "uplifting" aesthetic. The game was exhibited at Tokyo Game Show
(TGS) 2008 as part of Sega's lineup of new DS games.
-exclusive downloadable stage for the game, possibly one from the original Phantasy Star Online. A poll for players to pick their favorite classic stage will be held on Sega of Japan's website at a later date.
News has yet to be announced for a release on the USA version of this download but it has been in development for some time.
magazine, which praised the game's controls, game play, and online mode, noting "it really feels like an online game in the palm of your hand." The publication criticized the game's "softness of the sound." Nintendo Power
gave the game 8 out of 10 with good remarks towards the game, but heavily criticized the menu setup and the loss to change weapons during gameplay. Phantasy Star 0 sold approximately 84,055 copies during its debut week in Japan.. Phantasy Star Zero has a metacritic
score of 75 out of 100 based on 10 reviews, ranging from a score of 94 out of 100 by cheat code central, to a score of 33 out of 100 from the onion A.V. club.
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
game in the Phantasy Star
Phantasy Star
is the first installment in Sega's renowned series of the same name. It was released for the Sega Master System in Japan on December 20, 1987, and then in North America and Europe in 1988. It is considered one of the pioneers amongst console role-playing games, both for its advanced graphics...
series, developed and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. The game was released in Japan on December 25, 2008 and in North America on November 10, 2009, and has been released in Europe on February 12, 2010. Though the official US release date was the 10th, the game was not available in stores until November 11, 2009. The official website incorrectly lists the release date as November 12, 2009 because SEGA could not guarantee the game would be available nationwide on the 11th. The game expands on the gameplay mechanics of Phantasy Star Online
Phantasy Star Online
Phantasy Star Online is an online multiplayer action RPG title, originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000, bundled with a demo of Sonic Adventure 2. Another edition, entitled Phantasy Star Online ver.2, was released for Dreamcast the following year...
, partly by borrowing some elements from fellow online Phantasy Star title Phantasy Star Universe
Phantasy Star Universe
is an action roleplaying game by Sega's Sonic Team for the PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360. In Japan, it was released for the PC and PlayStation 2 on August 31, 2006, with the Xbox 360 version releasing on December 12, 2006. Its North American release was on October 24, 2006, available in all...
, such as a fully realized story mode for offline play.
Character Generation and Archetypes
Phantasy Star Zero continues the character creation mechanics from Phantasy Star Online. The player first chooses a race, each with their own strengths: versatile Humans; powerful, hulking androids called CASTs; or nimble but fragile gentically engineered Newmans. The choice affects the character's perspective on the story and what order in which the first three zones are tackled, but ultimately all three end identically. The player then chooses the character's gender and archetype. Males tend to favor physical strength and durability; females tend to favor accuracy, evasion and techniques, Phantasy Star's equivalent to magic.Hunters
Hunters are primarily melee fighters. They are most effective fighting in close range of their target with weapons like swords, daggers, and spears. Human and Newman hunters can also use empowering techniques on teammates.Rangers
Rangers are primarily ranged attackers. They are most effective fighting at long range with various guns and heavy artillery, but can also make use of gunblades. Human rangers can also use de-powering techniques on targets.Forces
Forces excel at using techniques. Techniques are used to buff and heal teammates and debuff and damage enemies. Though all Humans and Newmans can use some techniques, only forces can use the light-based Grants and dark-based Megid and only forces can learn the higher-tier ranks of all techniques.Online and Offline Modes
Similar to Phantasy Star Online, players can shop, bank, accept quests, and access combat areas from a city-like hub. In the offline Story Mode, the player gains AI allies and progresses a narrative. Once completed, the player can access higher difficulty levels to earn increasingly powerful gear and further grow their characters. The game also contains three online modes: Free Play, in which the player is randomly paired up with a party of one to three users; Play With Friends, where the player can invite friends into a private room (and vice versa); and Play Alone, where the player can play online by oneself to complete online-only missions and be notified of friends' connection status.Communication
Featured in the game is "Visual Chat", a take on PictoChat where players communicate by drawing and writing on the DS touch screen. According to the February issue of Nintendo Power (Vol.238, page 38), "Up to 20 messages may be saved to shortcuts so they're accessible at any time via a quick tap of the touch screen". Players can also write freely to each other throughout a game session without the use of pre-composed messages. However, communication among unfamiliar users is limited to preset chat. Even considering its limitations, the preset phrases offer an unprecedented amount of communication between anonymous users from anywhere in the world over Nintendo Wi-Fi ConnectionNintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
. Players will receive the preset phrase in their own languages as well as the speakers'.
Gear and Character Optimization
The game contains over 350 weapons, debuting two new weapon classes, shields and gunblades. Shields are blunt weapons that can be used to block enemy attacks, and gunblades are one-handed swords that also carry a gun barrel, allowing for long range and short range interchangeability by holding the Left Trigger button. Most equipment can be upgraded through various means. Items called grinders can further improve a weapon or armor's effectiveness. In addition, weapons can be upgraded with elements, allowing them special on-hit effects or additional damage, and "Photon Fortification," which increases a weapon's effectiveness against a hostile classification of the player's choosing. Characters can be further specialized by using materials, items that permanently increase a base stat.Development
The decision to develop Phantasy Star 0 for the Nintendo DSNintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
was made to expand the appeal of the series to younger gamers. The word Zero was affixed to the title to represent "a new start for the series" and separate itself from the main series games in favor of the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
games. Artist Toshiyuki Kubooka
Toshiyuki Kubooka
Toshiyuki Kubooka is a Japanese animator, character designer, and illustrator. He is particularly known for his work on games of the Lunar series.-Anime:*Batman: Gotham Knight...
, made famous by his work on the Lunar series and Giant Robo
Giant Robo
is an original video animation series written and directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa , and inspired by Mitsuteru Yokoyama's manga series of the same name....
anime, designed the game's characters with an "uplifting" aesthetic. The game was exhibited at Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
(TGS) 2008 as part of Sega's lineup of new DS games.
DSiWare version
A smaller version of the game, Phantasy Star 0 Mini, was released for the Nintendo DSiWare service on March 25, 2009. Sega has also mentioned the possibility of a new Nintendo DSiNintendo DSi
The is a handheld game system created by Nintendo and launched in 2008 and 2009 in Japan, North America, PAL territories, and other regions. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival is Sony's PlayStation Portable...
-exclusive downloadable stage for the game, possibly one from the original Phantasy Star Online. A poll for players to pick their favorite classic stage will be held on Sega of Japan's website at a later date.
News has yet to be announced for a release on the USA version of this download but it has been in development for some time.
Reception
Phantasy Star 0 received 33 out of 40 from FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
magazine, which praised the game's controls, game play, and online mode, noting "it really feels like an online game in the palm of your hand." The publication criticized the game's "softness of the sound." Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
gave the game 8 out of 10 with good remarks towards the game, but heavily criticized the menu setup and the loss to change weapons during gameplay. Phantasy Star 0 sold approximately 84,055 copies during its debut week in Japan.. Phantasy Star Zero has a metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
score of 75 out of 100 based on 10 reviews, ranging from a score of 94 out of 100 by cheat code central, to a score of 33 out of 100 from the onion A.V. club.