Let’s Compare Final Fantasy 1 to Phantasy Star 1

I’ve been in a little bit of a funk lately. I’ve been struggling to get into an RPG to write about, and I thought about some of the ones I’ve played a few times. Instead of doing individual reviews, I compared the games in three series: Phantasy Star, Dragon Quest, and Final Fantasy.

For the first installment in this series, I’ll be looking at the first games in the Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star Series. I’ll briefly describe the games, discuss the differences, and go over my experiences with the games. Eventually, I’ll get to the other games in the series.

Final Fantasy on the NES was the first RPG I can remember playing. I liked it when I first played it, and now it feels like a safe and comfortable game. It is something I can turn to when I want to relax.

Phantasy Star is one of the games I always wanted to play. When I started collecting games in the late 1990s, I had no idea it was on the Sega Master System. I had never heard of the console before, and it wasn’t until a collection of the first three games released on the Game Boy Advance was released that I had a chance to play it.

Game Descriptions/Overviews

Both games are turn-based RPGs where you form a party of four characters. You then go on a quest to defeat a big bad guy and his minions. It is a standard formula that is found in most RPGs.

Phantasy Star is a revenge story where you’re trying to avenge the main character’s brother and defeat a tyrannical leader who had gained control over three planets. This feels like a bigger game as you travel between three planets to gather the weapons and allies you need to beat the game. It also uses a first-person perspective for the dungeons.

Final Fantasy has the player take control of the four Warriors of Light. Your goal is to defeat Garland, restore light to the four orbs that control the world, and eventually defeat Chaos to break a 2000-year time loop. Along the way, you have to gather some items and do other quests that are standard in the genre.

Both games are fairly basic in what they ask the player to do. Most of it revolves around exploring dungeons, fighting mini-bosses, and gathering key items. It is a formula that works very well.

There are a few differences between the two games. It is a difference in storytelling, presentation, and the type of RPG you want to play. While they are both turn-based RPGs, they aren’t exactly the same.

Main Differences 

Phantasy Star and Final Fantasy are turn-based RPGs but take different approaches to the genre. One is friendlier to new players, while the other can be frustrating if you don’t know what is happening. They have different approaches to storytelling, combat, and how the dungeons are set up.

Phantasy Star is more of an adventure. You know the characters, you learn about their backstories, and you can’t change them. This is more in line with what RPGs on the home console would become.

Final Fantasy is closer to a Dungeons and Dragons style of RPG where you create the character. They don’t have names or backstories, and they don’t have anything to say about what is going on. Your party is whatever you want them to be.

The two games take seriously different approaches to dungeons. Final Fantasy uses an overhead perspective that would become the standard for console RPGs during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Phantasy Star uses a pseudo 3D style similar to Dungeon Crawlers.

This style gives you a first-person perspective. Something similar can be seen in the Wizardry games and Shining in the Darkness, and there are many other examples. While this looks cool, I prefer the overhead view from Final Fantasy. I’ll expand on this later.

Phantasy Star’s user interface and battle screens are more similar to Dragon Quest’s. This menu-heavy game uses a first-person perspective. Final Fantasy has the better user interface, but I like the battle screens in Phantasy Star more.

Phantasy Star uses comic book style cutscenes to tell its story. With Final Fantasy, you get a text box from an NPC or one of the boss characters. I prefer cutscenes to having a text description. It is a nicer way to tell a story for a video game.

These are the major differences between the two games. The games have minor differences, such as inventory, side quests, and cut scenes. Phantasy Star has better graphics and cut scenes.

Comparing Core Mechanics (Combat, Story, Visuals, etc)

Like many of the early RPGs, both games can be rather cryptic about where you need to go and what you need to do. Even the guides for these games don’t always explain things in a way that makes sense. If you are new to either game, it can be frustrating to get started.

There are plenty of guides for these games online. Some are better than others, and it can be hard to find one that works. Here is the guide I used for Phantasy Star (link), and one for Final Fantasy (link).

While other versions of Final Fantasy have smoothed some of the rough edges, Phantasy Star doesn’t have this. I suggest using a guide and map to help you with both games. It seems like the developers knew this when the games were released, as both games were packaged with either maps or a hint book to help players out.

When comparing these games side-by-side, you can tell the differences between the NES and Master System’s graphics. Overall, Phantasy Star is the better-looking game. It is more detailed and has better-looking enemies, and I love the animations of the enemies when they attack. It also has more and better-looking cut scenes.

Phantasy Star’s story is better and more involved than Final Fantasy. The characters have clear motivations and have something to say about what is happening, and I enjoy the quest to find the party members more than being given everything at the beginning.

The first Final Fantasy gives the player four blank slates that don’t have lines of dialogue in the game. While it encourages the player to use their imagination, it means the experience is more personalized and not as good. The story of my Warriors of Light is unique to my playthrough.

The combat is essentially the same for these games. They are both turn-based RPGs. There are only minor differences that don’t deviate from what was standard for RPGs from the 1980s. Aside from the visual presentation on the battle screens, there isn’t too much to separate these games.    

What Does Final Fantasy do Better?

The NES version of Final Fantasy does a few things very well. It has good dungeons, a better inventory system, and a very good user interface. Final Fantasy has more challenging battles by sending multiple enemies at you in one battle.

I mentioned this earlier, but I like Final Fantasy’s approach to dungeons more. While Phantasy Star’s first-person perspective looks cool, it is a pain in the butt to play. There are a few points of reference, and everything looks the same. It is much harder to get lost in Final Fantasy’s dungeons.

Final Fantasy also has a much better inventory system. Your inventory doesn’t fill up with key items, healing items, and equipment. Phantasy Star clutters your inventory by not having your healing items stack, vehicles, and all other items you pick up during the game.

I like the user interface in Final Fantasy. I don’t like the earlier games that have you open a menu to talk to people, open doors, or go down stairs. Final Fantasy doesn’t do any of this. If you want to talk to someone, walk up to them and press a button.

Both games have a good variety of enemies, but Final Fantasy has more challenging battles. The game sends several types of enemies at you while Phantasy Star only sends one type. This can make the random battles a little more fun.

I couldn’t think of anything else that Final Fantasy did better. There isn’t too much separation between these two, and many of the things I like about this game are in Phantasy Star. Let’s take a look at what Phantasy Star does better.

What Does Phantasy Star do Better?

Phantasy Star does several things better than Final Fantasy. It is one of the games you can point to which shows off what the Sega Master System could do. I like the combat in Phantasy Star more. It has a more strategic aspect, the animations look much better, and the presentation is beautiful.

Comic book style cutscenes are used to show off the game’s story. It is much better than the simple text boxes that Final Fantasy used. They look much better and are more impactful when you see a cutscene instead of accidentally skipping a text box because you pressed a button too fast. There are other graphical differences between the two games.

The combat scenes in Phantasy Star look much better. While they don’t display as many enemies as Final Fantasy, the graphics and animations are more detailed and the backgrounds are better. The battles in Phantasy Star are bright and colorful, even in dungeons, and Final Fantasy’s battles take place on a black screen.

Healing items are something Phantasy Star does better than Final Fantasy. Having two types is great, and I love the idea of your party carrying around a bunch of cheeseburgers to regain their health. The limited space in your inventory hamstrings this.

Phantasy Star does a better job with magic. While Final Fantasy has more spells, the original’s magic point system is rough. It was changed in future re-releases, but the NES versions are nowhere near as good as Phantasy Star.

Those are the major things that Phantasy Star does better than Final Fantasy. All of this adds up to a better game. Both games are good, but Phantasy Star was the game I enjoyed more.

Which is Better Overall and Why? 

Picking a favorite was more difficult than I first thought. Both of these games are great! There is something comforting about Final Fantasy and how I can return to it anytime. It feels like a warm blanket or a grilled cheese sandwich. I like Phantasy Star more, even though I think both games are amazing.

I feel that Phantasy Star is the better game because of its graphics and story. The gameplay was even. There wasn’t much that separated the two games from that standpoint, and most of the differences are tied to the visuals.

Phantasy Star felt more like an adventure, similar to what console RPGs would become in the 1990s. The game gives you a group of characters, and you learn about each of them during the game instead of using your imagination to come up with a backstory. The tale of revenge and defeating a tyrannical leader who is being controlled by a greater evil is more enjoyable to me.

I like Phantasy Star’s bright and colorful graphics. The mix of science fiction and fantasy works very well. It makes the setting unique for the time and makes the planet-hopping adventure feel like a bigger adventure than it is.

It all comes down to personal preference. I enjoyed playing Phantasy Star more than Final Fantasy. Both are great games, but I might be a bit tired of playing Final Fantasy at this point. Phantasy Star is a fresher experience, and now that I understand how to play it, it was more fun than its competition.

Best Alternatives/Other Games like this

There are a lot of options available if you’re looking for an alternative to these two games. Here is a list of 15 games that I think are excellent alternatives:

• Phantasy Star II
• Phantasy Star IV
• Final Fantasy IV
• Final Fantasy V
• Final Fantasy VI
• Final Fantasy VII (Okay, I’ll stop)
• Thousand Arms
• Dragon Quest IV
• Jade Cocoon
• Chrono Trigger
• Tales of Destiny
• Breath of Fire III
• Breath of Fire IV
• Xenogears
• Parasite Eve

If you want something weird to play instead, here are some overlooked games:

• Robotrek (SNES)
• Destiny of an Emperor (NES)
• Saiyuku: The Journey West (PS1)
• Vandal Hearts (PS1)
• Paladin’s Quest (SNES)

For some modern and indie games, here are a few that I enjoyed:

• Sea of Stars
• Octopath Traveler 1 and 2
• Chained Echoes
• Arcadian Atlas
• Banner of the Maid
• Fell Seal

Conclusion 

I like Phantasy Star more than Final Fantasy. I might be fatigued by one of the games as I’ve played it a lot over the years. The other is relatively new to me.

I enjoy Final Fantasy, but I’ve played it so much over the years, and had to watch my brother while he played it. At this point, I know that game like the back of my hand, and I’m a little sick of it.

This was the third time I’ve beaten Phantasy Star. It feels newer and fresher to me. The game looks better, I like the gameplay more, and the story is more exciting. The setting, which is a mix of high fantasy and science fiction, is something I love.

Neither of these are bad games. I just enjoyed my time with Phantasy Star more than Final Fantasy. I also liked the graphics more, the plot was better, and the cutscenes added a lot to the game.

I’ll be doing a few more of these at some point. I’m going to work through the Phantasy Star, Dragon Quest, and Final Fantasy games. It is going to get a little weird as they transitioned from 8-bit to 16-bit at different times. The next one I will do is compare Dragon Quest to Phantasy Star.

If you liked this post, please check out my other RPG posts, such as Arcadian Atlas or Banner of the Maid.