Which is better? Final Fantasy Mystic Quest vs Phantasy Star

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest and Phantasy Star have some similarities, and show some of the differences between a starter RPG and one that is more advanced. These are both turn-based RPGs, but one has a more serious tone than the other. There are also some pretty big differences in their approaches.

This is another comparison of games with different settings and games on different consoles. I won’t harp on graphics too much because of the differences between consoles. They both have similar graphic styles.

Comparisons like this can be quite fun. There is always something in each game that is a little better than in other games. Games with different tones, stories, and gameplay can lead to some very interesting things cropping up.  

Game Descriptions/Overviews

There are a few similarities between these games aside from their being turn-based RPGs. They have some similar plot points, and both games have some fantasy elements in their settings. Phantasy Star and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest are different approaches to the genre, and the developers were trying to accomplish different things.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is a high fantasy RPG. The player takes control of a solo protagonist, and you’re joined by a rotating cast of side characters. The max party size in this game is two. In this game, you have to restore light to four crystals and then defeat an evil wizard.

Phantasy Star is a science fantasy RPG. The player takes control of four characters, and you have to go on a long quest to find them. The story starts as a revenge story, and then spirals into a quest to defeat an evil king. Once that is done, you have to fight the source of all evil in this game’s solar system.

These are just the simple descriptions of each game. Each game has something to offer, and the stories are quite enjoyable. Let’s get into the main differences between these two games.  

Main Differences 

These games have a ton of differences. Their dungeons, gameplay, and story tone are all very different from each other. Here are the significant differences that I wanted to highlight. If I think of more, I’ll add them in.

The game’s dungeons are completely different. Phantasy Star’s resemble a dungeon crawler, are mono colored, and can be quite confusing at times. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest’s dungeons look more like a traditional console RPG.

There is more exploration in Phantasy Star. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest limits the player to a set path. This cuts down on grinding for levels and makes things more straightforward. You can’t take on quests in whatever order you want, and there is less freedom. Phantasy Star feels like a much larger game because you can explore the planets to some extent.

The party construction for both games is quite different. Phantasy Star has four characters, and each of them has a role in the party. This makes the battles more complex and strategic. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest has the main character take on most of the roles in combat. You do have a secondary character every now and then, but the main character can basically do everything.

Final Fantasy has more action platformer, and puzzle-solving parts to its gameplay. Each of your weapons has a secondary function outside of battle. Phantasy Star doesn’t have any of this, and is more of a pure turn-based RPG experience.

These are the major differences that I could think of. There are more of them, but I wanted to keep this brief. Many or the core mechanics are different, but not significantly so. Let’s get into what each of these games does better than the other.

What Does Phantasy Star do Better?

There are a lot of things I could bring up here. I like the story, setting, gameplay, and the freedom in this game. I’ll do my best to keep this brief. Phantasy Star is a more complete RPG, and it has some wonderful things in it.

The story is more complex and feels grander than what is in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. Phantasy Star takes its subject matter seriously, and I love how it blends Greek mythology into things. Traveling across an authoritarian solar system is very fun, and I like the reveal at the end.

To go along with the story, I like the science fiction story. It feels like an authoritarian country that happens to be on three different worlds. It is a lot of fun to explore those planets and meet the people who live there. You also have more freedom to explore the planets in the game’s world.

Phantasy Star has better gameplay overall. You have more party members, combat is more strategic, and you have to go on more quests to advance the plot. Also, I love going on a quest to find and recruit your party members. That is something I always enjoy when it pops up in an RPG.

The player has more freedom in this game to do and go where they want to go. You’re not locked into some set paths, and this makes some things easier. I love to grind for levels in RPGs, and that is something you need to do with Phantasy Star, which isn’t available in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest.

These are the big things that I can think of. There are other things that Phantasy Star does better, but they aren’t as significant as these four. Let’s get into what Final Fantasy Mystic Quest does better.

What Does Final Fantasy Mystic Quest do Better?

There are a few things that I like about Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. I can think of a few elements of this game that are better than those of other RPGs. They have to do with accessibility and quality of life improvements. Some of this has to do with the improvements in technology from when Phantasy Star was released to when Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was released.

I like the inventory system in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest more. You can hold more items, and there isn’t a point where you run out of room for things. It makes everything much easier.

You don’t have to open a menu to talk with people or to do other actions. This is a fairly archaic way of doing things, and you’ll only see it in older RPGs. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest does away with this. It makes everything easier to do when you don’t have to open a menu when it isn’t needed.

The weapons have secondary functions outside of combat, and you can easily swap between them. This is something that you normally see in an action-RPG, and I like that the developers worked it into the game. Things like this add some variety to the gameplay.

Those are the only things I can think of as being better than Phantasy Star. Many of the other things I thought of were in line with the three that I wrote about. Much of what is in this game is either similar to or worse than what is in Phantasy Star. Let’s get into which game is better and which one I want to revisit.

Which is Better Overall and Why? 

Phantasy Star is the better RPG. It is also the game that I enjoy more because it is a mix of Science Fiction and Fantasy. It has better cutscenes, I like the gameplay more, and the story is better.

Phantasy Star uses in-game graphics and comic book cutscenes to tell its story. This is where this game really shines. The game gets the most out of the Master System, and looks better than what is in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest.

The gameplay is more advanced than in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. This is what you should expect when you compare an RPG to a starter RPG. Both games are doing something different, but I like the gameplay in Phantasy Star more. I like that you have four party members and that you go on a quest to find them all.

I enjoyed the story more in Phantasy Star. It starts as a simple revenge tale, and spirals into something more than that. You have to defeat the source of all evil in this solar system. Dark Force corrupted the King and caused all of the issues in the solar system.

These are the three things that make this game better overall. It is a more serious RPG and is more complicated. I like the graphics in this game more as well, and Phantasy Star was more fun to play. It also helps that this game is from my favorite series of retro RPGs.  

Which Would I Rather Play?

At this point, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is the game that I want to revisit. I’ve only beaten the game once, which means it is still somewhat new to me. I like Phantasy Star, but it takes longer to beat than this game does.

I’m sure that I missed something when I first played it. There isn’t too much to the game to begin with, but there are always things that you can do better. The story wasn’t too bad, and I did like the gameplay.

The graphics were much better than I was expecting. Having enemies change as they take damage was a nice touch. I wish other games did this. It gives the player a nice idea of how well they’re doing without having to do the math on their attacks.

While this isn’t one of the better RPGs on the SNES, it is a fun game to play. As a change of pace from the more serious games on the console, it is a fun option. The story is somewhat familiar if you’ve played some of the other Final Fantasy games, and it isn’t that bad of a game.  

Conclusion 

These two are very different games, and they were targeting different audiences. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was trying to bring in new fans to the genre and to make RPGs more popular. Phantasy Star was targeting science fiction fans and people who wanted an RPG on the Master System. I’m not sure how many RPGs were on that system.

I have a newfound appreciation for Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. It isn’t some amazing RPG, but I had fun with it when I went back to play the game. I found it to have a decent story and some fun gameplay. It won’t end up on a best of list or one of those “Top 100” lists for the SNES. This is a solid RPG that is a nice change of pace.

Phantasy Star is one of those games that is a lot of fun, but can be very challenging for new players. It takes a while to get into, especially early on in the game. I enjoy the story, gameplay, and graphics in this game.

This was an interesting comparison to make. One game is meant for beginners, while the other is for people who are used to RPGs. Their gameplay is quite different, even if they’re both turn-based RPGs.

If you liked this post, please check out the other posts in my vs series. Such as Final Fantasy vs Final Fantasy Mystic Quest or Final Fantasy Mystic Quest and Dragon Quest.