Final Fantasy Mystic Quest and Phantasy Star III don’t have much in common. Beyond having different settings, they have very little in common aside from turn based combat. This is another starter RPG vs one targeting older fans of the genre. One is also a more traditional sequel.
I have a newfound appreciation for both of these games. They have some things that I really enjoy, but for different reasons. When I first played them in the 1990s, I didn’t like either game. I revisited both of these games in the last five to ten years and had fun with both of them.
This should be a fun one. These two games have some things that help them stand out from the other games on their respective systems. One of them just happens to be trying something completely different from the other.
Because these are on the SNES and Genesis, I’ll be comparing the graphics a little more than I normally do. It has been interesting comparing these games to other RPGs, so I’m looking forward to comparing them with each other. Let’s get into their overviews.
Game Descriptions/Overviews
We have another matchup of a high fantasy game and a science fantasy game. These are normally fun because of the similarities between them. Some Final Fantasy games tend to have a little science fiction in them. Phantasy Star games usually alternate between pure science fiction and science fantasy.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is a high fantasy game where the player controls a solo protagonist. There is a revolving door of secondary characters who join your party and help to advance the plot. Your goal is to restore the light to four elemental crystals and eventually defeat an evil wizard who wants to take over the world.
Phantasy Star III is a science fantasy game with a story that is told over three generations of heroes. The game takes place on a spaceship that managed to escape the destruction of a planet in the second game. You have some control over how the story plays out, as you can choose which descendant you want to play as. The game ends like the other Phantasy Star games, with a fight against the source of all evil.
These are just brief descriptions of the two games. They do have a few things in common, but there are way more differences. Much of this has to do with one of them being a starter RPG. Let’s get into the main differences and the core mechanics.
Main Differences
There are a lot of big differences between these games. The more significant ones have to do with gameplay, setting, and storytelling. The graphics are also quite different as well. I’ll try to keep it to these four things, and if I think of anything else, I’ll add it at the end.
While these are both turn based RPGs, the gameplay is rather different. Phantasy Star III has a larger party and more playable characters, the battles are more complex, and it has more exploration. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest has a maximum of two party members, you’re locked into set paths on the world map, and there are more puzzle platform elements to its gameplay.
The settings are also quite different. Phantasy Star III takes place on a large spaceship and has a lot of science fiction elements in it. It is also much larger in scope than in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. The other game is a high fantasy setting, and I don’t remember if it has any science fiction in it. If it doesn’t, then it makes Final Fantasy Mystic Quest stand out a little more than it already does in the Final Fantasy series.
The way these games tell their story is quite different from each other. Final Fantasy takes a more traditional form of storytelling when it comes to console RPGs. It doesn’t really deviate from its plot all that much. Phantasy Star III is told in several parts, and the player has some control over how the story is told. There are four possible endings to it.
These games have rather different approaches in their graphical styles. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is more cartoonish, enemies change as they take damage, and cutscenes use in game graphics. Phantasy Star III is darker, enemies have attack animations, and the cutscenes are a mix of in game graphics and comic book style graphics.
Those are the main differences between them. There are a lot of other things that are minor. I’ll go over some of those in the next section as I go into the core mechanics of the games. There will be some overlap between that section and this one.
Comparing Core Mechanics (Combat, Story, Visuals, etc)
These games have a few core mechanics in common. Their combat isn’t all that different, but their stories and visuals are quite different. If I think of anything else, I’ll add that in.
Both games are turn based RPGs where you control a party of characters. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest only has two party members, and one of them can be set on automatic. You also don’t fight many enemies at once. Phantasy Star III has more complex battles as you fight more enemies and have more party members to control.
The stories are very different in tone and complexity. Phantasy Star III is a serious game with a darker setting. It is also much more complex, as you have more side quests and have to find your party members in each generation. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is more comedic and cartoonish. It is a much more linear game.
These games have very different visual styles. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is bright, colorful, and cartoonish. Phantasy Star III’s graphics are muted and dark. It also uses comic book cutscenes to tell its story, which are very good looking.
There are more differences between these games. In an effort not to repeat myself too often, I skipped a few that I’ve already addressed or will do so later. Let’s get into what each game does better than the other.
What Does Final Fantasy Mystic Quest do Better?
There are a few things that I can think of for this section. The variety of gameplay, being able to replay a battle right away, seeing enemies in the dungeons, and having enemy sprites change as they take damage are all improvements over what is in Phantasy Star III. Many of these are quality of life improvements, which is really all I have at this point.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest has quite a few puzzle platform sections in it. This helps to make the gameplay a little more interesting, as every weapon you get has a secondary function outside of combat. Stuff like this was a little rare in the genre at the time this game was released. You’ll need every weapon to get through the game, and they upgrade automatically.
I like being able to replay a battle if I die. It is something that I didn’t know I would like, and I did at times. More often than not, I lost a battle because I left my other party member on automatic.
Seeing the enemies in a dungeon is great. It lets you avoid some battles that you don’t want to fight. It was never a huge problem for me, but I liked having the option.
Having the enemies change as they take damage is great! This helps out a lot during boss fights as it lets you know how well you’re doing and how close victory is. I wish every RPG had done something like this.
Those are the things that I think Final Fantasy Mystic Quest does better. Most of these are quality of life improvements, because I don’t think there is anything significantly better in this game. Let’s get into what Phantasy Star III does better.
What Does Phantasy Star III do Better?
There are a lot of things that Phantasy Star III does better than Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. It has better gameplay, a better story, and I like the cutscenes. There are a lot of other things in this game that are better, but I want to keep this brief.
I like being able to explore the game’s world more, the combat is more strategic, and having more playable characters is much better. I just like having more characters in m y party, and the way everything is set up. Also, grinding for levels is something I find relaxing, and there is plenty of that in this game.
Phantasy Star III’s story is more enjoyable for me. It helps that this is from my favorite series of RPGs. I like that it follows the story of refugees from the solar system, and that they’ve been in space for so long that they’ve turned their origin into a myth in some ways.
While the cutscenes in this game aren’t as good as in the other games in the series, they’re better than not having them. I do like how the game uses these. The endings are particularly good.
I could keep going on stuff like this. Phantasy Star III has a lot of advantages over Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. There are a great number of things that I enjoy more about Phantasy Star III, but I want to keep this brief. Let’s get into which is better overall, and which I would rather play.
Which is Better Overall and Why?
Phantasy Star III is the better game overall. It has the better story, graphics, and gameplay. This wasn’t a hard decision. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is a starter RPG; it isn’t going to be as good as one for a more experienced player. If these were the first games I’d ever played, I might’ve had a different reaction than I do now.
Phantasy Star III’s story is told in three parts, and being able to control what ending you get is great! The story is more serious, and I like how the political situation on this spaceship is explained. There is also a lot of lore about how these people got to where they’re in the game, and how Dark Force made its way onto the spaceship.
When I compare the graphics, I like the overall look of Phantasy Star III more. Specifically, I like the comic book cutscenes. This is something I’ve mentioned with most of the Phantasy Star games, because I really like how Sega did this. While these aren’t the best in the series, they’re better than what is offered in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest.
The gameplay is more of what I want from a console RPG. Being able to explore the game’s world and grind for levels is what I like in games like this. Phantasy Star III is also a more challenging game with a larger cast of playable characters.
I didn’t have to think about this too much. There aren’t too many RPGs that aren’t going to be better than Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. Phantasy Star III has a lot going for it, and it was the game that I had more fun with.
Which Would I Rather Play?
This is one of those cases where I would like to revisit both games. There is one more ending I would like to see in Phantasy Star III, and I just want to play Final Fantasy Mystic Quest again. I had enough fun with both games that I can’t say which I want to revisit more.
Both stories were great, and I like them for different reasons. Phantasy Star III is a very unique story when you look at other console video games from the early 1990s. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is like a watered down version of the first game in the mainline series, which is something that I like. It is also a goofier story.
I like the gameplay in each game. Phantasy Star III is more of a traditional console RPG, which is something that I enjoy quite a bit. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest uses puzzle platform sections to enhance its gameplay. They each bring something a little different to the table, which is why I like both of them.
The only thing I can do is to put these two games in order. Phantasy Star III is the one I would play first, if I had to choose. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest isn’t for everyone, which is perfectly fine. It is a game that I enjoyed when I went back to play it.
Conclusion
These are both games that I have newfound appreciation for. They’re much better than I first thought when I tried them back in the 1990s and 2000s. I’m glad that I gave each of them a second chance, because I did have fun with them.
At the end of the day, Phantasy Star III is the better game overall. It has more of what I want from a retro RPG, and some unique things that help it stand out from other games released that year. It’s also a Phantasy Star game. I really like this series, and I tend to enjoy the games more than other retro games.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is more of an interesting curiosity. The story of why it exists is pretty interesting from a historical perspective. I like the gameplay, even if it isn’t as good as the other RPGs out there. I do like this one more than some people, and I don’t really understand the vitriol that is directed at it.
I’m getting to the point in this series where I’m starting to forget what I’ve done and what I want to do next. There are a few that I still need to circle back to, so I can see how they stack up to the ones I’ve already done. There are a few interesting matchups to come, and I hope that they’ll be fun to write about.
If you liked this post, check out the other posts in this series. Such as, Robotrek vs Final Fantasy Mystic Quest or Robotrek vs Phantasy Star.