Phantasy Star IV: Difference between revisions
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''Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Milennium'' is a direct sequel to the second ''[[
Generally considered to be the apex of the original tetraology for a number of reasons (not the least of which was the more advanced technology behind the game allowing for a ''much'' more expansive and better-produced experience than its predecessors), and more arguably the best game of the entire franchise. Certainly it's one of the highest-reviewed entries and holds a special place in the hearts of longtime fans.
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The tech for the game did require a very expensive cart. The game was first sold at ''double'' the average for games at the time. Fortunately, the game has since been released on several compilations, and is available on the [[Virtual Console]], each at a fraction of that price.
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{{tropelist}}
* [[Abusive Precursors]]: The advanced, space-faring civilisation of the first two games was reduced to Precursor status by the cataclysmic ending of ''[[
* [[Action Girl]]: Alys, Rika, Demi, and to a lesser extent Kyra all qualify.
* [[Adventurer Archaeologist]]: Seth, who has some pretty potent skills for an old dude who just wants to poke around an abandoned ruin.
* [[After the End]]: A milennium after the destruction of Mother Brain.
* [[Amazing Technicolor Battlefield]]: The entire final dungeon appears to be some sort of flashing lava lamp dimension.
* [[Arbitrary Skepticism]]: Alys refers to Zio as a "Fake Magician", even though Alys knows perfectly well magic is real and has no reason to doubt Zio has magic and it's never brought up again. Surprisingly not a translation error.
* [[Artificial Human]]: Rika.
* [[Awesome Yet Practical]]: The various instant-kills of the game never work on bosses, and the vast majority only work on certain (very large) subsets of enemies. Within these limits, they work surprisingly often, and as most have their own quantity of uses, employing them generally doesn't limit a character's ability to do anything else. So, during long dungeon crawls, instant-kill attacks are an effective way to ''preserve'' a party's strength for the boss.
** Many [[Combination Attack|Combination Attacks]] are also this, as they're generally less-expensive ways to wipe out random encounters and/or do large amounts of damage to bosses.
* [[Back
* [[Batman Can Breathe in Space]]: Averted and played straight. When first arriving at the Air Castle, which is floating amidst the asteroid field of debris that is the remains of the planet Parma, the party is genuinely surprised to find a breathable atmosphere waiting for them. However, on the artificial satellites Kuran and Zelan, there are a number of places traversed by Chaz and Co. that look directly upon the vacuum of space and aren't visibly enclosed in any meaningful way.
* [[Batman Gambit]]: A client in one of the guild missions tries to pull one off by {{spoiler|siccing some hired hunters onto the head honcho of a flock of birds he himself bred. He assumed the hunters would be defeated and his fellow villagers would be encouraged to leave the flock alone}}. It backfires on him, since the hunters he hired just got back from fighting an [[Eldritch Abomination]].
** Incidentally, his choice of words ("head honcho bird") was mercilessly lampooned in the [[Let's Play]] run of PSIV.
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** Early in the game, Infantworms would burrow under the ground and either call mommy or grow up really, really fast, as you'd find yourself facing a [[Sand Worm]] that you were most likely ill-equipped to fight at that point. This occurs after an optional mission involving a sand worm fight, and so the player may expect the battle to go at least similarly or, more likely, with greater ease. [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown|Turns out it doesn't quite happen that way.]]
** (Much) later on, you'd encounter the [[Unfortunate Names|Prophallus]], and boy, was he a [[Incredibly Lame Pun|hard one]]. Who knew that a monster with only one attack could mop the floor with your [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]] so effortlessly? Then again, with a name like his, he must have had the living [[Small Reference Pools|falz]] teased out of him on the demon playground as a kid. All that resentment's gotta go somewhere.
*** That monster's name in the Japanese version is [[Eldritch Abomination|Dark]] [[Phantasy Star
* [[Broken Bridge]]: Quite a few, though generally not solved with "fixing the bridge." The more common solution is {{spoiler|"now we've got a super-high-tech vehicle that obviates the obstruction."}}
* [[Bruiser
* [[But Now I Must Go]]: Everyone leaves to return to their lives at the game's end. {{spoiler|But this applies to Rune more than the others, as he as to pass on Lutz' essence to future generations.}}
* [[Butt Monkey]]: Hahn, [[The Smart Guy]], is this for the first part of the game.
* [[Calling the Old Man Out|Calling the Old God Out]]: Chaz gets this combined with a [[World of Cardboard Speech]] during Le Roof's [[Exposition Break]]. {{spoiler|When informed of the whole cosmological conflict between the Great Light and the Profound Darkness, Chaz [[Deconstruction|points out]] the [[Unfortunate Implications|less-than-optimal consequences]] of the Great Light's [[Sealed Evil in
* [[Call a Rabbit
* [[Combat Medic]]: Rika.
* [[Combination Attack]]: Certain combinations of techniques and/or skills will result in these as long as nobody else acts in between the involved characters' turns. Results in a
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* [[Cool Big Sis]]: Kyra views herself as this towards Chaz.
* [[Cool Old Guy]]: Raja, who is also a [[Deadpan Snarker]].
* [[Cosmic Horror Story]]: This game reveals that {{spoiler|the Algo System is the padlock on a dimensional cage sealing the Profound Darkness. Palmans, Motavians, and Dezorians were created by the Great Light to prevent the Profound Darkness from breaking free--and that the reign of Lassic and the destruction of Palma by the Earthlings were just a part of its attempts to escape. Chaz is not happy with this, though he ultimately stands against the Darkness anyway.}}
* [[Crutch Character]]: Alys is much more powerful than the other early game characters at first, but even leaving aside {{spoiler|the fact that you lose her after her [[Plotline Death]]}}, her growth curve is such that other characters quickly catch up if you [[Level Grinding]].
** Not to mention Rune, when he first joints the party; he's capable of wiping out screenfuls of enemies with a single attack and comes with a weapon that can be used as an unlimited supply of healing spells. Taking a moment to level grind with a macro that starts with someone using the Wood-Cane and Rune casting Hewn or Gra is a very easy exploit.
* [[Cute Monster Girl]]: Rika.
* [[Cutscene Power to
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Raja first and foremost, but Alys and Rune also have their moments.
* [[Decoy Protagonist]]: {{spoiler|Alys. Considering how similar her name is to the protagonist of the first game, you'd think she was the main character, wouldn't you? Beside, she's usually swapped into the first character slot when she joins and acts like a leader.}}
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* [[Disc One Final Dungeon]]: Nurvus, {{spoiler|especially since all of the plot development up to that point indicates the problems will be solved once through. Veterans of the series would understand that the lack of space travel would indicate the game isn't over, leading to the second [[Disc One Final Dungeon]] at the Kuran satellite. After vanquishing Dark Force and restoring order to Algol's rogue climate-control systems, it might almost seem like the game was over. Nope.}}
** {{spoiler|....and then they do it ''again'' with Garuberk Tower.}}
* [[
* [[Does This Remind You of Anything?]]: [[Robot Girl|De]][[Ridiculously Human Robot|mi]] asks for everyone else to turn their back to her and close their eyes while she installs a new weapons system. Chaz lampshades this with his confusion at the request.
** It must be stated that this secret weapon just so happens to be installed in her ''chest'' of all places, oddly enough.
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* [[Good Bad Translation]]: Some links between this title and previous games, along with a few [[Mythology Gag|Mythology Gags]], are lost in the western version due to [[Dub Name Change|Dub Name Changes]], plot rewrites, etc, such as when Mother Brain is moaning for "Forn" (Fuoren, Wren in the US version) when she is defeated.
* [[Good Is Not Nice]]: {{spoiler|The Great Light and its followers aren't ''evil'', but they're not ''nice'' either. While they're supportive to Chaz and company, and aid them with the necessary equipment to stand against the Profound Darkness, they also require that Chaz's group go through tests of physical and magical combat to prove themselves.}} Le Roof is sweet, though.
** Re-Faze, {{spoiler|of all the guardians of Rykros}}, is the most literal example of a [[Jerk
▲** Re-Faze, {{spoiler|of all the guardians of Rykros}}, is the most literal example of a [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold]]. {{spoiler|Just as long as you say no to his offer.}}
* [[Good Shepherd]]: Raja.
* [[Guest Star Party Member]]: Seth; Rune during his first stint with the party arguably also qualifies.
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* [[Heroic BSOD]]: Chaz has several over the course of the game, with the first coming right after {{spoiler|the death of Alys}}.
* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: {{spoiler|Alys}} saves Chaz' life by leaping in front of an attack intended for him.
* [[Hijacked
* [[History Repeats]]: The opening sequence involving the investigation of Motavia Academy is actually [[Older Than They Think|older than you might suspect]]; a very similar event happened in ''Phantasy Star II Text Adventures,'' with Hugh Thompson as a student of Motavia University investigating a biomonster infestation at the behest of the principal.
** In fact, the monster Hugh had to take care of WAS an Igglanova (the boss critter in
* [[A Homeowner Is You]]: You can stay at your house in Aiedo for free. Contains traces of [[An Interior Designer Is You]] since you can display souvenir items from a local tourist trap inside.
* [[Hopeless Boss Fight]]: The first fight against Zio. It ends when {{spoiler|Zio fires a Dark Wave in Chaz's direction and [[Heroic Sacrifice|Alys pushes him out of the way]], leading to her [[Plotline Death]].}}
** {{spoiler|Re-Faze. Though in this case it is ''not'' part of the storyline, but a result of choosing poorly to its [[Schmuck Bait|offer]]. You are still ''taught'' Megid in a sense... by having it used on you to your death. Without cheating, it is impossible to win because Re-Faze has more HP than any other enemy in the game, is faster than Chaz, and does nothing but spam Megid endlessly.}}
* [[Humanoid Abomination]]: Many basic enemies are (sometimes very visibly) organic nightmare humanoids, with the "[[Phantasy Star Online
* [[I Choose to Stay]]: {{spoiler|Rika in the ending.}}
* [[Ineffectual Loner]]: Inverted with Kyra; she tries to take on the carnivorous trees guarding Garuberk Tower by herself, which doesn't go well, but not because she doesn't understand [[The Power of Friendship]]; it's because she was so pissed at how her friends were suffering that she couldn't stop herself. Luckily, [[Take Your Time|no matter how long it takes you to show up]] [[Big Damn Heroes|the party comes to her rescue]].
* [[Kleptomaniac Hero]]: Averted / [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]]; if you attempt to steal from peoples' houses, Chaz will remark that "it's not very nice to look through other peoples' cabinets without their permission" - the only exception is the cabinet in his own room, which [[Kleptomaniac Hero, Found Underwear|contains only underwear]].
* [[Leaning
* [[Let's Play]]: This game took on legendary status on the [[Something Awful]] forums as the first three attempts at an LP failed.
* [[Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards]]: Subverted; when he first joins your party, Rune is of a [[A Taste of Power|much higher level]] than the other party members and can pretty much tear through any [[Mooks]] you encounter on his lonesome. When he later re-joins the party, they've caught up, and while he remains powerful until the end of the game, he's not noticeably moreso than the other characters.
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* [[Magic Knight]]: Chaz eventually evolves into one; Kyra can be one too.
* [[The Man Behind the Man]]: {{spoiler|The Profound Darkness.}}
* [[The Medic]]: Raja
* [[Mega Neko]]: {{spoiler|Myau.}}
* [[Miser Advisor]]: Alys.
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* [[Oh Crap]]: There are two closeups of Chaz in the game where his face says exactly this. The first one is when Zio launches a [[Death Ray]] (literally) right at him. The second one is played for laughs as the group's shuttle is about to crash, but for some reason only Chaz is thoroughly freaking out over it.
** [[Fridge Brilliance|He's the only one in the party who has no experience with spacefaring technology.]]
* [[Ominous Floating Castle]]: The [[Exactly What It Says
* [[Only in It For
** Rune, however, implied that Alys was always fighting for more than just money, so maybe she would have helped anyway if Hahn had stood up to her instead of forking over the cash immediately.
* [[Path of Inspiration]]: Zio's [[Cult]].
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* [[Precision F-Strike]]: Had some profanity, but at appropriate moments, and done rather tastefully. One of the villians even lampshades it.
* [[Precision-Guided Boomerang]]: Alys and Kyra are wicked accurate with boomerangs and slicers. They do miss from time to time (Kyra more often than Alys) but it's seldom and the weapon type has the benefit of targeting all present enemies with every attack. You're almost guaranteed to hit at least one of your targets and in those cases where there's a single target and every hit counts (e.g. boss battles), they're going to be using other tactics anyway.
* [[Puzzle Boss]]: The [[When Trees Attack|carnivorous trees]] on Dezoris cannot be fought normally. Instead, one has to take the Eclipse Torch from one of the temples and [[Kill It
* [[Quicksand Sucks]]: It's all over the place on Motavia, acting as a [[Broken Bridge]] preventing you from reaching certain areas until you reach the appropriate point in the plot.
* [[Recurring Boss]]: {{spoiler|1=Dark Force and Lassic/LaShiec.}}
* [[Red Baron]]: Alys the Eight Stroke Sword, or for an alternate translation, Rip-Their-Guts-Out Lyla.
* [[Red Oni, Blue Oni]]: After Rune sheds his [[Jerkass]] facade and rejoins the group, he and Chaz become this, with Chaz as red and Rune as blue. (even reflected by the color of their clothes) This principle also holds true for the main group as a whole, with Chaz and Rika forming the heart of the group and Rune and Wren being the brains and experience.
* [[Refusal of the Call]]/[[Ten
* [[Ridiculously Human Robot]]: Wren and Demi; NPC robots tend to be less so.
** Wren, being an older droid created for maintaining the system from an otherwise abandoned space station, is ridiculously human insofar as he has a human face, has hair, and is humanoid; he's also ridiculously tall and most of his body is geometric and metallic so he ''looks'' like he's made out of parts. Demi, on the other hand, is so human-like she refuses to install hardware into herself while others are watching and squees like a fangirl over big vehicles.
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* [[Saintly Church]]: The Dezorian churches, as a contrast to Zio's cult.
* [[Sand Worm]]: The [[Boss in Mook Clothing|most powerful enemy]] you're likely to encounter during the early-to-middle stages of the game; they have A LOT of hit points and an attack which can quite easily result in a [[Total Party Wipe]] if you're not at full strength.
* [[Sealed Evil in
* [[Sealed Good in
* [[Secret Test of Character]]: {{spoiler|Re-Faze and the Anger Tower in Rkyros. Re-Faze does a pretty nasty thing by separating Chaz from his party, then forcing Chaz to fight a copy of Alys, his dead mentor. Then Re-Faze offers to teach Chaz [[Last-Disc Magic|Megid]]. If Chaz doesn't refuse, Re-Faze [[Hopeless Boss Fight|will kill him]].}}
* [[Shields Are Useless]]: Similar to [[
** This is subverted, however, by some equipment strategies for [[Squishy Wizard|Rune]] and [[White Mage|Raja]] that advocate them using two shields as opposed to their (only) other option, staves. While this does prevent them from having a basic attack, their basic attack is all but useless, anyway, and in exchange they become the toughest party members despite their low HP.
* [[Shoulders of Doom]]: Zio. Also Juza {{spoiler|and Lashiec.}}
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** Dezoris makes some degree of sense, {{spoiler|and Rykros (barring the structures) looks a lot like what a planet with an impossibly atypical orbit that spends the vast majority of its time exposed to pitifully tiny amounts of radiation from its primary ought to... though that then means that [[Batman Can Breathe in Space|Chaz and Co. Can Breathe In Space]], as the snow on the ground would be frozen air.}}
* [[Skilled but Naive]]: Rika is a [[Action Girl|tremendous physical fighter]] and [[Combat Medic|healing magic expert]], but she's about as unworldly as you'd expect of someone who's spent the only year she's been alive in an underground laboratory.
* [[So Long and Thanks For All
* [[The Spock]]: Wren. He attempts to calm down a panicking Chaz by reminding him not to let his blood pressure get too high...while they're in the middle of CRASHING THEIR SPACESHIP.
* [[Spock Speak]]: Wren, being a fairly old maintenance droid who hardly ever interacts with humanoids, speaks like this. Demi, on the other hand, speaks much more casually.
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