Note: this review contains a few spoilers. They were written in white, so you will have to select them to see them.One thousand years have passed since Alis Landale, the legendary heroine, and her friends got Algo(l) rid of Lassic, the evil king, and Dark Falz (Force). During that period, a gigantic computer was built: the Mother Brain. Thanks to it, life was made so much easy for people in the solar system. Mota(via), once a desert planet, was now covered with lush vegetation and greenhouses. However, it seems that people have gotten too comfortable with their lives under the Mother Brain...You play Rolf, an agent for the Motavian government in the planetary capital of Paseo. Each night, you are haunted by the same nightmare, where you seem a courageous young women fight a very ugly monster. You can see and hear her, but you can't speak nor can she see you. As she is about to strike down the beast, you wake up in dread. But no use to pity about a dream; it's for children. Today, as you get to work, the governor of Mota comes to you, discreetly, to ask you to find about why monsters are appearing everywhere on the planet. Like everyone else, the Governor believes the Mother Brain can do no wrong, but these monsters are becoming too much to handle. He orders you to investigate the Biolab, west of Paseo.
?Right before leaving town, Nei block your way. You encountered this strange creature, the product of human cells and biomonsters, 7 months ago. You insist that she stays home, but she blocks your way... So you let her come.
As you make your way westward, you encounter a man who robs everyone of their money. Because his strength is much higher than yours, you try to find another way to the Biolab. East of Paseo, you encounter the ruined town of Arima, that was attacked by scoundrels. Some people say that Darum's daughter, Tiem was captured by the scoundrels and let eastward to Shure.
Taking your chances, you venture to that hideout and find a letter addressed to Darum, extorting him 50,000 mesetas or else they will kill his daughter! She is held hostage in Nido, where most scoundrels got killed by biomonsters. You re able to free her, and bring her to her father. Unfortunately, not aware it was her daughter, he kills her... before killing himself in despair.
Will you be able to find out why biomonsters have appeared in spite of the Mother Brain? Will other tragedies like Darum's happen again, and could they be related to the Mother Brain being out of whack somehow?
Graphics: 10/10
The game was launched in 1989, and was probably one of the most advanced games of the 16-bits era. Characters in the overworld have human proportions rather than being blobs of pixels with oversized heads (yes, I include Final Fantasy VI in the lot). Also, you actually see your characters attack the enemies rather than see them swing their weapons or see a sword swing. Enemies also move and attack you directly; they are now merely drawings like in the Final Fantasys flashing when they attack. Towns are also nicely detailed, and you actually see them all connected to the Mother Brain network, adding to the credibility of the story. Finally,?Spoiler:
the two planets (Motavia and Dezolis)
you will visit are nicely detailed and are logically drawn according to their climate
Sound: 9/10
Although not as varied as the average Final Fantasy game, Phantasy Star II has a pretty decent soundtrack. The main dungeon music (Advanced) has a very mysterious feel to it, whereas the other one (Mystery) has a more futuristic beat. The battle music sounds pretty epic, and the boss music (there is only one) sounds dramatic enough.
Addictiveness: 8/10
Despite the high level of difficulty and the lack of sidequests, the game is pretty addictive. Like most RPGs, you got left and right, pick up clues so you can move forward and kill monsters on the way. However, the way it is done in Phantasy Star II makes it very unique, as its space theme has rarely been replicated.
Story: 10/10
As pointed out in the intro, this game is the continuation of Phantasy Star I. Spoiler:
?At one point in the game, you will even encounter Lutz, the magician who helped Alis, and who will also help you (indirectly). The girl you see in your nightmare is actually Alis... your ancestor)
. Very few games can boast themselves for having such a coherent, continuous story.?
Although most characters have no depth whatsoever (one or two lines of dialogue when they barge into your house), Rolf is nicely detailed, and you even learn about his origins. Every quest you take will keep you at the edge of your seat, and the grand finale will completely shock you.
Depth : 9/10
The story is very imaginative and makes you dig real deep so you can find your clues/objects. Dungeons are very large and confusing, and you can easily spend 30 hours completing the game so you have everything you need to move forward. In the Phantasy Star universe, this chapter is probably the most interesting one.
Difficulty: 8/10
This point might discourage a few people from completing the game. When it was released, it came with an instruction manual that had a complete walkthrough... which I didn't get. And since there were no FAQs on the Internet (which was just starting when I got the game in 1994), running through the game was very long. I DID have to talk to everyone in every town and take notes, as missing the slightest detail could cause me to backtrack so I got the missing clue.
In conclusion, Phantasy Star II is an RPG every fan of the genre should try. Nicely drawn for its time, with a coherent, detailed story found in few games and an enjoyable soundtrack, it will surely keep you busy! 
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