tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post209277991147619808..comments2024-03-19T01:35:47.501-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Game 15: Phantasie (1985)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-67461560829077862192023-12-30T07:27:00.773-05:002023-12-30T07:27:00.773-05:00Just a note that the Phantasie series is on GOG no...Just a note that the Phantasie series is on GOG now. Fired up the first one last night and wow yeah the graphics are...dated. I played it on the C64 in my youth; it didn't look that much better but every little bit helps with these older titles, I guess.<br /><br />This was the first party-based CRPG I played. Our version was cracked and had already been played through, so there was an insanely powerful party already on the disc; I tinkered with them for a while then rolled up my own party. For some reason I always had to have a lizard man.<br /><br />Since we didn't have the manual (had to learn what spells did what by trial and error as in the C64 version they were only ID'd by number) I sort of free-formed my play, making use of the guild system to form parties of varying membership and pretending they were exploring Gelnor in a manner similar to how I guess people today play "sandbox" RPG campaigns at the tabletop. So I never finished the game, just explored everything I could.KenHRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11613789646908929989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-6646747457472080372023-07-26T03:39:01.407-04:002023-07-26T03:39:01.407-04:00P1 was a great game for novices in Crpgs, was fun,...P1 was a great game for novices in Crpgs, was fun, easy and the lore scrolls was great for atmosphere gaming.Lord Sothnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-11100194065610733992018-10-19T03:08:01.941-04:002018-10-19T03:08:01.941-04:00DOS version has best graphics imho. I love that CG...DOS version has best graphics imho. I love that CGA palette :DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-87116589857132527662017-12-12T19:27:49.254-05:002017-12-12T19:27:49.254-05:00I played Phantasie many moons ago in the 80's ...I played Phantasie many moons ago in the 80's about the same time I was playing the original Atari 8-bit version of Alternate Reality. Played the Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit and PC versions. Absolutely loved this game! Played Phantasie II as well.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17254281503833126007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-50982378740138922232016-09-13T10:28:47.961-04:002016-09-13T10:28:47.961-04:00Your intro to this post is exactly why I wrote a b...Your intro to this post is exactly why I wrote a book to introduce (and re-introduce) folks to the C64 with an emphasis on emulation and how-tos. But I see that since this review you have indeed moved on to much greener (no pun intended) pastures than the awful IBM Purple-Cyan has to offer! Good on you for the effort. On this title, Phantasie is one of my favorites due to the way it holds up today. On screen text, no difficult keyboard commands or having to mix reagents (Ultima 4 looking at you) etc. Also love the odd character races. All in all very playable!Robinson Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05933028236743527613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-44303530689249102042015-02-18T15:37:04.474-05:002015-02-18T15:37:04.474-05:00Wow. That's an interesting revelation. I'd...Wow. That's an interesting revelation. I'd been under this misapprehension for 5 years, and no one corrected me in this game or in <i>Phantasie III</i>. The Internet bears out what you say. I need to make some strategic edits.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-76201787400676212452015-02-18T01:21:37.997-05:002015-02-18T01:21:37.997-05:00The final fight in Phantasie isn't with Nikade...The final fight in Phantasie isn't with Nikademus, it's with the Black Lord, the leader of the Black Knights.<br /><br />In Phantasie II, there is no big bad guy for a final encounter. The goal of the game is to find and destroy the Orb of Nikademus.<br /><br />Nikademus is the final fight of Phantasie III. It's the only time you fight him in the entire series.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-63541305463012099702014-04-29T20:52:56.395-04:002014-04-29T20:52:56.395-04:00Yup, Zeus runs. You have to go to the Minotaur tem...Yup, Zeus runs. You have to go to the Minotaur temple and deface his statue: he shows up and attacks you. There is a small but non-zero chance of getting a good armor or weapon from the fight as well. Generally you'd be close to winning by the time you could do this, though.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03023510621095565685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-36190934491479285132013-09-12T21:39:16.928-04:002013-09-12T21:39:16.928-04:00I played this on the Apple II. I agree. Kill Zeus ...I played this on the Apple II. I agree. Kill Zeus for more gold. It might be hard at first. Some people told me you won't get God armor or weapons afterward but I haven't seen it.<br />Or if you want to be cynical about it, create new characters, swap them out with some of the weaker ones and bring them on raids around the lower level towns. The game tries to average out the strength of the monsters so you'll get some strong creatures and a few weak ones. Don't give the new guy any gold or exp. Then go back to town and dump them. <br />If you want to be cynical about it.Techsplatterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02070484602658950547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-32210431737930313182013-08-01T13:20:03.475-04:002013-08-01T13:20:03.475-04:00Two items: Yes I used to kill Zeus repeatedly on C...Two items: Yes I used to kill Zeus repeatedly on C64 back when I was ~12 years old. Six character casting spell 8 would usually do it.<br /><br />Secondly, this blog has inspired me to try this. I found WinVice and some old C64 disk images. Whenever I hit the second pool my game gets corrupt - 'inspect' in town crashes the program and the game will literally no longer boot into saved game after that. Anyone have any advice?<br /><br />PS - *Thanks* for the many walks down wonderful memories with your blog.<br /><br />-BruceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22870347742880942732013-04-13T00:32:42.934-04:002013-04-13T00:32:42.934-04:00Huh. Well, it's been a long time since I playe...Huh. Well, it's been a long time since I played the game, so clearly I'm forgetting some mechanic that made that possible.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-2954270894497451542013-04-12T10:45:45.527-04:002013-04-12T10:45:45.527-04:00I used to go to kill Zeus regularly on the PC and ...I used to go to kill Zeus regularly on the PC and stocked up on the God items ;)<br /><br />I remember being shocked that I could attack and kill a God. Flamebolt IV, Quickness IV, Confusion IV, and Protection IV was absolute necessities for survival. Not to mention Resurrection and HealingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-41866681446595466452013-03-22T14:18:26.499-04:002013-03-22T14:18:26.499-04:00If you say so. I was pretty sure that the only tim...If you say so. I was pretty sure that the only time I encountered Zeus, it was in a cut-scene and there wouldn't have been any way to kill him. Maybe there were platform differences.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68475645185468046102013-03-22T13:50:40.536-04:002013-03-22T13:50:40.536-04:00I remember having the gold issue but I found a way...I remember having the gold issue but I found a way to gain a lot of gold, but at an kind of expensive way.....<br /><br />Kill Zeus.<br /><br />Yes, I played this game in an ATARI 130XE and at first, I thought it was not possible, but with a high level enough party that are lucky enough to dodge the dozen attacks he does, it is possible to kill him. <br /><br />Just be careful not to drop your constitution to zero when reviving.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-33781117724007153522013-01-18T18:25:46.908-05:002013-01-18T18:25:46.908-05:00I never played the first two, but I have been play...I never played the first two, but I have been playing Phantasie III on my Hewlett-Packard Pentium from the mid-1990s (which for all the grief the company received, has made a wonderfully sturdy DOS machine) for brief spurts of a few days at a time for about a decade, and I have to say that the game really is always somewhat satisfying. It swings wildly between overly challenging and completely non-challenging in some locations, but as you said, unlike games like Wizardry you can at least bail out if you feel like something unforgivably awful has happened, even if you cannot always guarantee that your good progress will be kept (a fair trade-off, really).<br /><br />It is also funny how Phantasie III looks noticeably better than Phantasie despite both games being in CGA. I did not realize there were really levels of CGA quality, haha.Quarexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-12038300075139947612012-04-18T11:00:45.073-04:002012-04-18T11:00:45.073-04:00Phantasie is one of my favorite "obscure"...Phantasie is one of my favorite "obscure" CRPG series. Since I played on an Atari ST, I also got to experience Phantasie 2 and Phantasie 3. Phantasie 3 was noteworthy because of the quest (in the end, you have to travel to the underworld, making your way through a maze of lava to fight the god Pluto) and the mechanics: in combat, critical hits could result in severing limbs. So as you progressed in the game, your characters would show their battle scars in the form of missing limbs. It was exceedingly rare that a given character would survive to the end of the game unblemished in this way. So the veteran party would contain at least half grizzled amputees, hurling spells and imprecations in the face of Pluto. The Phantasie series - and particularly Phantasie 3 - are some of my favorite CRPGs of all time. It's been quite frustrating that, every time I've checked, there has been no emulation of Phantasie 3 anywhere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-47700482188145217962011-03-23T04:34:48.705-04:002011-03-23T04:34:48.705-04:00try this:
http://www.virtualapple.org/2listP.html
...try this:<br />http://www.virtualapple.org/2listP.html<br /><br />it's an "online" emulator for the apple iie/iigs systems; there's also one for the atari 2600cavalier973https://www.blogger.com/profile/16018249706585207161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-50716996178136432102011-01-25T22:35:59.119-05:002011-01-25T22:35:59.119-05:00woot!!! Thanks so much for replying. I installed...woot!!! Thanks so much for replying. I installed 0.73 and it works with the sound. <br /><br />Thanks so much for your blog. I played this when I got my first PC and had fond memories of it. and seeing you play all these golden oldies like the 7 spirits of ra (almost no one knew that game) has made me yearn to do the same. <br /><br />I probably won't finish even 1/4 of the games you do but... for a few hours at least I get to relive my teenage years.emylnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10894010421893277649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26843625435842975582011-01-25T20:06:29.684-05:002011-01-25T20:06:29.684-05:00Emlyn, I'm using 0.73 and having no problems....Emlyn, I'm using 0.73 and having no problems. I didn't do anything special to the configuration either--just using the defaults. I suck at solving problems like this, though. I usually just Google them until I figure it out.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68905734822927116582011-01-25T13:33:25.219-05:002011-01-25T13:33:25.219-05:00A little late but... I just started Phantasie usin...A little late but... I just started Phantasie using DosBox 0.74, but there's no sound at all. I know the sound for the game was minimal at best but... not having any sound is a downer.<br /><br />Anyone have any suggestions?emylnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10894010421893277649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-77408676062261723002010-12-07T23:13:45.065-05:002010-12-07T23:13:45.065-05:00Your ogre's cost for training was higher due t...Your ogre's cost for training was higher due to the charisma score.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-88696767842378696042010-04-18T01:23:26.825-04:002010-04-18T01:23:26.825-04:00Thanks, guys. Acrin, when I replayed Ultima IV abo...Thanks, guys. Acrin, when I replayed Ultima IV about six years ago, I used the DOS version, but some fans had made a patch with the original music plus improved graphics. Ultima IV is coming up for me, so I'll post that link when I come across it, in case you want to try it on another platform.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42193351675624643042010-04-15T14:02:44.465-04:002010-04-15T14:02:44.465-04:00Hi,
Enjoying your blog a lot. Phantasie is one of...Hi,<br /><br />Enjoying your blog a lot. Phantasie is one of those games I've never really sat down and tried to play through properly but I think I'll give it another try after reading your comments here.<br /><br />Regarding playing versions other than the MSDOS ones it can be a pain getting some of the emulators to work. I'm currently working my way through the C64 version of Ultima IV as I've never completed the game and its working very smoothly but I'm using a fan modified version that fits on a single disk rather than the original 4 disk version. Part of the Ultima games for me has always been the music which I think the C64 version does really well. <br /><br />Keep the posts coming. Looking forward to some of the later games you'll cover.Acrin1http://www.crpgdev.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-28832512989828709602010-04-13T01:34:04.966-04:002010-04-13T01:34:04.966-04:00Wow what a great game and quite a nice write-up. W...Wow what a great game and quite a nice write-up. We had this little baby on the Atari ST and I have fond memories of trying to raise my stats to be able to use Fireflash IV and kill the Black Knights. It isn't original in story, but it certainly is an overlooked gem that deserves much more attention and praise than it has received in the past. Your post helps quite a bit.8bitjeffhttp://www.8bitrocket.comnoreply@blogger.com