Phantasy Star Online 2 is a downloadable MMORPG from the developers over at Sega, the same team behind the classic Sonic The Hedgehog, along with the Phantasy Star franchise. Originally released on the 4th July 2012, Phantasy Star Online 2 is an MMORPG that is currently available on PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, PC, and PS4. The game plays like an action-RPG crossed with an MMO, with a nice combination of sci-fi and fantasy all rolled into one.
How to Download Phantasy Star Online 2
You can download this anime MMORPG game from the Japanese digital Stores as it has not been released outside of Japan yet. To start downloading click on the Download link below the review. Luckily there is an English patch available.
If you like JRPG games be sure to also download and check out SoulWorker, Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom or Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age.
The Game Review
The Story
The story focuses on a colony fleet called Oracle which travels across the stars in search of a new, hospitable planet to settle on. You play as one of the new members of an organization that’s there to help see through with this goal all the way to the end. As time goes on, the story eventually unravels more and more and demonstrates to you that your actions are soon going to impact the fate of Oracle and quite possibly the very fabric of the universe itself if they’re not too careful.
Considering the age of the game at this point, Sega have managed to come out with five different episodes for the story, with each one following on from the last perfectly for anyone that’s looking for a good chunk of story with their MMO’s.
The Gameplay
Playing like an action-RPG, the combat involves you running around out in the open, dodging attacks that come your way, and creating your own combos through a combination of light and combo attacks. On top of these basic attacks, you can acquire new skills by finding them as loot pick-ups or quest rewards from NPC’s, giving you the option to farm for new skills and abilities, of which can be upgraded.
Skills
Skills can be placed in an order of 3, allowing you to go through each one in that specific order, so if a skill is a little bit too slow for you to engage a fight with, throw it onto the end of the set to end it with. This makes for an intriguing take on the overall combat that not many MMO’s make use of.
Phantasy Star Online 2: the Player Houses
An interesting inclusion to the game which is particularly popular over in the East is the inclusion of house building, something which Phantasy Star Online 2 makes good use of. Your house is designed as an instance, where you can furnish it however you please and invite friends over to take a look at it for you. You can even take part in guild housing, which will allow you to build a house with your guild.
Phantasy Star Online 2 Characters
A big part of the game is the character customization, which has 1,000’s of different character customization options in terms of outfits and whatnot, many of which are from other Sega games.
Similar Games
In terms of comparisons, the game has taken a lot of inspiration from previous Phantasy Star games, especially the previous Online entry and games like Tera and anime MMORPG’s to fall back on with a lot of its visual and gameplay choices.
The Bottom Line
Anyone that’s on the lookout for a fun MMORPG that doesn’t require you to be a die-hard player, all the while getting the chance to explore an interesting set of environments with an intriguing story, then this is a great MMO to pick up and try out.
