Game #230: Phantasie

Phantasie was the very first role-playing game published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. or SSI for short. They would later go on to create the Gold Box series of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventures. It was released in 1985 for both the Apple II and the Commodore 64. In the following four years it would be developed for 9 other systems.

Phantasie was created by Winston Douglas Wood and sold more than 50,000 copies in North America making it very successful for SSI. It would remain the company’s best-selling Commodore 64 game through 1987. Game reviewers Hartley and Pattie Lesser in 1987 complimented the Atari ST version of Phantasie in their “The Role of Computers” column in Dragon #120 (1987), recommending that Atari ST owners should “consider Phantasie as a game well-worth their attention”. ANALOG Computing in 1988 called Phantasie and its sequel the best fantasy role-playing games for the Atari 8-bit. Computer Gaming World’s Scorpia called Phantasie “a surprisingly good little game, with many interesting features”. It would later spawn two sequels and a fourth game which was only released in Japan. A new Phantasie installment was also created by Winston Douglas Wood which you can now play for free online: Phantasie Game – Phantasie Resurrection.

Wood has stated in numerous interviews that both Wizardry and Ultima were inspirations when creating the Phantasie role-playing game, while basic mechanics of combat and character development were inspired by the table-top game RuneQuest. This would explain the broad mix of styles found in the game. There is a town window which allows for the purchasing of equipment, allows players to rest and use items, and to receive training and new spells. A top-down style dungeon crawl view which is very unique, a top-down world map very similar to those found in the Ultima games, and a completely separate combat window. Each character class has a unique fighting style and allows for different strategies in combat. The combat is turn-based and after combat experience and gold are awarded. Players have to return to town to purchase and train for their levels if they qualify for one.

Gameplay begins on the Isle of Gelnor and allows a group of six characters to adventure the countryside and try to defeat the evil Black Knights and their sorcerer leader, Nikademus. Players can choose between Fighter, Monk, Priest, Ranger, Thief, and Wizard and can also choose between the races Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Halfling and Human. There is a “random” choice feature which you can select which could also choose from ogre, troll, pixie, gnoll, orc, lizard man, minotaur, and other races.

I decided to create a roster that was composed of two combatants, a healer, a thief, and two spellcasters which translated into a Ranger, Fighter, Cleric, Thief, and two Wizards.

Characters have to be carrying gold pieces to pay for training, learning new spells, and buying new equipment. This means a trip to the Bank is in order and each character will have to make a Withdrawal.

Each character can only use one weapon, armor, and shield at a time. When you equip the character, you can see the point value of each item. So when you want to switch items it should have a higher point value than the previous item.

When your party leaves town the view switches to an overland wilderness view that is reminiscent of the Ultima and Questron games.

The real appealing thing for me about Phantasie are the dungeons that you explore.

There is quite a bit of text within the game. Each hallway and room comes with a description which feels very immersive and helps to create atmosphere. Each of the two dungeons that I have explored each have their own personality as well. When you first enter a dungeon, it appears as a blank piece of white paper. Hallways and rooms are revealed to you as you move about. When you leave the dungeon your progress in that dungeon is saved making Phantasie I the first game to introduce an automapping feature. My party is represented by the blue square up above and you can easily make out the icons which represent doors. The round circles represent fixed encounters which are always fun and unique. Thus far I have conversed with sages, found a lever to pull, a button to push, a pile of gold covered by a “gooey substance”, teleportation devices and so on. It is these encounters and the text descriptions throughout the entire dungeon which makes it feel much more immersive than a Wizardry game. The dungeons make the game highly addictive in my opinion and in 1985 I remember that this made the game feel closer to a table-top role-playing game than anything that has come before it.

The combat system is also extremely unique and nothing like the Wizardry and Bard’s Tale games. You have a unique combat window accompanied by animations. The combat is turn-based and each character can choose to attack, parry, or cast a spell. You can also avoid combat by begging for mercy (you lose all your gold), fleeing (which doesn’t always work and may provide monsters with a free attack), greeting them, or threatening them.

Players can find up to 20 different scrolls in the game sprinkled throughout the various dungeons. Each scroll provides the party with a bit of Gelnor’s history and provides the ultimate plot device for the party. Thus far I have found scrolls 1-3, 6-9, and 20.

Thus far I am reminded why I loved this game so much in my youth. Dungeons are varied and provide the players with a textured world rich with lore. The combat and level advancement are at least as difficult as both Wizardry and The Bard’s Tale thus far. Training to achieve levels requires quite a bit of gold which has been hard to find in any vast quantities. I have completely mapped out one dungeon and almost entirely done with the second dungeon as well. Despite the game being 40 years old this year, it’s siren’s song beckons me for further play.

Until next time…..