Sega’s Original ‘Phantasy Star’ Now Available For Nintendo Switch

The latest addition to the Sega Ages classic game lineup has arrived for Nintendo Switch, and it’s likely to send those of you that adore Sega role-playing games into retro-themed euphoria.

Phantasy Star has finally made its debut on the system, bringing a long-lost role-playing adventure to it for the low price of $7.99.

The game that kicked off Sega’s long-running series made its debut on the Master System wayyyyy back in 1987, at a time when it was still trying to find its footing behind the more successful Nintendo Entertainment System.

Phantasy Star follows a female heroine named Alis as she vows to get revenge for the death of her brother, traveling between planets in her star system and battling against a tyrannical ruler.

The game’s original size was 4MB, which was large for its time; but Sega made the most of it by adding an interesting new element not seen in most role-playing games- 3D dungeons to explore and find secrets.

Though the game wasn’t a tremendous seller at the time, it gained a huge cult following over the years, prompting Sega to release three sequels on the Genesis, as well as the spin-off Phantasy Star Online for the Sega Dreamcast and other platforms.

With this historic release, fans can journey back to Phantasy Star‘s humble beginnings. For good measure, Sega also shared a number of fun facts about the game, which you can read below.

• Director Kotaro Hayashida, pen name Ossale Kohta, makes a special NPC appearance in Phantasy Star as Alex Ossale, a reference to his work on Alex Kidd in Miracle World.
• Yuji Naka, creator of Sonic The Hedgehog, is the mastermind behind the highly innovative pseudo-3D dungeons.
• Enjoy all of the amazing music featured in the SEGA AGES release of Phantasy Star in the newly-added Sound Test feature.
• All of the flavor text in the Monster Compendium has been newly written for the SEGA AGES release of Phantasy Star.

The classic role-playing adventure is the latest release in the Sega Ages series, which also includes Sonic the Hedgehog and Thunder Force IV. The next Sega Ages title will be the racing game Out Run, set to debut on January 10; followed by other titles including Virtua Racing and Space Harrier.

If you’re a die-hard Sega fan, or even a curious RPG player, Phantasy Star is the game for you. Check out the trailer above!

You can find Phantasy Star‘s pre-order page here and also look it up in the eShop menu.