CAZine

Here’s one for all the RPG players out there. It’s called Tales of Phantasia, and is truly hooking.

Basically, you play a kid about 16 or 17 named Cress. Of course, like many of these games, our main character is the only son of a master swordsman. He lives in the Village of Toltus, a very small town in the South of Euclid, the continent that they live on.

Cress also has a best friend named Chester, and the two are a perfect melee/ranger team. It starts out with a normal hunting trip. Cress and Chester go down into the South Forest, and slay a boar. They hear the village bell ring, run back, and find everyone dead. They split up, since hotheaded Chester decided to be stubborn and bury everyone properly. The recently orphaned Cress travels up to Euclid, a town in the North, where he plans to live with his Uncle.

However, he doesn’t even spend the night at his uncle’s home. In the middle of the night, soldiers clomp in and take Cress to a dull dungeon, where they take the pendant his father gave him for his birthday. It was comprised of a single jewel that his father held in high esteem and guarded closely.

Cress manages to get out by means of an earring given to him by a spectre woman. On his way out, he picks up a long sword that he can pry doors and locks open with. He meets a young healer named Mint, who then accompanies him through the rest of his journey.

They two then make their way to a house where everything gets cleared up. The gem was one that was used to imprison Dhaos, the Demon King. The pendant, and one taken from Mint, are the only things that can set him free. They race to the place of his imprisonment, where they are joined by Chester. It’s too late. The man who had destroyed Toltus and stolen the pendants had made it there before our heroes. They arrive just to see him throw the jewels at a large stone sarcophagus, which then opens the spell that bound Dhaos for more than a century.

Chester, not knowing the powers that the Demon King possessed, rushes at Dhaos, aiming to avenge the death of the villagers, specifically his sister Ami. With a single raise of his hand, Dhaos kills Chester. The man who brought our heroes to the Mausoleum casts a spell.

Before they know it, Cress and Mint find themselves on a deserted plain overlooking a small village. With them is a broken bow that was used by Chester. And they begin a journey through time and space, a quest to find the one thing that can vanquish Dhaos.

Along with Cress, Chester and Mint, there are two other playable characters: Claus, the Summoner; and Arche, the Witch. The game is old, and hard to find, but, believe me, it’s worth the trouble. The characters have a very nice humor to them, and the story was very original at the time. It’s a fun game that includes lots of original enemies, such as the Fire Spirit Efreet (who you can later use to your advantage), normal Bugbears, and unexpected everyday animals such as bees and hornets. Then, there are enemies who are people, like Demitel the Magic User, and Meia the Wandering Swordsman. There are lots of fun parts to it, and Dhaos-Minions to vanquish at every turn.