is a role-playing video game developed and published by Sega. It was released for the Sega Genesis in Japan in April 1990 and worldwide the following year. It is the third game in the original Phantasy Star series, and is a distant sequel to the previous games. However, gameplay is similar to the previous games, with turn-based combat and random encounters. Players explore various overworld maps and dungeons in order to progress through the game. It was later re-released on the Virtual Console and on retro collections such as the Phantasy Star Collection, Sega Genesis Collection, and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. Gameplay Phantasy Star III mostly follows the traditional roleplaying game formula seen throughout the series, with the exploration of several 2-D worlds, character recruitment, and random enemy encounters using a turn-based battle system. Unlike previous games, the "technique" magic system plays a somewhat diminished role in combat. New features in the combat system include the auto-battle feature and the icon-based menu system. The feature that mostly separates Phantasy Star III, however, is that the story spans three generations of characters. At critical points throughout the game, the main character is given the option of marrying one of two women he has encountered during his travels. This choice determines the new main character of the next generation—the child (or children) of the previous lead. The choice also affects the gameplay, as the main character may be Orakian or a mix of Layan and Orakian, which differ in their ability to use techniques and their level of proficiency with them. Two paths in the second generation in turn lead to four paths in the third and final generation, and depending on which of the four main characters is played, the ending will vary. Plot A thousand years before the start of the game, two factions — one led by the swordsman Orakio, the other by the sorceress Laya — were engaged in a bitter conflict. An attempt at peace was made when the two leaders met for an armistice, but soon afterwards they both mysteriously vanished. This placed the two factions in a precarious situation, as each blamed the other for their leader's disappearance. All communication between the Orakians and Layans was suspended, travel between their respective worlds was prohibited, and the two groups teetered on the brink of war. Players take control of Rhys, Crown Prince of the Orakian kingdom