to other Mega Drive/Genesis games and that the game is incomprehensible to newcomers to the series, but that "the game succeeds by creating cinematic moments, introducing new characters and powers, and taking many weird and wonderful plot turns." Mean Machines criticized the graphics, animation, and effects, but praised the playability, story, and lastability, calling it the "best pure RPG for the Megadrive." The three reviewers of GameFan rated it 90, 97, and 92, stating the "graphics are beautiful, the music is powerful, and the non-stop original ideas make this cartridge an absolute must-own for the RPG enthusiast" while criticizing the translation. Retrospective reviews have been very positive, with praise for the gameplay, story and visuals. In RPGamer, Sephirstein praised the title as one of the greatest RPGs he had ever played, with "magnificent graphics, sensational soundtrack, gripping story and incredible battle system". Parn of RPGFan also called it one of "the best RPGs ever made". Reviews for the Virtual Console release were also very positive. Nintendo Lifes Corbie Dillard said that one could not have asked for a better end to the 16-bit series. IGN called it one of the definitive 16-bit role-playing games, stating the "storyline and characters are deep and engaging," the "attractive anime-style cutscenes steal the show visually," and the gameplay is both "classic and unique at the same time." Tor.com described it as "an ambitious JRPG that is the perfect end to the series, taking the best elements of each of the previous games and weaving together a 'phantastic' journey." Eurogamer stated that it is "epic in scope" and recommended that "anyone with a fondness for JRPGs should investigate this at once." In 2007, IGN ranked Phantasy Star IV as the 61st best game ever made. In 2012, IGN placed Phantasy Star IV at number 59 in their Top 100 RPGs of all time, citing the elegantly simple mechanics and the game's influence on Phantasy Star Online (which they ranked as number 23 on the list). In 2009 Nintendo Power labelled the title, along with Phantasy Star II, as one of the greatest RPGs of all time. Complex Magazine ranked the game number 2, behind only Gunstar Heroes, in its list of the best Sega Genesis games. References 1993 video games Fiction set around Algol Nintendo Switch Online games Overworks games Phantasy Star video games Role-playing video games Sega Genesis games Sega video games Single-player video